Signature Is the Emporium Hotel's Decadent New Restaurant with 150-Year-Old Parisian Art

Almost a year after settling into South Bank, Brisbane's new Emporium Hotel has finally launched its culinary centrepiece — the aptly named Signature restaurant.

With the kitchen overseen by the husband and wife duo of executive chef Chris Norman and executive sous chef Alex Liddle, the 60-seater venue joins the hotel's other luxe eating and drinking options, including rooftop spot The Terrace, just-opened lobby bar Piano Bar and relocated French patisserie Belle Epoque.

Three features stand out at Signature: its eye-catching decor, its hefty wine collection and, of course, its food. Design-wise, it's impossible to miss the restaurant's bespoke lighting fixture, which includes 1000 hand-blown glass baubles. Elsewhere, pale pink and burnt orange tones, coloured marble surfaces, a backlit white onyx bar and a 150-year-old Parisian stained-glass window all stand out — the window is part of a 12-person private dining room.

Signature's sizeable vino list also has its own space, called The Library. More than 6000 bottles are housed inside on floating racks, as are 200 magnums — with the range spanning drops from Australia and around the world, including limited editions and rare vintages. Order a particularly special tipple and it'll come in one of the bar's bespoke decanters.

To eat, Signature has a menu championing modern Australian cuisine across a variety of options. Start with oysters and caviar at the bar, order your meal a la carte — including from a separate vegan menu — or go for a five- or seven-course tasting menu. Meaty highlights include kangaroo tartare, blueberry-cured ocean trout, Brisbane Valley quail paired with corn, hazelnut and wattle seed granola, plus Flinders Island lamb with artichokes and shallots, while the animal-free lineup includes tomato and saffron consommé, chargrilled cauliflower with gnocchi, and black fig and guava cheesecake.

Signature also shakes and stirs its own range of cocktails (yes, they're Signature's signature cocktails), including a martini with kahlua and creme de cacao, as well as a spicy blend of pepper bourbon, mint and jalapeños.

Find Signature on Level 1, Emporium Hotel, 267 Grey Street, South Bank, open from 5.30pm Tuesday–Saturday.