Bagel buffets and octopus hotdogs: The new Brisbane restaurant shaking things up

A new all-day eatery is set to replace the famous Three Blue Ducks at W Brisbane, promising quirky cuisine and flashy cocktails.

A cocktail trolley, bagel buffet and octopus hotdog – Brisbane’s most extravagant hotel is set to shake up dining in the River City with its brand new restaurant.

The W Brisbane along North Quay will open The Lex next month, a New York grill-style, all-day eatery focusing on the best of local Queensland produce, particularly steak and seafood.

The new diner will replace the much-talked-about restaurant Three Blue Ducks, owned by celebrity chefs including Darren Robertson and MasterChef’s Andy Allen, which closed this month for good after almost five years at the hotel.

The Lex restaurant manager Cedric Rinaldo and chef de cuisine Pawel Klodowski with their signature North Queensland Champagne lobster dish at W Brisbane Hotel. Picture: Matthew Poon

“We’ve had a fantastic partnership with Three Blue Ducks over the five years but, at this time, it’s presented the opportunity for the hotel to evolve in terms of our signature restaurant,” said W Brisbane general manager Haldon Philp.

“The new restaurant is inspired by our New York heritage – the energy, vibe, electricity of New York – and it’s going to be an elevated experience and a little bit more sophisticated (than what was there).”

The site on level three of the hotel has been completely transformed for the new offering, with a swanky new bar area, new event and private dining spaces, a reconfiguration of the kitchen and fresh furniture.

The changes will also see the introduction of a classic cocktail cart, with bartenders making a signature boozy shake-up tableside from the trolley; as well as a bagel buffet at breakfast, featuring New York bagels with myriad toppings and spreads.

Chef de Cuisine Pawel Klodowski will also be creating an array of quirky snacks, such as an octopus tentacle hotdog and American-style tater tots topped with caviar, alongside a sophisticated lunch and dinner a la carte menu with premium dishes such as North Queensland champagne lobster with caviar beurre blanc, Pacific oysters and a Tomahawk steak to feed up to four.

“The menu embraces the classic flavours but with a playful twist,” Mr Klodowski said.

The Lex is due to open on June 15.