Deus after dark

Returning to Deus Cafe in Camperdown last night to sample their dinner menu (see last Saturday's post "Does lunching next a motorbike make me [a] 'rev fed'?") I had fairly high expectations. Deus is already one of my favourite brunch/lunch spots and the reviews I'd read of its after-dark alter-ego have been positive. The online menu offered several options that caught my eye and my date S had been tossing up between the gnocchi with duck ragout, pork and veal meatballs with polenta and slow cooked pork belly since about 4pm.

Arriving at around 7.30pm, it soon became apparent that the set up in the evenings is slightly different to during the day, when the procedure is that you choose from a blackboard menu, order and pay at the counter, collecting a number to take back to your table. In the evening the feel is more restaurant than cafe, complete with crisp paper menus, a (limited) wine list and table service, although still with a relaxed vibe.

Sadly, the online menu turned out not to be current so the afternoon's musings were in vain but there were enough tastebud tempting options on the new one to make my choice excruciatingly difficult (especially for S who had to sit through it). Changing my mind at least three times I eventually plumped for crispy skinned snapper with witlof, chat potatoes and a caper beurre blanc. S much more decisively ordered slow-cooked beef with celeriac puree. A fennel, pear, pecorino and rocket salad rounded out the order. Although happy with my eventual choice, which was both super-tasty and beautifully cooked, S's beef was the stand-out dish of the evening (even if the garnish of greenery on top was almost shrub-like in scale) - rich, hearty and cooked to melt-in-the-mouth perfection. Serving sizes were generous and with mains around the $20-25 mark offered great value for money.

Sadly, the service was less successful. At one point when S and I were deep in conversation, a waitress standing behind me literally waved her arms at him to attract his attention, so she could ask if we wanted some more drinks! Ummm, thanks, but that would be a "no". Paying the bill took so long we joked about doing a runner - at least that would have attracted the staff's attention. Or possibly not.

Overall, I'm not sure that the space completely works for me as a dinner venue (it's too cavernous to offer the cosy, intimate atmosphere I look for in a restaurant) and the service definitely needs work, but the food is well worth returning for.