Rick Shores restaurant owners to open new venue in Brisbane icon

The owners of one of Queensland’s most loved restaurants are set to takeover one of Brisbane’s most historically significant culinary sites.

David Flynn, Maui Manu and Benny Lam will open Central restaurant in Brisbane CBD next month. Picture: John Gass

The team behind beloved Queensland restaurant Rick Shores is set to open a new eatery, taking over one of Brisbane’s most historically significant culinary sites.

Central will be an ultra cool, 80-seat subterranean dumpling bar and restaurant along Queen St, in the basement space once occupied by game-changing Brisbane cafe Primitif.

Opened in 1957 in the Piccadilly Arcade, Primitif was the first business of hospitality doyenne and Eat Street Markets founder Peter Hackworth. It became the home of modern jazz in Brisbane in the ’50s and ’60s, alongside serving the city’s first-ever barista-made coffees prepared using the Queensland capital’s earliest espresso machine.

Benny Lam, Maui Manu and David Flynn at their new restaurant space Central on Queen St. Picture: John Gass

Co-owner David Flynn said the restaurant group, which is also behind Southside in South Brisbane, had been searching for almost two years for the right site for the dumpling bar, which will now be transformed into a cave-like space with the original exposed rock walls by coveted local architect Jared Webb of J.AR and builders Lowry Group.

“We want it to feel quite immersive but also comfortable,” co-owner David Flynn said.

“It’s very much that place where people leave work and then want to go have a snack.”

The eatery will be based around traditional Hong Kong cuisine from fellow co-owner and executive chef Benny Lam’s upbringing, but with an Aussie twist.

Rick Shores at the Gold Coast.

Diners can expect everything from drunken chicken and smoked foie gras to char sui pork, spring rolls and lobster noodles. But the real star will be the dim sum, including peking duck potstickers, pork and prawn siu mai, and Mr Lam’s top pick, a modernised pineapple bun with smoked butter and prosciutto.

“We haven’t been seeing anyone really doing a similar concept in terms of food in Brisbane,” Mr Lam said.

“We’ve spent a good to four to six months on the development of recipes because the main thing is the ingredients in Australia are so different to Hong Kong, so we have to get as close as possible to the flavour and texture.”

Complementing the food will be drinks described as “Mad Men set in the subtropics”, with cocktails like a nitrogen-compressed pina colada and a Sichuan martini sidecar; plus 30 wines by the glass, half-glass and half bottle, as well as more by the full bottle.

Central is due to open mid-October.