When it comes to food it's all about the pleasure principle for me. Pleasure in anticipation, pleasure in dining and pleasure in remembering the meal.
Dining at Esquire, one of Brisbane's two three hat restaurant, ticks all those boxes and more but throw in some excellent foodie company and the day is sure to just as memorable as the beef tendon crisps topped with peanut and lime zest that were offered as pre-lunch nibbles.
Along with food writer and blogger Christine Salins and food writer Fiona Donnelly, I lunched with Sophie Mibus from Le Cordon Bleu Master of Gastronomic Tourism Program and food consultant (and current student) Tawnya Bahr.
Sophie hails from Adelaide where the online Le Cordon Bleu Gastronomic Tourism course is based at the Southern Cross University. Tawnya is a current student and based in Sydney although her business also takes her around Australia conducting food tours for professionals. She completes one module per semester (three semesters a year) and estimates course work occupies around 15 hours a week.
The course is designed for people with a passion for gastronomy and for professionals seeking related careers in hospitality, media or tourism. It combines an academic approach to understanding food and drink within historical, cultural and contemporary contexts. Topics include sustainability and food security, contemporary trends in cuisine, culinary arts, and the application of ethical business practices in tourism operations.
Around 30 percent of the students are career based and the rest are just doing it because they love food.
Fees for the course are set at $2659 per unit however fee help is available for Australian citizens.
Esquire was the perfect setting to discuss gastronomy with their adventurous menu which goes beyond the ordinary.
Radicchio leaves with balsamic goats gouda and fried onion; grilled courgette pistachio dukkah with lemon herbs; Moreton Bay calamari with garlic lemon parsley; spiced chickpea with caramelised onion and creme fraiche; and highly marbled rib eye with perilla and horseradish were the lunch choices.
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| Radicchio leaves with balsamic goats gouda and fried onion |
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| Spiced chickpea with caramelised onion and creme fraiche |
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| Moreton Bay calamari with garlic lemon parsley |
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| Grilled courgette pistachio dukkah with lemon herbs |
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| Highly marbled rib eye with perilla and horseradish |
Desserts at Esquire are never what they seem so it was only sensible to try all three - whipped cocoa malted milk with buckwheat rice, camapari curds and whey and popcorn parfait with tarragon.
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| Camapari curds and whey |
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| Whipped cocoa malted milk with buckwheat rice |
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| Popcorn parfait with tarragon |
Equally as intriguing was a the use of tomatoes as room decoration.
Recommended for: Serious food lovers but a treat for all.
Bottom line: Share dishes at Esq, the lunch side of Esquire, start at $15 up to $45 for half a roast chinese duck for two people
Best tip: Esq has a two course lunch special for $39. They promise you will be out in 45 minutes.
Disclaimer: Ed+bK was a guest of Le Cordon Bleu