‘Eye wateringly expensive’: $75 sand crab lasagne hero dish
A Queensland cult dish is making a comeback at a new Brisbane restaurant with a price that is set to turn heads.
QWeekend
Don't miss out on the headlines from QWeekend. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Zazu Dining in Brisbane’s West End is probably the last place I would expect to find chef Gillian Hirst’s famous sand crab lasagne. The Queensland culinary doyenne invented the renowned dish in 1992 while working at acclaimed CBD restaurant Il Centro, serving a staggering 400 portions a week to diners who adored the Sunshine State spin on the Naples classic.
While the luxurious dish seemed fitting for the riverside Italian fine diner, it’s a slightly kooky inclusion at West Village newcomer Zazu. In saying that though, Zazu’s entire offering is a little kooky.
Take one look at the casual-yet-stylish eatery’s menu and you’ll be more confused than a Love Island contestant trying to do algebra.
Rather than stick to a single cuisine, it seems like the owners took all their favourite dishes from across the world and slapped them together in a single, head-spinning, global list.
For instance, diners can start with anything from burrata with heirloom tomatoes and capers to a Thai beef salad or Balkan-style kebapi. While for something more substantial there are pizzas sitting alongside dumplings and bao buns, plus Chinese-style pork pancakes or confit chicken roulade. I guess it’s great if you’re going out with a bunch of friends who can’t commit to just one cuisine, but if you like continuity between your courses it’s enough to make your brain hurt.
We decide to embrace the circus that is the menu and go on a multicultural adventure starting with pan-fried pork dumpings ($17). Although not as hot – temperature wise – as they could be, they’re a tasty morsel with a pungent Sichuan-inspired mala sauce delivering plenty of spice and fermentation spunk.
Some of the sauce wouldn’t go astray on the tempura-battered prawns in charcoal-hued bao buns ($21) that are visually striking but a little bland. The pizzas are described on the menu as “eclectic oval” varieties and that they are with everything from a ham and pineapple number to a zucchini and chilli incarnation forming the line-up of six.
Our Middle Eastern-inspired version ($19) is like a pizza/pide hybrid with tender strands of braised lamb resting on tomato paste and melted fior di latte cheese, then crowned with pomegranate seeds, molasses, green chilli and lashings of a tahini-infused yoghurt. While the sesame-dairy dressing is a little dominant, the dish is lifted by a surprisingly good puffy and charred handmade base.
But the real hero at Zazu is Hirst’s famous sand crab lasagne. The restaurant’s owner Jova Lou asked the chef for the recipe, who kindly provided it to the kitchen team who execute it with remarkable likeness to the original.
While it is missing the magnitude of pasta layers of the pioneering creation, the delicate bechamel, abundance of crustacean and plate-scraping bisque seem to all be on par.
It is, however, eye wateringly more expensive than the original at $75 per serve, which the menu says is for two, but could easily be polished off by a hungry solo diner.
Zazu is almost equal parts bar as it is restaurant, with the drinks station running almost the entire length of the dark and textural, contemporary space. There is a long list of classic cocktails like pina coladas and negronis, also available in a half portion labelled “mini”; and an abundance of big-name spirits, more than a dozen beers on tap and by the bottle, and a global wine list with plenty of affordable options by the glass and bottle, plus a few extravagant options.
The service team is still learning the menu, which is to be expected given its recent launch, but the smartly dressed staff is more than eager to please, while food arrives at pace.
Zazu is certainly not a restaurant for traditionalists, but if you’re dining with an indecisive group or simply happy to walk a little on the wild side it may be for you.
Zazu Dining
West Village, 49 Mollison St, West End
5646 6808
zazudining.com.au
Open
Seven days, 11.30am-late
Verdict – Scores out of 5
Food 3.5
Service 3.5
Ambience 3.5
Value 3.5
Overall 3.5
My secret battle: Nightmare moment fitness influencer ‘spiralled’
Queensland influencer and mum-of-five Chontel Duncan opens up on her challenging childhood, her fitness empire and the nightmare moment she “spiralled into that dark place”.
Review: Was Mt Coot-tha restaurant’s five-year hiatus worth the wait?
The Summit restaurant has reopened after multimillion-dollar renovations. It undeniably boasts stunning views and a broad menu, but there’s one dish that is nothing like its namesake.