Little Valley - CLOSED

Overview

After cooking up a storm on the Gold Coast, the team behind Burleigh Heads' Rick Shores has brought its famed Asian-style fare to Brissie — please welcome neo-Chinese dining hall and beer garden Little Valley. There are no prizes for guessing which suburb this 70-seater seater eatery calls home, but you'll find Little Valley's kitchen pumping until late in Warner Street rather than Chinatown.

Still, the menu by ex-Rick Shores head chef Jake Pregnell takes inspiration from Chinese cuisine, drawing upon his recent study tour of the country — and his general love of the area's tastes and flavours. That means that patrons can expect a feast of regionally inspired meals — think twice-cooked duck and roast pork neck with char siu glaze, plus kung pao mushrooms and duck egg noodles with something called 'strange flavour'.

From the dim sum range, potato and truffle spring rolls, lobster and chive har gow, and chilli crab xiao long bao sit among a nine-dish selection, while desserts include red bean ice cream with pumpkin curd and a Hong Kong custard tart for dessert.

Drinks-wise, a hefty wine, beer and spirits list is complemented by eight signature cocktails; the Waking Panda with vodka, elderflower, mandarin and citrus, and the Silk Palace with rum, orange blossom, coconut cream, vanilla and citrus are just two examples. And if you're looking for somewhere to enjoy a tipple or two, Little Valley also boasts an open air bar and beer garden, as well as an adjacent laneway that'll be home to a new lighting installation.

The eatery will be open from Wednesday to Sunday, with bar service commencing at 4pm, meals from 5.30pm and a 2am closing time on Friday and Saturday nights — a welcome addition to Brisbane's late-night dining options.

UPDATE, APRIL 17: For Easter 2019, Little Valley is opening for lunch and dinner on Good Friday, Easter Saturday and Easter Sunday — and cooking up a few special treats. Drop by fish cake dumplings, which combine poached mackerel with kaffir lime leaf and red curry. Or, opt for pumpkin puffs that really do look like mini pumpkins, with their crunchy orange dumpling exteriors stuffed with black pepper beef and mushroom.

Images: Adam Hunter