I took a friend who loves good food — as long as it has both feet on the ground — to Bacchus, the star restaurant at Rydges South Bank. It’s fairly formal — the kind of dining room that’s almost extinct in Brisbane — not stuffy but contemporary and luxurious, the music a few decibels above subliminal but outgunned by the clinking of cutlery on china.

Bacchus houses a serious wine list. Like the dining room, it has feet in both the old-school camp and something more contemporary, and has some smart wines by the glass.

Abruzzo-born Massimo Speroni came to head the Bacchus kitchen about a month ago, and he did so with all sorts of credentials, including a stint as sous chef at San Domenico, a two-Michelin-star restaurant in Italy.

His menu reads brilliantly, with a “Raw and Cured” section (carpaccio, tartare, oysters), plenty of offal (tongue, sweetbreads, foie gras) and an array of more substantial stuff.

It’s obvious that Speroni prizes visual appeal: there’s more colour than a Ken Done pullover, and the components of every dish are arranged in twirls and spirals, columns and smears.

At times it works, at others it doesn’t. Take, for example, the foie gras ($34). The menu talks of smoked potato, seasoned vegetables and aged balsamic, with mulard duck the origin of the foie gras. The smoke came via a glass cloche filled with the stuff, unveiled as it landed on the table. Nicely dramatic. And the smoke certainly permeated the potato — a mountain range of mash planted with the seasoned vegetables.

The foie gras — too thin, nicely browned, but overcooked — was surrounded by dots of balsamic, while a star-shaped crouton sat to the side. It was a case, I think, of the visuals taking precedence over the star ingredient … foie gras.

The tongue was better — cooked low and slow (24 hours), and plated with white balsamic gel and chargrilled avocado ($29). Sweetbreads ($30) were a touch overcooked, but otherwise good, and a main of chicken, herb salad and tarragon ($42) was pretty smart.

Desserts seemed more thoughtful than the savoury dishes.

Given Speroni’s reputation and the menu’s potential, I expected more from the food. It could be something quite special. As it stands, Bacchus is a very good fine-dining restaurant with excellent service, a terrific drinks list and lovely surroundings.

This review originally appeared on couriermail.com.au.