ESSA

Fortitude Valley's dark and moody ESSA comes to us from Phil Marchant, ex-head chef of South Brisbane’s iconic Gauge, and Angela Sclavos, owner of nearby The Green, and is an ideal spot for date night, especially if you can nab a seat at the bar overlooking the open kitchen.

Focusing on all things raw, pickled, smoked and wood-fired, the eats coming out of the kitchen here showcase local farmers and providores, with their seasonal produce transformed into simple dishes heroing the ingredients themselves rather than fancy cooking techniques. 

For the larger dishes, you’ll find options like Bangalow pork tomahawk; hand rolled spaghettini with clams, carrot, salted mandarin and chill; and dry aged duck. Pair them with fried kipfler potatoes with comte, sour onion and chives and make sure you leave room for a chocolate and fermented mushroom cream bun for dessert. 

As for the drinks, you can work your way through a wine list that has been carefully curated to match the kitchen’s ethos and the dishes, or a refined cocktail list featuring sips like the Love Bird, which combines rose, strawberries and white chocolate with a milk wash technique.

Forever breaking the mold when it comes to creative dining events, Essa's latest dinner series is one not to be missed. Every Wednesday night from 31 May, you can sample five plates from five chefs for $66pp (or always under $100, depending on the week), with each dish created by a different chef. Showcasing young chefs, guest chefs and local producers, the menu will change each Wednesday, with the first featuring the Essa team as well as rare cult wines being poured by Ian Trinkle from Wineism.

You can read more about ESSA here.

Image credit: Supplied