‘Imitation is the highest form of flattery’: Brisbane newcomer copies winning formula
An inner-Brisbane eatery has drawn on ideas from the city’s most successful restaurants. And it is working. FULL REVIEW
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It may have just opened but I’ve seen Allonda in Newstead before.
That row of wine bottles that wraps its way around the raw bar at head height and the cylindrical-backed banquette in the window are practically carbon copies of those at bustling Italian eatery Bianca, just a cork pop away in nearby James St, Fortitude Valley.
The bouclé finish plastered on the mezzanine walls is arguably a replica from Bianca’s sister venue, Same Same, while coveted Greek taverna Hellenika, also in the same Calile Hotel culinary precinct as Same Same and Bianca, looks to have been the inspiration for Allonda’s grey marble benchtops.
Whether intentional or not, it’s contestably a smart move mimicking three of Brisbane’s most successful restaurants.
Conceivably on some subconscious level that familiarity provides the venue a degree of credibility by association. Not that it should need it, however.
Allonda is not a debut restaurant for hospitality newbies, but the second venture for the team behind Paddington’s popular wine bar and eatery Nota, in Brisbane’s inner west.
In fact, the trio of Sebastiaan de Kort, Kevin Docherty and Yanika Sittisuntorn were hand-picked by development company Dibcorp to take the somewhat concealed spot at the base of their apartment building Dwell along busy Longland St.
While the restaurant is barely visible from the road, on a rainy midweek visit less than a month after opening, it is comfortably full.
Perhaps it’s because de Kort is on the floor (not that I am detected) but the service is well beyond that of suburban bistro standards.
Our softly spoken, highly knowledgeable, career waiter runs us through the share-style menu, the fish, oysters and risotto of the day and cleans up spills on the table between courses.
He recommends we share a couple of dishes from the small plates section, which runs from Casa Motta burrata to fried black pudding, before selecting a main each from the pastas, say beef ragu or rigatoni boscaiola, and proteins, including market fish and short ribs.
The potato terrine ($15) is canape-sized rather than an entree portion, but if layers of crispy, wafer-thin fried potato topped with cultured cream and smoked salmon caviar for salty, briny bite are your jam, you’ll want to order three plates.
Marginally larger is the tempura market fish sandwich ($10) featuring a two-bite piece of lightly battered flounder on a soft, oblong, white roll with almost as much house-made tartare as there is fish.
It’s a satisfying little snack, ideal to pair with one of the signature cocktails or, perhaps, a glass of South Australian white blend Yangarra Blanc from the diverse and considered wine list.
The vino offering is rather on the pricey end though, with glasses running from $17 to $39 on the regular list, while the Coravin collection reaches as high as $84 for a 150ml pour of 2018 Kaesler Old Bastard shiraz, which retails for between $209 and $270 a bottle.
The sweet corn ravioli ($32) – perhaps influenced from another Calile Hotel precinct favourite, SK Steak & Oyster – features al dente rounds of pasta bursting with just-sweet creamed corn beneath a tomato butter and chive oil with fried corn kernels adding a not entirely desirable textural layer.
What is highly desirable, though, is the Margra lamb ($45).
This Aussie lamb has been bred to create a tender mouthfeel with micro marbling and Allonda’s kitchen team have done it justice.
Our butter-soft rump arrives blushing pink inside, its charry exterior counterbalanced by a textbook salsa verde and a thickened yoghurt with all the smoke of a raging summer bushfire.
For dessert, the honey parfait topped with yoghurt cremeaux and bitter, intensely roasted walnuts ($14) is like a sophisticated version of a bowl of Kellogg’s Crunchy Nut cereal – nostalgic yet contemporary.
While imitation is, as they say, the highest form of flattery, Allonda has the capacity to stand on its own and it should.
ALLONDA
17/21 Longland St, Newstead
allonda.com.au
Open
Tue-Wed 4pm-late, Thu-Sat noon-late
Must try dish
Margra lamb
Verdict
Food 3.5 stars
Service 4 stars
Ambience 4 stars
Value 3.5 stars
Overall
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