Bold new brunch player Zmirk Co. is serving global flavours in Dutton Park
A former chippery on Annerley Road has been reborn as one of Brisbane’s most exciting new brunch spots. Proving that great food knows no borders, Zmirk Co. is delivering Asian-inspired comfort food and inventive drinks from morning to mid-afternoon. Here’s what’s on offer …
What do you get when four Thai-born chefs pool their talents to open a cafe deep in the heart of Dutton Park?
Well, if Zmirk Co. is anything to go by, the answer is something special indeed.
The Annerley Road cafe is the brainchild of two couples (all seasoned hospo veterans), who decided to switch out the restaurant kitchen lifestyle in favour of opening their own daytime concept that specialises in brews and bites with an Asian-inspired twist.
Zmirk Co. opened quietly in early December, after transforming an old fish-and-chip shop just across the road from the South Brisbane Cemetery. While some might recoil at the thought of imbibing their morning cuppa in view of such a sombre landmark, the Zmirk crew are of the opposite opinion.
“Some people think it’s unlucky or not very good, but we love the cemetery,” says co-owner Variya ‘Bell’ Punjasavee, with a laugh. “The cemetery is like an art piece.”
You might like
The 40-seat cafe’s former guise as a chippery has been replaced by a modern aesthetic that utilises corrugated iron and timber fixtures across both interior and alfresco spaces, with Bell’s husband, Gift, taking the lead on the design.
“Everything about the design, the colour palette and even the logo is his vision,” explains Bell. “We wanted it to be minimal, cosy and earthy, so that’s why we landed on a natural tone.”
On the food front, the Zmirk brains trust established early in the piece that the cafe would take a creative approach to its menu, favouring fusion instead of sticking to traditional Thai recipes. However, with four chefs in charge of curating the menu, the Zmirk crew – helmed by Gift and fellow chef Arm – engaged in spirited debate over which ideas made the final cut.
Subscribe for updates
“It’s very hard when we are all chefs – we love food and we love eating,” says Bell, who tells us the team whittled down a long list of potential recipe items to just one A4 page. “We had to come back down to earth about what was possible to cook.”
The resulting menu features a diverse range of dishes that include familiar faves elevated with subtle twists, alongside drool-worthy inventions not commonly found on Brisbane breakfast lists. An all-day menu (dubbed the ‘Anytime Line-up’) features the likes of the Seoul Good Chicken Sando (boasting fried chicken, fresh Asian slaw and sweet-and-spicy gochujang), the Holy Wagyu Burger (given a kick courtesy of Thai basil, garlic and chilli krapow sauce) and Papa’s Sriracha Melt – an ode to Bell’s childhood fave, featuring homemade tuna salad, sriracha mayo and a melted-cheese blend.
Zmirk’s various influences really come to the fore with its 9-to-2 Club menu, which includes the AMC Fried Rice (tomato fried rice with golden fried chicken, fried egg and a chicken frankfurter finished with a gochujang glaze), udon noodles with grilled salmon, creamy spicy rose sauce, nori, tobiko and parmesan, and the Fiesta Corn Fritters, crowned with avocado smash, fresh salsa, mixed salad and a poached egg.
“We think food has no borders,” says Bell. “We’re not limited to only Thai – we have Japanese, Chinese, Korean and even Mexican influences. It’s about whatever can be picked up and blended together. Australia is a diverse country – people are open-minded about that.”
Single O is the coffee of choice at Zmirk, but a range of speciality beverages offer plenty of tempting alternatives to your daily flat white. Mont Blancs, oat-milk hojicha lattes, chrysanthemum tea with matcha foam, matcha tiramisu lattes, Thai milk-tea clouds and fresh strawberry milk made using house-made strawberry coulis are all available.
Zmirk Co. is now open to the public – check out The Directory for operating hours and other key details.