Featuring: Stanley, Beaux Rumble, Sally Taylor of s.t.udio …

IN terms of hospitality precincts, Howard Smith Wharves, under the famous Story Bridge and overlooking the CBD is a behemoth. Relative to the population, it delivers more dining options and watering holes than any single district the river city has ever seen.
Catering for those looking for a casual beer and a pizza to special occasion dining with all the trimmings, a plethora of event spaces from giant sheds to attractive, repurposed out buildings, this development has it all. And now, in line with promises made when the development was announced in 2017, there’s Stanley, a two-level, 200-plus seat Cantonese-style restaurant with Sydney’s Longrain, Bentley and Tetsuya alum, Louis Tikaram taking control of the wok burners. More recently he headed up the opening team of EP&LP, a popular Asian fusion restaurant in West Hollywood, Los Angeles.
The menu is tantalising and seafood-centric, with every kind of local fish, mollusc and crustacean featured in all but two of the 10 sections (vegetables, of course, and barbecue, where pork, duck and poultry take pride of place).
There’s a section devoted solely to salt and pepper, and a couple of dim sum platters, one with steamed dumplings and the other fried and baked goodies.
The menu is large by modern standards but modest by most Chinese tomes and the seafood selection really dazzles. Bugs are wok fired two ways, oysters are steamed with ginger and white soy, pipis nestle on crispy egg noodles with XO sauce and whole fish is drenched in chilli and black bean. Carnivores have wagyu and oyster mushrooms in a black pepper sauce, or kangaroo and broccoli with young kai lan and there’s also delicious lamb ribs done Mongolian style with cumin, coriander and sesame.
Tikaram is sourcing local produce, seafood from Mooloolaba, Hervey Bay and Maroochydore is plentiful and sustainable, and he’s already found farms that specialise in beautiful young Asian greens like siamese watercress, garlic chive flowers and a plethora of fragrant herbs.
The restaurant is set over two floors of a heritage-listed building, formerly the HQ of the Brisbane Water Police. The rooms are dark and cool, and moodily lit with traditional lanterns hanging in clusters, soft water colours adorning the walls. Ducks, chickens and spatchcock hang from the pass, there are three bars and some hidden dining rooms, intricately panelled and beautifully decorated to reflect the colour and history of its namesake, Stanley Bay, in Hong Kong. Also waterfront, Stanley has a rich history and many of its venues mix European and Asian antiques and decorative touches (like the woven bamboo ceiling in one of the bars) and a lovely river-facing terrace where cocktails are served all afternoon and into the evening. 5 Boundary St, Brisbane; phone (07) 3558 9418.

“Out of the frying pan into the fire.” Is the quote executive chef Alan Wise has chosen to encapsulate his menu at the all-new Beaux Rumble, a swanky new two-storey venue in Ada Lane, off the James St precinct in Fortitude Valley.
Chef Wise has an impressive international resume. The Victorian native has racked up stints in Dublin’s Chapter One as well as New York restaurants Juni, Picholine, Public and as executive chef of Rouge Tomate in Chelsea, where, in 2017, he was awarded 1 Michelin star.
The unusual moniker has a story as well – inspiration has come from the Beaux-Arts architecture of New York’s Grand Central Station and Rumble is a reference to Gilson Rumble Pottery makers who were based in Ipswich and Fortitude Valley in the early 1900s.
Designer Sally Taylor of s.t.udio has brought the New York and local elements together in the various spaces of the restaurant, bar and cafe as well as two private dining rooms, aptly named the Biltmore and Vanderbilt, the same as Grand Central Station.
Monaco Brown marble bench tops, custom-designed marble tiles inspired by Art Deco stained glass patterns, domed ceilings and hand-made subway tiles in the main dining room, Art Deco-inspired bathroom ware, oak flooring and brass fittings have been curated and included for both their timelessness as well as their ability to acquire a patina with time.
The menu is contemporary, with a focus on wood-fired cooking of seafood and plant-based dishes. And while the inspiration may have come from his time abroad, the produce is sourced locally where possible, with reaches for other iconic Aussie favourites from other parts of the country. Moreton Bay squid with ink vinaigrette and pickled fennel is a wholly homegrown dish, but the wood-fired sardines hail from WA and there’s an aromatic dish of Victorian rainbow trout with asparagus and sunchokes.
It’s all luxe on the brunch menu – think French-style scrambled eggs topped with oscietra caviar, wood-fired almond granola and grilled mushroom ragout with baked eggs and parmesan cream which you can pair with an iced earl grey tea with yuzu, lemon and bitters. AM5, Ada Lane, 46 James St, Fortitude Valley; phone (07) 3181 3451.