RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW
A slick city brasserie, reimagined pub and an artisanal pizza joint top our hot new eateries list. By Larissa Dubecki
Fishbank / SA
The citizens of Adelaide are in thrall to the finer things in life, as evidenced by the crowds at this city newcomer, where a luxe seafood menu accessorises perfectly with the marble-strewn fit-out. There’s caviar and champagne, for starters, as well as four types of oysters and a raw bar where premium Ora King salmon comes sugarcured, its fatty deliciousness underscored by sweet and sour red onion. And while you can certainly get grilled lobster here (half or whole – how flush are you feeling?), leave room for the simpler pleasures of a crumbed fish burger, prawn and crab arancini with a squid ink emulsion or proudly parochial Goolwa pipis taking their cues from the Mediterranean with tomato, fennel and ’nduja.
2 King William Street, Adelaide; (08) 8310 0120; fishbankadel.com.au; open seven days for lunch and dinner
Southside / QLD
The might behind Gold Coast icon Rick Shores (see previous page) has headed north, delivering a savvy blend of modern Asian food and arresting design to a grateful Brisbane. Tucked under a railway overpass in the happening Fish Lane precinct,
Southside offers a masterclass in tropical chic, with retractable walls opening out to a garden planted with towering tree ferns and vines cascading over terracotta-tiled walls. Embrace the balmy vibe with Asianaccented cocktails and a menu that knows how to have fun – a salt and pepper cuttlefish sandwich with the house sriracha sums up several trends – and explore the dim sum selection, such as xiao long bao jazzed up with smoked pork and translucent har gow bursting with lobster and chive.
Fish Lane Town Square, 63 Melbourne Street, South Brisbane; (07) 3067 7269; southsiderestaurant.com.au; open Friday-Sunday for lunch and Tuesday-Sunday for dinner
Ria Pizza + Wine / NSW
When Sydney fine-dining royalty Brent Savage and Nick Hildebrandt moved their iconic wine bar, Monopole, to the CBD, the pair spied the chance to reinvent the Potts Point space they’d vacated. The resulting Ria is a canny triangulation of artisan pizza and wine, a buzzy vibe and cheeky design (the splashy fluoro repaint of the old space is by Melbourne artist Ash Keating). And the pizza? Crisp yet pliable, the longfermented sourdough bases are topped with ingredients bragging excellent credentials – from Northern Queensland prawns with tomato, XO and the parochial crunch of saltbush, to WA octopus amped up with firey ’nduja and green chilli sauce. It’s also worth grazing through some of the excellent snacks, including pristine Sydney rock oysters, charred padrón peppers or jewel-like swatches of cured ocean trout dabbed with a preserved lemon sauce gribiche and finished with lemon oil and capers.
71A Macleay Street, Potts Point; (02) 8080 9640; riapizza.com.au; open seven nights for dinner
Stock Market Restaurant + Bar / TAS
An homage to the excess of New York by way of Hobart’s waterfront, Stock Market gets the protein fundamentals of the upmarket American grill just right. Greed is good at this all-rounder that rides a wave of energy from early mornings to late nights, fuelled by excellent Allpress coffee, keenly composed cocktails and an asado grill tamed by chef Josh Retzer, formerly of local hero café Born in Brunswick. From a slab of smoked bacon with classic eggs Benedict to crayfish anointed with smoked lardo, the lick of flame works its magic across the menu – even gracing dessert with treats such as caramelised white chocolate cheesecake.
8 Brooke Street, Hobart; (03) 6128 3353; stockmarketrestaurant.com.au; open seven days for breakfast and lunch, and Tuesday-Saturday for dinner
Fleur at the Royal / WA
It was double happiness when Perth’s historic Royal Hotel was rebooted in a blaze of opulence, complete with a dining room boasting ambitions far beyond the “pub bistro” pigeonhole. Executive chef Chase Weber’s set menu deftly melds Japanese sensibilities, modern Australian irreverence and top locally sourced produce, including a selection of native ingredients. It’s a place where Abrolhos Island scallops, Skull Island prawns and Fraser Island spanner crab receive top billing, with a supporting cast of the kitchen’s own inventions – think macadamia miso, pepperberry fudge and yuzu sesame. The wild ride through WA’s culinary landscape is capped off by a transportive fit-out that includes an illuminated lightbox of parrots and other appealingly surreal artworks.
531 Wellington Street, Perth; (08) 9322 1023; theroyalhotelperth.com.au; open Saturday for lunch and Thursday-Saturday for dinner
Gimlet at Cavendish House / VIC
It’s almost like the past 100 years never happened at this elegant New York-style brasserie. Gimlet slots effortlessly into Art Deco-era Cavendish House, recreating the golden age of dining with leather booths, marble, Murano lights and bartenders poised to mix the restaurant’s namesake gin and citrus cocktail. The COVID-19delayed newcomer to chef Andrew McConnell’s stable (which includes Supernormal, Cumulus Inc. and Cutler & Co.), Gimlet is hardly reinventing the wheel – but that’s not the point. Diners sigh contentedly over the menu of classic indulgence, ladling fromage blanc onto crisp crudités or crossing cutlery over a sublime seafood salad. A flaky anchovy Danish is classic McConnell – simple, inventive and addictive – while the woodfired oven makes easy work of steak, aged duck and any other protein that passes its way. The yesteryear charms of a caviar service, cheese trolley and a supper menu that kicks in at 10pm on weekends (featuring McConnell’s take on a cheeseburger) mount a final convincing argument for partying like it’s 1929.
33 Russell Street, Melbourne; (03) 9277 9777; gimlet.melbourne; open Tuesday-Sunday for lunch and dinner, and Friday-Saturday for supper
Armada Outdoor Bar / ACT
Drinking and snacking on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin as the sun sets? Sounds good to us. This outdoor bar offshoot of The Boat House restaurant is the place to join Canberrans as they embrace the last of the warm weather. The open-sided marquee with festoon lighting twinkling overhead buzzes with festivity, the mood aided and abetted by the kind of easygoing fare – think Sichuan chicken baos and pork katsu sandwiches – that requires only one hand to eat.
Grevillea Park, Menindee Drive, Barton; (02) 6273 5500; theboathouse.restaurant; open Friday-Sunday for dinner