‘Scallop on potato scallop’: The unusual yet perfect dish at James St hotspot

A fun culinary nod to the era of disco has opened in Fortitude Valley’s trend-setting James Street - with one very memorable dish.

Anooska Tucker-Evans

3 min read

April 24, 2025 - 5:00AM

QWeekend

Penelope Bistro in Fortitude Valley.

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Seventies funk and disco plays over the speakers as a gold mirror ball casts a kaleidoscope of patterns below.

Walnut-hued tables tuck into brown velvet banquettes and booths, while chocolate-toned curtains and kit kat tiles emphasise the retro vibe. Walking into Penelope Bistro in Fortitude Valley is like entering a time warp. This sexy new lady from the talented Coats Group (behind nearby Maya Rooftop restaurant and Il Molo, Bulimba) is a bold departure from not only their other venues, but from many of the copycat, modern, Mediterranean-looking restaurants opening around the state.

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Before long you’re tapping your feet to the Bee Gees’ More Than a Woman and preparing to order another sazerac or side car from the list of classic cocktails.

But, perhaps, most surprisingly of all is the latte-coloured reeded windows that block any glimpses to the outside world given Penelope is situated in the former Bar Tano site along the ultra swanky, look-at-me James St, where diners come to be on show.

Delivering this element of mystery, however, is a large part of Penelope’s charm – that and the charismatic service.

Beef tartare, cured meats and cheeses at Penelope Bistro in Fortitude Valley.

Our waitress delivers the right mix of personality and proficiency, and if there’s anything she doesn’t know on the menu, she’s quick to find out; while offering plenty of recommendations.

And suggestions certainly come in handy when navigating the food offering here.

Despite the list being relatively concise, there’s just so much you want to eat, with the dishes playfully riffing on ’70s classics.

There’s a fun take on the devilled egg, for example, using quail eggs; a mortadella charcuterie platter inspired by the nostalgic Australian dinner party favourite of cabanossi and cheese on crackers; and the eponymous signature oysters that nod to room service orders of champagne and strawberries with their mignonette encompassing both.

Penelope Bistro in Fortitude Valley.

With Penelope being a great place to pop in for a drink (the Side Salad martini is a must for those who love a bloody mary or a savoury cocktail), there’s a solid mix of complementary snacks and shareable small plates.

The scallop on potato scallop ($18) is, arguably, the epitome of the restaurant – a little retro, slightly cheeky and just the right amount of sophistication. It arrives with a dice of raw Hokkaido scallops folded through dill, capers and lemon zest spread across mini potato scallops (AKA potato cakes) that have been tossed in salt and vinegar seasoning. The lot is then crowned with a rice cracker nestling a scoop of Oscietra caviar. It would be perfect with one of the four champagnes on the succinct but fairly priced, global wine list.

Potato scallops with scallops at Penelope Bistro in Fortitude Valley.

There are just four mains: steak frites ($60), pasta alla vodka ($32), market fish ($48) and chicken cotoletta ($35). We choose the latter two, which are practically a steal given the restaurant’s location, and are more than satisfied with both. The fish is blue-eye trevalla, with its skin extra crisp and its meaty flesh met with a bold and buttery parsley sauce and wilted English spinach; while the cotoletta has been made with thigh meat rather than breast, delivering deliciously juicy pockets of fat beneath the golden, herb-studded crumb.

They’re perhaps only trumped by the excellent side of carrot ($15), which takes a single whole version of the vegetable and braises it in veg stock, before pan frying it in a glaze of habanero honey and ’nduja butter to develop a deep, dark caramelisation. It’s then set on a lush macadamia “cream cheese”.