Simply Locale at Locale Restaurant
Locale’s new season menu isn’t chasing anything flashy, and that’s exactly the point. John Caruso meets Head Chef Chris Hagan who explains why doing less, well, is the kitchen’s smartest move yet.
Spring turns up in Noosa long before the calendar says so. At Locale on Hastings Street, this year’s proof arrived in the form of peas, broad beans and a highly-anticipated run of asparagus. What the kitchen has done with it says plenty about how the place operates.
Ask Head Chef Chris Hagan what’s changing for the new season and you get a straight answer: good produce, handled properly, nothing more needed.
“Spring’s always exciting because you see such amazing produce that allows you to deliver really light, fresh flavours,” says Chris of what’s arriving from the farm and local suppliers.
The concept of ‘simplicity’ comes up more than once in conversation, which is a fair call for a kitchen that hand-rolls its own pasta and receives daily deliveries of freshly-harvested produce from the restaurant’s own Maravista Farm and a crop of local growers and suppliers.
It’s a short supply chain by hospitality standards, farm-to-fridge-to-plate, within a day or two. The spring menu leans on that harder than most. Push Chris on his favourite seasonal ingredient, the one he’d build an entire menu around given the chance, and there’s no hesitation.
“Asparagus,” he says. “That’s one of my favourites. Sadly, it has a short season so I make the most of it.”
His plan for it is about as unfussy as it gets: a sauté, a poached egg, done. It’s a dish that looks simple on the plate, and that simplicity is exactly the challenge. With nothing to hide behind, getting asparagus right takes more care than dressing it up ever would. Similarly, the feature pasta dish for the new season combines freshly-harvested peas and broad beans, handled with enough restraint that the vegetables carry the dish rather than the technique. No foam, no smear, no three-line menu description. Peas taste like peas. Broad beans taste like broad beans. It sounds obvious until you’ve eaten at enough restaurants where it isn’t.
“It’s just gently sautéed, tasty, simple,” Chris says. “Topped with a few asparagus spears for extra flavour.”
The same logic applies to the veal, sourced from northern New South Wales and handled, in Chris’s own words, without complication.
“It’s a fantastic product. Easy to build a dish around and perfect for the warmer weather,” he says.
‘Easy’ is pretty close to a mission statement for Locale. No towering plates, no menu copy that reads like a thesis. Good spring produce, a light hand, and not much standing between the ingredient and the plate.
The n
ew menu coincides with Locale’s annual fundraiser held in partnership with Reed & Co in support of Santa’s Classy Helpers, a cause the restaurant has backed for several years running. It’s become as much a fixture of the Locale calendar as the produce it’s built on. One dish that is always in season and in high demand is Tagliatelle – handmade free-range egg tagliatelle, Fraser Isle spanner crab, basil, chilli, butter, lemon pangrattato – simple and superb!
“It’s a solid and simple dish and the Spanner Crab is such an incredible product that it doesn’t need too much to make it shine,” Chris says.
The lighter dishes bring a shift in what’s being poured, too. The wine list still runs deep and Italian, and spring is when the by-the-glass selections tilt toward something crisper, lighter and more refreshing. It’s a small adjustment, but it’s the same philosophy as the food: match the pour to the season instead of making the season fit the pour.
One new arrival on the drinks list deserves special consideration. Locale owners Rio and Amanda have recently returned from time in Italy with loved ones and Rio has a prediction for the newest Spritz to be every one’s new favourite. Meet the Hugo Spritz, made with prosecco, fresh mint and elderflower liqueur.
“It is not a new cocktail, it is a classic that is just being rediscovered and coveted by Spritz lovers worldwide,” says Rio. “Where the Aperol Spritz has run the room for the better part of a decade, Hugo is quieter and greener, lighter on the bitterness, heavier on the botanicals. “It is the perfect cocktail for the warmer months- fresh, light and very refreshing.”
Watching it being created is half the appeal, and Hastings Street in late afternoon is a fine spot to enjoy it. Aperitivo hour runs daily from 4pm to 6pm with $8 beers, $10 wine by the glass and $15 for a spritz or margarita. Five cicchetti to accompany for just $35 is an afternoon well spent.
Spring also brings wedding season, and this is where Locale’s versatility as a venue really comes into play. The lounge bar suits cocktails and canapés on arrival, and the romantic, low lit dining room can hold an elegant sit-down dinner while leaving enough room for a dance floor when the party really starts.
There’s no major reinvention needed here, just simple, seasonal shifts. Fresh, seasonal produce; an interesting and enticing drinks list; room for events and celebrations of all shapes and sizes – and all underpinned by warm, friendly service that feels like family in a stunning venue. That’s the whole package. Seasonal, simple and sensational.
