Marlowe Restaurant
This elegant Modern Australian bistro by the crew behind Central and Southside is set across nine rooms of a heritage-listed apartment building on Fish Lane.
Overview
Fanda Group has made a name for its eye-catching venues, from the award-winning subterranean CBD dumpling den Central to the breezy brutalism of Gold Coast rooftop bar Sueño. For these venues, the hospo outfit partnered with J.AR OFFICE — and it's tapped the Fortitude Valley studio once again for its latest showstopper.
Marlowe is perhaps Fanda Group's most serious offer to date, and it stands to reason that this is in no small part down to its setting. Spread across two floors and nine rooms of a heritage-listed 1938 apartment building on Fish Lane once known as Merivale Flats, Marlowe presents a considered and elegant take on a Modern Australian bistro backed by seasonal, hyperlocal produce and inspired by vintage Australian cookbooks.
Jessie Prince
And while Head Chef and Co-Owner Ollie Hansford's menu might take its cues from Margaret Fulton and her contemporaries, there's a thoroughly modern edge to the offer. The ever-evolving selection might include prawn cocktail tartlet in crisp pastry with marie rose sauce, braised duck pie with radicchio jam and jus poured tableside, a yabby-topped surf and turf and a standout coral trout wellington finished with a rich caviar butter sauce. A custom-built woodfire hearth by Sam Fraraccio (The Brick Chef) anchors the grill offering, while a raw bar serves oysters and seafood sliced to order. Desserts, like a trifle layered with rhubarb jelly, macadamia sponge and custard, also straddle the line between playful and polished.
Drinks also celebrate local makers and ingredients. Group Beverage Director Peter Marchant has curated a 200-strong Australian wine list, balancing legacy labels with new-wave producers alongside verticals from icons like Henschke and Grosset. Thirty-five wines are available by the glass via the venue's Coravin program, while French champagne is the sole non-local feature. Cocktails showcase native ingredients and nostalgic twists, like a lemon myrtle and eucalyptus highball topped with house-made mandarin creaming soda and a house martini starring Tasmanian gin and macadamia-infused oloroso.
As for that design, Marlowe retains much of the building's art deco character, including the original layout of the four apartments it occupies. Nooks and crannies abound across the nine distinct dining and bar areas, including a verdant terrace and four enclosed sunrooms. The deliberately pared-back space sets rich walnut timber and polished chrome accents against a palette of sky blue, buttercream and deep crimson, bringing a thoughtful contemporary edge to the venue's heritage bones.
Jessie Prince
Top images: Jessie Prince.
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