Lovers of meat and potato will find plenty to please
Meat lovers will be attracted to the tri-tip, wagyu rib fillet, veal, spatchcock and pork ribs destined for the charcoal oven ... then there are potatoes done three ways.
QWeekend
Don't miss out on the headlines from QWeekend. Followed categories will be added to My News.
After almost 20 years in slick CBD digs, chef Javier Codina has upped sticks and decamped to theBrisbane city fringes.
Last month his Spanish eatery, Moda, reopened on inner-west Petrie Terrace in a heritage-listed building that began life in 1912 as a stables at the police barracks, morphed into a go-to nightclub in the ’80s and, most recently, housed restaurant Burnt Ends, which closed suddenly earlier this year.
RELATED: IS THIS ONE PRAWN REALLY WORTH $25?
Exposed beams, bare brick walls and polished concrete floors form the backdrop for a brace of emerald green upholstered banquettes and bare wooden tables as well as a large, open kitchen where Codina can be heard sooling on his chefs to greater heights.
Patrons could opt for tapas and a drink at the bar, sit at a bench facing the theatre of the kitchen, or sink into the comfortable leather seating for a feast of entremeses (entree-size dishes) and various meats cooked in the crucible of the Mibrasa charcoal oven.
Given that the city is hardly awash with Spanish restaurants, Moda’s arrival on the edge of the Barracks development seems rather odd given that it already is home to Peasant, a long-time purveyor of a rustic version of the cuisine.
Will it be a case of duelling patatas bravas?
Adding reinforcements to the Spanish armada sailing into the area, a low-key tapas bar, Pata Negra, has also opened in a small shopfront a couple of kilometres away on Bardon’s Macgregor Terrace.
As an opening gambit from Moda’s tapas menu – the lineup includes asparagus with jamon, zucchini flowers with goat’s cheese, chicken croquettes and piquillo peppers packed with tuna salad – a wild rabbit pie ($10) is a small golden dome on a pond of intense red wine jus.
It’s perfect with a glass of Castillo Clavijo Rioja ($12) from the Spanish-accented by-the-glass list.
From the 14 entremeses – maybe black pudding with roasted pears; chorizo with capsicum; octopus; wallaby with sweet potato, or paellita – two small halves of garlic-infused West Australian scampi over a bed of plump squid ink-coloured rice ($24) is the standout, although chunks of jus-drizzled pink duck breast on red cabbage ($25) with a walnut-studded salad is also very decent.
The wine list has a strong Spanish bent but there’s also an interesting selection of less commonly seen Australian-New Zealanders, a good French showing and choices from Chile, Argentina and Uruguay.
Meat and potato aficionados will be attracted to the selection destined for the charcoal oven including tri-tip, wagyu rib fillet, veal, spatchcock and pork ribs.
Potatoes ($12) could be either bravas or trinxat (a Catalan conglomeration of mashed potato, cabbage and black pudding), or fries ($9).
The tri-tip ($42) is marble score three, Angus beef from the Black Onyx brand at Rangers Valley near Glen Innes, NSW, and has a lovely, smoky flavour from the grill.
It arrives on a cast-iron dish drizzled with rioja sauce, sliced and fanned around baked pumpkin, tomatoes, fennel and a couple of pieces of overcooked corn.
Dessert is a selection of tarts, pastries and macarons from a very large tray carried around by a waiter.
A slice of apple tarte tatin and a slightly limp eclair stuffed with delicious custard and strawberries ($15 each) are reasonable, but some sauce or accompaniment would be welcome.
Co-owner Francois Le Saveant runs the front of house and is a charming host, but service is up and down as the restaurant fills and staff are stretched.
MODA TAPAS BRASA BAR,
The Barracks,
61 Petrie Terrace,
Brisbane
BOOK
3221 7655
modarestaurant.com.au
OPEN
Tue-Sun 11.30am until late
MUST TRY
Wild rabbit pie
VERDICT
Food 7.5
Service 7.5
Ambience 8
Value 7.5
OVERALL: 7.5 /10
Brisbane’s most stylish: Meet our best dressed A-listers
We scour the city every week to find the most stylish guys and gals for our A-list. Find out which trendsetters made this month’s best dressed list.
The ultimate late-night wedding snack
Wedding guests can get very hungry after a day of celebrating. This bride and groom had McDonald’s on speed dial to deliver 120 cheeseburgers at the end of the night.