Nestled among the brightly-lit stainless steel structures of the M&A precinct in Fortitude Valley is something not quite expected- a little slice of the old world.
Gordita brings a touch of Southern Spain to Brisbane in all areas of food, wine and low-lit ambiance.
Does this cozy, comfortable restaurant work in a modern arena? Let's find out.
Gordita brings a touch of Southern Spain to Brisbane in all areas of food, wine and low-lit ambiance.
Does this cozy, comfortable restaurant work in a modern arena? Let's find out.
When stepping in to Gordita, it actually takes your eyes a second to adjust to the darker atmosphere- it is so different to the bright LED lights that dominate the rest of the M&A area. Once you're all acclimatised, you are instantly taken to another world where you can relax and get comfy over a sangria and some hearty dishes.
I dined here as part of another brilliant Eat Brisbane event, where instagrammers went nuts over a whole plethora of food.
We kicked off with:
The beef puffs were made from thinly sliced beef tendons that were dehydrated then fried. They disintegrated on your tongue and would be a lovely side to an after work drink.
I dined here as part of another brilliant Eat Brisbane event, where instagrammers went nuts over a whole plethora of food.
We kicked off with:
- Beef Puffs, Cayenne Sumac
- House Organic Sourdough
The beef puffs were made from thinly sliced beef tendons that were dehydrated then fried. They disintegrated on your tongue and would be a lovely side to an after work drink.
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We then moved on to:
Chicharrones are fried pork rinds, which can only be a good thing. These had a lovely sticky sweet element to them from the caramelised sherry and were very, very moreish.
The tuna was fresh and beautifully firm inside, with the seaweed pork jelly just adding a subtle element to the dish.
The octopus porkbelly is a combo made in heaven. The crackling on the pork was crisp, while the meat remained nice and tender. I loved the apple celeriac it was served with too to lighten this dish a bit.
- Chicharrones, Caramelised Sherry, Cumin
- Mooloolaba Tuna, Tomato and Seaweed Pork Jelly
- Octopus Porkbelly, Apple Celeriac
Chicharrones are fried pork rinds, which can only be a good thing. These had a lovely sticky sweet element to them from the caramelised sherry and were very, very moreish.
The tuna was fresh and beautifully firm inside, with the seaweed pork jelly just adding a subtle element to the dish.
The octopus porkbelly is a combo made in heaven. The crackling on the pork was crisp, while the meat remained nice and tender. I loved the apple celeriac it was served with too to lighten this dish a bit.
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Next up we had:
The eggplant was melt-in-your-mouth good, and the creamy maple labne was a great match for it. There could have been a touch more labne on the plate to go with the decent serve of eggplant.
The stuffing in the stuffed quail was amazingly tasty- I could have eaten it by the spoonful. The quail itself was crispy on the outside and just cooked in the middle so it wasn't dry as quail can sometimes be. There are two photos of the quail below, just because both the dish and Gordita itself was so pretty.
The raddichio was doused in cheese which is my kind of way of serving up vegetables! The Valdeon is a Spanish blue cheese which was rich, creamy and salty and made this dish an absolute winner.
- Eggplant, Sesame, Maple Labneh
- Stuffed Quail, Iberico, Preserved Lemon
- Grilled Raddichio, Apple, Valdeon
The eggplant was melt-in-your-mouth good, and the creamy maple labne was a great match for it. There could have been a touch more labne on the plate to go with the decent serve of eggplant.
The stuffing in the stuffed quail was amazingly tasty- I could have eaten it by the spoonful. The quail itself was crispy on the outside and just cooked in the middle so it wasn't dry as quail can sometimes be. There are two photos of the quail below, just because both the dish and Gordita itself was so pretty.
The raddichio was doused in cheese which is my kind of way of serving up vegetables! The Valdeon is a Spanish blue cheese which was rich, creamy and salty and made this dish an absolute winner.
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There were still more savouries to come, plus dessert:
You could smell the smoked walnut on the pumpkin before the dish hit the table. This was a fantastic way to serve up pumpkin, and the fishy bonito flakes made this dish really interesting and tasty.
The pièce de résistance of the night was the lamb shoulder. This was steamed for 9 hours then roasted for 30 minutes. What you ended up with was the most moist and crispy lamb you could imagine. This is a fantastic share option to get everyone clambering in with their forks.
The patatas bravas was a phenomenal side, topped with a beautifully oozing egg. The manchengo custard was wonderfully rich and creamy.
If you can squeeze in dessert after eating plate after plate of food, the chocolate coulant is a pretty good option. This was so decadent with molten chocolate lava pouring out of the little cake. The crispy honeycomb added some great texture as well.
- Japanese Pumpkin, Honey, Smoked Walnut, Bonito
- Lamb Shoulder, Paprika, Honey, Chickpea
- Patatas Bravas, Slow Cooked Egg, Manchego Custard
- Coulant De Chocolate, Vanilla Ice Cream, Honeycomb
You could smell the smoked walnut on the pumpkin before the dish hit the table. This was a fantastic way to serve up pumpkin, and the fishy bonito flakes made this dish really interesting and tasty.
The pièce de résistance of the night was the lamb shoulder. This was steamed for 9 hours then roasted for 30 minutes. What you ended up with was the most moist and crispy lamb you could imagine. This is a fantastic share option to get everyone clambering in with their forks.
The patatas bravas was a phenomenal side, topped with a beautifully oozing egg. The manchengo custard was wonderfully rich and creamy.
If you can squeeze in dessert after eating plate after plate of food, the chocolate coulant is a pretty good option. This was so decadent with molten chocolate lava pouring out of the little cake. The crispy honeycomb added some great texture as well.
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Apart from doing food well, there's one other thing Gordita does excellently- mood lighting. If you're looking for somewhere a bit different within a modern precinct, Gordita offers a cozy, delicious experience that really takes you to another world.
Tanya dined as a guest of Gordita and Eat Brisbane.
