The $108 smoked duck worth the big price tag

A new fire-powered Brisbane restaurant is serving up a feast of delicious dishes set to spark joy.

It was once a space relegated to F45 members sweaty from their high-intensity workouts and takeaway barbecue chickens, with the smell of greasy chips lingering in the air.

But it’s amazing what a bit of vision and some clever design can achieve.

Brisbane restaurateurs Crystal Siu and Jason Zhang (Brisbane Phoenix in the Brisbane CBD) have transformed what was once a no-frills, fast-food outlet tucked down a dimly lit laneway next to a gym along Hamilton’s Racecourse Rd, into a slick and sophisticated fire-powered eatery with some serious spark.

The bar area at Flaming & Co, in Hamilton. Picture: David Kelly

Flaming & Co still speaks of casual suburban dining from the front thanks to a paved, covered courtyard lit by gas braziers on cold nights.

But inside it has all the pizzazz of a city establishment.

There’s a small open kitchen alive with flames, and an elegant curved bar where staff shake up a handful of classic cocktails and polish wine glasses ready to be filled with an array of approachable Australian drops from popular labels at keen prices, as well as a few French, Italian and New Zealand pours to keep things interesting.

The $108 whole smoked duck with charred corn. Picture: David Kelly

The edible offering is where the true interest is, however, courtesy of a collection of contemporary, share-style fare built to highlight the use of fire-powered cookery.

Take, for instance, smoked eggplant with a scallion cream or grilled oysters topped with
XO butter, or perhaps a whole smoked duck that’s not cheap at $108, but is certainly a spectacle when it hits the table ready to feed up to four.

The octopus skewers. Picture: David Kelly

We begin more low-key, with the grilled octopus skewers ($22), featuring a duo of metal rods holding sliced cylinders of tentacles glazed in a light soy sauce and resting on a viscous goat’s yoghurt alongside pools of smoked red pepper oil for a little heat and blackened pumpkin seeds for crunch.

Our well-versed waitress recommends employing more of the yoghurt if the chilli oil is too much. Terrific!

Arguably even better is the hat trick of scallops ($30). Seared until their surface tans and forms crevasses, they are served in their shells atop a carrot puree that punches with ginger and a creamy emulsion to tame the root’s heat.

The charred scallops with carrot and ginger puree. Picture: David Kelly

For those not keen to share, there are stand-alone mains, but they probably need the help
of a side to make them a meal, such as the Angus chuck tail flap with a marble score of three-plus ($46).

The Darling Downs cut is served textbook medium-rare as requested and with enough sodium to put Salt Bae out of work, but is beautifully juicy and tender beneath its charry crust.

Also scoring top marks for execution is the duck leg ($39) – the skin expertly crisp, giving way to succulent meat that falls languidly from the bone.

Angus chuck tail flap MB+3. Picture: David Kelly

A blanket of radicchio sits to the side cocooning a trio of al dente carrots, with a pool of slightly too bitter jus lapping at its charred edges.

A $9 bowl of fries as big as my head and laced with truffle oil will ensure satiety if the fine dining-esque sized portions don’t.

Or there’s always dessert to fill any lingering gaps: a panna cotta or grilled pineapple with a lemongrass mousse, say.

The duck leg with carrots. Picture: David Kelly

Flaming & Co is a restaurant that stands above your average suburban bistro and with top-notch produce and skilled cookery, it’s sure to have locals – and maybe those from further afield – fired up.

Flaming & Co

63 Racecourse Rd, Hamilton

3189 3548

flamingandco.com.au

Open

Wed, 5.30pm-9.30pm; Thu noon-3pm and 5.30pm-9.30pm; Fri-Sat noon-3pm and 5.30pm-10pm; and Sun noon-3pm and 5.30pm-8.30pm.

Must-eat dish

Scallops

Verdict – Scores out of 5

Food 4

Service 3.5

Ambience 3.5

Value 3.5

Overall 3.5