The Brisbane restaurant serving beef fat doughnuts

Look out Krispy Creme and Doughnut Time, this edgy new Brisbane restaurant is luring in carnivores with its new meaty sweet treats.

Like starstruck teenage girls waiting to meet their favourite pop sensation at an album signing, two grey-haired gents stand in front of the open kitchen eager to pass on their thanks to the chefs.

“That was wonderful,” says one of the blokes, the other jumping in with more gushing praise, before they all begin musing about the evening’s meal and applied cooking techniques.

We’re at The Arsonist in Manly – the new Brisbane bayside restaurant swapping traditional stovetop cooking and ovens for custom-built, wood-fired, stainless steel grills and smokers. The use of flame is prominent from the second you step through the door with a fog of grey smoke hovering across the dimly lit, moody dining room like an ominous storm cloud on a steamy summer’s afternoon. It’s intensity brings tears to the eyes and we question how executive chef Mathew Fulford, head chef Kyle Bradley (both ex-Lurleen’s, Sirromet, Mount Cotton) and their small team aren’t wearing some kind of goggles to cope.

The Arsonist restaurant at Manly. Picture: Annette Dew

We’re sat at what our highly knowledgeable and experienced waiter refers to as “the chefs’ table” – a long high table stacked with plates and water jugs stretching from the end of the generously stocked bar to right in front of the kitchen. Above the commanding grill, suckling pig heads from Queensland’s Schultz Family Farm hang on hooks alongside whole fish and heads – their skin leathery and shrivelled.

This is certainly not a restaurant to bring your vegan friends.

While the floor staff are on hand to supply crockery and cutlery and serve up in-depth advice on the predominantly Australian wine list of mostly big name labels, it’s the kitchen team that reaches over the counter to deliver our first course.

Slow cooked Long Reach organic lamb at The Arsonist.

The menu is divided into “bites”, “little share”, “large share” and sides.

A couple of bites are good to share, says our waitress, with the smoked beef fat doughnuts ($7 each) and Hervey Bay scallops ($5 each) delivered by the head chef.

The doughnut is fluffy with almost the chew of a bagel, its centre stained ruby red with the pleasant tartness of a davidson plum jam. A powder of icing sugar and beef fat combine in a snow flake crumb across the top to create a bite that is as clever as it is fun.

But the real flavour bomb comes from the scallops – cooked to meaty perfection and bubbling with a fermented chilli sauce that adds oomph but doesn’t overpower.

The beef fat doughnuts at The Arsonist restaurant at Manly. Picture: Annette Dew

Next up is the Longreach organic lamb and smoked tongue skewers ($22). The periphery of the diced protein scorched black and its centre tinged red from a bright and clean harissa paste.

A chunky harissa-spiked sour cream or yoghurt of sorts sits on the side for dipping, with my dinner date wanting it bottled to take home for later.

Also in the “little share” section of the menu are delicious sounding snacks such as bone marrow with capers, parsley, cornichons and pickled onion on sourdough ($24) and wood-fired figs with stracciatella, prune, native honey and almonds ($20). But we’re on to the large share-style dishes. Here, there are gourmet meats such as Stockyard OP rib on the bone, Longreach organic lamb with salt bush, and macadamia-smoked free-roaming chicken; but those hanging pig heads lead us to the suckling pig ($69). Fatty, uber tender and packed with flavour, the pork is almost too good on its own to dip in the accompanying jus or slide through the coal roasted apple sauce or macadamia butter, but when you do it’s like fireworks – exploding flavours in symphony.

Wood-fired figs with stracciatella, prune, native honey and almonds. Picture: Annette Dew

Even dessert doesn’t escape the touch of fire with the likes of a coal-roasted banana parfait ($18) and a S’mores dish ($18) making the five-strong line-up. The chocolate pudding ($20) comes fudgy and dark, hidden beneath crispy shards of aerated chocolate cream in three flavours, but more of the malt ice cream is necessary for lubrication.

While the primitive act of cooking over fire may be in vogue right now, the skill and precision of chefs Fulford and Bradley look to ensure this isn’t a flash in the pan restaurant.

THE ARSONIST

457 Esplanade Manly

3396 8962

thearsonist.com.au

Open Wed-Sun
noon-late

THE VERDICT – SCORES OUT OF 5

Food 4

Ambience 3.5

Service 3.5

Value 3.5

Overall 3.5