Spring

With a recent change of personnel in the kitchen, the menu at Spring cleaves closer to its stated premise of simple, generous and hearty seasonal fare. Through clever interior design, a series of airy rooms has been created inside the busy corner location, evoking the relaxed style of a Hamptons mansion. The outdoor dining area is a pleasure to be in on a humid Brisbane day, and playful art collected by owner Sarah Hancock adds quirk and colour to proceedings. Gazpacho with picked local spanner crab and a quenelle of seasoned avocado makes a convincing argument for the pleasures of local ingredients. Some dishes were perhaps too pared back to really sing, and while the Kilcoy beef, which is the house speciality, doesn't want for flavour, the unconventional accompaniment of green olive and herb sauce and red wine butter far from flattered it. A creme caramel with basil and balsamic-infused strawberries might lack originality but offers simple pleasure.