DINING Thank You for Sharing Words by Lizzy Keen To begin a food review rather unconventionally, Coco Chanel once said, “A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous.” Don’t worry, this article is about food, wine, and a very smart new restaurant in Nobby Beach. It’s about plates, not perfume. But on entering Sparrow Eating House on Lavarack Road, it’s evident there’s a bit of female prowess going on here. The wait staff. The barmaid. The maître d’. The vivacious tables of diners and bar of winers. The car that just pulled up out front with a table of seven. The majority of management and custom going on in this little venue is made up of women, lending this share plate and wine bar a certain sass. Two stilettoed, black dressed women at the bar are the first to confirm this, as they sip their crystal glasses of red and discuss their next move with the barmaid, clad in boyish flannelette. “I mean, we could go out tonight and party,” muses one. “Or we could stay here and smash some dessert,” replies the other. The barmaid tops their reds and seals the deal. Classy and fabulous, indeed. Sparrow Eating House is the latest member of the Gold Coast’s emerging urban dining scene. It’s fair to say that locals and regulars of this region would have noticed an august institution of restaurants progressively changing the city’s food identity. Thanks to the likes of Simon Gloftis (Hellenika, The Fish House), Mitchell McCluskey (Commune Café and Etsu), Brendan Elcham (Canteen Coffee & Canteen Kitchen) and now Andrew and Jodie Whiting of Elk, Vintage Espresso and the venue in question, the Gold Coast now presents an enviable hospitality standard based on location, wholesome fare and dining with character. Another thing: it seems big dishes are out, and small dishes are in. In place of the formal sit-down a la carte, share plate dining is fast becoming the most amiable way to tuck in. This often leads to the appetitus grande species flapping their arms and preaching portion versus value and how hunger rates are rising. I’ve seen a brow or two furrow at the mention of yum-cha. And sure, share plate dining is often a little pricier than ordering a bucket of Pad Thai down the road, but share plate dining extends the evening over several flavours, textures and ingredients without overdoing it. Slow supper lovin’. Sparrow Eating House has taken well to the share concept and sophisticated simplicity of dishes, with a dinner menu split between vegetarian, meat and seafood plates, with around 20 dishes in total, including desserts. The floor is manned by three stylish chicks plucked straight from a Charlie’s Angels episode, but revived by the newfangled look of smokey eyes and fire-engine lips. They stride through the restaurant with relaxed purpose, all smiles, injecting the restaurant air with their own energy. Pour, greet, pour, baby. A slightly narrow space of polished concrete and white tiled walls, reminiscent of a beachside fishmonger, hosts a series of thoughtfully placed dark timber settings that utilise space without forcing you into the neighbours’ frequency. The eye-catching, geometric crab-pot light frames in peppermint and navy are matched with geometric crab-pot bar stools and shelving, like angles of a digital playground. Twinkles off the Edison bulbs catch in the glasses filed on the bar’s back wall, where kangaroo paw splashes against tile like the red aftermath of a paintball shot. Its playful mix-andmatch of soft vintage and almost arithmetical detail crafts a dining room of major visual pleasure. pindaramagazine.com.au Pindara Magazine 107
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