Q'Essence

Brisbane's recent crop of new restaurants hasn't concentrated exclusively on the inner city. Q'Essence, in Wilston, is promising good things for CBD-weary diners with its concise but clever menu and cracking wine list. The sleek silver-and-black dining room is large but with enough soft edges to keep noise to a hum. A 'steak sanga' of wagyu bresaola on thin sourdough toast with a fried quail egg and pecorino is a highlight, while a generous serve of cured kingfish with crackling, citrus, ginger and shredded nori is a fine balance of sharp and sweet. Chef Damien Styles' take on fish and chips is a beautifully blistered barramundi with sweet mushy peas and a salt-and-vinegar potato crisp; both familiar and fresh. Dessert is another take on modernised classics, with a rice pudding served with puffed wild rice and tangy passionfruit but an interesting digestif from the bar would do just as well.