I normally wouldn’t review a restaurant that’s been open less than a week. Most need time to iron out the kinks, settle in and find their feet.

Not Otto Brisbane.

The sister venue to Sydney’s popular Italian eatery of the same name had staff in boot camp for weeks leading up to their June 14 launch, and the result is a polished and sophisticated
set-up usually only associated with long-running establishments.

Sam Pask runs the floor and his effortless commitment to delivering the best experience for each diner has rubbed off on staff, with a genuine enthusiasm for the product palpable. His knowledge of the wine list and each element served on the plate is outstanding, and there’s a warmth that respects the restaurant’s formality, but remains down-to-earth.

It’s reason enough for a return visit – as is that view.

Located on the fourth floor of the new 480 Queen St high-rise, the smart, timber-accented dining room and gleaming, white open kitchen look out over the Brisbane River and straight towards the Story Bridge. It’s the backdrop that long lunches and romantic dinners are built around.

Like its Sydney counterpart, the menu is Italian. But to reflect the warmer Queensland climate, the food takes inspiration from the south of the European country, rather than the north, which influences the Woolloomooloo venture.

It means the dishes are heavily seafood focused, like our simple and elegant snapper crudo ($26), harnessing the citrus zing of pink grapefruit to emphasise the freshness of the fish, and the
pungent sardines ($25) – earthy and rich with plump, sugary muscatels, toasted pine nuts and a crumbling of just-golden brioche.

Gnocchi with braised rabbit ($28 entree/$38 main) breaks away from the pescetarian treats, delivering wintry, home-style mouthfuls of fall-apart meat in a light tomato broth heavy with sage.

Pepper-crusted swordfish ($42) returns us to the ocean with two fillets of just-seared, grill-marked protein arriving alongside an olive oil-dressed salad of crab and local Noosa Red tomatoes with just the right hit of acidity to balance out the fattiness of the fish.

Desserts are perhaps the highlight, though, with the Torrone ($15), a textural wonderland, with shards of crunchy, bubbly honeycomb and roasted almonds, hazelnuts and pine nuts atop a creamy, nougat-inspired mousse flavoured with honey that hides a sharp apricot sorbet.

The Limone ($15) features a superb lemon custard akin in flavour to a slightly sweet lemon curd, but with almost the consistency of a chewy caramel – heaven. Topped with a fennel granita for a licorice note, a slightly brandy snap-flavoured crumble and a silky lemon sorbet, it was creative, clever cooking.

Rounding out the impressive package is a first-class wine list. Composed by former e’cco sommelier Alan Hunter, it stars Italian and Australian-grown Italian varieties – some from Queensland and several natural and biodynamic, plus perennial favourites.

Otto Brisbane is unquestionably a welcome addition to the city.

Originally published on couriermail.com.au