$68 Friday Lunch at Essa

Whether you’re clocking off early for a bougie long lunch or looking for a spot to have a lingering midday meeting, Essa is the answer. The James Street eatery’s latest move is a $68 Friday lunch set menu.

The menu starts with Essa’s bread and Tommerup’s Dairy Farm jersey milk butter and snacks including kangaroo tartare with raw witlof and fried wakame; Saison Salumi’s Brisbane-made squid ink and black truffle salami with pickled chillies; and raw cobia with green capsicum, yuzu dressing and fermented chilli.

Mains are a choice between hand-rolled pici with caramelised scallops and Thai lime, or pork collar with bay leaf, mustard and lots of soft herbs. Sides of butter and oak lettuce with pepitas and green goddess dressing help you get in your daily greens.

If you’re keen to really push the boat out, there are add-ons including caviar bumps with frozen vodka; appellation oysters with champagne vinegar mignonette; Jerusalem artichoke and pine mushroom tart; and a salt beef sanga with black garlic mustard and truffle mayo.

When chef-owner Phil Marchant opened Essa to much acclaim in 2021, the venue was the antithesis of everything we’d come to expect from James Street – moody and unassuming rather than bold and buzzy. In 2023, Marchant opened next-door cocktail bar The Nixon Room, which opens at 4pm if you’re looking to keep the good times rolling.