The most anticipated launch of 2020 Agnes Restaurant has finally opened in Fortitude Valley, after a stint as a pop-up bakery and bar at the height of the COVID19 lockdown earlier in the year.

(Words by @foodieinheels)

Walking in, I felt like I was in an uber cool restaurant in downtown New York City. Dark, contemporary and seductive with the drama of fire from the open kitchens and high ceilings. It’s the kind of place that makes one feel awkward whipping out a DSLR camera ( - the things I do for you guys!)

Onto the food. The highlights were the malted sourdough with smoked butter, flame tail snapper, tomatoes and anchovy side (which is huge for me, as I’m not a tomato fan), and of course the basque cheese cake, which I was craving from the pop-up bakery.

Sadly, the Wagyu rib eye main was underwhelming as were the Scarlet prawn doughnuts and grilled chicken tail starters. I live for steak as some of you know, and I was hoping for something special with the woodfire cooking. 230 days of dry aging and $98 price for 400g. The beef was gristly, lacked flavour and was missing a caramelised crust. I've since heard good things about the lamb ribs, pippies and aged duck so these are on my list for next time.

Service wise, we loved the sommelier who was so personable (and unpretentious about our sub-$100 wine budget) but felt our waitress lacked enthusiasm for the menu. All up the bill for 3 was just over $300 which isn't outrageous

Agnes only launched a few weeks ago so inevitably there are teething issues to work through. Although our snapper was undercooked, the team's apologetic response was faultless after being made aware of this (not only were we served a new dish, but two complimentary sides offered which is how I got to try the incredible tomatoes) and you really can't ask for more than that.

Overall, there were moments of greatness last night and I can't help but want to return for the ambience. Not that my verdict even matters because Agnes is booked out until mid-November. Next visit for me will be a lunch so keen to see how it looks during the day. Congratulations to the Agnes team on your success with the bakery and stellar restaurant launch in a challenging climate!

Where:

22 Agnes Street, Fortitude Valley

Hours:

Agnes is open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday, and lunch Fridays and Saturdays.

Phone: (07) 3067 9087

Information correct at the time of publication