Locale — Restaurant in Noosa Heads

We must of come to the restaurant on a bad night. We had a very average experience.. $47 ragu that was full of chunky unrendered fat and a host who wanted to argue with us?

To celebrate our first wedding anniversary we booked at Locale. We arrived at 6:35pm, 25 minutes early to our 7pm booking. We asked to be sat earlier, if possible, as we were hungry. The host said our table was not ready. There were many empty tables but we were happy to sit at the bar and enjoy a drink while we waited for our table. No one approached us at our booking time so around 7:10pm (35 minutes after we had arrived) we flagged down someone and asked to sit at our table. We were starving.

We sat at the table and no one approached us or greeted us. At 7:25 we looked at each other and said we'll give them 5 more minutes before we get up and leave. The waitress appeared, we told her we were unhappy that no one had served us yet and she apologised stating all her tables were sat at once...

We ordered our food. Entrees were nothing special. We ordered the Lamb Ragu and it came with a huge chunk of fat in it that had not rendered down. I let the waitress know and she said she would tell the chef.

After finishing our drinks and not hearing from the waitress, we got up and paid. We let the person who was taking payment know that we had a very average experience. This is when the host and our waitress appeared. The waitress said she had arranged a free round of drinks and complimentary desserts for us but she failed to tell us this until after we had paid the bill and were walking out? Very odd experience.. The host then started to argue with us.. telling us he sat us at 7:05 (that would be even worse as our waitress did not greet us or take drinks order until 7:30) just a really bizarre experience. We didn't appreciate the host raising his voice at us.

We told him we didn't want to argue. We were there to enjoy our first wedding anniversary, and we had a bad experience. We had already paid the bill in full, we just wanted...

Was very excited to try the food here, as it was recommended by one of our friends who lives in Noosa and after reading other Google reviews, we had high expectations for Locale. The ambience was nice, had a slight kind of Asian feel about it which was probably from the decor, and decorative wall with lanterns. Was left a bit confused as to the cuisine of Locale… I wouldn’t call it Italian, well not ‘traditional’ Italian anyway. Overall, had a nice night, but the price point of these dishes is quite steep, hence why I am being critical with my feedback. If I spend $200 for a meal for 2, I would expect to be “wowed”, however, sadly, I was not. The olives were served at room temperature, not warm like stated on the menu, which was disappointing. The caprese salad was served cold - refrigerator cold. Room temperature would have been perfect, as the tomatoes had minimal flavour due to being left in the fridge. The ratio and balance was off too… there were far too many tomatoes. The burrata cheese would also have been more enjoyable if it were served at room temperature and paired with a different cracker - the linseed cracker was an odd choice to serve with the burrata as it was overpowering in flavour and masked the beautiful burrata and pesto flavours. Would be nice if I was offered an alternative (non-GF) cracker option. The ravioli was lacking overall flavour and the small amount of sauce was a tad crusty around the edges, probably because the dish was plated up too soon before serving. The gnocchi was cooked to perfection! Little pillows of heaven - YUM! But, why add the sunflower seeds to this dish?? Sunflower seeds were not listed on the menu and added unnecessary texture and crunch to an almost perfect gnocchi. The pane selection was nice and so were the zucchini flowers. Had a nice experience, but overall was left feeling...

My Partner and I had dinner here on a whim last night and I have not stopped thinking about the incredible experience we had.

Oscar, our server was so very charming and attentive. He is an invaluable asset to Locale that much I’m certain of.

We began our evening with cocktails, my Partner had the Locale Bellini and I had the Botanica, both were beautifully balanced and set the tone for what would become an unforgettable dining experience.

To follow we had the Handmade Rosemary Focaccia with Ricotta, Maravista Farm Honey and Smoked Sea Salt. A simple yet sensational beginning to the meal, it is a must!

Between us we shared the Tartare, which is a Northern Rivers Veal Tartare, Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto served with Kipfler Chips and Caper Leaf and the Fiori De Zucca, which are Scallop & Prawn Mousse filled Zucchini Flowers with Tomato and Bonito Sugo, Salted Zucchini and Yarra Valley Salmon Roe. Absolutely exquisite, the later was a standout in both taste and presentation.

For our main meal, we opted for the Agnello to share, which is a Slow Roasted White Pyrenees Lamb Shoulder with Herb Mustard, Grilled Lemon and Rosemary Jus.

We ordered two sides, the Marvista Farm Garden Salad, which consisted of Baby Gem Lettuce, Rocket, Orange, Parmesan and Crystalized Macadamia Nuts and Patate, the Twice Cooked Baby Chat Potatoes with Roasted Garlic, Rosemary and Sea Salt to accompany the Agnello and each element was thoughtfully prepared and delicious.

For dessert my Partner had the Torta Al Cioccolato, a Flourless Chocolate Cake, served with Orange, a Dark Chocolate Ganache and Port Wine Gelato and I had the Locale Tiramisu, which is Coffee, Mascarpone, Amaretti, Savoiardi Sponge, Amaretto Di Saronno Gel and Cacao. Both desserts were nothing short of divine!

Suffice to say, we will definitely be...