Michelin-starred chef set to shake up Brisbane’s James St dining scene

Brisbane’s flashy James St lifestyle precinct is set to welcome a New York Michelin-starred chef with a restaurant unlike any other.

A michelin-starred chef has teamed up with a premier clothing company to shake up the dining scene along Fortitude Valley’s glamorous James St, launching The Lodge Bar & Dining this week.

The relaxed yet elevated restaurant is the work of retail empire Rodd & Gunn and renowned chef Matt Lambert, and will offer a premium dining experience, alongside the brand’s flagship Australian store.

One of the downstairs dining rooms at The Lodge Bar and Dining, James Street, Fortitude Valley. Picture: Liam Kidston.

The whopping 600sq m restaurant and bar is split over two levels in the notable old Queenslander on the corner of James and Robertson St, with a lounge area, private dining room and balcony upstairs.

“It’s a big venue and we’ve got multi zones so we’ve got the ­dining covered, the before and after beverages covered, the casual veranda zone and I think something that looks like this is pretty special,” Rodd & Gunn general manager of hospitality Josh Beagley said.

Fitted out with stunning stone walls, American oak and a soothing colour palette of cream and black, the venue has embraced its Queenslander facade, feeling more like a welcoming luxury New Farm home than a restaurant. It all adds to the ­surprise, with executive chef Matt Lambert’s modern Australian menu built around elements of the unexpected.

The upstairs dining space at The Lodge Bar and Dining. Picture: Liam Kidston.

“We’re trying to take really good ingredients and do the least we can with them to showcase how good they are,” said New Zealander Lambert, who gained a Michelin star at Musket Room in New York.

“We’re really lucky where we’re in an environment where there are a lot of really good ingredients, so that’s basically what drives everything we do – simplicity and honest.”

Running the kitchen day-to-day will be head chef James Evangelinos, who worked with Lambert at Musket Room, and was also billionaire James Packer’s personal chef.

“There’s no one in the world who I trust more than this guy,” Lambert said of Evangelinos.

“James was at Musket Room for six years and when he left was not really replaceable so having him back in the kitchen is great.”

Executive chef Matt Lambert and head James Evangelinos at The Lodge Bar and Dining, Fortitude Valley. Picture: Liam Kidston.

The restaurant will run a contemporary a la carte menu with entrees such as cuttlefish with lardo, chilli and rosemary, or coral trout with puffed grains and avocado; and mains including three types of steak, plus the likes of duck breast with carrots and blueberries; and a pork chop with roasted apple and smoked pork jus. Set menus will also be available for groups, in addition to a bar menu, which will move from meat pie croquettes to ­caviar tarts and a cheeseburger with duck fat potatoes.

The upstairs lounge area at The Lodge Bar and Dining. Picture: Liam Kidston.

Complementing the food will be a wine list of multi-award-winning New Zealand wines, and varietals from across Australia and the world, created by master sommelier and The Lodge Bar’s head of beverages Cameron Douglas.

A fun cocktail offering and local and imported beers will also be in play.

The Lodge Bar & Dining opens this Thursday, with the restaurant already booked out for the first five nights.