Overview
If your idea of a stellar Sunday includes a Cantonese banquet and cracking river views, then Howard Smith Wharves go-to Stanley has long had you covered. One of the precinct's top spots, it's been in the yum cha game every weekend for a few years. But what if you're keen to feast your way through small plates every other day of the week?
Your daily yum cha cravings can now be satisfied at the waterside spot, with Stanley serving up its yum cha lunches daily. So, if the hankering for XO seafood dumplings, Moreton Bay bug spring rolls, salt and pepper chicken wings and steamed barbecue pork buns with chilli jam strikes Monday–Saturday, your tastebuds won't be disappointed.
The yum cha menu is on offer from 12–4pm Monday–Saturday and 11.30am–4pm Sunday, with the a la carte range also including oysters with rice wine vinaigrette, cumin-spiced lamb ribs, Chongqing quail eggs, duck and vermicelli spring rolls, prawn and coriander toast, scallop siu mai and more. You can pair your dishes with peking duck pancakes as well, or other substantial options such as lobster, stir-fried black angus, steamed coral trout and kung pao cauliflower.
Dessert spans custard steamed buns; a mango tart with yuzu cream; fried choux pastry with star anise sugar and passionfruit; and a baby pineapple with vanilla gelato, plus lime sago and tropical ice.
And if you're celebrating in the middle of the day, two-hour champagne packages are also available.
Stanley opened at Howard Smith Wharves in 2019, with the Hong Kong-inspired Cantonese venue one of the four initial tenants first revealed for the precinct back in 2017, alongside Greek restaurant Greca, octagonal overwater bar Mr Percival's and Japanese joint Yoko Dining. Head Chef Louis Tikaram's authentic, often seafood-heavy dishes are served up in the two-storey, heritage-listed, 1930s-era former water police building in the riverside spot, which features three bars, can cater for 220 guests and includes seating on a deck by the river.
Decor-wise, Stanley pays tribute to traditional Chinese design with a handcrafted rattan ceiling and bamboo fretwork lining its walls. It also features antique pieces sourced from Europe and Hong Kong, parquetry inlay floors and a centrepiece circular bar on the upper level.
Find Stanley at Howard Smith Wharves, 5 Boundary Street, Brisbane — with yum cha lunches on offer from 12–4pm Monday–Saturday and 11.30am–4pm Sunday. Head to the restaurant's website for bookings and other details.
Top image: Sun Box Studios.