Playing with Fire – Ester Restaurant Review

The Foodie Mookie crew has interstate guests arriving who are on a budget but want to go somewhere special. Ester immediately springs to mind with its casual environment, stellar menu and very reasonable pricing. Mookie makes the booking, we have been multiple times previously, so the staff recognise the name – always nice. We meet our guests for the later seating and have to stand an wait for a little while (there is not much by way of waiting space) but the table is soon available.

Matt Lindsay has worked the kitchens of Rockpool, Berta restaurant, 121bc wine bar and as head chef at Billy Kwong’s. His latest foray in the restaurant scene, Ester, is influenced by his experiences traveling Europe and Asia. The casual style restaurant serves what feels like rustic wood fired food but which hides culinary genius and attention to detail. The wine list an eclectic and has many natural options.

The signature dish must be the cauliflower head with almonds and white sauce, but the morcilla on a steam bun is always great. A special on this night was mud crab and it was fantastic though a little messy as is expected. The food is always good, the wine can be a little hit and miss. This evening the white is a hit but the red is a miss.

With its casual setting, very reasonable pricing (for the exceptional quality of food) and just generally cool vibe, Ester has easily become a Foodie Mookie favourite. Its certainly worth a little travel to dine here and the eclectic wine list adds a fun element to explore. We find ourselves returning frequently. After all is said and done there can be no higher accolade for a restaurant than continued custom. Go try it yourself and see if you can stay away long. Words of advice… try the specials.