New fire-powered restaurant to spark up Hamilton’s Racecourse Rd

The operators of one of Brisbane’s most loved Chinese restaurants are turning their attention to a new type of cooking set to light up a famous city eat street.

Brisbane’s Racecourse Rd in Hamilton is coming back to life with a new fire-powered restaurant set to spark things up.

Flaming & Co. will move in next to Kos Cafe and Krazy Dessert Restaurant and Bar in the inner northern suburb, serving Modern Australian fare with international influences such as Sichuan, Cantonese, Japanese and Korean.

Renders of Flaming & Co in Hamilton.

Much of the menu will be built around a stunning open grill, which will turn out everything from flamed oysters with XO sauce to fish with chilli marinade; alongside popular deep-fried dishes and other familiar fare that is designed to appeal to the locals.

While the exact menu is still being finalised, guests will be in safe hands with the venue to be run by experienced operators Crystal Siu and Jason Zhang (Brisbane Phoenix).

The couple is also planning an impressive renovation of the former takeaway site, adding in a hidden bar area, laneway dining and an open kitchen.

Renders of Flaming & Co in Hamilton.

To complement the food, a rich international wine offering will be in play, with a focus on quality Australian drops; plus cocktails, mixed drinks and plenty of beer, including local brews.

Flaming & Co. is due to open mid to late March.

TOP SPOT’S NEW BREW

One of Brisbane’s most famous eat streets is set to get its very own brewery, with the launch of Caxton Street Brewing Company.

Moving into the old Fritzenberger and Casablanca site on the corner at Petrie Terrace, the hoppy venture is the work of former Fritzenberger manager Tory Staples and business partners Johnny Balbuziente, Lauren Staples and Kerry Knight.

The owners of Caxton Street Brewing Company, Johnny Balbuziente, Lauren Staples, Kerry Knight and Tory Staples.

The quartet is giving the place a mini makeover, emphasising the original brickwork with beige walls and black accents and planting an olive tree as the centrepiece of the atrium.

The real centrepiece, however, will be the venue’s four 1000-litre tanks, which will brew a house pale ale, house lager and two house sours, with a rotating array of specialty, small-batch beers to be added.

“Everything we do will be sessionable and accessible,” said Mr Staples.

There will also be a variety of fan favourites like XXXX and Tooheys available, alongside guest taps from fellow local breweries, including Moffat Beach Brewing Co.on the Sunshine Coast and Black Hops on the Gold Coast.

For the non-beer drinkers, a concise list of mostly Australian wines with broad appeal will be on pour, alongside cocktails on tap, such as espresso martinis.

While Staples insists beer will be the focus, he says a tight selection of brew-compatible bites will be on offer, too, such as burgers, fish and chips, fried chicken wings and schnitzels.

There are also plans to make the untapped downstairs bar work a little harder, opening it up for functions, birthdays, even cabaret nights and book launches, in addition to regular comedy nights by Good Chat Comedy Club.

Caxton Street Brewing Company will open this Wednesday.

MOTORWAGEN’S FINAL STOP

Ambitious Brisbane City restaurant Motorwagen has quietly closed its doors for good after almost four-and-a-half years.

The 100-plus-seater opened in August 2018 along Adelaide St and was the work of ex-Otto Brisbane, Urbane and Esquire staffer Sam Pask.

Motorwagen restaurant and cafe in Brisbane City has permanently closed.

Running from breakfast through to dinner, the modern European concept specialised in one-off wine dinners and showcased the best of local produce, but was plagued by the pandemic-induced mass exodus from the CBD.

“The numbers just weren’t working going forward, with some of the knock-on effects of Covid taken into consideration,” Mr Pask said.

“We had a good Christmas season but things were still pretty sporadic in the CBD the whole year.”

He made the difficult decision to close at the end of last month and has now moved into business brokering with Benchmark Sales & Valuations.

The crew from nearby Sparrow and Finch Espresso will be taking over the site later this month, launching a simpler model, focused on coffee with a cafe-style menu.

Kitchen Confidential will bring you more on that soon.