Overview
Venturing to the Eagle Street side of Brisbane's CBD has long meant being dwarfed by gleaming skyscrapers, but also spotting the building that predates them all. On Felix Street, Naldham House stands out with its white facade. Although the year listed above its entrance is from four decades back, the structure was first built 140 years ago. This site began its life as a shipping office, then underwent major renovations in 1988. From there, it became the Brisbane Polo Club from 1994–2015. Now, from Thursday, July 18, 2024, it's the River City's newest drinking and dining destination — still under the name Naldham House.
In June, the venue's new guise was announced, with DAP & Co revealing that the heritage-listed spot is becoming a three-venues-in-one hub. The hospitality group co-owned by Andrew Baturo, Denis Sheahan and Paul Piticco, which is also behind The Gresham, Popolo Italian and Walter's Steakhouse and Wine Bar, is launching the first two of those venues together, with the other to come in spring. So, while you'll be waiting to hit up the site's third level, you'll still be hanging out at Naldham House Brasserie & Terrace on the ground floor, plus supper club-style cocktail bar and lounge Club Felix on the second storey.
Part of the Waterfront Brisbane project that's revamping this area of town, the new Naldham House is a project four years in the making. DAP & Co can't be accused of holding back, be it on ambition for the site, on multiple experiences at one address or on colour in the fitout by interior designer Anna Spiro. While the facade retains its pale hue, of course, the aesthetic heroes jewel tones inside, with the venue featuring 1110 different colours to give each level its own look and feel.
At Naldham House Brasserie & Terrace, those tones help animate a space that takes its cues from both European brasseries and grand hotel lobbies around the globe. If you can't be elsewhere, pretend, basically. The markedly old-school vibe extends to the pianist playing the grand, and also the service, whether you're among the 95 people that the venue can cater to inside or the 120 outside on the terrace with its own bar.
Meal options in the brasserie include hand-cut beef tartare, chicken liver parfait and a beetroot tart among the snacks, then oxtail ragu pasta, crumbed rock flathead and noisettes of lamb from the mains. You can also share a pork tomahawk, the market fish or rib steak, then finish up with a berry mille-feuille — aka a vanilla slice — plus crème caramel, three cheeses and a chocolate Paris-Brest. Outside, the terrace menu sports the likes of crispy chicken skin with whipped cod roe and caviar, smoked mortadella and potato croquettes, steak frites, a wagyu cheeseburger and a king salmon gravlax sandwich.
Whether you choose to get comfortable indoors or out, a 28-page drinks list awaits, filled with European and Australian wines both by the glass and the bottle, beers both local and international, and a hefty array of spirits. The cocktail selection hops from spritzes to signatures, and then from classics to zero-alcohol sips. A mandarin spritz might take your fancy, or a Yuzito made with gin, orange curacao and yuzu soda — or perhaps a negroni or the non-boozy Watermelon Sugar.
Head upstairs after 5pm Wednesday–Saturday for Club Felix and you'll be greeted by an oak timber bar that DAP & Co inherited with the building, a big focus on blue, a French-heavy menu, a covetable champagne list, and capacity for 150 standing and 110 seated. While the aim is for Naldham House Brasserie & Terrace to become an after-work hangout for both dinner and drinks, Club Felix is taking the fun into the night with a 2am closing time — and the space can also be used for weddings and parties.
Here, small plates and charcuterie accompany the libations, so snacking on salumi with gnocco fritto, a jamon and comte toastie, fried whiting sandwich fingers, salted cod and potato croquettes, and caramel profiteroles will line your stomach. Then, beverage-wise, expect rich tastes from the cognac- and Madeira-based Brulee Flip with chocolate bitters and grated chocolate, and from the Raspberry Tea Julep with black tea-infused bourbon — among other cocktails. French wines, including dessert tipples, are also a drawcard.
As well as Baturo, Sheahan and Piticco, Naldham House boasts Executive Chef Douglas Keyte (ex-Grill Americano in Melbourne), General Manager Christian Green (ex-Rockpool, The Botanical, Aria, Chin Chin, and Longrain) and Restaurant Manager Steven Ham (ex-Soho House Group in London) at its first two venues.
"A grand city like Brisbane deserves a grand monument like Naldham House that aligns with Brisbane becoming a true international city," said Baturo.
"One of the things we do really well as a hospitality group is provide transportive experiences — we want our guests to escape their daily routine, even if it's just for a few hours. We are also really excited to reinvigorate and attract more people to this beautiful and unique area of the city — the architecture, the leafy streets and the heritage buildings have a real Euro quaintness, which we know people will fall in love with."
Find Naldham House at 33 Felix Street, Brisbane City, with Naldham House Brasserie & Terrace and Club Felix opening on Thursday, July 18, 2024. Naldham House Brasserie & Terrace's brasserie will operate from 11.30am–3pm and 5–10pm Monday–Saturday, and its terrace from 11.30am–11pm Monday–Saturday. Club Felix will trade from 5pm–2pm Wednesday–Saturday. Head to the Naldham House Brasserie & Terrace website and Club Felix website for more information.
Images: Dexter Kim.