‘Luxe surrounds’: Landmark building transforms into upscale new Valley restaurant
Outstanding local produce and attention to detail ensure the transformation of Fortitude Valley’s heritage-listed GPO into a luxury dining destination lives up to the hype.
QWeekend
Don't miss out on the headlines from QWeekend. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Once again the GPO is at the heart of the action in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley. This heritage-listed, Victorian-era, white, Italianate building made a splash when it opened as the General Post Office in 1887, again when it morphed into a restaurant and bar complex in 2002 and right now as it’s reopened after a $9m, year-long refurb.
Time has travelled and where once there were bags of mail, now on the ground-floor there’s upmarket restaurant Tama, upstairs on a mezzanine level is additional seating, glamorous whisky and cocktail bar The Gatsby with a massive drinks list, velvet seats and brass features, and private dining rooms.
On the other side of the building is The Tax Office, a multi-room bar, more casual eatery (think sesame-crusted barramundi, panko beef ribs or buttermilk chicken burgers) and late-night venue with more white-coated staff than you’d find in a psychiatric hospital, a display of postboxes now used as repositories for personally owned whisky bottles rather than letters, as well as disco balls, booths, and a space for a DJ down the back.
High-ceilinged Tama is a cocoon fashioned from plush carpets, white cloths and upholstered chairs clustered beneath a giant suspended sculpture of a school of glass fish.
Alan Hunter (ex-Stokehouse GM and sommelier) is the director of restaurant operations with Richard Ousby (ex-Otto executive chef) helming the kitchen. The lengthy menu with a steakhouse heart doesn’t hold back, kicking off with oysters, caviar, a stack of snacks, small plates such octopus or a cold seafood platter, before moving on to a large list of proteins cooked in the charcoal oven including Moreton Bay bugs, Tasmanian lobsters, whole fish and an array of steaks, large plates, and three handmade pastas – bolognese, tortellini and crab bisque linguini.
The wine list is similarly wide-ranging, from a road-less-travelled, by-the-glass selection to a lengthy array of global bottles from $55 up, including an extensive Champagne repertoire and plenty of lesser-seen choices.
We kick off by sharing snacks: two warm native Akoya pearl oysters from WA that are lightly bathed in sake butter and dill ($7 each); a crisp anchovy grissini ($9), one end tightly bound with culatta, a salted and air-dried leg ham; a charcoal-cooked whole calamari tube with miso and citrus ($11); a tiny tart with a very thin pastry case filled with stracciatella accented with lemon, almond and grape ($12) that is a delicate delight; and a small, soft brioche bun stuffed with very flavoursome chopped king prawns and potato aioli ($15).
The cheaper main courses are Berkshire pork belly ($52) and quail ($49) from the share plate section; and the entry-level steak is a 250g Hereford eye fillet ($58). At the top end are a whole lobster ($160), whole coral trout ($180) and 1.3-1.5kg Angus tomahawk at $20 per 100g.
Organic lamb loin ($60) from Longreach arrives simply and starkly presented, two medallions of what proves to be ridiculously tender organic meat. A chunky, appealing chimichurri sauce is $7 and the painstakingly layered, sumptuous potato galette with creme fraiche is $16. Spanish mackerel with romanesco broccoli ($53) is a good-sized portion, perfectly cooked to remain slightly pink in the centre but the tarragon sauce is a little overwhelming.
Considerable effort goes into the desserts and while a chocolate cumquat affair appeals, we opt for honeycake with tangy yoghurt sorbet and apple ($19) and it’s a decent finale, but a choux bun confection of raspberry, white chocolate and praline is downright delicious.
Tama’s food is restrained, with the focus on outstanding produce and attention to detail, which, along with smart service and luxe surrounds, elevate it to a destination you may well want to write home about.
TAMA
740 Ann St,
Fortitude Valley
tamadining.au
Open
Lunch Fri 12-2.30pm; Dinner Wed-Sat 5.30pm-midnight
Must try
Longreach organic lamb loin
Verdict (out of 5)
Food
Service
Ambience
Value
Overall
What your child’s name says about you
Naming your child is a major responsibility: many can’t help but choose something so absurd they will never be overlooked, writes Nikki Osborne.
My husband’s terrifying beach accident changed our lives
Kendall Gilding reveals her husband’s terrifying beach accident during their annual holiday at the coast.