http://www.olerestaurant.com.au/fuego-about-us/
Marc and I rarely go to the movies because I have the attention span of a goldfish and find it hard to sit still and not talk for close to 3 hours (aren't all movies these days just so LONG). However, we obtained some free tickets and when something is free, that changes things so despite my misgivings we made a date night out of it.
Indooroopilly shopping Centre is our new local shopping hub so that's where we headed for dinner and movies. It wasn't late night shopping night so the centre was fairly quiet but the dining strip along Station Rd still had some activity happening. We got a table at Ole Fuego and managed to get our order in before the kitchen closed.
Ole Fuego is sister restaurant to the Ole Restaurant in Southbank. This one is touted as being a great function venue with private hire available and easy to tailor group dining menus. Marc and I were just two people without a booking so we just experienced Ole Fuego as regular diners.
The menu contains a comprehensive selection of shared tapas as well as larger, shared mains. I really wanted to try the paella but we weren't sure if that would be ready in time for us to finish before the movie started and I also like to try lots of different things rather than favour one dish.
We ended up choosing some tapas, with the help of our lovely waitress who gave in depth recommendations.
Jug of white wine sangria
Our beverage of the night was a shared jug of white sangria. I quite liked this because it was a hot evening and the drink was cool, sweet and refreshing. It had a tang of white peach that I appreciated. Marc wasn't a fan though as he found it too sweet.
Thankfully for our grumbling tummies, the food was brought out quite quickly, in reasonable intervals so that we weren't rushed in our eating but also weren't left empty-plated for long periods of time.
Manchego cheese fritters
The first dish to arrive was the manchego cheese fritters. These were lightly crumbed and crunchy on the outside but surprisingly light and soft on the inside. They were served with a spicy capsicum dip that complimented the cheesiness very well.
Sauteed mushrooms - with fino sherry, san simon cheese and crusty bread
Next we sampled one of our waitress's firm recommendations, which was sauteed mushrooms on crusty bread. This is not the sort of dish I would normally order but I was very impressed by it. Mushrooms are such a simple food but when cooked well, they're so flavoursome and juicy. I dipped the bread in to soak up every last bit of buttery, mushroom sauce.
Grilled octopus - with peas, broad beans, pickled shallots and pimenton
The grilled octopus was a tad on the rubbery side for my liking but I enjoyed the pea and broad beans that came with. I find broad beans to be supremely underrated. They're so yummy and healthy!
Spanish flatbread - with piquillos, roasted red onion, confit garlic, goat's cheese and oregano
Our Spanish flatbread had a soft, puffy base and was topped with tonnes of caramelised onion. What made this dish work for me was the pops of funky goat's cheese that worked well against the sweetness. Marc doesn't enjoy goat's cheese like I do so this dish was a "no" from him but I happily devoured most of it.
Slow cooked crispy lamb belly - with ajo blanco and grapes
Our last dish was one I was most looking forward to, the crispy lamb belly with grapes. At first we thought the grapes were olives, Marc's mortal enemy, but he was relieved to find out they weren't. I didn't expect cooked grapes and lamb to make such a great pairing but they did. I wish I took a better photo of this dish but I must have gotten excited and snapped it out of focus without realising.
Ole Fuego did great in presenting us with a varied and tasty selection of tapas. We ordered just the right amount for us that night (which is rare for us because we normally over-order and go home burstingly sick). My favourites of the night included the lamb belly, mushrooms and manchego fritters. Deliciouso!
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