It can be easy to not even notice Public unless you’ve heard of it before, tucked away on the first floor of an office building on George Street in a quiet corner of the city. Once inside though, you feel like you’ve discovered a hidden gem for first time.
Public is a cross between a cocktail and wine bar and a fine dining tapas-style restaurant. It has the vibe of a classy jazz club throughout with dark timber furnishings, dim lighting and a scattering of mounted taxidermy, a full size peacock is perched above the main bar. This carried through to the drinks menu which was a quaint leather-wrapped booklet.
The food menu was actually a bit of a surprise with its creative dishes not expected from a bar-style venue. It is designed around sharing with the bulk of the menu consisting of small plates, there are a few big plates of pork belly, lamb shoulder and char siu chicken.
On this visit I ordered the salmon, soft shell crab, Kentucky Fried Duck and the Texas brisket. These were chosen with assistance from the waitstaff due to the amount of choices on offer, as was the serving order.
The salmon was a bit of a “why not” moment. Smoked salmon with apple slices, apple foam and black ants. Actual ants. The ants had a short back story which the staff detailed, sourced from a specific location and fed on a mostly citrus diet. It’s hard to describe exactly how the ants tasted, especially over the feeling of looking at them on your fork before taking a bite. The flavours are probably described as a rich citrus, slightly sour bite. They are soft in texture and so not overly noticeable, combining well with the deep smoked salmon. It is quite an experience.
Next up was the soft shell crab, served with a spicy tomato and peanut sauce. The crab was lightly battered and full of flavour, going well with the actually quite spicy sauce.
This was followed by the Kentucky Fried Duck, a bit of a “dirty food” indulgence. Served in brown paper bags on a plate and complimented by a side of mellow-flavoured (less dressing, more carrot and possibly added almond) coleslaw. It felt a bit like a classier KFC, probably the intention, but with the increased texture from the duck.
The final savoury dish was the Texas beef brisket with soft tortillas, coleslaw (more typical coleslaw than that with the duck) and chili sauce, arranged in a do-it-yourself taco affair. The brisket had that succulent melt-in-your-mouth texture and went well with the spicy sauce, which was a sweeter spice than that of the sauce with the crab.
Finally, dessert was the Goat’s Cheesecake with basil and pistachio. This was presented in the form of a deconstructed cheesecake with the goats cheese and the basil combining in a somewhat sweet and sour, yet refreshing, flavour mix.
This completed an excellent, unexpected, casual fine dining experience in a great secluded yet welcoming location. If anything, the prices were a little on the high side given the portion sizes, however it is clear how Public has maintained its Good Food Guide one hat award since opening.