By Trevor Pepys reviews O-Ren Brew House and Modern Asian Restaurant
Can it be a whole decade ago that Geoff and Char Hall opened the doors to their wood-grained and sumptuous Coconut Grove in the heart of Sunshine Beach?
To Trev it seems like only yesterday. Of course the brilliant remake of the Duke Street site was only another chapter in the legend of what was Jean Luc Lapene’s Café des Amis back in the ‘90s, but it had such style, mainly driven by the work of Geoff Hall, one of Noosa’s finest wood artisans.
When Sum Yung Guys moved in they did their best to disguise all of that with their rock star sensibilities, but it’s hard to disguise a Hall hand-carved bar top. Happily, the current resident, O-Ren Modern Asian hasn’t tried, and seeing the old entry statement revived made Trev smile. (If you want further evidence of G Hall’s genius, see the curved bar at what is now El Capitano pizza joint above Café le Monde.)
So Trev’s all smiles as he and the missus walk into O-Ren, but it doesn’t last long. The wine list starts at $47 and so does Trev. The $50 entry point is becoming the new normal around town, so he should be grateful, but no, more like resentful. However, the Farina Pinot Grigio is one of the better Italian quaffers under $20 at most bottle shops, light and dry with a fruity after-taste, which our waitress must have known because she pours without offering a taste.
The O-Ren people are responsible for Cooroy’s Copperhead Brewery, which looks a bit like the 1970s motel it lives next to, but serves a decent mix of brews and tucker. After a false start upstairs in Hastings Street, the beachside brew house and modern Asian restaurant looks comfortable in its skin here. It’s a comfortable, airy space where – top marks for this – you can hear yourself think. Yes, folks, this is that rare thing – a restaurant where you can have a conversation.
Unfortunately, our conversation on this particular evening is largely about the fact that the missus is not very hungry, so we skip the mains and focus on the sections curiously called A Bit More and Bigger, deciding to share some roti bread ($8) and salt and pepper cuttlefish with fried chilli, garlic, spring onions, lemongrass, and chilli lime for starters, followed by sesame tempura prawns and zucchini ($36) with miso mayo.
The roti arrived burnt to a cinder but the chilli lime Trev was planning to spread on it was non-existent, so we got away to a flyer. The cuttlefish was bland but filling. We were looking for a big comeback with our second course, and we sort of got it. The tempura prawns were tasty and the miso mayo delicious.
But another point on service: because we were intending to share, Trev asked how many prawns were served. Our waitress said we could have four, five or six, and the price would remain at $30. Naturally Trev ordered six for which he was billed $36. He wondered aloud whether the price would have gone down $6 if he’d ordered four.
We shared an affogato ($12) to finish and it too was delicious.
The verdict: Modern Asian is a culinary space well-served around Noosa, so O-Ren might be up against it a bit, especially with one of the better ones just around the corner. But history is on their side. Sure, the upstairs site at 46 Duke has had its ups and downs over the years, but Trev can recall many memorable meals within those walls. Not so much this time, but maybe the next.
O-Ren Brew House and Modern Asian Restaurant, 46 Duke St, Sunshine Beach. Phone 53242323.