Nest Restaurant and Bar - Revisit

Nest restaurant & bar situated in Hotel Jen has been my favourite fusion restaurant since dining in February. When I was recently invited to try their other menu offerings, I had to call on Espresso&Matcha to experience this special place.

Our group of six was warmly greeted by the restaurant manager and taken to a reserved table. The familiar tabletop chalkboard was present with handwritten greetings to add a welcoming touch to their hospitality.

The tasting menu for our evening was designed by Chef Mark Young and consists: chicken skewers, prawn toast, beef wontons and lamb ribs as entrees. Mains: Tea smoked crispy duck, beef cheek Panang curry, five spice pork belly, broken chicken prawn salad and morning glory. For dessert: Peanut butter ice-cream and coconut tapioca to finalized our meal.

Chicken skewers: presented street food style with peanut satay sauce & pickled cucumber. The pre-marinated chicken was tender and juicy with big satay & char grill flavours. The homemade pickled cucumber did its job to balance out the rich sauce and leaves your palate with a pleasant sweet & sour after taste. 3.5/5

Prawn toast: with minced fresh prawns on top of thick cut toast dressed with yuzu mayo and green herbs. First bite reveals fragrant prawn flavours with hints of mayo. The toast itself was well cooked and maintains a satisfying crunch throughout. Citrus taste of the mayo and fresh herbs balances out the oiliness. 4/5

Beef wontons: in a four pc serve with mayo. The deep fried wontons presents a crispy egg based skin with beef filling. The meat infused in sweet soy sauce was tender, juicy and flavourful. Paired with the rich mayo dipping sauce you have a heavy hitting entrée great for young and old. 4/5

Twice cooked lamb ribs: generous four thick cuts of ribs with fresh lime, chilli & mint. Biting into the meat was a magical experience with the tender “falling off the bone” meat melting in your mouth whist maintaining a crispy texture on the outside. The sauce was well balanced with right amount of sweet & sour and at no point over powered the meat. This dish is still Mrs Tomcat’s fav and was the crowd pleasure of our night. 5/5

Beef cheek panang curry: with kaffir lime leaf, green bean, peanuts. The fragrant bowl of happiness contains large chunks of tender beef cheeks and green beans all simmered in a yellow Malaysian style curry sauce. The meat was super tender and maintains the rich beef flavour. Paired with the silky smooth and complex yellow sauce my palate was taken to comfort food territory. If only the curry was less spicy. 4/5

Tea smoked crispy duck: with deboned 1/2 duck sitting on top a pool of caramelised mandarin sauce, garnished with cinnamon stick, fresh herbs and chillies. First impression: elegantly presented. The taste of the duck was heavenly, with crispy lightly tea smoked skin and juicy tender meat. The sauce displays a depth of flavour which consists of caramel, mandarin, green plums & hint of tropical fruit. Still my fav dish and consistently good. 4.5/5

Five spiced pork belly: in stacked large cubes drizzled with chilli caramel, hot and sour herb salad. The big porky goodness was crispy on the outside with a soft tender centre. Fragrant porky scent paired with western style sweet and sour tastes draws an interesting fusion unique to Nest. No doubt, a successful creation. 4/5

Broken chicken & prawn salad: with caramelised coconut, lime & macadamia was a welcoming dish to complement the mains. The crunchy texture, flavourful fresh ingredients and light seasoning provided the much needed refreshment to our palates and an absolute fav of Espresso&Matcha. 4/5

Morning glory: stir fried with chopped garlic and red chilli pepper. Morning glory was cooked soft with an enhanced creamy mouth feel thanks to the added fermented bean paste. Paired with steamed jasmine rice, this simple dish takes me back to mum’s cooking and a common side dish in Chinese household meals. 3.5/5

Peanut butter ice-cream: served as a golden deep fried ball rested on top of salted caramel sauce.  The coconut based outer crust was crispy, buttery with a fragrant coconut taste. Ice cream, smooth with light peanut flavours. Paired with rich salted caramel sauce you have a heavy dessert suitable for the sweet treat lovers. We find the caramel sauce too over powering for this dish. 3.5/5

Coconut tapioca: with palm sugar caramel, passionfruit sorbet and puffed rice. The tapioca was cooked soft & thick with rich coconut taste and texture. The passionfruit sorbet was sour and refreshing which balances this dish to perfection. Another consistently good dessert. 4/5

Drinks: A large selection of cocktails was ordered with the Honey Collins containing: whiskey, lemon, apple and honey being the most memorable and one of the best cocktails I have ever had in Brisbane. The refreshing sweetness from the honey and citrus taste of the apple and lemon elevated the entire meal. A perfect cocktail without a doubt! 5/5

The overall experience that night was a very positive one, dishes sampled were above expectations and consistently good in comparison to my February visit. Interesting fusion paired with skilled execution has made this my fav fusion restaurant in Brisbane. 

A big thank you to the Nest team and Louise for making this happen!