Ethos Eat Drink

Rita’s much anticipated virgin visit to Ethos happened yesterday lunchtime.

We partook of the following:

Chilli almonds (complimentary) – gorgeous snack

Flathead fish fingers ($3 each)

Crispy skinned lamb with yoghurt and beans ($15/20)

Pickled sardines and crostini ($10)

Braised octopus, mussels, chickpeas and hummus ($15)

Pan fried flathead tail and roasted garlic, lemon ($20)

Beef cheek and quinoa, chim churri ($20)

Winter fruit trifle ($15)

All the dishes were spot-on, and exactly what we envisaged them to be, except maybe the lamb, which didn’t grab me at all really. My favourites were the fish fingers and the braised octopus. The fish fingers contained one per serving, so it was lucky we ordered one serving per person! They were the traditional fish finger shape, complete with course breadcrumbs, but the winning flavour of the flathead was absolutely perfect. They were a gourmet fish finger.

The octopus was tender and beautifully flavoured, as were the accompanying mussels, but the highlight was the hummus – which wasn’t your usual dip-type hummus, but rather more runny and saucey, and provided an ideal “gravy” for this Mediterranean dish. I should have ordered more bread to mop up the remaining hummus sauce with after I’d eaten all the octopus, mussels and chickpeas!

The service (although when it happened was very good) was spasmodic. We had to ask for drinks on three separate occasions. But, on the plus side, at the start, the waitress was diligent in explaining what the place was about and how the food ordering worked – which really helped with understanding how to get maximum enjoyment out of eating there.

The wine list was good, and provided my dining companions with a variety of glasses of different wines they wanted to sample. To them, the drinking was of equal (if not more) importance than the eating, which is obviously MY priority, given that I can’t/don’t generally drink. And I think that therein lies the secret of Ethos’ success.

It’s no more, or no less, than what they advertise it to be - tapas style food, with a more diverse selection than Spanish food, as tapas is traditionally based on. If you match your wines to your nibbles, I can see you’d have a fabulous time there. As it was, for drinks I stuck with aerated water and was more than happy with that, constantly topped up as it was.

It’s not a place I’d think to go to if I were starving hungry, or wanted to celebrate a special, intimate occasion. It’s a place I’d instantly think of to meet friends for a chat, a drink and a nibble. The renovation is stunning, and adds to the general atmosphere. I was extremely interested to check out Ethos, and see what all the hullabaloo was about. If they knew what I looked like, and gave me special attention knowing I was there to blog about it, then I’d be disappointed. As it was, I don’t think we received any more or less service or attention than any other table – which is how it should be.