Ben O'Donoghue's New Italian and Steak Restaurant Establishment 203 Is Opening in Fortitude Valley This Month
Wagyu steaks from the fire, beef cheeseburgers, scampi linguine: you'll be able to tuck into them all at the Billykart chef's new venture.
Whether the hankering strikes for a steak, a bowl of pasta or a combination of the two — wagyu sirloin bolognese, perhaps? — Brisbanites will have a new restaurant that heroes both to hit up before November is out. With Ben O'Donoghue in the kitchen, Fortitude Valley's Establishment 203 will serve up beef and Italian dishes, opening its doors on Tuesday, November 28.
Usually a visit to the Valley's stretch of Ann Street means grabbing drinks; however, top-notch meals will be the attraction here. Think: woodfired bone marrow bruschetta, steaks from the fire, beef cheeseburgers, saltimbocca made with Brisbane Valley quail and scampi linguine.
As announced back in August, diners who like to watch the chef in action will find that on the menu as well, as the Billykart talent and Surfing the Menu presenter O'Donoghue whips up farm-to-table fare with Queensland produce — including those hero steaks — and also traditional pastas.
"With an ability to control quality from paddock to plate including breeding, feed, ageing, cooking and plating, diners will be assured of the very best steak in the country," said O'Donoghue.
"This exceptional dining experience is underpinned by a combination of kitchen technology that mixes the best of old and modern cooking to accentuate the flavours of our seasonal produce. Side by side in the kitchen is Queensland's first Michelin-quality MKN induction cooking suite juxtaposed with our large live woodfired Mibrasa cooking stations."
So, if you go with steak — with angus, wagyu with marble scores of six and ten, and grassfed varieties available — it'll be cooked over wood, which is being sustainably sourced from beef producer Stanbroke to give Establishment 203's meats a unique flavour. The pasta range is drawn from O'Donoghue's Italian favourites, including from time spent travelling in Europe and working at The River Cafe in London.
The vibe: sleek, upmarket and elevated, so more than just your average steak joint. Again, that comes through in the menu, where caviar, oysters, kingfish and tuna crudo, beef tartare and chicken liver parfait are also options.
While Establishment 203 is owned by a cattle-farming family with Italian heritage — hence the focus — seafood is clearly also on offer. And as for what you'll be washing down your meal with, the drinks lineup will span signature cocktails, Italian red wines and Brisbane craft beers.
Establishment 203 opens on Tuesday, November 28 at 6 Marshall Street, on the corner of Ann Street, Fortitude Valley — head to the restaurant's website for further information.
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