Lyrebird restaurant

THE Lyrebird restaurant at the Queensland Performing Arts Complex at South Brisbane caters mainly to theatre-goers.

THE Lyrebird restaurant at the Queensland Performing Arts Complex at South Brisbane caters mainly to theatre-goers.

It is a vast room with a large glass wall looking out to a courtyard with seating and a cafe/kiosk that serves more casual snacks and drinks.

Unlike regular venues, it is essential to book as opening hours are determined by performance times, listed on the website (www.qpac.com.au).

Recently, Linda Franz, formerly of e'cco and Simpatico, took over the reins as executive chef and began to apply her signature style to the menu.

One very Simpatico touch immediately discernible was the fetta-stuffed olives – a bowl of green olives, stuffed with fetta cheese, crumbed and deep fried. They are delicious and a great way to take the edge off an appetite.

We dined during her spring menu, clipped and light in style with all of the five entrees enticing. The two with the most appeal were the potted prawns and the jamon with melon, mint and frisee salad.

Diced king prawns tossed lightly in a delicate dill-scented mayonnaise had been moulded into a tower and served with buttered cucumbers and toasted slices of Italian bread. This is a traditional luncheon dish – buttered cucumbers are actually finely sliced and mildly pickled – a piquant accompaniment to the rich, creamy prawns. We had decided to share by swapping halfway and my friend was dutifully leaving half the jamon-draped salad on his entree plate while obvious alarm bells were ringing in his head as he watched me devour much of the prawn tower. Having rushed to make it on time, I had arrived famished and this is a lovely starter, perfectly fresh and balanced. Not easy to pull up halfway.

The jamon was just as light though, with hints of mint and the freshness of the melon interacting well with the saltiness of the ham.

Other simple starters are smoked salmon with fennel and avocado cream, and a smoked mushroom tart with creme fraiche and rocket.

One of the daily specials, soft-shelled crab came served with a nam jim sauce just hot enough to bite but not overpowering the gentle flavour of the crab. Dipped in a light crisp batter the crab held together under a tempura-like coating, adding crunch to the dish. Our other choice of seared Atlantic salmon followed the Asian theme, this one served over steamed wombok and flavoured with mint and coriander and garnished with toasted cashews.

Our waiter asked if medium would suit us as she said the kitchen recommended it this way, so we went with this. Crisp-skinned, the fillet was much closer to well-done – cooked and pale throughout, and while I favour a more thorough cooking approach unless it is a tataki or similar style dish, this was bordering on overdone, particularly at the thinner edges of the fillet. However, soy flavours and pickled ginger added dimension and edge, and the dish was still enjoyable.

We also ordered a rocket and parmesan salad which, in hindsight was overkill, as all courses are substantial. My friend is an Italophile and very particular about his dressings, rocket, parmesan, etc. which is why we ordered it. This one was overdressed and laboured heavily under too much balsamic dressing. By the time we got around to eating it, the parmesan was brown, having soaked up the dressing, but all ingredients were clearly top quality.

A dessert of banana tart tatin fixed all woes, however. A luscious, buttery number appeared warm and velvety under flaky pastry with vanilla bean ice cream melting over it, caramel sauce adding to the decadence.

The wine list is a two-page affair with another devoted to selections by the glass. Divided into varietals, there should be something for everyone looking for current stock.

The menu will change again soon, to include entrees such as sugar-cured ocean trout with celeriac and celery heart salad with herb and vodka cream; smoked quail with cider-roasted apple, white raisins and witlof as entrees; and mains such as roasted lamb loin with beetroot, eggplant fritter, Persian fetta and pine nuts.

Franz is a consummate chef with a deft hand. Elements of the e'cco brand are evident in her style and, as with all successful Philip Johnson proteges, she distinguishes herself by committing to the use of high-quality produce and simple, elegant presentation.