Restaurant 1889’s Wedgewood Dining Experience revives French cooking methods

A carefully curated menu that revives traditional French cooking methods is delighting diners visiting the Townsville CBD. Take a deep dive into the best dishes.

Afternoon tea at Restaurant 1889. Picture: Shae Beplate.

Bringing back to life traditional French cooking methods, a carefully curated menu served on fine china is delighting diners who visit the world-famous Wedgewood exhibition underway the Perc Tucker Regional Gallery.

Launched in April, the Australian exclusive Wedgwood: Artists and Industry exhibition showcases hundreds of rare pieces sourced from UK museums, highlighting over 200 years of Wedgwood ceramics and design.

In partnership with the exhibition, Townsville Brewing Co’s Restaurant 1889 has added to the cultural experience by opening for lunch and afternoon tea, with a special culinary experience served on Wedgewood china.

After working in Melbourne hospitality venues for 22 years before relocating to Townsville during the pandemic, Restaurant 1889’s executive chef Adam Fitzgerald seized the opportunity with both hands to design the Wedgewood Dining Experience.

Restaurant 1889 Executive Chef Adam Fitzgerald. Picture: Shae Beplate.

He aimed to create “elevated pub fare”, incorporating some old school French names and techniques, like Escoffier, which complement the style of crockery supplied by Wedgewood.

“There’s an amazing culinary scene up in Townsville, but those older, classical techniques, like your braises, soups, sauces, stuff like that, we don’t see as much of that anymore, so I’m just trying to introduce that back into the foodscape, and people seem to be jumping on board,” Mr Fitzgerald said.

Townsville Brewing Co’s Restaurant 1889 has been buzzing with activity since launching the Wedgewood Dining Experience. Picture: Supplied.

Menu for the Restaurant 1889 Wedgewood Dining Experience. Picture: Supplied.

“The dishes complement the china, and vice versa, the china complements the dishes.”

Taking chicken parmigiana “up a notch”, he said their lunchtime dish 1889 Cordon Bleu

featured chicken breast filled with jamon and mozzarella, crumbed and shallow fried, served with pommes Pont Neuf, petite salad, beurre blanc (warm emulsified “blonde” butter sauce), and sage.

The 1889 Cordon Bleu features a range of traditional French cooking techniques, served on Wedgewood china as part of the Wedgewood Dining Experience. Picture: Leighton Smith.

In partnership with his second year apprentice Paxton Campbell, Mr Fitzgerald said they had developed a special fish course with a bisque, resulting in their mixed seafood bouillabaisse.

The lunchtime dish consists of locally sourced reef fish, scallops, prawns and squid, served in a prawn shell and saffron broth, with sea herbs and lemon.

The mixed seafood bouillabaisse features grilled reef fish, served on Wedgewood china as part of the Wedgewood Dining Experience. Picture: Leighton Smith.

From 2pm to 4pm, afternoon tea is served, which was described as “a high tea, but a little bit lighter”, with guests able to select between house-made scones with jam and cream, a red velvet cupcake served with berries and cream, or a cookies and cream cheesecake served with vanilla ice cream.

“In the scones we use our Townsville Brewery ginger beer, as opposed to lemonade and stuff that we see in other recipes, served with some lovely strawberry jam and Crème Chantilly (lightly sweetened whipped cream flavoured with vanilla)”.

Afternoon tea at Restaurant 1889. Picture: Shae Beplate.

Afternoon tea at Restaurant 1889. Picture: Shae Beplate.

Both the exhibition and dining experience will conclude on August 24.

For more information, visit: restaurant1889.com.au.

Originally published as Restaurant 1889’s Wedgewood Dining Experience revives French cooking methods