Dining review: ‘The Fifty Six’ at Naldham House in Brisbane impresses

The final restaurant in a freshly madeover heritage precinct in Brisbane City is inspired by the state’s first Chinese migrants, and how times have changed.

The Fifty Six, Naldham House. Picture: Dexter Kim

The 56 Chinese labourers who arrived in Brisbane in 1848 would understandably be gobsmacked if they could see the new restaurant named in their honour.

On the top floor of the all-white, freshly refurbished 1860s-built Naldham House, which stands in the shadow of Waterfront Place in the CBD, The Fifty Six is a temple to slick interior design and modern Cantonese food, while paying tribute to those first Chinese migrants to Brisbane, brought in 177 years ago to help with
a manpower shortage.

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How times have changed and the mid-February opening’s menu offers everything from quail tea eggs with Avruga caviar to honey-glazed Berkshire pork char siu, while the drinks run from the dragon margarita (shiso-infused tequila, Cointreau, yuzu and dragonfruit) to an impressive wine list including a couple of options from China.

The Fifty Six, Naldham House. Picture: Dexter Kim

Naldham House, once home to the Polo Club, has been completely remade by hospitality operators DAP & Co into a multi-venue space, with the attractive, European-style The Brasserie on the ground floor and upstairs bar Club Felix both opening mid last year.

Interior designer Anna Spiro continues her work on the venue, blending old and new in The Fifty Six, with the timber frames of the original arched windows enhancing the view out into the treetops. Diner-style booths with banquette seating line one wall, large timber tables with upholstered chairs populate the other side of the room, while the central area, with a colourful rug, is home to a batch of glass-topped, pale green tables dressed up with gold-rimmed crockery and brass cutlery.

Singapore-born head chef Gerald Ong (most recently of Mrs Wang, Lucky Duck and Golden Panda in Canberra’s Tiger Lane precinct) uses quality produce to craft his take on Cantonese cuisine, while the dim sum menu is courtesy of the experienced Ka Wai Kwok, originally from Hong Kong.

Dim sum at The Fifty Six, Naldham House. Picture: Dexter Kim

Among the snacks are a small drunken prawn tart ($8) and a triangle of prawn toast ($6), which really are too tiny to share despite our best efforts, but the toast, studded with prawn meat and sesame seeds, stands out.

Piping hot baked Queensland blue swimmer crab with calamansi ($22) is also delicious.

The dim sum menu’s siu mai ($18 for three) are beautiful layered dumplings filled here with a whole prawn, whole scallop and pork mince, while a bamboo steamer basket of xiao long bao ($24) holds three of the carefully pleated, pork “soup dumplings”, which are more muted in their charms.

Duck at The Fifty Six, Naldham House. Picture: Dexter Kim

Main courses could be sticky cumin Margra lamb riblets, wok-tossed Bannockburn chicken, steamed Murray cod with soy, ginger and scallions, or perhaps dry-aged, five-spiced half duck with Davidson plum sauce.

Victorian grass-fed O’Connor Beef tenderloin is stunningly tender with seared strips stir-fried with scallops, black pepper and shiraz ($52) and it’s a terrific dish, although the pepper could have been dialled up further.

Chunks of Berkshire pork take a bolder approach to flavour and evoke an old-school favourite with sweet and sour sauce and addition of capsicum and pineapple ($39).

We’re given a complementary bowl of jasmine rice ($4) as there’s a delay with our main courses.

White chocolate and mandarin dessert at The Fifty Six. Picture: Dexter Kim

Wait staff also throw in a mango pudding ($14) with the promptly delivered dessert we order, a concoction of white chocolate, matcha sauce and mandarin – both freeze-dried and in granita form – ($18) that proves to be a light and tangy textural treat.

Service stands out – wines by the glass are decanted and poured at the table and menu knowledge is good – a high point at this venue that blends past and present in one admirably ambitious hospitality project.

The Fifty Six

Level 2/33 Felix St,

Brisbane City

thefiftysix.com.au

Open

Tue-Sat noon-3pm and from 5pm

Must try

Sweet and sour Berkshire pork

Verdict

Food

4 stars

Service

4 stars

Ambience

3.5

Value

3.5

Overall

4 stars

delicious.com.au/eatout