Featuring: SK Steak & Oyster, Hellenika, Ehden…

RESTAURATEUR, Simon Gloftis has had a seriously busy couple of years. The brains behind the Gold Coast seafood powerhouse, The Fish House at Burleigh, multi-awarded, lauded and universally loved even by non-seafood eaters, has put him on the Queensland radar for all the right reasons. Add to that his other success juggernaut Hellenika, which draws provenance and inspiration (as well as family recipes) from his Greek heritage, and you have enough of a story right there.
But Gloftis had his sights set on Brisbane opening Hellenika in the Calile Hotel in Fortitude Valley, to much acclaim. The lovely light-filled dining room opens onto a poolside terrace and you can also book Palm Springs style cabanas by the pool and dine while taking dips in the crystalline waters under swaying palms. It’s an idyllic location and quite literally the jewel in the fashionable James Street’s crown.
The venue became so popular it drew much of Gloftis’ time away from the Gold Coast and in 2018 he sold The Fish House, and later announced the closure of the much loved original bolthole, Hellenika and its rooftop bar in Nobby’s Beach.
The Gold Coast’s loss was Brisbane’s gain and he and partners Calile and Michael Malouf (the dynamic duo behind the Calile Hotel and much of the notable part of the James Street precinct), announced the commencement of their latest venture, SK Steak & Oyster, to be located in Ada Lane, opposite the equally popular Same Same and Beaux Rumble.
The doors swung open just before Christmas and brought a new level of sophistication, not to mention glowingly fresh oysters and well-aged beef, to town.
Channelling the American style upmarket bar and grill’s of the ‘80’s, resplendent with luxurious interiors, star-studded wine lists and formally-clad, traditional service, the new venue is plush and monotoned, a product of renowned architects Richards and Spence. The palette is largely neutral with concrete pillars, pillowy, soft furnished banquettes and double clothed linen topped tables that are starched to perfection.
There’s a baby grand piano (a piece from Simon’s family) tinkling away near the entry and a meat cellar for dry aging on display that will make a carnivores day. G12, The Calile Hotel, 48 James St, Fortitude Valley. Phone (07) 3252 1857.
Also in Fortitude Valley there’s a casual, salty vibe blowing in at Baja, a brand new Cali-Mex diner at the new FV residential and hotel development, just off Brunswick Street.
It’s the brainchild of Daniel Quinn who has Milkbox Cafe and a couple of decades experience in Sydney and London. He has brought in bright young North American chef Julio Aguilera, who has michelin starred experience under his belt and, more pertinently, is fresh from a stint at El Destilado in Oaxano, Mexico, to consult on the menu. Needless to say the results are colourful and anything but classic.

Burrata with a smoked cashew salsa macha, served with charred red onion and coriander garlic toast, twice cooked octopus tentacles with citrus, chile oil and a squid ink burnt jalapeño soy sauce, slow cooked pork neck served with spicy green salsa, red onion escabeche and coriander give you an idea of the fresh take on sophisticated Mexican fare, a far cry for the hackneyed taco joints down the road in the Valley.
Everyone knows Cali-mex is punchy, char-grilled and fresh salsa topped with lashings of lime and chilli but here’s what you may not know, forget the flabby old flans, there’s finally a reason to save room for dessert – salted milk panna cotta with cucumber granita, melon, mint and a pineapple jam and tajin salt, it’s as refreshing and delicious as it sounds. Start with a Day of the Dead cocktail (mezcal, tequila and grenadine) or a house pale ale and move into the mostly Australian wine list and graze the night away in this atmospheric bunker. 211 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley. Phone (07) 3625 0069.
In late 2019, restaurateur, Simon Barakat (Il Verde, The Defiant Duck, Gino’s Italian) took over the London Fields site adjacent to The Stores, a gourmet grocer and butchery on Montague Road at West End in Brisbane’s inner south.
He named this latest venture Ehden after the picturesque mountain village in the southwestern slopes of Mount Makmal in northern Lebanon.
Drawing on his heritage and with stories of his father’s childhood summers spent in the village with family and friends, Barakat has sought to evoke these simple but generous times with recipes and dishes all designed to share with a drink. It’s all about the mezze for starters, think smoky baba ganoush, cauliflower and beetroot hummus, pumpkin kibbeh and grilled saganaki drizzled with honey followed by share plates, Taste of Ehden – Lebanese sausage, jamon, chermoula prawns and warm pita or grilled whole chicken with spiced potatoes, heirloom tomatoes and cucumber fattoush, charry pita and coleslaw.
You can choose to dine in the airy bar and dining room or in the sunken outdoor terrace lined with lush tropical plants and if live music and moody lighting is your thing, head downstairs to the speak-easy gin bar which is set to open in autumn. Ehden, 400 Montague Road West End. Phone (07) 3844 2346.