The Mero Restaurant and Bar

Traditionally, food courts in Australia have been a depressing sight, with their fluoro lighting and fast food; places to refuel rather than relax, sustain rather than savour.

In the case of the recently revamped Indooroopilly Shopping Centre, however, you'll step blinking into a sunlit parallel universe unlike its drearier cousins. Head out through the front entrance (formerly the back) and you'll find a grown-up dining world with menus, wine lists and wait staff.  

Part of the $300 million facelift, the new Station Road dining strip includes North American influences at Nantucket Kitchen, Spanish accents at Ole Fuego and Japanese gyoza from Harujuku. The latest addition is The Mero Restaurant and Bar.

Derived from the Latin word for wine, The Mero apparently draws its influence from the traditional Italian trattoria. But having eaten in many such establishments, from Piedmont to Puglia, I have to say the link is tenuous.

Where's the ancient waiter in his slightly frayed three-piece suit? The paper tablecloths? The bored beauty – usually a granddaughter or niece of the owner tossing her hair and flirting on the phone while you wait for the bill? And where is the bread basket?

The latter was a question we pondered while contemplating the delicious garlicky pool left after polishing off a bowl of seafood linguine. Pippies, shreds of spanner crab, calamari, vongole (clams) and baby octopus came tangled in the pasta, simply dressed with oil, garlic and apparently, local bottarga (dried fish roe) although we couldn't see or taste evidence of it.

As well as share plates such as "fregola Sarda" (Sardinian seafood stew) and lamb shoulder, mains are a range of something-for-all staples, from dry-aged sirloin with cavolo nero and wild mushrooms, to a wagyu beef burger or fish with cauliflower puree, witlof, capers and pine nut dressing.

The drinks list is equally inclusive, with everything from cocktails to single malt whisky and even a bottle of 2006 Cristal Champagne, should you feel the need to celebrate finding that perfect dress or pair of shoes.
 
A prettily presented pumpkin risotto is excellent and both properly starchy and al dente, scattered with hazelnuts, goat's cheese, pepitas and crisp translucent sage leaves - a perfect balance of texture and flavour; crunchy, crisp, creamy and nutty; wanting only for a pinch of salt.

Much punchier were the chicken wings "arrabbiata" - juicy chicken with a lightly spiced crumb, deep-fried and served with a well-balanced tomato-based sauce with just the right amount of chilli heat.

As for the decor, it's an attractive space, with polished concrete floors, blonde wood, spindle-backed chairs and lemon-topped tables but something feels missing - it feels a bit reined in compared with the Moubaraks' other venues (Gerard's Bistro, Gerard's Bar, Lychee Lounge, Hatch & Co).

There's a small bar area inside too, but most of the seating is alfresco at built-in banquettes with plump, patterned cushions.

The lunch menu finishes at 3pm but the appetisers run all day, including a charcuterie plate, Coffin Bay oysters with seaweed cider vinegar, and grilled king prawns with fennel pollen and chilli. The wood-fired pizzas, also offered all day, range from a simple quattro formaggio (four cheeses) to a wagyu meatball.

A compact list of desserts is imaginative and appealing. Take the apple crumble with beurre noisette, miso toffee and toasted sesame sorbet - or a dense chocolate dessert, somewhere between a mousse and a marquise, seductive and gypsy-exotic with dried rose petals, freeze-dried raspberries and swirls of salted caramel. More elegant but just as moreish is a light Sunshine Coast ginger-soaked sponge, with quince, tonka bean ice-cream and cinnamon "bark".

Take The Mero and drop it into the CBD and it could hold its own. Here in Indooroopilly, it positively out-shines its location. Would I travel across town especially to dine here? Probably not. Would I trade in the usual food-court options for a meal here? Faster than you could say "a burger 'n' chips please".