A night at Bacchus | Glenelg Street & Grey Street, South Brisbane QLD 4101
As I was slipping into my So Kate 120s, I turned and advised the other travel bunnie, ‘I may not be able to walk properly in these stilts after tonight’s meal’. You can’t really blame me though as we were on our way to Bacchus, in the Rydges Hotel located at South Bank and I knew that I was in for a fantastic night of culinary delights.
Since opening, Bacchus has been recognised as one of the best fine dining restaurants in Brisbane and with its lavish yet welcoming interior designed by LA-based interior team, Tracy Beckmann Design, it’s no wonder the multi-award winning restaurant has become so popular amongst Brisbanites as well as travellers. As we walked into the candlelit space, the maître d' greeted us with a beaming smile and led us to our table. Italian-born chef Massimo Speroni recently took over the throne here and he has worked his magic on a new menu which we were about to try. Whilst still focusing on modern Australian flavours and dishes, the new menu curated by Chef Speroni offers a fantastic variety of delicious elements and really reflects his extensive experiences in Michelin-starred restaurants.
We started off the night with a trio of amuse bouche to stimulate our appetite, before receiving the beautifully plated Fraser Island sand crab with avocado and basil pesto ($22) from the new Raw+Cured menu introduced by Chef Speroni as the opening act of the culinary adventure. It was followed by scallops from the pristine North Atlantic Canadian waters served with Champagne and oyster sauce ($29), squid ink fish gnocchi with Moreton Bay calamari and Coffin Bay mussels ($32) and tongue cooked for 24 hours at 75 degrees served with chargrilled avocado and white balsamic gel ($25). I can’t even begin to tell you just how wonderfully tasty those dishes were; the scallops were delicate, plump and sweet, while every mouthful of the pillowy gnocchi (not your average potato-based) was luscious. As for the tongue, my god, when I eventually decided to touch the perfectly plated work of art, I realised that the texture was not what I was expecting - it was extremely tender and so flavoursome when mixed with the accompaniment.
Just when I thought that the food couldn’t get any better, the main courses arrived at our table. The other travel bunnie had four different cuts of Berkshire pork with pine mushroom and jus ($49) - each and every piece of the pork was incredibly succulent. As for me, it was a seared fillet of the Hiramasa yellowtail kingfish ($46) cooked medium rare and playfully accessorised with sour cream, quinoa, lime and sweet corn in three ways - grilled, creamed and popped. Bellissimo.
The dessert menu has five enticing sweet options, as well as the Chef’s private cheese selection from the trolley served with walnut& raisin loaf, lavosh, red wine & grape chutney, green apple and celery. I had a hard time choosing and had to ask the maître d' for his recommendation before deciding on the chocolate fondant tart ($22) and the banana egg custard, malt and golden raisin ($19). I really don’t think you can go wrong with any of the available options. If you’re a chocolate lover, you are going to love the fondant tart. Made with Valrhona chocolate, the thin layer of pastry was super light and crispy while the inside oozed rich and warm velvety chocolate goodness. I made sure that I fished the very last bite of my dessert before I started sliding off my chair and into a food coma.
As we were leaving, I saw the table next to us receiving their third course from a 7-course degustation - a cloud of smoke encased in a round glass dome cover was released to reveal foie gras, which was accompanied by smoked potato, 30-year-old balsamic and seasonal vegetables. The couple looked at the dish with amusement before turning to each other with happiness written all over their faces.
You see, Bacchus has broken this cliche concept that you can’t get good food at a hotel restaurant. Instead, Bacchus will take you on a food ecstasy with its well-curated menu, extensive wine list and impeccable service. Did I mention that Bacchus, (true to its name - the Greek god of wine) is also the home of Dom Pérignon, being the first and only in Queensland?
Disclaimer: with a very warm thank you to Bacchus Restaurant for welcoming DolceBunnie to the property as an invited guest, please note that my opinion is as always, my own.
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