Allium, New Farm

What's the lowdown?

Husband and wife duo James and Kylie Gallagher have taken over the former Merthyr Road Foraging Quail site, which picked its last betel leaf in September. Allium's pitch is to serve contemporary food with a relaxed vibe.

"We're aiming to be that go-to suburban restaurant that's as good as anything in the city, but with a lower price point," says James Gallagher, who spent five years at Alchemy before taking over as head chef at Prive 249. "We want to keep the menu constantly evolving so people can return every couple of weeks and try something new."

The dining room hasn't changed too much since it was the Quail's nest. "We've kept the bare bones of the restaurant and given it a facelift," says Gallagher. It's a minimalist space, now with clean lines and a black and white colour theme, while a focus remains on the open kitchen.

Why should I care?

Because New Farm dining took a hit in 2016 with the closures of Anise, Foraging Quail and Gaslight Bistro. The suburb needs more restaurants offering top-notch food with polished service. (It also needs more restaurants opening later. On recent dinner mission in the 4005, I was told by two different restaurants that 8:30pm on a Friday was too late for a walk-in table. Still trying to get my head around this.)

Gallagher cooks with integrity and you've also got Johnny Little front of house, a champion bloke last seen pouring at Nickel Kitchen & Bar. Little should bring a lot to the wine program, which includes juicy Australian fun like Smallfry's Tangerine Dream field blend and a 2016 Truffle Hound barbera nebbiolo from Unico Zelo . It's also ripper to see an El Diablo on the cocktail list in time for summer.

What's on the menu?

It's an a la carte affair without a sharing plate in sight (cue quiet applause). Opening menu dishes include lightly-cured kingfish with compressed cucumber, buttermilk and green apple sorbet ($24), Milly Hill lamb loin blushing pink against pea, mint and Persian fetta ($36) and lemon meringue tart featuring mascarpone ice-cream, brown-butter crumbs, fennel and granita ($16).

There's also a tasting menu if you're inclined, priced at $85 for six courses. Throw another $50 on the pile for matching drinks.

Anything else I need to know?

Breakfast! From November 19, Allium will be rocking morning glories including a smoked-bacon butty with house-made ketchup ($12), gravlax on fresh rye with dill, capers and creme fraiche ($16), and Turkish-style poached eggs with herbed yoghurt, lemon oil, brown butter and charred sourdough ($16).

Dinner Wed-Sun; Breakfast Sat-Sun from November 19

148 Merthyr Road New Farm, 07 3254 0595, allium.com.au