Brisbane

When the bi-fold doors are retracted at this smartly appointed riverside restaurant, there isn't a more picturesque place in Brisbane to enjoy lunch.

It was meant to be a more discreet take on the Sydney original, but Otto Brisbane's fourth-floor mezzanine digs are nevertheless a jaw-dropper.

It's all in the name at this Brisbane bolthole, where the chef-owners serve up plates that bring nothing by a smile to your face.

Chef Philip Johnson and team ensure the whole production looks like an effortless affair.

Adam Wolfers and the team subvert Middle Eastern cuisine, hijacking typical ingredients to create share plates as complex and surprising as the richly detailed fit-out of this must-visit James Street eatery.

When a restaurant's very name references diversions, you'd expect it to eschew the straight and narrow.

The former Ételek mastermind on his latest appointment, a vego snack pack, and why more chefs should move to Brisbane.