Food is the medicine at The Apo

Although there's not a pill in sight, the exposed hand-made brick walls of Fortitude Valley restaurant and bar The Apo speak of medical history.

This heritage-listed building dates from 1862 and was known as an Apothecary Hall. Sort of like an old fashioned chemist, an Apothecary is a person who prepared and sold medicines and drugs. It's always a challenge to bring a building like this into the future but Apo does it well and that's even before you've eaten a mouthful.

It doses out the sort of medicine 

I like to take frequently - good food, excellent 

wine and interesting decor.

The chef is Braden White who was last at Ricky's on the Sunshine Coast but previously worked for the Moubarak group at Hatch & Co.  His menu is an interesting read with much that demands to be tasted.

Kitchen at The Apo

Not only does it read well, the menu also has it's moments of drama with oysters sitting in a bed of misty smoke courtesy of a dry ice treatment created at the table.

Moonlight flat oysters, oyster cream, dried kelp

Perhaps my favourite dish from the event was the wagyu tartare with crisp, beer battered dobs of an egg yolk concoction sitting atop the smoothly textured raw meat.  A masterpiece combination that reminded me of the best and highly prized crunchy bits from fish and chips that you find lurking at the bottom of the paper box.

Wagyu tartare  soured cream, cured yolk, beer

Stracciatella, peach, dandelion, chive oil

Lamb, petite onion, green sauce

Rib cap, artichoke, spinach, horseradish, mushrooms

Head upstairs to find another bar on the top level of the building.

One foot in the past and one foot in the future is award-winning barman Pez Collier's credo for the bar list.  Do try his Negroni, served in a small medicine bottle and poured over ice.

Pez Collier

The Apo's upstairs bar

The Apo is the front face of Bakery Lane,  next to a tiny alley way that leads into an interesting collection of shops, cafes and exhibition spaces.

Ed+bK rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Bottom line:  Prices range between $9 and $24 for share plates; larger meat dishes are around $30, sides $9 and dessert $12- $14.

The Apo