Melbourne restaurateur and chef extraordinaire Andrew McConnell has taken his lobster roll to Supernormal Brisbane, his new waterfront restaurant that’s been eight years in the making.

The recipe for the New England-style lobster roll has remained unchanged since it started gathering a following in 2011, but McConnell tries one now and again to check whether it has stood the test of time.

“Yes, it’s still delicious all these years later,” he affirms.

In June, McConnell’s Trader House group opened Bar Miette, a snack-filled sister venue to Supernormal Brisbane, where the freshly made lemon gelato you can enjoy by day finds its way into a margarita cocktail by night.

McConnell, who recently announced a new restaurant on the site of Melbourne laneway stalwart Becco would join his portfolio in 2025, travels to Brisbane weekly to steer a team.

“Jo [McGann, wife] and I loved the location on the river in Brisbane and are happy to be in one of the most exciting food cities in Australia,” he says.

“The weather is awesome and lends itself to the South-East Asian palette of Supernormal. It suits our style of cooking,” he says.

When not in the kitchen, McConnell keeps his dining choices straightforward, and anchovies are often involved. “Simple Italian food is what I am drawn to − uncomplicated and always the freshest ingredients,” he says.

Eating in

Go-to dish at home

It’s a simple spaghetti vongole made with garlic and good-quality fresh clams. I sweat some garlic with olive oil, add a little chilli, then in go the clams with a splash of wine. When they open, I put the al dente spaghetti in and toss with some pasta water to emulsify the sauce.

Guilty pleasure

A tin of anchovies and a slice of toast after hours. It’s my definite go-to. The big salty, umami flavour does it for me.

Best kitchen wisdom

Less is more. I wish I had learned this earlier as a chef, but it’s something you learn on the job as your palate matures — and it has a lot to do with you as a person and what you like, and not so much the technical aspect of cooking. In the southern countries of the Mediterranean, they do this so well.

Eating out

Melbourne favourites

Wine bar Clover in Richmond is a fantastic spot. They always serve perfectly dressed oysters and make a great beef tartare.

I like Caretaker’s Cottage for a perfect dry martini with an olive or a pint of Guinness. It depends on how I am feeling. The cocktail menu changes regularly − a great point of difference.

When it comes to coffee, I drink it on the run. It’s always a short macchiato. I have been a few times to Traveller in Crossley Street, which has a Euro vibe and stand-up service in the laneway.

For a top-end restaurant experience, I love the Flower Drum. Owners Jason Lui and his dad, Anthony, do an incredible job. I eat there with the same group of friends every three months on a Monday night. I love the ritual of going up the slowest elevator in the world. There’s never a discussion about seeing the menu – it’s always a conversation about what’s new, what’s fresh and what’s just come in. We always order the Peking duck and the dumplings – they’re the freshest and most perfect ones around.

For a casual meal, Carnation Canteen in Fitzroy is another favourite spot. It’s a perfectly formed space, the food is delicious – great produce cooked simply. I recently ordered grilled tuna served with horseradish to start, then a braised veal shank with anchovies, served with a shredded cabbage salad and feta.

I love to find a spot at the bar near the waiter’s station at the Grossi Cellar Bar on Bourke Street and order tomato-based pasta with chilli. The Grossi family is so hospitable and will knock something up for me if it’s not on the menu.

The only takeaway we do as a family is pizza from Freddy’s on Chapel Street, Windsor. I cheat a little and order a margherita for the kids, and another for me, and then crack open a tin of anchovies and put them on top of mine. I pimp it up a little bit; should I be saying that?

Favourite special-occasion spot

It would have to be Tedesca Osteria. Owner-chef Brigitte Hafner, her architect husband Patrick Ness and long-time business partner James Broadway have created something special in Red Hill. Jo and I call it our happy place. When we go there, it’s like catching up with family, the hospitality is that warm. I am also a little bit jealous of what they have created. The access to their garden and how they manage it makes it so special. The antipasti are always fresh from the garden, whether that be fresh tomatoes or simple fried bread stuffed with an anchovy – that’s an absolute favourite. The duck ravioli is also a benchmark.

Sydney favourites

In Sydney, I love 10 William St. This spot is very relaxed and intimate and is great day or night. I always order the home-made pretzel with cod roe dip. It’s been on the menu forever and I never get sick of it. They started that cod roe dip craze that has been seen everywhere.

I also love Poly in Surry Hills. It always has interesting wines by the glass and textbook cocktails. Last time I was there I had the Ginza highball. It also serves some of the best bar food and snacks in the city.

A hole-in-the-wall Sydney cafe I love is Primary Coffee Roasters in Potts Point. They make a benchmark coffee and it’s in a great part of town.

Brisbane favourites

If I have the luxury of a whole evening to indulge, I’ll inevitably look to Sushi Room in Fortitude Valley. Luxe, dark, moody, it’s a world-class restaurant that could be located almost anywhere, and if you’re lucky enough to be staying at urban resort the Calile, you’re minutes away from bed once the evening draws to a close.

Chef Martin Boetz (ex-Longrain in Sydney and Melbourne) is indirectly responsible for just about every great plate of Thai food served in this country — so it makes sense to visit Short Grain, not just for the finely tuned flavours but for the way Marty serves them himself with pride. It’s like going to a great mate’s house for dinner and being impeccably looked after.

It is hard to imagine Brisbane before [riverside dining hotspot] Howard Smith Wharves. The vision of property developer Adam Flaskas, and the impact it’s had on the city, shouldn’t be underestimated. Add chef Louis Tikaram’s deft touch with Cantonese flavours and you’ve got Stanley. Daily yum cha is just one of the many reasons to visit.

It’s no secret that fire-focused restaurant Agnes is exceptional. But for me, the personal and intimate wine bar is where I want to be. Selecting a bottle from the great wine list and ordering some snacks (also touched by the lick of the wood fire) is a relaxed and fun night out.

On a night off, there’s no better way to truly chill out than with a perfectly simple wood-fired pizza and a glass of wine. I’m as happy sitting at the bar at Julius Pizzeria in South Brisbane on my own as I am with a group. Being from Melbourne, the laneway location feels comfortingly familiar.

Overseas

Jo and I went to Copenhagen last year for the first time in six years. We love the mix of incredible produce, design and their attitude to life. In the past 20 years, Copenhagen has become one of the most important food cities in the world. It’s also the most bike-friendly (and family-friendly) city I have ever been to.

Baker Richard Hart [ex-Tartine, San Francisco] opened Nordic pastry shop Hart Bageri, and there are lots of branches. We skipped the hotel breakfast buffet every morning to buy the most perfect cardamom buns made with croissant pastry, dark brown sugar, aromatic cardamom and cinnamon fragrances. They were chewy and fresh out of the oven. They also made good coffee. Everything we tried was perfection.

Another place we loved was La Banchina, a pescatarian restaurant in an abandoned shipyard workshop by the water. You can go there for a bite to eat and swim, bathers optional. Henry, our seven-year-old, loved it. I highly recommend the grilled mackerel with fresh horseradish. We also ordered a fried fish sandwich with a bottle of natural wine. This place is gold.

Selma Restaurant is a small Michelin-rated restaurant where the food is simple and made with care and creativity. Small shrimps are a specialty here, served simply with sour cream. I also ordered pickled fish. They have a great aquavit list – I drank one with a strong anise flavour.

Where to stay

Hotel Sanders in Copenhagen was opened in 2017 by a famous ballet dancer, Alexander Kolpin. The hotel is in a fantastic location and is all about understated Nordic design – it’s dreamy. It has the friendliest staff, who also give you a bike to ride, which makes everything easy. The cocktail bar was an absolute highlight.