Degust (pronounced dey-gust) is a verb meaning to taste or savour slowly, with appreciation. A degustation menu provides patrons with several delicious, gourmet courses that just beg to be savoured slowly. A nine course meal may seem extravagant, but the serving sizes are smaller than usual and there is typically a break in between courses. Degustation meals are not recommended for picky eaters; the chef has carefully selected ingredients and recipes that complement each other, so you cannot make any changes to the menu.
So where does one find the best degustation restaurants that Brisbane has to offer? You could start with the Gourmand Menu at
Brents Restaurant (
85 Miskin Street, Toowong.) With nine courses priced at $99 per head (or $135 per head with matching wines), this is one of the cheapest degustation meals in town. Brents menu is seasonal; during winter 2010, some of the Gourmand delicacies include creamy seafood broth, crispy confit duck, beetroot and ginger soda and caramelised apple and seeded mustard ice cream.
Restaurant II (
2 Edward Street, Brisbane) provides a more lavish and exotic experience for the adventurous diner. $140 will get you nine gourmet courses and for $200, you will receive matching wines. Some of the mouth watering treats include spanner crab and cognac bisque, Moroccan spiced quail, foie gras and truffles and vanilla crème brulee with poached mandarins and white chocolate ice cream. The degustation menu is available for whole tables only.
Vegetarians needn't feel left out;
Urbane (
181 Mary Street, Brisbane) is one of a handful of Australian restaurants offering vegetarian degustation courses. At $110 per person (or $195 with matching wines), you will receive nine tasty vegetarian meals, including an heirloom tomato sour dough, smoked potato veloute, gnocchi with chanterelles and truffles, and petit fours.
While a degustation course might cost a little more than your average restaurant meal, the quality ingredients and painstaking attention to detail make it a worthwhile experience.
