Kitchen Confidential: Brisbane dining news and gossip

He’s been winning over the Howard Smith Wharves crowd with his Greek eatery Greca, now Jonathan Barthelmess has revealed his plans for the shop next door.

HE’S been winning over the Howard Smith Wharves crowd with his simple Greek fare at Greca, now Gold Coast-raised restaurateur Jonathan Barthelmess is ready to share his unique spin on Japanese with Brisbane.

Barthelmess has taken over the site next door to Greca at the riverfront precinct, originally slated for a Brisbane version of Sydney Japanese eatery Toko by Matt Yazbek.

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While no one will reveal exactly what went down with Yazbek, Barthelmess says the space became available and he simply jumped at it.

“I don’t know anything about Toko, but I just know that the space came up and, to me, I’ve loved being a part of Howard Smith Wharves and taking the space next door just helps me grow and strengthen my team and invest more into the Brisbane dining scene,” he says.

The hospitality star plans to launch a fun izakaya-style venue in the two-storey space, with a bar on the mezzanine level and a restaurant downstairs.

With popular Sydney Japanese eatery Cho Cho San already under his belt and another restaurant in Japan, the Asian cuisine is something Barthelmess is more than familiar with.

“There will be a big raw section on the menu which will be predominantly based around sustainable seafood, some raw vegetable dishes and meat dishes as well,” he says.

Restauranteur Jonathan Barthelmess at his new space at Howard Smith Wharves. Picture: Tara Croser

“I’m trying to secure some really hard-to-get cuts of (Australian) wagyu as well, which I’m pretty excited about.”

Barthelmess is still in talks to find a head chef, but says he will be working closely with whoever he chooses and Cho Cho San’s Nic Wong to drive an exciting food offering.

The drinks list will also be a star attraction with the upstairs bar serving a rare selection of whiskies and some seasonal fruit-based cocktails, while downstairs there’ll be sake, shochu, cocktails, wine and more.

A name for the restaurant is yet to be finalised and the building is working through Heritage issues, but the restaurateur says his longtime design collaborator George Livissianis, behind the styling at Greca, will be in charge of interiors.

“It’s a reimagined izakaya, so it’s our style, our fun, our bit of Tokyo.”

An October opening is planned. Stay tuned for more details.

Signature by nature

Boasting the largest wine collection in a Queensland restaurant, the new Signature is set to be the shining culinary jewel in Brisbane’s $600 million Emporium Hotel South Bank development.

The final foodie offering at the hotel, joining Belle Epoque, The Terrace and Piano Bar, it will feature a modern Australian menu and gobsmacking cellar featuring more than 6000 bottles of wine from around the world collected over the past 10 years.

“It’s the pinnacle of the culinary collection of all the outlets at the hotel,” says general manager Charles Martin.

“We want to bring that level of innovation yet familiarity and elegance to a modern, contemporary restaurant.”

The “innovative” yet “unpretentious” eatery takes the space originally slated for Josh Lopez’s Opal, and will be run by the hotel’s husband-and-wife kitchen team, executive chef Chris Norman and executive sous chef Alex Liddle.

The pair plans to fly in the best produce from across the country for the seasonal menu.

Alex Liddle, Charles Martin and Chris Norman at the new Signature restaurant at Emporium Hotel, South Brisbane. Picture: Mark Cranitch

“We’re going to showcase all the food heroes of Australia not just local to southeast Queensland,” Norman says.

“We really want to showcase everything that Australia has to offer.”

On the menu will be contemporary takes on classic flavour pairings such as WA scallops with pork belly, celeriac puree and fresh apple, and Flinders Island lamb two ways.

Desserts will also be a big focus, with pastry-trained Alex looking to hero lesser used ingredients such as chestnuts in a sticky pudding with chestnut sugar tuile and a chestnut buttermilk ice cream.

The 60-seater will feature a white onyx bar, light feature with more than 1000 hand-blown glass babbles, and the 150+-year-old stained glass Parisian shopfront window from the former Emporium Fortitude Valley site.

There will also be a private dining room for 12.

Signature will open next week.

Iku’s new digs

The long-awaited, new, fast-casual Japanese Iku Noodle Bar is set to open in Brisbane today, but not at its original location.

The Subway-style eatery from the team behind Newstead’s Reef Seafood & Sushi, will launch at Post Office Square in the CBD with the original Brisbane Quarter project on George St, which was due to open in January, put on hold until the second half of the year.

The takeaway-focused eatery allows diners to build their own noodle bowls with three choices of noodles topped with your choice of broth, protein and vegetables.

The cool, industrial-inspired, minimal space will feature shared seating for around 20, but will be predominantly a grab-and-go destination.