42
Catering to OMNIVORES and HERBIVORES alike in
an artfully adapted INDUSTRIAL SETTING, the new
star on Brisbane’s restaurant scene doesn’t disappoint.
IMOGEN EVESON dines atDETOUR.
AUSTRALIANTRAVELLER.COMAllATreviews are conducted anonymously and our writers pay their own way – so we experience exactly what you would.CLOCKWISE FROM TOP
LEFT:Detour’s industrial digs;
The cocktails list, like the whole
menu, is concise and curated; An
‘omnivore’ dish of gunpowdersalmon.Cauliflower with cashew curry and lentils is rich,
creamy and hearty, with a kick; but the smoked
pumpkin with maple, mustard and pepitas leaves it
in the cold. Pumpkin is the ubiquitous vegetarian
fallback, omnipresent in frittatas and salads
everywhere and, often enough, an undercooked
consolation prize. But not this one; it’s delicious.
The sweetness of the pumpkin and maple is offset
by the smoky flavour and the bite of mustard, but
further still by the red wine we choose from a menu
of Australian offerings. A biodynamic tempranillo
from Barossa Valley small-batch producer Smallfry
Wines, it’s more savoury than I’m used to but proves
to be a good counterbalance.
Though we stick to the herbivore menu, the
omnivore offerings look no less intriguing:K.F.D.
(Kentucky fried duck) with jalapeño cornbread and
sour cream; emu tartare with burnt shallot, chilli and
yolk; and gunpowder salmon with green curry and
black ants (Amos is a big edible insects advocate).
The dining experience is sophisticated but casual,
with various members of the team checking in
throughout to see how we’re tracking and proffer
notes on their favourite dishes. It’s an uncontrived
touch that adds to the convivial atmosphere.
Dessert comes deconstructed. Juicy mango, firm
macadamias and powdery dehydrated mandarin
balance out a creamy slab of panna cotta, the
combination of flavours and textures as brilliantly
executed as everything that came before. So what
if Adele’s at the Gabba? The headliner in Brisbane
tonight is the menu at Detour.DETOUR IS HOUSED IN an old industrial
building within the antique precinct of Logan Road
in Brisbane’s Woolloongabba. The atmosphere
is warm and intimate, and my partner and I soon
forget the commotion over the road: Adele is
playing to 60,000 people at the Gabba.
Opened in January, this 140-seater is the much-
anticipated restaurant from Damon Amos, former
executive chef at Brisbane’s hatted eatery, Public.
The space itself is contemporary yet faithful to
its industrial foundations; copper and wooden
panels have been installed with a light touch against
exposed brickwork and metal support beams that
bear original signage – it all feels very textural.
The menu at Detour is split down the middle
between omnivore and herbivore options (meat-,
egg- and dairy-free). The premise behind this is
one of inclusiveness; Amos wants everyone to be
able to enjoy his food, regardless of their dietary
persuasions. This works for me: I’m vegetarian, so
we order three dishes and a side from the herbivore
menu. It’s a shame there aren’t more of us dining,
because I would have happily sampled all of the nine
dishes on this succinct menu.
The first to arrive from the open kitchen – coal-
roasted broccoli with miso, spinach, seaweed and
quinoa – sets a high standard. Its flavours and textures
pop against each other: smoky and salty; slippery
and crunchy. A side of beetroot with ginger and
mandarin is similarly pleasing in the way its simple
ingredients play off each other; the juxtapositions of
textures is clearly not limited to the interior design.DETAILS
DETOUR
Shop 6, 11 Logan Road,
Woolloongabba, QLD;
detourrestaurant.com.au
Verdict: A warm, casual yet
fine-dining experience where
the creative menu manages
to outshine the impressive
industrial-chic setting.
Score:
We rated: The creative and
sometimes out-there
combinations of ingredients
that come together elegantly.
We’d change: It was a shame
not to have tried more dishes.
A tasting plate option would
probably convolute the succinct
menu, so next time I would
come with a larger group to
make sure I sampled more.WEEKENDS | Reviews
H EADLINE ACT