Gerard's Bistro Chef Ben Williamson Is Taking Over the Kitchen at The Apo

Six months is a long time in the restaurant business. It was only back in January that Fortitude Valley gained a new apothecary-themed late-night bar and eatery, appropriately named The Apo. Now, just six months later, the Ann Street haunt is switching to a new chef — from none other than Gerard's Bistro.

Say goodbye to the venue's rotating array of intricate modern gastronomical delights, and prepare to welcome to a brand new hybrid of Lebanese and French cuisines. The change in food style comes with a change of personnel, with former chef Braden White (ex-Hatch & Co Gasworks) leaving the fold and Gerard's Bistro's frontman, Ben Williamson, stepping in to oversee the kitchen.

Given that The Apo and Gerard's are both owned by the same folks (along with Lychee Lounge, Laruche, Hatch & Co and The Defiant Duck), it's far from a surprising move — even if it came about, according to Good Food, as a result of creative differences with White. It certainly might have had something to do with the immensely harsh two-star John Lethlean review of The Apo that was published in The Australian back in April.

The new menu — which will hopefully be less convoluted, at least for Lethlean's sake — will be unveiled on Tuesday, July 12, and is sure to complement the bar's hefty beer, wine and cocktail list. If you've had an Apo Sweet Manhattan, Velvet Underground or Roadside Punch, then you know what we're talking about.

And, for Gerard's fans out there — that is, everyone in Brisbane who likes to eat and drink — there's no need to worry about changes to your favourite hangout. The multi-talented Williamson will continue his existing roles, too. Now you just have more places to devour his tasty creations.

Via Good Food.