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I’ve been lucky enough to dine in some pretty spectacular (and also whacky) places. As a Sydneysider, dining beneath the ivory sails of the Opera House is right up there. See also: the Amalfi Coast. Lunch in Ecuador’s Amazon jungle will go down as one for the memory books, as will freshly caught oysters, snapper (and a couple of Spritzes) on a boat sailing around New Zealand’s emerald-water Bay of Islands.
But I’d never seen a bar and restaurant quite like Brisbane’s Southside.
Firstly, because it’s entwined with a living, breathing jungle: twisting, cascading vines, massive fan-like palms and glossy-leaved fruit salad plants. Whether you were born with a green thumb (hello) or struggle to keep a houseplant alive (try hard-to-kill pothos), it’s hard not to appreciate all that lush, vibrant greenery.
Secondly, because this East Asian restaurant from Nick Woodward, David Flynn and Frank Li, the mates behind hospo group Friends of Friends and Queensland favourites Rick Shores, Marlowe, Norte and Central, is tucked beneath train tracks. With actual trains passing overhead.
Enjoy a spicy Marg while a train whooshes past? I can now tick that off the bucket list.
The open-air courtyard beneath the bridges of Fish Lane has plenty of alfresco seating for a casual snack and drink. In the morning, Goodside, Southside’s café operation, serves house-made lychee iced teas alongside a prawn har gow katsu sandwich with jalapeño salsa, radish and Kikkoman caramel. For lunch, try the lu rou fan Taiwanese pork rice bowl with pork belly, sticky soy, Asian greens and tea egg.
For something a touch more elevated, head inside the restaurant, where executive chef Benny Lam oversees a menu of Chinese classics alongside flavours and techniques from across East and Southeast Asia.
Kick off with yellowtail kingfish sashimi with green chilli, kombu and wasabi; truffle prawn toast with citrus mayo; and wagyu beef gyoza with chilli bean and Sichuan pepper. For something heartier, the Southside pad Thai combines chicken, lemongrass and crispy skin, while the Singapore-style chilli prawn stir-fry comes with smoked tomato. There’s also steamed market fish with ginger and shallot and sea herbs.
For dessert, I’d be going straight for the banana spring roll with dulce de leche and passionfruit.
Sundays are all about yum cha for $59 per person, with the option to add drinks for an extra $40 (yes, please). Southside also offers a $55-per-person pre-theatre menu, ideal for a flavour-packed meal before a show.
Standing beneath the train lines, surrounded by jungle, I felt like I could have been in Bali, New York or Hawaii. How special that Southside calls Brisbane home.
Find out more and make a booking at Southside here.
Note, I was hosted by Southside, but our editorial recommendations are always honest. Find out more, here.