First Look: Supernormal Is Bringing Its Lobster Rolls and Asian-Influenced Dishes to a Prime Brisbane Perch by the River

After almost two years in the making, Supernormal Brisbane is getting ready to welcome in diners. July 2024 in the River City is proving a big month for Andrew McConnell, first opening Bar Miette — a brand-new terrace cafe and wine bar — and now bringing the Supernormal expansion plan first announced back in 2022 to fruition. Both venues share the same address, making 443 Queen Street in the CBD the Queensland base for the acclaimed chef, Jo McGann and their hospitality empire.

If you're familiar with Supernormal in Melbourne, yes, the New England lobster rolls are making the jump north when the new outpost opens its doors on Tuesday, July 23. So is the 150-seater restaurant's focus on Asian-influenced dishes, as influenced by McConnell's time in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo and Seoul. But the aim is to both give the OG Supernormal a sibling and Supernormal Brisbane its own vibe — including by embracing the place it calls home, an ethos that's also driving Bar Miette.

"As a chef, it has always been my aim to offer experiences that are highly reflective of their time and place," explains McConnell.

"I am incredibly proud of what we have created — it feels very at home to me in this location, and reflects many of the things I know and love about Brisbane — the nuanced hues of the landscape, the warm climate, the abundance of produce grown on the doorstep."

"It feels like the right evolution for Supernormal. Whilst the design sets the two restaurants apart, there is a DNA that runs through them that is grounded in the food, the service, the drinks and the sense of location," McConnell continues.

Accordingly, from its riverside site next to Customs House — between the Queen Street Mall and Howard Smith Wharves, complete with water and Story Bridge views — Supernormal Brisbane is pairing signature dishes with newcomers, all while paying tribute to Queensland ingredients. You'll spot the former as you tuck into the restaurant's half crispy duck, which comes cured in salt and cooked twice, for instance. From a lineup that spans appetisers, a raw bar, dumplings, dishes to share and more, other menu highlights include claypot sticky pork rib dumplings, baked abalone pastries, and Szechuan and yellow chilli-poached Moreton Bay bugs.

This is the type of spread that you'll want several visits to feast your way through, also featuring mussel and kimchi flatbread, smoked beef with mustard leaf and clam mayonnaise, squid and spring onion skewers, and sour and salty crispy lamb. The same sentiment applies to the four-strong dessert range, where milk gelato with shiso oil, plus apple and sorrel gelato, sit alongside a mix of Valrhona chocolate, caramelised miso, peanuts and sesame; the strawberry, yuzu and pineapple sage meringue; and fresh mangosteen on ice.

Saying cheers to a hefty wine list with almost 400 options is equally a multi-trip quest, with the vino selection favouring family-owned producers both emerging and established. If you prefer cocktails, the libation are taking their cues from Brisbane's subtropical climate.

For those with an occasion worth celebrating, Supernormal Brisbane also features private dining in The Bridge Room, catering to up to 50 people surrounded by sandstone walls.

As well as overseeing the fitout for Bar Miette, Vince Alafaci and Caroline Choker of Sydney's ACME have been on design duties for Supernormal Brisbane since it was announced. With creating a sensory experience from the moment that patrons step inside the guiding principle, they've decked out the eatery with an emerald marble maître' d station, green terrazzo floor, carved timber bar that's meant to resemble growth rings on tropical trees, giant columns, bamboo pendant lights, and timber and rattan aplenty.

Those vistas? You'll peer at them through floor-to-ceiling glass, giving your meal — lunch, dinner, and whatever suits you across Supernormal Brisbane's daily midday–11pm operating hours — quite the backdrop. Mirrors also feature prominently to ensure that you can see the view, even as a reflection, no matter where you sit.

Find Supernormal Brisbane at 443 Queen Street, Brisbane from Tuesday, July 23, 2024 — open from 12–11pm daily. For more information, head to the restaurant's website.

Images: Earl Carter.