PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIAIf you are not feeling ultra hip when you enter Dragonfly, you will by the time you leave. It is hard to be among such chic surrounds and not soak some of it up. The boutique-sized room is a muddle of mismatched retro furniture, sheer red curtains, disco balls and mood lighting. The feature wall displays equally eclectic pieces and local artists have access to this space to share their creations with discerning diners and drinkers. Bench seating runs the wall’s length, with a scattering of cushions to rest your fashionable derriere on. Round tables are set both inside and out so grab one of these and make room for chef Mark Ewan’s food.
The menu offers a unique and smart selection of starter plates designed to share. Ewan has considered the needs of his CBD clientele and hit the culinary bull’s-eye. Those in search of casual but classy afternoon eats are satisfied. After workers gather here for drinks and graze through small dishes or settle down to a three-course meal. Entree size options include crackers such as nori-salted chicken, chorizo and chilli in Pedro Ximenez sherry sauce, and Spanish-style meatballs with saffron and almond sauce. Vegetarians are well looked after with pan-fried haloumi and mushroom pate with Persian fetta. A salad of goat’s curd is embellished with orange and baby beets. Salt and pepper tofu is a fine substitute for the omni-present squid. You can, however, find the heavenly cephalopod on okonomi yaki – is a Japanese style pizza. Mains include a confit of duck leg on brown lentils, chermoula lamb rump, and beef fillet on a mixed mushroom ragout with kipfler crisps. All three dishes are marked as gluten free. Finish with an eruption of chocolate lava cake, soothed with vanilla bean ice-cream.
Roz Taylor