Even if you don’t live in Melbourne, you’ll be familiar with Andrew McConnell’s work. Cutler & Co., Gimlet, and Marion are some of Melbourne’s most sought-after bookings.
McConnell, and his Trader House collective, can take something like smoked beef tartare and turn it into the best variation you’ve had in years. Elevated with briny clam mayonnaise, mustard leaf and fried shallot, he accompanies it with nori crackers for crunch. It’s one of many highlights at Supernormal Brisbane, which, along with Bar Miette upstairs, are his first interstate venues.
Sitting by the river with Story Bridge views, Supernormal Brisbane looks different to its southern counterpart. Gone are the neon lights and karaoke; in their place are elegant fittings in rattan and leather. On looks alone, you might question any connection to the original.
But McConnell knows what he’s doing. The Brisbane outpost mirrors Supernormal’s ability to draw culinary inspiration from Asia, particularly Hong Kong, Seoul, Tokyo, and Shanghai, while adapting it with a light touch. The menu is full of seafood, raw and cooked, while desserts favour simplicity and refreshment. Take fresh mangosteen on ice, for example, or a strawberry and meringue combination offset by a sharp, delightfully acidic yuzu sorbet. No matter the season, this is how Queenslanders like to eat.
Executive chef Jason Barratt, fresh from a half decade at Paper Daisy, is well-suited for the role. Whether the use of Yamba prawns was his idea is unclear, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he tipped off McConnell. While Barratt and his team execute Supernormal classics – including the New England lobster roll and a twist on the twice-cooked duck leg bao – it’s the new dishes that demand the most attention.
Cold hand-rolled noodles are tossed with sweet spanner crab in a sesame-laden sauce. Fried quail, crisp on the outside and juicy within, is served with a wedge salad coated in creamy dressing. Mussel and kimchi flatbread finds a partner in sticky pork ribs with ginger and prawn dumplings – don’t let any of the soy-black vinegar sauce go to waste. While most dishes thrill, Szechuan lamb shoulder, though easily pulled apart with a fork, doesn’t bring enough spice. And Szechuan should never be safe.
The wine-list, on the other hand, is anything but lacking. Beverage director Leanne Altmann skilfully balances the familiar with the interesting and the affordable with the splurge-worthy. A textural Timorasso from Piedmont might be followed by a bright Perricone from Sicily, while sake options run deep.