Almost two years after it was announced, Supernormal Brisbane, the highly anticipated sequel to Andrew McConnell’s Melbourne restaurant by the same name, is opening on Queen Street.
The move is the first interstate expansion for McConnell’s Trader House group (Cumulus Inc, Cutler & Co, Supernormal, Meatsmith, Marion Wine Bar, Gimlet, Apollo Inn and a slew of other high-profile Melbourne venues). And while Supernormal’s sibling venue Bar Miette – a Euro-inspired all-day diner with everything from Scandi breakfasts to Gildas and seriously strong Martinis – opened several weeks ago, Supernormal is the opening that everyone in the Sunshine State have been most eagerly awaiting.
“I don’t want to completely carbon-copy what we’re doing in Melbourne and drop it in Brisbane,” McConnell told Broadsheet earlier this year. “It’s a great opportunity for us to evolve and improve what we do and the great produce in Brisbane will help us do that.”
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SUBSCRIBE NOWDrawing inspiration from Tokyo, Shanghai, Seoul and Hong Kong, the menu touches on all the pillars people have come to expect from the Melbourne version – like a raw bar, dumplings and shared mains – but is led by South East Queensland’s produce and climate.
Dishes include dumplings stuffed with sticky claypot pork rib or ginger and prawn; baked abalone pastries; whole steamed coral trout with brown butter and lime dashi; Szechuan and yellow chilli poached Moreton Bay bugs; whole mud crab; and hand-rolled noodles.
Signature Supernormal dishes, including the half crispy duck, have also made the journey north, as have those famous lobster rolls. As executive chef Jason Barratt (Paper Daisy at Halcyon House, Rae’s at Wategos, Attica, Stokehouse) said to Broadsheet earlier this year, “I don’t think we could get away without bringing that lobster up”.
There’s a 400-strong wine list and a cocktail list where tiki influences play nicely alongside restrained classics.
The fit-out by Acme Studios is a departure from the slick, gritty, metropolitan feel of the Melbourne restaurant. Everything about the design nods to the riverside location as well as Queensland’s natural, tropical beauty. A hand-sculpted emerald marble maître’ d’ station sets the tone for the space, which includes a green terrazzo floor, a carved timber bar, oversized columns, rattan detailing, bamboo pendant lights and a double-heighted ceiling. Floor-to-ceiling windows and faceted mirrors provide dazzling views of Story Bridge to every seat in the house. The space seats 150 guests.
“It feels like the right evolution for Supernormal,” McConnell said in a statement ahead of the Brisbane opening. “Whilst the design sets the two restaurants apart, there is a DNA that runs through them that is grounded in the food, the service, the drinks and the sense of location.”
Upstairs there’s a private 50-seater dining room, The Bridge Room, which offers timber shutters for exclusive events and a bold Petrie Bight sandstone wall.
Supernormal Brisbane
443 Queen Street, Brisbane City
(07)3524 2000
Hours:
Daily midday–11pm
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