109 Edward St Brisbane City
1.5/5
I've been to verve before, once looking for a job, and another time to have a drink before a show upstairs at the Metro Arts centre. One thing is to be said of Verve and that is, it has the best grungy aesthetic of anyplace I've been in Brisbane. The place has the feel of older parts of Sydney or Melbourne, not at all like the expansive open bars or restaurants that dominate the Brisbane scene.
Anyway this is a food review not an aesthetic design blog, so with my bias already in this places favour (it still is to an extent) i went to this place to have dinner. (It was either this or one of the Asian joints around, however I'm reviewing a Korean place next week and didn't want to focus to heavily on Asian cuisines to the exclusion of other cuisines) It was good to go to a place with a specials board, something i rarely see outside of the community clubs.
The service at this place was either difficult or again I'm overestimating the amount of time it took due to my solo dining experience (seriously eating by yourself is boring outside of the actual eating/drinking part) Admittedly if it were to be described as slow, it was probably due to the table in the centre of the room with at least 20 people at it. After difficulty getting the attention of a waiter, i ordered a coopers pale ale (Schooner on tap $6) and one of the specials (Spinach and Feta Ravioli with Swiss and shitake mushrooms in a cream sauce $21.27). It was surprising how quick the food came out with me barely having a sip of my beer before it was rushed out in a very presentable manner (also noticed that the table of twenty people had all of their meals delivered at the same time).
Pasta and other dishes with many elements are difficult to describe due to the importance being balance rather than simply looking to see if the natural strength of a main element has been exploited, but here's my attempt anyway.
This dish failed and succeeded on many levels, although the Ravioli appeared to made in shop the flavour of the spinach and feta added nothing to very little to the dish being completely overpowered by the natural sweetness of the cream sauce, and i believe for that particular cream sauce a more powerful flavour was needed for the ravioli. The mushrooms on the other hand added a much needed flavour body and the earthiness countered the sweetness creating a rather pleasant flavour. There was probably a tad too much garlic but compared with the sweetness the garlic was unnoticeable. Overall the only flavour that lingered was that of the cream which was disappointing due the pleasantness of the mushroom flavour.
Main was $21.27, Beer was $6, most mains under $20, Beers start at $6
You can visit their website at www.vervecafe.com.au
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