‘Hardly a bargain’: Would you pay $42 for a plate of cabbage?

Dark Shepherd has broken new ground as Brisbane’s only lamb-focused restaurant, where diners can feast on everything from pastitsio bites to $190 lamb and lobster.

Dark Shepherd food Picture: Markus Ravik

Steakhouses are in plentiful supply in Brisbane. But lamb houses? Not a one.

Until the unusually named restaurant Dark Shepherd opened its doors at The Star Brisbane that is. There, diners can kick off with a pastitsio bite (a tiny take on the traditional lamb Greek pasta bake) move on to small plates such as lamb sausages or ribs, perhaps a side of rice cooked in lamb stock, then gravitate on to large plates including slow-cooked lamb shoulder, or “lamb wagyu” served as either a half or full shoulder, or in tomahawk cutlets.

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There are other options, lobster-filled tanks along one side of the room supplement the seafood selection which runs to oysters, prawns saganaki, bugs, octopus, toothfish or calamari – in a fresh take on surf and turf there’s even a $190 lamb and lobster dish – as well as a nod to beef with a rib fillet or a tomahawk steak.

But the focus is on sheep at this eatery from the Tassis Group, which operates restaurants including Rich & Rare at West Village, Fat Cow at James St, Stilts on Kangaroo Point Bridge, Opa and Longwang in the City and Fosh at Portside. And while the venues span cuisines from French to Chinese to Greek, or are steak or seafood-focused, Dark Shepherd’s Mediterranean menu is inspired by the role lamb played in the Greek roots of the group’s owner Michael Tassis.

In addition, four different banquet menus, a feature of Tassis restaurants, offer very decent value from $54 a person.

If the “shepherd” in the restaurant’s name covers off the sheep connection, the interior reflects the “dark”, with black battens rising to the ceiling and plenty of moody tones across indoor and outdoor areas. There’s even a curved entry inspired by the shape of a shepherd’s crook, and a dry-ageing lamb cabinet.

A hint of Greece runs through the drinks list which includes Achilles or Adriatic sour cocktails, Mythos Hellenic beer, and about 140 wines, including several from Greece, and more than 40 by the glass.

Avgolemono soup at Dark Shepherd Picture: Markus Ravik

We start with a single plump scallop bathed in a spicy butter ($10) and avgolemono soup ($19) and it’s a large bowl of the traditional, hearty Greek creation packed with chicken and rice and an egg and lemon base, with a side plate of chopped chives, chilli and butter, and it’s generous enough to be a meal on its own.

The wood-fired oven is put to good use with our slow-cooked half White Pyrenees lamb shoulder – 21-day aged, finely marbled meat from Victoria’s Pyrenees Ranges dubbed “lamb wagyu” – ($55/$110 for a full).

Dark Shepherd food. Picture: Markus Ravik

It’s succulent and falling apart tender, with a waitress able to debone it at the table with a quick flick of the tongs. It comes with a lemon wedge and tzatziki, as well as a choice of wood-fired peppers or roasted potatoes – although we are told we’ll be getting “red” potatoes that appear to have been boiled and clad in a light, mildly spicy tomato sauce.

We also order a large plate option of wood-fired cabbage ($42) and while you might think you’d get a couple of cabbages for that, it’s a baked cross-section encircled by a thick garlic, tahini, yoghurty mix, with pistachio and herbs and while it’s pleasant it’s hardly a bargain. However a side is included and I opt for brussels sprouts ($18 as a separate item) which are cooked just right and come with yoghurt, honey and are topped with chilli and sprigs of dill.

A disc of pillow bread ($14) is indeed hot and pillowy and a fine accessory for swiping up the various sauces.

Dessert is a bridge too far but options include cheesecake, galaktoboureko with its filo, custard and lemon syrup, baklava or halva.

Service is personable, dishes arrive in good time but, on the downside, a glass of wine we order never appears.

Dark Shepherd’s 120 seats are almost all taken on a Tuesday night, suggesting that a lamb-focused restaurant, including alternatives for most tastes, is a concept people will flock to.

Dark Shepherd interior. Picture: Markus Ravik

Dark Shepherd

The Terrace, Level 4, The Star Brisbane, 33 William St, Brisbane

darkshepherd.com.au

Open
Seven days 11am-late

Must try

Slow-cooked White Pyrenees lamb shoulder

The verdict

Food

3.5

Service

3.5

Ambience

3.5

Value

3.5

Overall

3.5/5

delicious.com.au/eatout