1 week ago
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One of 2024’s large openings occupies a one-of-a-kind erstwhile laneway abstraction – and it has a prima Donna Chang and Same Same cook successful the kitchen.
Longwang has pulled a clever trick. This edifice is conscionable three-and-a-half metres wide – that’s possibly astir arsenic wide arsenic a three-tonne motortruck is gangly – yet it ne'er feels cramped.
It astir apt shouldn’t work. A substance of months ago, this was an bare gated laneway betwixt 144 and 150 Edward Street. Now, it’s a 110-seat restaurant, its consciousness of abstraction created by 3 levels (with the 2nd and 3rd separated by a abbreviated staircase) fixed precocious ceilings connected the little floors, and a retractable roof.
The sanction Longwang, each sniggers aside, references the Chinese deity of the seas, and cook Jason Margaritis is cooking a pan-Asian, seafood-driven paper that took inspiration from Hong Kong restaurants specified arsenic Ho Lee Fook and Grand Majestic Sichuan. With its constrictive but vertically spacious treatment, the edifice besides captures thing of the consciousness of that city’s alleyway hawker stalls.
“We were disquieted with the width of the venue that it would consciousness claustrophobic,” Margaritis says. “But the designers person managed to truly elevate the ceiling heights. It opens it up. There’s a batch of earthy aerial coming done connected some levels, which is truly interesting. It’s a feeling I haven’t experienced earlier successful a restaurant.”
Margaritis has worked successful a batch of restaurants, astir notably arsenic enforcement cook astatine Same Same, and caput cook astatine Donna Chang and Melbourne’s Spice Temple. It’s the crushed prolific Brisbane restaurateur Michael Tassis enticed him onboard arsenic spouse astatine Longwang.
Tassis has been connected a teardrop these past 12 months. In 2023 helium opened seafood edifice Fosh and steakhouse Rich & Rare, portion announcing 2 more, Stilts and Mulga Bill’s, for the Kangaroo Point greenish bridge. That’s connected apical of a buzzy mini empire that already includes Massimo, Opa and Yamas.
But with Margaritis attached, Longwang feels similar a measurement up.
“It makes it breathtaking for me,” Tassis says. “I’m fortunate to person immoderate large locations, but Jason’s acquisition is thing I tin truly larn from. I tin usage his expertise successful immoderate of my different restaurants connected their menus.”
Longwang has suffered delays due to the fact that of the complexity of its build, but the last results are impressive. Designed by regular Tassis collaborators Clui Design, it’s decked retired successful large runs of marble, mirrored surfaces, ceramic and greenish tiling, with plentifulness of greenery scattered astir the space.
The crushed level entranceway features a flash entranceway barroom illuminated by a fetching lightbox, a tiny eating area, and antagonistic eating astatine the kitchen’s earthy bar. Two staircases, 1 astatine either extremity of the restaurant, pb to the precocious floors, wherever determination is booth eating and a second, expansive barroom that features a semicircular balcony with views implicit Edward Street.
The flash attraction is emblematic Tassis, but this singular layout, with its buzzy consciousness of exploration, is worthy the terms of admittance alone.
What volition support you coming back, though, is Margaritis’ menu, and it’s a bully one, afloat of flavour, texture and colour.
For starters, there’s seared scallops with unusual flavour sauce, macadamia, sesame and crispy chilli; steamed pork and prawn wontons successful a tonkotsu broth; and pan-fried wagyu beef dumplings with cumin, fennel, achromatic vinegar and sambal ijo (an Indonesian greenish chilli paste).
Larger plates see charcoal grilled Skull Island prawns with salted duck-egg butter, sansho capsicum and gochugaru (Korean reddish chilli paste); steamed snapper fillet with pickled mustard greens, salted chilli and achromatic soy; a lamb enarthrosis massaman curry with kaffir lime and crispy shallot; and a fiery bug process nutrient “kung pao” with cashews, and Sichuan capsicum corns.
Elsewhere, determination are smoked stream trout and roasted pork belly salads, and a live-seafood paper that includes South Australian pipis, Tasmanian stone lobster and Queensland mud crab.
“It covers the champion things astir Asian cooking,” Margaritis says. “You’ve got the chilli, the spice, the beauteous braises and each those things radical enjoy. It volition beryllium a crushed to travel into the city. It’s not conscionable astir the uniqueness of the restaurant, it’s besides what we’re offering successful presumption of food.”
For wine, radical sommelier Ron Almera has enactment unneurotic a 110-bottle vino database that globe-trots for varietals that lucifer the spice of the food. There’s besides an ambitious database of signature cocktails specified arsenic the Kyoto Honey (honey and ginger-infused Nikka whisky, amaretto, chocolate, soy sauce), the Shanghai Sip (Wildflower pinkish gin, elderflower, longan, grapefruit and saline) and the Rising Sun (Batanga tequila, mezcal, mint, cucumber, Thai chilli, kaffir lime and citrus).
“This venue comes astatine a bully clip for Brisbane,” says edifice manager Daniel De Gabrielle. “The CBD’s nightlife seems to beryllium increasing again, and Queen’s Wharf volition of people unfastened soon. This feels similar precursor of what’s to come.”
Open regular 11.30am-late
144 Edward Street, Brisbane
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