Beaux Rumble…….even the name slides deliciously over the tongue. This latest restaurant in the prestigious James Street precinct can be found in Ada Lane, just near The Calile Hotel. Taking design inspiration from New York’s Grand Central Station, the city’s newest dining destination welcomes back the fiercely Australian Michelin- starred Chef, Alan Wise, who has already been wowing Brisbanites with his flexitarian approach to food. Think vegetables and fish as the heroes with a smattering of wood fired meats for the carnivores. I love this honest approach to food and when She Society were invited along to sample the menu, I was very excited to take my first look at this amazing new space and see Chef in action in the open kitchen.
The Building
Beaux Rumble features dining over two levels. Guests are greeted in a stately entryway where the BR logo is illuminated by a gorgeous hanging light. Diners walk past the kitchen on their way in, with all the flavours, flames, sizzle and preparation on show. None of the kitchen is concealed. Pride of place goes to the custom designed grill and stunning wood fired oven which features an ever changing array of woods. On our visit Chef was using a mix of Ironbark and Olive. The smoky aromas will have you salivating as soon as you walk through the door.
Colour is used sparingly to highlight intimate spaces with accents of deep burgundy, chestnut and gold.The predominantly black and cream colour scheme is soothing , helping to melt away the workaday worries as you settle in for your meal. Designer – Sally Taylor has gone for simplicity and refinement with a Beaux Arts styling that reveals itself to you in stages. You soon notice the domed ceilings, period light fittings and hand made subway tiles.The oak flooring and brass fittings give the feel of the building having been here forever.
Heading up the elegant staircase I peek at the upstairs area and know I will be looking for an occasion to try out the beautiful dining rooms (The Biltmore Room and the Vanderbilt Room) or enjoy a cocktail with the girls on the inviting balcony which overlooks Ada Lane.
The Food
Chef puts his new open kitchen to good use with a menu where everything uses wood, smoke and fire. The menu leans towards seafood and vegetables but also has some options for the carnivores, hence the flexitarian tag. Produce is king and the light touch and smokiness of the flavours feels like a very clean way of eating. At home I favour vegetarian, gluten free and dairy free fare but my carnivore husband was keen to try the smoky meat with an array of vegetable sides. We were both extremely happy with our shared choices.
Our feast began with an amuse bouche of leek and potato , before an entree of several of my favourite vegetables, mushrooms and radicchio. The mushroom dish featured grilled trumpet Royale and portobello mushrooms, escabeche and parsley. They were gone in a flash with us drizzling the moreish juices over the smoky mushrooms. Perhaps my favourite dish of the night was the Radicchio with sherry glazed shallots and a celeriac remoulade. The creamy celeriac paired beautifully with the flavoursome shallots and smoky charred radicchio. Delicious!
We shared some beautiful slow-cooked lamb neck with pea purée, fava beans, pine nuts and mint. It was like a sophisticated Sunday dinner and the deep green of the pea melded perfectly with the glistening lamb on the plate. Hubby’s favourite was the sirloin which was wood roasted and served with potato terrine, onion and black pepper compote. Perfectly cooked , this dish melded well with another of the night’s favourites, the leek. The iron bark charred leeks, almond cream, truffle and lemon was so creamy and tasty. Chef said they had been surprised at the popularity of this dish and it is now one of the signature dishes at the restaurant.
Our waiter had recommended that diners share five to six dishes of varying sizes and we were certainly full after this exciting array of dishes. Seafood lovers will be in heaven with so many choices like apple wood smoked oysters, sardines, grilled scallops, glazed Fremantle octopus , whole grilled barramundi and much more on this produce driven menu.
Three enticing desserts grace the menu – lemon, liquorice and rhubarb. Although I was tempted by the liquorice parfait we were very full, so decided to share the lemon. This dessert features lemon sorbet, panna cotta and chantilly with a black pepper tuile. The sorbet was just how I like it face puckeringly tart, the panna cotta was perfect and the brilliant addition of the tuile married the flavours together seamlesssly. Presentation was simple and showed off the amazing flavours. I was happy that I seemed to have scored most of the tart lemon sorbet from the plate!! I think Hubby will be ordering his own next time.
The wine list runs the gamut of very good Australian and New Zealand wines and some lesser known French, Italian, Spanish and Austrian drops. I began with the Frerejean Freres Premier Cru Champagne Brut, from a little known French champagne house. It was a delightful and bubbly way to begin. The wine list is arranged by flavour so it was easy for us to decide on the house Sauvignon Blanc to match the vegetables, with Hubby switching to a Pinot Noir to accompany the meat. There are signature cocktails to try, ciders, beers and pretty mocktails which are made at the nearby sleek bar which boasts marble bench tops and custom designed tiles inspired by Art Deco stained glass patterns.
Chef, Alan Wise, earned his Michelin star whilst working in New York (Rouge Tomate, Picholine, Juni and Public) so he looks right at home in this elegant New York inspired space. Regular readers will know of my love for South Africa (I’m heading back there soon) so I wasn’t surprised to learn that Alan had spent time in Africa where this wood fired style of cooking is predominant. He has even written a cookbook on his experiences there.
Chef ‘s food melds predominantly seafood and vegetable flavours with the techniques of wood, fire and smoke to create appealing modern Australian flavours. It’s a grown up and rather delicious addition to Brisbane’s dining scene boasting a fit out second to none. The evening felt elegant and refined but not at all stuffy. It was just lovely.
Beaux Rumble is open for dinner Tuesday to Sunday from 5:30 pm, lunch on Friday and Saturday from 12pm to 3pm and recently an exciting new brunch menu has been launched which will be available on Sundays from 10am to 3pm. Thank you to the friendly staff of Beaux Rumble and Kath Rose for a truly memorable dining experience. We will definitely be back again!
Michelle Beesley is a Brisbane born and bred former primary school teacher. A wife, proud grandma and mother of three grown sons, Michelle is thrilled to have recently published her debut contemporary romance novel, It Happened in Paris, with Serenade Publishing. Her novella – Escape to D’ Amour was published in 2019. Michelle’s work can be found in the anthologies – Destination Romance and Short & Sweet. When not reading or writing Michelle can be found at a coffee shop chatting with friends, front row at a fashion show, or beside a rugby union field cheering on her favourite teams.
Michelle is a reluctant traveller, Francophile, keen walker and avid yoga enthusiast plus a book, film and theatre lover who loves everything pink and sparkly (including champagne). You can find Michelle on instagram @michellebeesley_writer and her website: michellebeesley.com.
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