Not so long ago, opening a fine-dining restaurant for three days a week and making the menu 50 per cent vegan would have been a recipe for disaster. Yet Urbane, in inner-Brisbane’s Mary Street, seems to be going gangbusters.

With vegan chef and co-owner Alejandro Cancino at the helm, there’s a dedication and focus to taking plant-based cookery to the next level, although omnivores are far from on the back burner. Options are simply a five or seven-course omnivore or vegan tasting menu.

Diners strapping in for the ride can expect an array of sensory challenging amuse bouche and sourdough, followed by the likes of tortellini in an intensely flavoured porcini consomme, the only difference between the vegan and omnivore dish being that smoked sesame cheese replaces ricotta in the filling of the silky pasta parcels.

Omnivores may also enjoy duck, cobia and a particularly attractive piece of wagyu with buerre blanc sauce, while vegans could work their way through pumpkin with sesame cheese and kimchi, cauliflower with black garlic and a buckwheat “risotto” – all dishes that hold their own against artillery of meat and poultry.

Both menus may then finish with cookies and cream, a confection of coconut and almond milk, Kahlua jelly and cocoa butter-based chocolate chip cookies.

Dishes arrive at a steady pace and there’s a particular emphasis on professional and knowledgeable service. The manager and sommelier is also keen to engage with diners and take the road less travelled with the matching wines for an assured culinary adventure down the road less travelled.

Must-eat dish: Mushroom tortellini
Instagram: @urbanebrisbane