Lúc Lắc

While any new venue opening at Queen’s Wharf is worthy of attention,  when the Ghanem Group is involved, anticipation is extra high. This Brisbane-based family-owned hospitality group is the team behind iconic venues like Donna Chang, Boom Boom Room and Iris—and their latest addition to the line up is Lúc Lắc, a tropical-chic Indochine-inspired restaurant and bar. 

Now open on The Terrace level, Lúc Lắc is dishing up flavours inspired by Vietnam and Thailand in a lush, indoor-outdoor setting with a maximalist aesthetic that throws together floral fabrics, animal prints, brass accents, textural rendered walls and a stunning laser-cut, 3D golden dragon artwork over the main dining space. Seriously, words do not do this space justice. 

In the kitchen, Executive Chef Jake Nicolson and newly acquired Head Chef Dann Rowell (ex-Spicers Balfour have curated a menu of South-East Asian feeds that pair local produce and Asian flavours across a selection of snacks, small plates, salads, curries and wok-dishes. Signature dishes include the likes of kampot peppered beef with cherry tomato and capsicum, a spin on the traditional Vietnamese dish of Bo Luc Lac that the venue is named for, along with roasted red duck curry, periwinkle escargot and whole crispy speckled grouper. 

Be sure to save room for dessert—the team have created a Vietnamese inspired twist on tiramisu, the Viet Misu, which sees whipped Vietnamese coffee folded through mascarpone, dulce de leche, sponge and a light dusting of Vietnamese chocolate. And good to know: a huge portion of the menu is gluten and dairy free, so big groups of multiple dietaries are covered.

Image credit: Supplied