Kitchen brown-out delivers taste sensation

It might be 50 shades of brown but the food at Gerard’s in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley is downright alluring.

Who knew a menu running to 50 shades of brown could be so alluring? When first-century Roman gourmand and author Apicius apparently opined “the first taste is always with the eyes” he probably didn’t have in mind a menu with a colour palette mainly ranging from beige to chocolate. But, as we discovered during a recent dinner at Gerard’s in Fortitude Valley, such an apparent optical challenge can be easily overcome in the right hands.

Restaurant review: Two chefs, 10 seats and fabulous food make this pure Joy

Hellenika restaurant review: Is one prawn worth $25?

The restaurant, which has been operating in a shopping arcade just off buzzing Jes St for seven years, has recently undergone a kitchen reboot following the departure of founding chef Ben Williamson, who has taken on the role of executive chef at Sydney restaurant Nour. Now, Sydneysider Adam Wolfers – ex-head chef at the vegetarian Yellow in Potts Point before running pop-up restaurant Ètelek – has taken the helm, and while the menu is true to Gerard’s

Ridiculously declious: Gerard's malawach.

Middle Eastern DNA, it’s smaller and flaunts a distinctive style of its own.

The comprehensive global wine list has also been reworked; the only constant is the interior, with its evocative feature wall of Middle Eastern tiles, wooden tables, bare brick walls and a lengthy, cushion-strewn banquette, although it’s beginning to feel like it needs a freshen-up too.

Warm and crisp: Kataifi with hummus.

A warm, crisp snack of “kataifi” ($5) makes a smart introduction to the menu. A disc, formed from a profusion of wormlike potato strands that mimic the traditional pastry, sits like a lid above a blob of whipped, garlicky, lemony sunflower hummus, while smoky kangaroo kafta ($8), a minced meat skewer, teams well with a dipping bowl of aged tahini and chilli oil.

On the money: Kangaroo kafka with aged tahini and chilli oil.

Crisp-on-the-outside Yemeni flatbread, “malawach” ($12), that is soft and yielding within, is ridiculously delicious when dipped into the roasted tomato, capsicum and paprika delight that is matbucha, as well as pepperberry dukkah. All reasonably simple and all appealing.

A mid-sized Jerusalem artichoke dish ($18) is intriguing in its composition, but not quite as successful in its marriage with Egyptian-style karish cheese and finger lime.

Large share plates include suckling pig, purple cauliflower, Murray cod or intercostal beef. Our waitress, who’s apparently tasted everything on the menu and is able to discuss dishes in detail, something you’d think would be rudimentary in a restaurant but sadly isn’t, suggests the cabbage skewers ($18) to accompany our choice of beef ($40).

Spice influence: Smoked cabbage skewers at Gerard's Bistro, Fortitude Valley.

The cabbage, scrunched on to skewers, is smoked and accented with the North African spice blend ras el hanout, and is indeed well-matched with the beef, which has been slow-cooked overnight then grilled over charcoal. It’s a stunner.

Slowcooked stunner: Grilled intercostal beef.

Desserts aren’t exactly a feast for the eyes, but dip a spoon beneath the covering blanket of “mahalabia” ($15), a take on Middle Eastern milk pudding, and fennel cream, saffron-accented honeycomb and rosella petals steeped in lime syrup are unveiled like a vibrant visit to a souk.

Vibrant as a visit to a souk: The mahalabia dessert.

Our other dessert, black cardamom ice cream ($15), adds another string to its bow with mandarin curd and is similarly pleasing.

This is a kitchen giving flavour priority over looks and the end result is a terrific array of dishes that keeps Gerard’s in its groove but with a fresh lease on life.

GERARD’S

14/15 James St, Fortitude Valley

BOOK

[phone]

gerardsbistro.com.au

OPEN Mon from 6pm-late;
Tue-Sun noon-3pm, 6pm-late

MUST TRY

Grilled intercostal beef with
cabbage skewers

VERDICT

Food 8

Service 9

Ambience 7.5

Value 8

OVERALL: 8