Shop 12/13, Little Stanley Street

Olé
Shop 12/13, Little Stanley Street
South Bank
+61 7 3846 1201

Located along a busy stretch of restaurants and café in South Bank, it was not that easy to pick a restaurant to go to, but it was the modern and sleek decor and exteriors, that drew us to Ole. At half past six on a Wednesday evening, the alfresco area of the restaurant was already brimming with people. Nevertheless, the ambience was lively, and the stylish and warm furnishing makes Ole a great place to catch up with friends for a nice meal and to have a couple of drinks. 

Gazpacho

Chilled Tomato Soup

Perhaps, due to our poor knowledge of how tomato soup can be done- or perhaps, of Spanish food in general, all four of us were stunned when the gazpacho was served. Not only was it served in a pretty little jar, it turned out to be green in colour- definitely not the colour that comes to mind when you think of tomatoes. Well, keeping to the spirit of having an open mind, we all took a few tentative sip of the green concoction, and I wished that I had recorded that moment. There were mixed reactions of, “bleugh” to “it’s so spicy” around the table. The soup was spicy and really sour- and to top it off, we suspected that the chef was pretty generous with his/her use of herbs. Still, the soup isn’t too bad, (we took a few more sips eventually) but it is definitely an acquired taste.

Calamares Y Chanquetes

Crisp calamari and whitebait with aioli

A bowl heaped with big serving of calamari and whitebait, this crispy and crunchy tapas made us wish that it were not a school day the next day, as we would have definitely ordered some beers to go with. Someone said that you could never go wrong with greasy, fried food- and it is true in this case. Though, our only qualm is that, at that price, we all wished there were more calamari (than whitebait) in the serving.

Pulpo Con Chorizo

Grilled octopus, chorizo, fresh lime, parsley and tomato

Visually appetizing, this dish certainly did not disappoint when it comes to taste. The octopus was grilled perfectly, and it was still crunchy and succulent when served. Infused with the flavours of the lime, parsley and tomato, it goes perfectly with the sweetness of the octopus. The chorizo was a nice complement to the dish, in all its salty goodness.

Sobrasada Y Vieras

Soft cured pork and paprika sausage, Queensland scallops and pork crackling

A personal favourite of the night, I can still remember taste of this dish as I am writing this a couple of days later. The pork crackling is really what it says- crackling- not for the faint hearted, the smell of the lard is really that aromatic; and when eaten with the seared scallops, the combination of flavours and texture is really, amazing. Not forgetting the soft cured pork and paprika sausage, the spicy and salty flavor really goes perfectly with the succulent scallops.

Paella

Prawns, squid, mussels, clams, chorizo and saffron rice

When we ordered, the waitress told us that it would take about half an hour for the paella to be served- though eventually, it certainly took less than that, which was a plus. For those that have had paella, you know, how much of a visual treat this dish is. Served piping hot on a pan, the prawns, squid, mussels and clams look so good, with the yellowish tinged rice.

The rice was cooked just right, neither soft nor hard- the right texture. The taste of saffron was subtle and it was so good, infused with the flavor of the mint and parsley. Unfortunately, the rice was the best part of the dish, as the seafood was not up to par. I am allergic to prawns, so I can’t comment on that part, but the squid and shellfish were definitely overdone, and you cannot taste the freshness, or the succulent texture of it. It was definitely a disappointment, and this dish, could definitely be better.


*Another one of my food posts/reviews; I'm still trying to figure out if this works for me! Definitely had fun experimenting with new ideas for the blog- so I apologize for these looong food posts! xx