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Trevor Pepys reviews Little Humid, Noosaville
As keen Tucker readers will know, Trev only returns to the scene of the crime for two reasons: 1) they must have been having an off-night the first time, or 2) he trusts them to get it right every visit.
So, as an unabashed Humid fan of some 17 years standing, Big and Little, Trev was most certainly back at Michelle and Mary’s for Friday lunch for number twos, if you’ll pardon the expression. If that’s a plot spoiler, please forgive me, but it was fairly obvious where this one was going anyway. Trev loves quality and consistency delivered at a fair price, with no BS. There are a handful of restaurants in Noosa that meet those lofty standards, but not for 17 years without fail!
And it’s worth noting here that Mary and Michelle faced up to the potential financial disasters of extended Covid lockdowns with typical can-do spirit, stripping back to a two-gal operation and when they couldn’t open for service they transformed into the best take-home dinner operation Trev sampled during the troubles. Twenty bucks a box, heat in minutes, just like a bought one!
But it’s so much nicer when you’re there, which is why when an old mate and colleague (ie another reprobate) suggested a celebratory lunch on him, Trev didn’t hesitate. Naturally we were shown to the best river view table on the terrace and Trev was about to order French bubbles to come with the menus when old mate dropped a shocker. “No alcohol for me.”
Now we’ve darkened more than a few dingy doors around the planet, me and him, so this news was seriously unsettling. “Doctors, cops, clergymen or the missus?” Trev enquired sadly. “A bit of each, but you go right ahead.”
So Trev ordered a glass of Logan Pinot Gris ($13), the mate a sparkling mineral water ($8), and so began a rare, if not unique, experience for your humble correspondent – a sober lunch.
We munched on a hot crusty baguette with oil ($8) and a bowl of Ligurian small black olives ($10) while we surveyed the always interesting menu. Now Trev is a huge fan of the braised rabbit and leek pie (a Humid house special since forever) but today the fish mains caught both our eyes. Old mate chose the snapper fillet, rosemary and pinenut crumbs, roast pumpkin, beetroot, bean and feta, with a remoulade sauce ($37) while Trev opted for the roasted salmon with fresh tagliatelle and chorizo ($36).
Old mate pronounced his snapper as the tastiest, most succulent fillet of fish he’d eaten locally for a long, long time, and the accompaniments were ideally suited to his delicate digestive system. Trev swooned so much over his perfectly roasted salmon that he had to keep the Pinot Gris coming, which meant in the end it would have been much cheaper to buy the bottle, but who’s counting? Oh, that’s right. Old mate was.
The only slightly awkward moment occurred when Trev pulled out his trusty phone camera to capture the mains for posterity. Maitre d’ Mary quietly but efficiently shirt-fronted him and said: “Trev, I’ve told you before, put that cracked screen iPhone 1 away. We’ll send you some professional photos of your meals.”
The moment passed and the conversation with the mate flowed like an alpine river, and similarly fresh and clear for once, Trev remembered most of it later.
The verdict: Lunch or dinner, inside or outside, Little Humid never fails to impress.
Little Humid, 235 Gympie Terrace, Noosaville, phone 5449 9755.