Ashala Bar (138 Albert Street, Brisbane, QLD)
Albert Street in Brisbane city is the one of the hub of activities, especially on a Friday night. The four of us city dwellers have a Friday night routine – we grab a quick bite, pick up some junk food goodness, and see a movie in town. It is a tradition for us.
It just so happened that we decided to do something a little different last Friday night. No, we did not ditch the movie, god forbade, but we decided to find somewhere different to eat and we ended up at Ashala Bar on Albert Street. We could not possibly have missed Ashala Bar – the waiters were very vocal in coaxing us into their establishment once we came within, well, coaxing distance. They were probably a little too pushy and aggressive for my liking but I understood that was how they ran their business and my growling stomach caused me to promptly comply.
Make no mistake – Ashala Bar was predominantly a bar. It was set up as a bar. Even the timber deck outside looked like a bar. The only issue was that the deck looked somewhat out of place but I digress. If there was anything negative about the restaurant/bar that stood out, it was the atmosphere – it was non-existent. It may have something to do with the incessant stream of pedestrians walking past but I suspected it had more to do with the dreadful lighting. There was a glaring white spot light that was affixed to a wall on the far side, which was pointing straight at the deck. The light was so harsh and bleak that reminded me of roadworks on the highway at night.
I didn’t care. I was hungry. If I had to eat road kill, so be it. We ordered a few glasses of wine but I wasn’t terribly impressed with the limited choices available. I was convinced by then that I would be presented with road kill. Then Ashala surprised me. My partner and my grilled barramundi was delightful (once again, we ordered the same dish). Okay, the fish did not ooze freshness – it was probably frozen fish but it was cooked reasonably well. Not to perfection, but well. The trimmings were interesting and aesthetically pleasing. The shaved sweet potato flakes on top were a nice touch. Unfortunately, the steamed vegies were a tad on the cold side and a few of the broccoli looked a bit yellowish. One of our friends had the chicken and mushroom risotto and the other had the steak. They both seemed to have enjoyed their meal.
All in all, Ashala had a reasonably priced menu; our barramundi dish was about $20 and the risotto was about $17. Not bad at all for dinner in the middle of the city. The food was certainly not top notch but it was not bad either if you want a decent but inexpensive meal. If you like to eat on a roadworks site on the highway at night, Ashala will have that extra something for you. For the rest of us, the lack of ambience was a liability and had cost a review point despite the otherwise decent bite.
Quick info…
Rating: 7/10
Date of experience: 24/07/2009