It might be called Allium – referring to the food family starring garlic, onions and leeks – but perhaps a more fitting name for chef/owner James Gallagher’s new restaurant would be Puree.

Taking over the former digs of The Foraging Quail on Merthyr Rd in New Farm, the smart, minimalist 36-seater features a European-influenced menu loaded with pounded pastes of almost every persuasion.

Think scallops with blitzed cauliflower, pork cheek with blended celeriac, steak with mashed miso eggplant and lamb atop pea puree. With each as velvety as your grandmother’s couch, they add a luxuriance to their respective dishes.

Take the entree of pork cheek ($22), for example. The perfect cubes of pulled pig coated in breadcrumbs and deep-fried until golden could be considered too rich for a cream-laden puree, but not here. Plump, rehydrated muscatels add a sweetness, while hexahedrons of apple bring a necessary acidity that pairs well with the crunch of roasted hazelnuts to create a measured, balanced dish..

The classic flavour combinations continue through the other entrees and mains, with Gallagher’s strong technical proficiency delivering solid dishes such as expertly seared scallops ($26) nudging quenelles of creamy cauliflower puree and curls of the roasted vegetable.

Wagyu skirt steak ($38) is a generous portion of blush-hued slices of beef that require considerable mastication, but their allium accompaniments of black garlic puree, crisp onion rings and onion petals, plus a sweet jus and blitzed mix of miso-soaked eggplant make for a rich and interesting plate.

The main of lamb ($36) comes sous-vide and, while this method of cooking ensures the meat is tender, it makes its texture almost mushy. Saving the dish though is a vibrant silken pea puree studded with crumbled Persian feta, whole peas and microherbs.

A side of mixed greens ($8) splashed with a garlic-infused buttermilk is a worthy addition.

However, an attempt to reinvent the lemon meringue pie doesn’t pay off. The deconstructed dessert, featuring a lemon panna cotta, meringue shards, fennel granita, mascarpone dollops and a brown butter ice cream, has a little too much going on, and leaves you wishing they’d just gone the classic route.

Much simpler is the drinks menu – a handful of reds and whites, craft beers and a couple of pages of cocktails.

Service is friendly and welcoming, though the noise levels meant it was almost impossible to hear our waiter’s explanation of many of the dishes.

Gallagher’s intention with the restaurant was for it to become a regular “go-to”, and with the approachable, albeit calorific menu, it’s easy to see it becoming just that for locals.

This review originally appeared on couriermail.com.au.