Fusion 54 Bar and Bistro

MONDAY night is not a good time to be looking for restaurants in Brisbane. Monday night at 8.30 or later is doubly difficult.

taste duck

MONDAY night is not a good time to be looking for restaurants in Brisbane. Monday night at 8.30 or later is doubly difficult.

So after a great show at the Powerhouse one recent Monday night, thanks to John Bell's talented Shakespeare Company, my party of six were hoping we were not going to head home starving.

Running the gauntlet of James St towards the Valley, things were quiet too quiet until a shining beacon loomed before us. A warmly inviting scene in a new fitout in the quieter end attracted us like moths to the candlelight.

Fusion 54 had been opened less than a fortnight but things were already running smoothly, staff were friendly and the food was wonderful.

Fusion 54 references the cuisines of the (apparently) 54 different Asian countries, depending on how you identify them. The number nine (5 plus 4) is also a lucky one for owner/chef Sang Nguyen, who comes from a family of nine siblings.

The new fitout transforms a former Indian restaurant, Agra, into an understated, contemporary space.

Traditional timber ladder-back chairs and shelves of wine bottles keep it warmly welcoming. White cloths are papered over and laid with smart white, boat-shaped platters and red napkins. A posse of tables cluster under gas heaters in a streetside terrace of timber banquettes.

It's all designed for grazing and sharing, with the snack and street food component running to 11 choices.

Old standbys such as spring rolls come with a barbecue duck filling and are wrapped in a fantastically light crisp batter.

The Vietnamese chicken salad was one of the best I've munched through as fresh as they come.

Tempura-style oysters with a ginger, shallot and chilli sauce and Japanese mayonnaise are available, but we were more intrigued by the half-shell scallops, roe on, drizzled with a buttery shallot dressing.

These marshall plenty of French-style richness to complement the super-fresh flesh, and it is de rigueur to drink whatever of it remains in the shell.

Prawns and soft-shell crab get a similar treatment to oysters, a la Japan, and also come with Asian greens, which is a welcome addition to a number of these street snacks.

Service is rapid without being rushed. A short wine list hits the right mark, showing no pretension or preciousness, but is perfectly palatable.

A Coldstream Hills chardonnay and Abel's Tempest traminer from Tasmania are both good by-the-glass choices.

More grazing and sharing is in store for the main meals.

There's more here for the vegetarians too, beginning with Buddha's Vegetarian Delight, a surprising mix of vegetable-based spaghetti and tofu.

Those wanting gluten-free can enjoy a majority of the dishes. A big pot of Thai red curry is more vegaquarian than vegetarian, with the addition of prawns, but purist vegetarians can request this and other dishes be made to suit needs.

The char-grilled wagyu beef has a 9 grading and arrived rare, as requested, alongside a sweet plum sauce and atop a bed of greens.

It was delightfully tender but the winner this time was the Duck My Way. How can moist slices of crispy skin roast duck not be a favourite?

The succulent chunks were served with a delightful salad of orange, rocket and paper-thin curlicues of daikon with a light sweet soy dressing.

Dessert lovers aren't fobbed off with a bit of deep-fried ice cream. Sure, there's deep-fried green tea ice cream but there's also the full gamut of sticky date pudding (compliments of Sang's wife) and a bread and butter brulee.

Let's hope that nine really is a lucky number.

HOW IT RATED: Fusion 54 Bar & Bistro (79 James St, New Farm; ph 3358 6968)

Food: 15/20
Staff: 7/10
Drink: 2/5
X-factor: 3/5
Value: 9/10

The total score out of 50: 36