Overview
Central's name is accurate in two ways. Now open in the Piccadilly Arcade building on Queen Street in Brisbane's CBD, this 80-seater subterranean restaurant is indeed central in the River City. The venue's moniker also takes inspiration from the Central district in Hong Kong, as its menu does with its dishes.
Eat at Fish Lane's Southside in South Brisbane, or at Rick Shores in Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast, and you'll likely grab a serving of dumplings with your meal. Some feature lobster and prawns. Some come stuffed with truffle pork or chilli crab. The bite-sized favourite is a staple of both restaurants, but it isn't the star attraction at either. For a place with that focus — and plenty of love for Hong Kong — the team behind the two beloved eateries has launched Central.
Southside Executive Chef Benny Lam, one of Central's driving forces alongside Southside's General Manager Maui Manu and co-owner David Flynn, has worked in the favourite tourist destination, and is now bringing some of the parts of it that he loves to Brisbane.
"The food. The living style. Sometimes I miss it. The rush in that city can be so much, but I really enjoyed that energy, every day," Lam explained when Central was first announced in September.
"The thing about Hong Kong, you eat out just about every night of the week. Maybe you leave the office about 7pm but you don't go home. You go to a dumpling bar or noodle restaurant — they're that third place."
"You walk and you explore and there's stuff happening everywhere and it draws you in," adds Flynn. "We want Central to be that total sensory experience that we love so much about Hong Kong, but channelled into Brisbane, bringing together two cities that we love."
If Central can be that kind of space for Brisbane, the pair will be happy. The menu does its part, with the dim sum range the highlight. Peking duck potstickers and prawn har gao sit beside mushroom dumplings, barbecue pork puffs, king crab and prawn spring rolls, and more. Eager to hang around for a bigger dinner? Just like serving up snack-sized options if you're dropping by on your way elsewhere, Central can cater for it.
Mixing Cantonese meals with western influences, Central's other dishes include lobster noodles and wagyu short ribs, both to share; drunken chicken with aged shaoxing rice wine, plus red date and golden sesame, as a starter; smoked foie gras with youtiao, aka Chinese fried dough, plus Davidson plum, also to begin; and traditional steamed Queensland grouper among the bigger fare. Char siu pork and roasted half duck feature as well — and for dessert, mango pudding leads the list.
Whatever you pick — dim sum, raw plates, barbecue, sweet treats and more — it's whipped up in the venue's raised kitchen. After helping revamp Gerard's Bistro, architect and designer Jared Webb of J.AR OFFICE turned his attention to Central, where granite and timber are heroed among exposed-rock walls. The lighting remains low, befitting the restaurant's underground berth.
Another inspiration comes from one of the space's past guises. Primitif Cafe called it home in the 50s and 60s, with jazz and poetry a feature.
"Our motto with Jared has been to 'embrace the cave'. He responded by designing a space with tiered areas that allow people to have different sight lines through the venue with the kitchen and bar as centre stage," advises Flynn.
"It's about capturing that spirit of Primitif, but also the rich, colourful nightclub history of 1970s and 80s Hong Kong — places like Disco Disco, this amazing nightclub that's still remembered fondly in that city."
As for the drinks, sommelier Peter Marchant — also the Group Wine Director — has built a wine list of around 30 drops that can be mixed and matched with the food menu. Available by the glass, half glass and bottle, it spans both Australian and overseas tipples, and also vino from producers doing new and exciting things in the industry.
The cocktails nod to the Hong Kong nightclub scene, as well as to Primitif, including a house harvey wallbanger, a Sichuan Martini Sidecar and a nitrogen-compressed piña colada.
Find Central at 340 Queen Street, Brisbane — open from 5pm–late Tuesday–Saturday for dinner, with lunch from 12pm Thursday–Saturday starting in mid-November 2024. Head to the venue's website for more details.