Ballyhoo is open for ‘first looks’ bookings. Photo: Ben Calvert.
The road to Ballyhoo has been a long one. Lengthy delays have kept Canberrans waiting for this opening for a long time now, but the team finally threw open the doors for their ‘first looks’ service this week. It’s exciting to have the opportunity to watch the progression of a new restaurant, and early indications are good for Ballyhoo’s future.
Under the stewardship of Dave Young (formerly of Temporada), the opening week menu features a protein-heavy sharing menu of snacks, entrees, more substantial mains and desserts. The space is beautiful but quite noisy when full, with a dusky pink dining room following the curve of the building.
The wine list has some excellent choices, but only limited options were available by the glass: I had my heart set on a full-bodied Fiano before realising I’d need to fork out for the whole bottle. I switched instead to a textured Gruner Veltliner, and my friend enjoyed a skin contact rosé from Margaret River.
Ballyhoo is located in the Lawns of the Lobby precinct. Photo: Zoe Helene.
We were very impressed with the wine knowledge of the wait staff, who took the time to chat with us about the different options. There were a few little opening-night jitters from service staff (to be expected) that will resolve themselves in time.
The centrepiece of the kitchen is a large wood-fired grill, which was used in many of the dishes we enjoyed, including the beautifully fluffy charred flatbread that accompanied the first course. We scooped up salty taramasalata, and folded up slices of prosciutto with vegetables from the generous bowl crunchy of piccalilli-style pickles. Sydney Rock Oysters were served with a very tart lime granita, which overpowered the natural flavour of the oysters for me (although I’ll admit I’m something of a naturalist when it comes to oysters, so not everyone would agree).
Small plates included a beautifully tender charred octopus served on a smear of a deliciously complex red, smoky, nutty salsa. I particularly enjoyed the dish of stracciatella (a fresh, shredded curd cheese) with thinly sliced radicchio and hazelnut agrodolce. The sweet and sour nuts contrasted beautifully with the creamy cheese and sharp, bitter radicchio. It wasn’t the most beautiful-looking dish – Dave is unapologetically focussed on flavour rather than prettied-up presentation – but it was really well balanced, and I wished I’d saved some flatbread to mop it all up.
The dishes at Ballyhoo are designed for sharing. Photo: Ben Calvert.
Moving onto a glass of Sapling Yard’s Gamay, the next course showcased the chronically undervalued brussel sprout, which was given a moment to shine with a crunchy, salty breadcrumb topping.
Two pieces of spatchcock came in a pool of moreish anchovy and garlic sauce with crispy kale on top: the umami of the sauce was exceptional, and the meat juicy and tender. We also had pork neck in black garlic jus with thinly sliced honeydew melon on top. The jus was nicely sticky and savoury, but we felt that the dish fell just short of its potential. But this is to be expected during this ‘soft open’, so I’m excited to come back again and see what has changed.
Chef Dave Young has come onto the Ballyhoo team relatively late in the project’s timeline, and cooking with the wood-fired grill may require some menu refining to avoid bottlenecks.
Dessert was a very tasty Basque cheesecake with kumquat and a chocolate hazelnut torte served with vanilla cream and chocolate biscuit crumb. Both were delicious but not particularly imaginative options.
The team is genuinely interested in getting feedback from customers to help them grow into the space and provide the best experience they can.
I’d be very keen to return in Spring once the team has settled into the space because I think Ballyhoo will just keep getting better.
Ballyhoo is located at The Lawns on King George Terrace, Parkes. They are open for First Looks sittings ahead of their Spring menu launch. Make a booking or follow Ballyhoo on Instagram.
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