Vintage silverware, a Thai hangover cure and (potentially) the best Vietnamese in Brisbane

From white tablecloths and 1930s charm to crispy bánh xèo and roti tacos for breakfast, this week's review is a party mix.

For the first time in a while, it feels like Brisbane’s dining scene is reaching out past its comfort zone and encouraging cool, interesting conversation-worthy dining experiences. I visited three venues as usual and they were all positively memorable and more importantly, very diverse in their concepts and atmospheres.

Because we’re edging silly season (and it feels like it’s going to be a big one), there’s a bit of that calm before the storm tension in the air. By the end of this month, restaurants and bars all over will be heaving with people — if you’re into that, you’ll blend in just fine. If not, you’ve got some eating to catch up on.

Marlowe

Marlowe is a sharp left-turn for what the Fanda group (Southside, Rick Shores, Central, Norte) have previously opened — so much so that I had (good) whiplash when I first saw the place.

Beautiful ceiling moulding and mid-century furniture complemented by bauhaus finishes; former sunrooms used as almost-private dining areas; and hand-collected vintage utensils and serving dishes both used and on display — 10/10. It’s really important that a space reflects a venue’s intention, and by no means is it easy. But when they get it right, the difference is palpable.

Hand-picked vintage silverware

Is this the Gimlet-ification of old school Australian dishes? Perhaps. But it makes a world of sense for the site — a 1930s apartment — and where the Brisbane restaurant landscape is right now (More retro! Less marble!).

Oysters with bisque and saffron sauce is a delightful, bouillabaisse-y way to start — as is the hash with smoked trout, a well-balanced bite of savoury whipped brandade (emulsified fish, olive oil and potatoes) and lemony pea mayo.

Then, clam and saffron risotto and duck pie with radicchio jam and tableside jus followed. Risotto can be such a hit or miss but this was spot on — a perfect consistency and cook, briny from the clams and surprisingly light and acidic. The duck pie was acceptable and a good starter size but the filling was uninteresting and more radicchio jam would bode well.

We opted for the rump cap (250g) with the surf and turf add-on, a whole Moreton bay bug coated in herb butter. The rump was cooked nicely rare (as requested). Paired with the bug and a generous dip of bone marrow mash (with onion gravy) was a bite as glorious and gluttonous as it sounds. The mixed leaf salad broke up the richness well but it was inconsistently dressed.

Two weeks before this visit, I popped in for drinks and I tried the rhubarb trifle (don’t say I never order dessert). Unfortunately, that time it was dry and lacked any distinctive rhubarb acidity. I also rarely see the point in making one-serve trifles — the beauty of a trifle is in its grandness and the visible layers of fruit and cream and jelly. Forget about tableside jus, tableside trifle is much more important news.

105 Melbourne St, South Brisbane

@marlowebne

Sen Legend

The first time I visited Vietnam, I was 18 and dating a strict vegetarian. (He was so anal about his vegetarianism to the point where he scolded Vietnamese aunties for putting pâté on his banh mi when they couldn’t understand his wretched screeching but still wouldn’t bother to learn how to say ‘no pâté or egg’ in Vietnamese.) It was uncomfortable for me to order meat dishes when he was around but when we were in Hoi An, I stumbled across a small shop by myself that specialised in bánh xèo — a very crispy crepe filled with pork, prawns and bean sprouts. The crepe (Old El Paso taco shaped) is eaten wrapped in lettuce and fresh herbs or in rice paper, with pickled carrots and dipped in nước chấm. You can bet your top dollar I savoured every bite sitting on that busy street front.

The picture simply does not do the crispness justice

All that’s to say I have not had bánh xèo since, but I was over the moon to discover that Sen Legend, a Vietnamese restaurant a mere 11 minutes away from me, makes it. It’s a somewhat underground Vietnamese dish in Brisbane, unlike bánh mì, phở and bun thit nuong (noodle salad).

Sen Legend’s bánh xèo is the real deal. The exterior: shatteringly crisp, the pork and prawn inside: flavourful and tender and the accompaniments: just like I remember. (Although, I would’ve preferred nước chấm over hoisin.) Top three hot weather lunches of all time. Note: it’s only available Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Premium pho and the pork bun cha

The premium beef pho with brisket, rare beef and beef balls was solid — good broth, good balls, passable noodles (bit overcooked). It is a shame they didn’t have a combination pho option as that’s my go-to order (offal girls rise up).

My lunch date (shoutout to Elliot Baker, fellow food critic) was craving bún chả (another underrated star). The broth was not as intense and acidic as the ones I’ve had in Vietnam but it had a lovely oniony sweetness. The meat didn’t taste like it was cooked over charcoals (like it usually is) so was lacking that authentic smoky flavour.

Notable mentions: very good coconut coffee, cool rice paper contraption that wets the paper vertically without making a sticky mess and the friendly and timely service!

6/45 Wellington Rd, East Brisbane

@sen_legend_restaurant

West End Coffee House

I’m not an avocado-on-toast-bircher-muesli-orange-juice type of breakfast person. I only feel like toast twice a year and when I buy cereal, I have to buy the travel sized box (you’re wondering who‘s buying them? It’s me. I am) because I risk getting bored and having to throw it out.

I wish for lunch food for breakfast always and forever.

At West End Coffee House, the lines of lunch and breakfast are blurred. Punchy, vibrant Thai street food dishes like red curry prawn omelette on rice, Laos sausage with wok-fried egg, fried leek dumplings and drunken noodles are available first thing in the morning. Every time I drive by this place, it’s packed, it’s buzzy, everyone has something delicious in front of them — no sad oatmeal here.

Exhibit A: Pulled pork roti tacos. Excellently dressed with a spicy mayo situation, crunchy slaw, guacamole-adjacent spread. And the roti is so hot and crispy and buttery.

Exhibit B: The king’s omelette. Bits of chicken mince inside the egg for texture (and extra protein, if you care about that). A slightly sweet but tangy fermented chilli sauce to balance. More slaw with extra crispy shallots.

80 Vulture Street, West End

@westendcoffeehouse