Now that providence has put me in charge of a newborn baby, I've been finding it a bit tough to go out at night for a nice dinner and drinks with friends. It has therefore made me reconsider the virtues of going out for a long Sunday lunch.
Finding a nice place for said lunch is no mean feat with a number of Brissy cafes closing at the 2pm mark. When I want a long lunch, I mean a looong lunch.
This is where Darling & Co at Paddington steps in. Open seven days from 6:30am - late, you can come in as early as you like and stay here until the cows come home.
But is the food here worth an all day sit-in? Let's take a look.
Finding a nice place for said lunch is no mean feat with a number of Brissy cafes closing at the 2pm mark. When I want a long lunch, I mean a looong lunch.
This is where Darling & Co at Paddington steps in. Open seven days from 6:30am - late, you can come in as early as you like and stay here until the cows come home.
But is the food here worth an all day sit-in? Let's take a look.
Seeing as we were in for the long-haul, we kicked off with some cocktails, and made a bee-line for the house specialties. Above we had the 10 Days in Tahiti (Ketel One Vodka, watermelon, coconut, lime, mint) and the Thailand Rockin’ (Tanqueray Gin, rockmelon, orange, Thai basil).
Both of these drinks tasted as refreshing as they sounded, with the mint and Thai basil adding some nice uplifting notes to each beverage.
We then chose a couple of plates from the starters menu, opting for the Croquettes with manchego and truffle aioli as well as the Harvey Bay Scallops with celeriac, pickled apple, guanciale crumb.
The crouettes were lovely and crisp on the outside and had a soft cloud-like potato filling on the inside. The addition of the manchego cheese gave it a really nice richness that was all topped off nicely with the earthy tones of the truffle aioli.
The scallops were a winner as well, with a creamy sauce that could almost have been over-powering were it not for the freshness of the tiny cubes of apple it was served with. I could happily have eaten plate after plate of these!
Both of these drinks tasted as refreshing as they sounded, with the mint and Thai basil adding some nice uplifting notes to each beverage.
We then chose a couple of plates from the starters menu, opting for the Croquettes with manchego and truffle aioli as well as the Harvey Bay Scallops with celeriac, pickled apple, guanciale crumb.
The crouettes were lovely and crisp on the outside and had a soft cloud-like potato filling on the inside. The addition of the manchego cheese gave it a really nice richness that was all topped off nicely with the earthy tones of the truffle aioli.
The scallops were a winner as well, with a creamy sauce that could almost have been over-powering were it not for the freshness of the tiny cubes of apple it was served with. I could happily have eaten plate after plate of these!
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We then tried out a couple of dishes from the small plates menu, which are (again) made for sharing. After much contemplation, we decided we couldn't go past the Angus Beef Tartare with Vietnamese spices, hens egg, crispy shallot and rice puffs as well as the Vanella Burrata, with forest mushrooms, salsa verde, rosemary flatbread.
It's always exciting to find a steak tartare in Brisbane, as it is, understandably, not always a dish for everyone. The raw angus beef was top quality, and the raw egg yolk on top gave the dish a really yummy richness. I really like how this soft textured dish was served with some crispy, salty Vietnamese rice crackers to compliment the subtle Vietnamese herbs used in the tartare.
The Vanella Burrata was something I'd never had before, and is a gorgeous Italian cheese made from mozzarella and cream. Let's be honest- with those two ingredients how can you possibly go wrong? The cheese itself was soft and decadently creamy. The mushrooms were a lovely addition as well, though they did have a rather strong vinegar taste to them. I absolutely rated the warm rosemary bread this was served with.
It's always exciting to find a steak tartare in Brisbane, as it is, understandably, not always a dish for everyone. The raw angus beef was top quality, and the raw egg yolk on top gave the dish a really yummy richness. I really like how this soft textured dish was served with some crispy, salty Vietnamese rice crackers to compliment the subtle Vietnamese herbs used in the tartare.
The Vanella Burrata was something I'd never had before, and is a gorgeous Italian cheese made from mozzarella and cream. Let's be honest- with those two ingredients how can you possibly go wrong? The cheese itself was soft and decadently creamy. The mushrooms were a lovely addition as well, though they did have a rather strong vinegar taste to them. I absolutely rated the warm rosemary bread this was served with.
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Finally making it to the large plate menu, we opted for the Spatchcock with Middle Eastern cauliflower, pomegranate and pistachio, plus the day's special of Porchetta served on a truffle mash.
Meat-lovers rejoice, because both of these meals get a big, meaty tick, no bones about it.
The spatchcock had a lovely lightly charred skin which was seasoned beautifully. Do be warned- the pepper it was served with was definitely on the hot side. Luckily the sweet pomegranate gel on the cauliflower cut through the heat, as well as lifting the spiced cauliflower.
What can I say about the porchetta roll but wow! The meat in this dish was beautifully tender and the crackling it was surrounded with was crispy to perfection. It came with a generous serving of truffle mash, that had a great earthy taste to it, and a jus that was ridiculously tasty.
Meat-lovers rejoice, because both of these meals get a big, meaty tick, no bones about it.
The spatchcock had a lovely lightly charred skin which was seasoned beautifully. Do be warned- the pepper it was served with was definitely on the hot side. Luckily the sweet pomegranate gel on the cauliflower cut through the heat, as well as lifting the spiced cauliflower.
What can I say about the porchetta roll but wow! The meat in this dish was beautifully tender and the crackling it was surrounded with was crispy to perfection. It came with a generous serving of truffle mash, that had a great earthy taste to it, and a jus that was ridiculously tasty.
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If you're in need of a long catch-up with friends or just want to wile the day away in front of some tasty food, Darling & Co is a pretty good choice to set-up camp. If you're still there by dinner time, you can always go for a round two as well.
Darling & Co can be found at 157 Given Terrace, Paddington.
Darling & Co can be found at 157 Given Terrace, Paddington.
