locale

it was that time of the year again, when we relocate to noosa for a long weekend to attend the spectacular noosa good food &winefestival. as usual i had the task of choosing one ‘special’ restaurant for dinner. i had kept my eye on a few noosa restaurants throughout the year and been watching the development of a newly opened italian restaurant, locale, which was conveniently attached to our apartment block. locale did not disappoint and proved once again to my family that i make great dining decisions. on the friday of the festival i worked with a few of my favourite chefs at an event. both alastair mcleod and philip johnson told me how delicious their meals were at locale the night before which got me really excited for our visit the following night. we made our way downstairs to the restaurant and i was surprised by the dimness of the room owing to the dark brown walls and soft lighting. happily i discovered that the table we were allocated had excellent light in which to take a quick photograph of the dishes. we decided we would share two entrees, have a main each and share a dessert. we started with the roasted barnyard quail, soft polenta, fontina, vermouth infused grapes, upland cress ($25). it was so moreish and i wished i had have had the whole entree to myself. the quail was perfectly cooked and the polenta was delicate, soft and smooth. the grapes added an extra dimension of sweetness to the dish, although i wished there were more. the other entrée was the beef carpaccio, reggiano, lemon, celery, white truffle infused oil ($23). i loved how simple the dish was, letting the beef quality and fresh ingredients speak for themselves. mum and i both agreed that a touch more seasoning would have lifted it to a higher level. i had weighed up a few dishes for my main but finally decided on the porchetta: high country slow roasted pork belly, roasted butternut puree, hazelnut, caramelised baby onion, celery, cress and apple salad ($36). the pork was impeccably co

came highly recommended & did not disappoint. a highlight of our evening was the incredible service- we were assisted with ourwineselection & our choices of pastas. duck ragu and seafood squid ink pasta were both amazing. the deserts also do not disappoint. would recommend dining her. need to book!

excellent service, atmosphere andwinelist. the stand out dish is the squid ink fazzoletti pasta. highly recommend booking a day ahead, as we saw many walk in turned away.

amazing food in great atmosphere. must book ahead as it gets very busy. thewinelist in huge and such great selections. food was delicious, fresh and wonderful flavors. would definitely go back again when i visit noosa again.

step into another level, it’s hard not to wax lyrical about this place. the space is cavernous, deceptively so. it has amazing floral and sparkle light displays hanging from the high dark ceilings. the table layout, good stemware, table lighting, they all work. it’s almost theatrical.

we’re in the early sitting. the immediate and profound relief from the surrounding humidity is complete - the windows are fogged, such is the welcoming force of the turbo aircon.

we start with a bottle of montrachet from an extremely extensivewinelist (which spans over 60 pages). so delicate. white nectarines, star jasmine, virtually no oak, no butter - the balance of acid and length is exquisite - a glorious foil for what is to follow.

the gnocchi with mushrooms is pleasant. i can’t say it’s outstanding, and is the reason for only a 4.5/5. the gnocchi are non-descript, apologetic. they are overwhelmed by the mushrooms and mushroom oil. there’s also not many of them.

the barramundi main was however another level. perhaps the nicest fish i’ve had, with scallop filled zucchini flower atop. the fish was crisp, yet oh so moist and tender. i don’t want it to end. the sauce has some distant remnant of coconut, but so subtle as to be indistinct.

the sides of broccolini with hazelnuts, and the caprese salad were tops - the buffalo mozzarella was straight from anacapri.

wife’s swordfish special was firm, slightly smoky/charred, and delicious. the kids steak and chips was spot/on. they ate the lot.

the chocolate panacotta with persian floss was glorious - not too sweet. the frangelico affogato brought it home - the shortbread biscuit levitating on the ball of ice cream veritably yearned for the liqueur. delish.

service was faultless - impeccably dressed waitstaff were everywhere.

apart from the gnocchi, the only mark was the butter pyramid accompanying the bread - strange texture, too cold, insufficient salt, too hard.

this place sets the standard for noosa, indeed all of qld. really well done.

we visited twice while in noosa on holidays and were very impressed on both occasions. the decor, lighting, service and food make this place one of the best on hasting st. options for dining are either walk up at the bar (all menus available) or book for a spot in the dining area. we did both and would recommend either. 
thewinelist was extensive and we enjoyed a pinot noir from new zealand. food wise we started with the burrata and fig entree which was perfect. this was followed by the squid ink tagliolini with seafood. this was a serious dish, my wife and i both ordered as we were afraid of having food envy. main size was needed.
our second visit had us sit out front on the low chairs looking up hasting st. we ordered 2 pizzas and a glass of red each and once again, service and food were top notch. 
as you would expect on hasting st, prices aren't cheap, but we felt it was well worth the experience and for the level of food,wineand service. 
we will sure to be back next time!

great cocktails and excellent food. extensivewinelist. expensive when service lets this restaurant down. getting a response to pay the cheque requires animated gestures to get attention without response, so diners need to resort telephoning the restaurant, again with no response. suggest walking out and paying at the front desk. not what one expects at a highly priced restaurant.

an absolutely magnificent new restaurant and dining experience. the menu is well thought out with easily the bestwineand drink selection in noosa. they have built on the lindoni's legacy and taken things up a notch. great little bar and more casual section off to the side. service is friendly. the only thing missing is some of lindoni's signature dishes like the marinara and bugtail linguine with sage but i guess that's just me reminiscing...

this place is off the chain, the location, the ambiance, the service, the food... i had a special for my starter, pork cheek, full of flavour, wish there had been more. followed by the prawn ravioli which was very generous and meaty. i had semifreddo for dessert and a glass of muscat. they also had a terrificwinelist.

a friend had visited locale for drinks two weeks earlier and raved about the cocktails and ambience so we thought our group of 10 would give it a go for a friend's birthday.  
the setting is beautiful, softly lit rainforest setting.  the restaurant is quite large and at 6:30 the place was teeming with people.  every table was full and quickly filled again when people departed.  
we tried to get some share plates happening for starters but the waitress didn't seem to understand what we wanted and we ended up ordering a main each and a lot of sides to share.  the lamb ragu with pappardelle was tasty and soft but watery on the bottom of the plate.  it was a huge dish and i felt lucky to have a full belly unlike my other guests.  a friend ordered a small eye fillet (around $38) and it was overcooked, tough and dry.  she should have sent it back.  another ordered the moreton bug main and was shocked when only half a bug was presented on a plate.  not cool for nearly $40.  but the funniest/most disappointing thing was when we ordered a side of green beans with garlic and chilli only to be presented with a tiny rectangular saucer of, count them, 14 beans.  for 10 people.  we asked whether we could get some more and if it was appropriate charging $14 for a small plate of beans and the waitress brought another man over.  he said that was the serving size they had chosen and actually it was "$11 not $14".  oh well that's ok then!  i thought a goodwill gesture would have been to bring another plate of beans but we stuck with our 1 1/4 beans each.  we ordered a second bottle of redwinebut it never arrived - and we weren't charged for it.  we declined dessert and coffee and left.  one little highlight was a huge water dragon running across my foot under the table and scattering diners left right and centre.  it was the proverbial mouse under the table with shrieks and squeals.  the staff had torches and  tried to calm everyone down by saying how common it was.  they also said "oh the water dragons are so cheeky now.  they jump from the garden straight on to the table".  good idea to skip coffee then…..

we ate here tonight for the first time since the lindoni restaurant closed and the owner reopened as locale in a new venue. the restaurant has a really great inerior design and layout. modern with class! our waitress was really friendly, jolly and willing to chat about the food and local gossip. we ordered the rolls to start which came as a 3 with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. evelyn asked for some butter as well and it came room temperature! very rare these days but it is the way it should be. we both ordered the whole (no head) baked rainbow trout which came with kipfer potatoes, a small amount of cherry tomatoes and filled with fennell, spinach and green olives (only 1, sliced but tasty). we shared beans and a silverbeet dish with cream, fennel and cheese sauce. we were absolutely stuffed but absolutely satisfied with a great, filling, healthy and tasty meal. it was not cheap but worth the money. our water was constantly topped up with iced water. we don't drink wines much so i cannot comment on the list or prices. far too full for dessert so we walked 2k up and down hastings street and then i had a single scoop icecream from massimo across the road. thoroughly recommend here but it will be pricy if 3 courses andwineare consumed. probably the best food in noosa.

second visit, another blow your mind experience. this is one of the best restaurants you will ever find. please order the porcetta and the dessert.

era squisito. i can not describe the experience i had here last night. last minute squeeze and got a table. lucky we did, thank you rio!
we said to ourselves, no wine, no overindulging, just one course tonight, as we have been indulging all weekend.
then we walked into locale and what did we say to ourselves? we left those thoughts as we walked past the entrance. a glass of sangiovese and 2 of chiantis later, we knew we were doomed.
partner in crime had pork special of the day, served with parsnip purée and brussel sprouts, and more other fancy stuff, i don't know, i was too in love with my fregula fish soup/stew. every single piece of seafood was cooked to perfection, every mouthful better than the last. i have eaten so many versions of this dish in several countries and cities and this is by far one of the best ones. we ordered bread just so i could mop up every bit of broth i could. in the end, i couldn't clean the plate up anymore unless i picked it up and licked it clean. pork special according to partner was equally as good. his words were, it's been a long time i've enjoyed a dish this much, i'm so glad you dragged me out.
it suddenly started to pour and the logical thing to do was to stick ard and have dessert. dessert, was a different level for me. partner has citrus tart which he thought was a little too citrusy. it was rather sharp i must say. but mine, choc nemesis cake, the special dessert of the day, was indeed something special. cake, was like a a million pieces of dark chocolate crushed up. it was so light, it just melted in my mouth.
we finished it all off with a shot of espresso.
the food came out very quickly considering the restaurant so was full and busy. there were so many service staff in the restaurant, therefore service was swift. they were all attentive enough without being overwhelming.
just perfect it was. i'm glad i dragged myself out too.

feb weekend

third visit
have i suffered from the over expectation syndrome? maybe yes, maybe not.
the ambience is amazing as per the last couple of visits.winelist doesn't disappoint as expected.
food, was a little touch and go.
entre : zucchini flowers - perfection
: san danielle prosciutto, figs, burrata, vincotto - classic combination satisfying every section of the mouth
main : cavatelli - very happy that there is an option to order entre sizes, scallops were very close to being over, left the pan just in time, could have had less, but that could be because it kept cooking whilst i was jabbering on with the diners beside us. i would have preferred some acidity in the dish, but if that's how it comes, i should just enjoy it
: porchetta - don't believe this dish has been removed or edited ever since our first visit
sides : kipflers roasted with rosemary - can't believe i'm saying this, but the portion was on the big side
desserts : crostata di limone - partners favourite
: meringa - a tad too sweet for my liking

i will continue to sing praises to whomever who visits noosa and is looking for a good meal. but i will probably be tempted to dine at the other amazing restaurants in the vicinity.
the desserts were the highlight of our first and second visit. it's a bit disappointing that it did not provide the same sensation this time around.
til next time, i'm sure locale will continue to delight their diners

before you read the myriad of bad reviews and decide not to experience locale, please think again. my husband & i enjoyed an incredible 3 course meal here that was mind blowing!! the stuffed zucchini flowers & beef carpaccio entres were delicious, and the veal main was the best meat dish i've eaten in years. the prices are well aligned to a fine dining restaurant, but that is the quality of food you'll experience of you eat at locale. also, the service was top notch & thewinelist brilliant. if you want a romantic delicious dinner in noosa you can't go past locale!

well the rating belies the quality of locale. staff,wineand food were excellent - even during the busy season. we enjoyed the fine dining as well as pizza by the bar earlier in the week. the 'alla diablo' pizza was sensational. wouldn't think of coming to noosa and not eating here. delizioso!


-----29 dec, 2013-----

food andwinewere fantastic - traditional italian with a modern twist. as good as lindoni's but a bit noisier although decor is now beautiful. throughly enjoyed the meal and will definitely be back. ciao

beautiful experience from start to finish. we have a tradition of exchanging gifts christmas eve in a restaurant. staff at locale were accommodating & charming throughout the night. my favourite was glasses of vintage moët being referred to as our "fizzy's" - such good humour & spirits from the staff even though they were fully booked on a busy important night. food was sublime, we had a beef carpaccio then scallops & pancetta on pea purée. stunning! scallops were perfect. bf had seafood tagliatelle- it was so full of seafood and he loved the bisque. i had entree sized summer lamb. desserts & stickys followed.winelist was easy to navigate & we chose a french rose which was fab. overall it's a beautiful venue, well trained , passionate /interested staff. however all the pretty out the front would be nothing if the food didn't match. lucky for us... it was perfect. well done locale.