The Lark

Excellent food, good vibe, nice wine list.

Six styles of schnitzels on a Monday night may have been what attracted us to dine at The Lark but it was the atmosphere that kept us there long into the night.
Half restaurant, half bar The Lark is a venue you could, if you closed your eyes, imagine Hemingway brooding in the dark corner by the door. You could picture Capote at the bar perhaps trying to convince Kerouac of his next tome. It’s brooding in the best possible way.
We got to try three out of the six schnitzels (Vienna, Russian and Munich) and all three of us were delighted with our meals. For once there was no meal envy. A word to the wise: it does get pretty busy on a Monday night and we were told they often sell out of schnitzels by 7:30 — so book a table! Amongst us we enjoyed Hendrick’s, craft beers and crazy cocktails. And all were exceptional.
Any other night of the week The Lark is superb for a drink by the bar or a five-​star «pub» meal. Take advantage of the upstairs lounge for a Sunday session. Either way you look at The Lark you’ll find something that teases your taste buds.

This really is one of my absolute favourite places to eat. Totally casual, laid back vibe, no hassle service and easy menu with simple gorgeous food. We went after a movie down at the Palace Cinema’s for the Brisbane International Film Festival and were feeling very fancy and sophisticated after a few free champagnes. Trundling up Caxton Street we saw The Lark quietly humming about it’s business and decided to give it a go. It really does feel like your seated in a place only you have just discovered. Then they bring out the food and you are completely won over. The tapas are incredible. I recommend without hesitation the Risotto Balls and the Cannelloni plus it was a dinner for 2 with wine where we both left full and had only spent $ 50!
It’s the easiest 5 stars I’ve ever given.

If first impressions are anything to go by then yeah, I think I might like The Lark. It appealed to me because my friend and I were looking for a small and intimate place to have a deep and meaningful conversation (as you do) and were looking for a lovely coffee place in which to do so when we bypassed The Lark. It looks pretty upscale and dark like it’s got its own brooding mood going on, so natural curiosity got the best of us and we wandered in.
I was right, if The Lark had a human personality, it would be a brooding, yet quietly earnest male who really just wants to take you home and introduce you to his mother. He’s a quietly confident guy, with a menu of personality traits that range from simple (and affordable!) to more French and exotic when he’s trying to impress you. He can also whip up a wicked cocktail and lure you with a strong coffee or hot chocolate. When he gets to know you, he’s not shy in telling you what he wants. Anyway, enough metaphorically making The Lark a guy.
There’s a nice outside seating cove you can get to from inside or you can perch yourself out the very front. Inside is an option too guys but for us plebs of average height, the bar makes for a comedic seating arrangement. There’s beer, champagne, and desserts too. I think The Lark is the perfect laze-​about lounge for a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. Good work Lark, I’ll take you home to my mother any day.

It could have been the risotto balls, It could have been the audacious cocktails, it could have been the bottle of Mumms I won, or simply the fact that I had a lounge upon which I reposed blissfully for what seemed like hours — whatever it was it put me in a happy place, I felt comfortable here.
Lark is one of those quaint little venues that doesn’t look like much from the street, but step inside the two level cottage and you will be transported to a world of gastronomic delight. It’s a mix of European bistro and London townhouse, cosy and comfortable, where the bar and second level have a unique 1940s charm. The food is always good and the cocktails are some of the best in Brisbane, I loved the wagyu sliders and double entendre cocktail — these two alone could keep me content for a long time, pocket and liver permitting.
I have been to Lark on several occasions both by day and night, privately and with a function and each time the staff and menu have met my expectations. It can host functions for up to 30 people and in my experience does so without a hitch.
Do yourself a favour, choose a day, some fun people and a couch or two upstairs and have a merry, carefree jaunt just as the venue’s name suggests you bloody well should.

I left it too late one Sunday morning to get in to my usual Paddo breakfast venues, and looking further afield delivered an old favourite offering something new — The Lark, one of Brisbane’s most exciting late night tapas bars, has recently started offering Sunday brunch.
The Lark is the brainchild of Brisbane cocktail royalty Perry Scott, of The Bowery, and the kitchen is headed by Kimba Kuhlmann, most recently from Isis.
The menu is an interesting mix of breakfast staples such as French toast and Spanish-​inspired lures like their ‘Que Rico’ where scrambled eggs chorizo and sweet red pepper come escorted by cream cheese avocado toast.
I always order the eggs florentine ($ 15) at a new café because it’s a good litmus test for the rest of the menu. Hollandaise is easy to mess up (or, even worse, serve from a jar), and if a café can’t poach an egg properly it’s not worth revisiting for anything else. I throw the waiter a curve ball too but he has no problems trading out the English muffin for the delicious sourdough I can see on nearby tables. The rest order a ham and cheese croissant ($ 7.50), buttermilk and vanilla pancakes ($ 14) and the appetizing breakfast frittata our neighbours are enjoying ($ 17).
The croissant groans with slices of spanish ham and oozily melting swiss cheese, the buttermilk pancakes are a little dense but lifted by grilled banana and cinnamon yoghurt, while my eggs florentine has perfectly soft poached eggs, a very generous serve of buttery spinach and, best of all, a tangy creamy fresh hollandaise.
The real star however is the breakfast frittata. The plate-​sized thin, crispy omelette loaded with spinach, buffalo fetta, cherry tomatoes and herbs is served with pancetta and sourdough toast and ends up being the table favourite. It’s a dish crying out to be eaten with your fingers, piling up all the tasty fillings on sourdough and cramming them in your mouth, manners be damned.
Basically, my advice is run don’t walk to the Lark for brunch. It’s sensational.

I fell in love with The Lark after walking past and seeing their delicious brunch menu in the window — they are only open for brunch on Saturday and Sunday mornings from 9am to 1pm and something about the exclusivity of this menu made me intrigued. It did however take me a number of weekends before I found myself up and out of bed before midday, but finally the moment came and I savoured every moment. Breakfast was served in their covered outdoor area — I had the croque Monsieur — a glorified fried/​grilled ham and cheese sandwich and the waiter warned me it would be the heaviest thing on the menu — it was, and it was also delicious. Man Friend had the ‘que Rico’ — in almost predictable style, he relished the chance to once again chow down on chorizo sausages (one of his favorites) with scrambled eggs and cream cheese avocado toast. I couldn’t resist tucking into his breakfast too.
The Lark was so good that we found ourselves back there for Sunday afternoon drinks some five hours later. The interior has the essence of a cigar parlor — lush burgundy upholstery and navy walls provide a very different feel to the breezy outdoor eating area. We claimed a spot along one of the walls on bar stools but you can head upstairs to the second level for vintage couches and armchairs. The wine list and cocktail menu is impressive and brilliantly — they serve Hendrick’s gin! Win! Knocked quite a few back with a lovely girl friend and had big chats — the staff are accommodating and friendly, and brought over olives and other delicacies from the bar menu for us.
The Lark is tucked away in the heart of Paddington, but its song will stay with you long after you’ve left.