Agnes restaurant implements major menu change
It’s celebrated across the country for its wood-fired cuisine, so why change what’s seemingly pristine?
Sometimes the things that sustain us end up weighing us down. This is true for relationships, careers, and personal habits.
Apparently there are restaurants too.
“Every time I catch up with people, I say, ‘Let’s go to Agnes,'” says Ben Williamson. “And I got to the point where I was like, ‘Oh my God, I have to go back to Agnes again.’ After all, you’re eating the same things.”
It may seem like a surprising admission, but Williamson says it matter-of-factly enough. The powerhouse hospitality group of which he is co-owner and culinary director has been on such a tear lately that it’s easy to forget that Agnes (arguably the flagship venue and a candidate for Brisbane’s best restaurant) is just six years old and his first venue as chef-patron.
Williamson talks about this topic with frank honesty, but with the compassion and care of your first child.
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“There was nothing wrong with what we did,” he says. “Everything was going really well; there wasn’t enough change happening, first for myself and then I guess for the guests as well.”
Williamson ushered in the changes and Agnes relaunched last week with 25 new dishes. That’s more than two-thirds of the Fortitude Valley restaurant’s menu. This was important enough that Anyday brought it to the media in a press release.
“I think it’s because we haven’t done this in a long time,” Williamson says. “We just wanted to get the word out: Agnes is going back to her roots and ditching the ‘we won a ton of awards and accolades’ thing. That’s not what defines us. We want to get back to a restaurant of organic change for the public.”
“It’s less of a special occasion restaurant and more of a return to the neighborhood favorite that it was always intended to be… I mean, Agnes is doing a very strong business, but it’s giving people more of the ability to eat the way they want.”
There are other things at play here.
Williamson, along with co-owners Frank Li, Bianca Marchi and Tyron Simon, have exited four openings in the past 12 months: Idle, Golden Avenue, The French Exit and Le Royale. He finally had the bandwidth to return to the band’s current venues.
Williamson says he expects Agnes’ menu to evolve more seasonally in the future, and Fortitude Valley restaurant Bianca is his “next stop.”
“I’ll be there in a few weeks from Noosa Food and Wine,” he says.
Williamson also mentions that this is a chance for Agnes to reconnect with her frontline. “I miss kitchens,” he says.
I got to the point where I was like, ‘Oh my God, I have to go back to Agnes again.’ After all, you’re eating the same things.
Ben Williamson
“It’s definitely ‘Do I still have this? Can we make this happen?’ There was an element like. And it was a challenge at first. But once I started getting that flow and practicing it, it was so rewarding. I made 17 doubles [shifts] in a row. It’s nice to know I still have that inside me.
“As we grew as a band, I was always afraid of becoming too institutional,” Williamson says. “Hospitality is about people. It’s about shared experiences and stories, from the kitchen to the front of house to the bar. That’s what we should celebrate.”
New menu items include roasted Majorcan toast with honeycomb, fennel seeds and guindilla; roasted chistorra (Catalan-style chorizo) in farmhouse cider and lemon; and coral trout battery with burnt lemon. There’s an obvious Spanish influence here, but Williamson said that’s more coincidence than design.
“I tend to ignore the current menu and dump a lot of things into my brain and then put them together into something that has flow and consistency,” he says. “I physically got in there and tested all the plates and it was a great send off for me. [departing head chef] anthony [Naylor] to be a part of this process and come out on top.
“It wasn’t until we came [finished the menu] “We got that…that Spanish influence…There’s not a ton of that in Brisbane except for fashion and a few places.”
It’s not all about change. Staples like smoked, sun-dried tomato toast with caper leaves and olive oil, and sourdough bread with yellowfin tuna with creme fraiche are present and correct.
“That doesn’t mean some dishes won’t return. I already review the reviews every day… so we’ll continue to listen and adapt what we do.”
Matt Shea is Food and Culture Editor at the Brisbane Times. He is a former editor and editor-in-chief at Broadsheet Brisbane and has written for Escape, Qantas Magazine, Guardian, Jetstar Magazine and SilverKris, among others.
