 Reviewed by KT Woods
Envy is located in the heart of leafy suburban Coorparoo in a cluster of bustling dining options along Cavendish Rd.
It stands out due to its friendly atmosphere and large dining area with a fabulous city-facing enclosed veranda. I love a room with a view, especially when the vista creates such a strong sense of place – in this case, the leafy hillside suburbs of the eastern suburbs.
It was a warm and sunny Sunday in May when we ventured out of the inner city for a light lunch.
My friend chose the lemon pepper calamari, which was light, delicious, and gone in an instant.
I opted for the veggie stack, billed as a freshly grilled combination of eggplant, capsicum, tomato, zucchini and haloumi, served with corn cakes and a balsamic reduction.
I was a little sad when it did not live up to my expectations – the stack was cool at the centre, and the cheese was still lily pale. I’ll put it down to teething problems, as I like the light and airy atmosphere of Envy, and I am keen to return to explore the other menus.
It has so much potential in its space – outwards, the glassed veranda’s high ceiling and open aspect creates a lovely dining space. Today it is a little warm in full sun, but as the cooler weather sets in, I can imagine it will be a hotspot for Sunday brunches, as diners vie for the sunniest seats to warm winter chills.
Envy’s weekend breakfast menu looks tempting – a nice balance of traditional egg and bacon combinations, plus more unusual items such as haloumi with poached egg and tomato salsa on Turkish bread, and potato harissa mash with bacon and poached eggs.
Envy’s dinner menu offers a good range of tasty meals including lamb shanks, spatchcock, eye fillet and fresh pasta.
Envy is licensed with a modest wine list, but patrons can BYO wine – and there is a fine local cellar just down the road.
Owner Ben Pearton with head chef Matthew Shaw have set out to revitalise and reinvent the space formerly occupied by the faded Peppertree restaurant, and Envy Bar-Dining is evolving into a more vibrant and casual local haunt.
Ben has plans to create a Sunday chill-out session with live DJs and that laid-back vibe of a great weekend down at this friendly local gathering place.
Envy offers a relaxed atmosphere, with friendly staff and an open kitchen that is very quick to whip up fare from the modest menu. Envy is open for breakfast Sat-Sun, lunch 7 days, and dinner Tues-Sun.
Envy Bar + Dining, 377 Cavendish Rd, Coorparoo. Phone: (07) 3847 6711
Wild Pepper goes West
Followers of West End’s Wild Pepper now have the option of another great pizza restaurant across the river at Auchenflower, with owner Margie opening up her second venue in October last year.
I am delighted that when we slipped in on a busy Saturday night, it was more of the same – great food, friendly staff and no-fuss dining.
We shared a roast chicken and ‘whynot’ pizza, sweet roasted red capsicum and moist fowl. The wild salad was very good – so fresh and bursting with wild taste surprises and salad leaves, good enough to tempt even the most jaded salad cynic.
We just had room to try a dessert pizza – thankfully petit proportions with base thinly smeared with chocolate, layered with slices of fresh pear and blueberries, oven baked and topped with a generous mound of vanilla ice-cream.
Wild Pepper Auchenflower had formed another mutually advantageous pairing, with boutique bottlo chalk+cheese offering a great range of wines, working well with Wild Pepper’s BYO set-up.
Wild Pepper Auchenflower, 418 Ridley Street, Auchenflower. Phone
(07) 3371 7400
www.wildpepper.com.au
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