Cream bun steals the show at adventurous new Valley restaurant

The creative food at this high-flying Brisbane newcomer grabs attention, right through to the stunning desserts.

Alison Walsh

@AlisonAWalsh

2 min read

September 23, 2021 - 4:00PM

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You would not expect a cream bun to be the highlight of a fine dining dinner. But here at Fortitude Valley newcomer Essa, rather than sweetened white bread filled with faux cream and a dob of jam, it’s an airy choux pastry bun, cut in half and filled with chocolate ganache and artichoke cream. It’s lip-smackingly delicious.

The other dessert is similarly inventive, with taste the driver rather than showboating creativity. A large scoop of mandarin sorbet sits in the middle of a bowl over a pond of pepita caramel topped with a slick of coconut kefir. It’s a simple idea executed beautifully, with the mandarin flavour loud and proud.

Delicious: The artichoke cream bun at Essa, Fortitude Valley.

Essa opened at the James St end of Robertson St in late August, with ex-Gauge chef Phil Marchant heading the kitchen as well as owning the place with Angela Sclavos, who is behind the nearby, just opened Lebanese eatery and nursery The Green. Those familiar with South Brisbane’s Gauge will find a similar aesthetic to Marchant’s cooking there, with pickling, smoking, fermenting and originality on the menu.

The 60-seater is a long, dark burrow of a room that passes by a green stone bar and open kitchen in the midsection, and ends at a glass wall that fronts a burst of tropical foliage. Concrete floors, exposed brickwork and black timber are in there too, with a sense of intimacy created by sections of tables and a loudish masking soundtrack.

A wine list of more than 100 bottles wanders the globe and is supplemented by an inventive cocktail collection.

Essa Restaurant Fortitude Valley. Picture: Mark Cranitch.

The menu kicks off with oysters and charcuterie, there’s house sourdough and then a tight line-up of smaller dishes ($16-$28) and larger ($36-$68), three sides ($14-$18), the two desserts ($12-$14) and cheese. Prices are reasonable for what’s going on here.

Five fried soft chickpea beignets ($14) the size of small doorknobs arrive on an attractive pottery plate surrounding a pool of caramelised scallop cream that brings the bling to the dish. Rather heartier and more robust is the wild venison tartare ($28). The ground purple-pink meat is mixed with bergamot, toasted buckwheat and hibiscus and dusted with fermented rhubarb. When spread on the accompanying still-warm, thin slices of grilled sourdough, it’s a yes from me. Wow.

Big flavours: Essa’s venison tartare. Picture: Mark Cranitch.

House-rolled malloreddus pasta (also known as Sardinian gnocchi) is almost too firm but provides a strong textural base for a sauce of Fraser Isle spanner crab, nduja and carrot ($38). A generously sized bone-free organic pork chop ($42) is soft and unctuous with a hint of salted plum and just a little fermented purple mustard to keep it company. A side of kipfler potatoes ($18) comes to the rescue. The spuds have been crushed into wonderful fluffiness then formed into a large, circular potato cake, which is fried to create a glorious golden skin, with the whole lot then slathered with comte cheese sauce, sour onion and a scatter of chives.

Essa Restaurant Fortitude Valley. Picture: Mark Cranitch.

Against the food, service is less polished. When we arrive we’re told our greeter’s name, I’m asked mine, my dining companion is asked his. After all this conviviality we’re led to our table and we don’t see her again. A waitress takes over and is genuinely lovely but doesn’t know much about the menu, although she does her best to find out answers to our questions. When I’m paying she asks if I’d like to leave a tip, usually a matter approached rather more subtly. None of this is a deal-breaker but experienced service staff are a high-value asset at the moment, as their impact can be immense.

Here, at this very early stage, it adds a clunky element to an attractive venue cooking up a storm with food that’s adventurous, understated and interesting, all at the same time.