Re-opening date revealed for reimagined Byblos at Portside Wharf
Byblos at Portside Wharf is set to reopen tomorrow after a huge ravamp which the team behind it says will bring modern and refined Lebanese food back to Brisbane.
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The firstborn venue of the iconic Ghanem Group, a family-run empire spanning ten venues across Brisbane and Melbourne, has undergone a spectacular rebirth, and is set to relaunch, with the group revealing its opening day.
Byblos at Portside Wharf, first opened 18 years ago and having recently been reimagined, will open the doors to the public tomorrow.
They say you should never work with family but for the hospitality-industry legends over at Ghanem Group, that old adage couldn’t be further from the truth, going so far as to travel together to their country of Lebanon, on a research trip aimed at inspiring the newest iteration of Byblos.
The Portside Wharf venue was opened 18 years ago by Adonis and Nehme Ghanem, and in 2023, in an effort to gather inspiration for the venues rebirth, the pair, their cousin and Chief Executive Officer Vianna Joseph headed home, joined by group executive chef Jake Nicolson.
The trip not only allowed the team a look into modern-day Lebanon and its rich culinary scene, but also reinvigorated their passion for their offering, with the groups goal to become one of the best Lebanese restaurants in the world.
A sneak peek at the menu, ahead of tomorrow’s relaunch, feels intricately tied to the group and the family’s togetherness, focusing heavily on plates and meals enjoyed best, shared.
The menu can be enjoyed a la carte or as a banquet, and makes it clear the group and Nicolson have combined old favourites with new inspiration to craft an incredible menu.
Featuring Byblos classics like Rakakat (lightly fried filo pastries filled with mozzarella, feta, parsley and onion) joined by new plates, like Salmon Kibbeh Nayeh and Eggplant Fatteh, King River wagyu skewers and Brisbane Valley quail.
Sweet-lovers won’t be disappointed either, with mouth-watering dishes like Baklava Cheesecake and Turkish Delight Pavlova.
“Our aim was to return to our home country and really immerse ourselves in the culinary culture. I guess we wanted to challenge our perspective of what Lebanese cuisine is today,” Joseph said.
“What better way to inspire a complete venue and menu overhaul, than to live and breathe it in situ – back home.”
“Byblós 2.0 won’t just be modern Lebanese, it will be refined Lebanese food, the highest quality.”
“We will retain culinary tradition – layers of complexity and depth of flavours, yet embrace the progression that Lebanese cuisine is seeing around the world today.”
Joseph said that when the original venue opened, it was a unique dining experience, but now that Lebanese food is widely available, they wanted to bring an even more authentic, elevated experience to Brisbane, while still retaining the sentimentality around the space.
“A huge highlight for all of us was being surrounded by an entire country that holds their rich history of cuisine with such respect and pride,” Joseph said.
“We loved the vibrant fresh salads and steaming hot freshly baked flatbreads that came straight off the grill – which has inspired the addition of house-made flatbreads, baked to order, on the menu at the new Byblós.”
“We loved the fact that fish caught fresh that morning was on the table by lunchtime, the vibrancy of the herbs that bring a dish to life and let produce shine, and that every region has a way of making kibbeh.”
The fresh whole fish (pictured below) found at local markets inspired a dish on the new menu, the Samik Mekli, which is a floured and flash-fried, whole small fish, dusted in a baharat seven-spice blend.
“Every meal we ate became a journey, and the sense of respect and pride for the cuisine gently flooded through every dining room. It was a hugely inspirational trip.”
Beyond the menu, the trip also inspired the feel of the space, which will be a lighter and brighter space than before, taking full advantage of its prime riverside location, with weatherproofed outdoor seating spaces.
“Because the restaurant is named for the ancient city of Byblós we asked (Space Cubed Design) for an exciting fusion of old Lebanese culture, rich textures and materials, an outdoor oasis-style dining pavilion, and vibrant features. We think diners are going to love it,” Joseph said.
The team hand-selected artworks and furnishings in Lebanon for the new venue, along with commissioning handcrafted and painted tiles, which adorn tabletops throughout the venue.
Ghanem Group also opened their highly anticipated Queen’s Wharf restaurant, Luc Lac, late last month.
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