Ember & Ash blends fire-led dining with late-night luxury in Fortitude Valley
In a city often criticised for its early nights, Ember & Ash is making a compelling case for staying out. The sprawling Fortitude Valley newcomer moves effortlessly from morning coffee to late-night cocktails across a multi-level playground. It’s a refined take on round-the-clock hospitality, designed for a city on the cusp of change. Take a look around …
Brisbane’s dining scene has a lot going for it, but one thing the city has always had a less-than-stellar track record for is late-night dining. Trent Redman reckons that can change – all it takes is a few determined operators to step up and prove it can be viable.
“I think it’s a case of ‘you build it, they will come,’” says Trent, who heads up Luna Group Hospitality, whose portfolio boasts a number of nightspots across Brisbane and the Gold Coast.
“Brisbane has a pretty bad rap for having the sleepiest nightlife in Australia. Leading up to the Olympics, there’s a lot of talk around having to flip that upside down.”
With Luna’s newest venue Ember & Ash, the operator is turning talk into action, creating an alluring destination that hopes to transform the way Fortitude Valley revellers and locals eat, drink and play.
Ember & Ash opened last week and sees the group transform the rambling collection of buildings previously home to Alfred & Constance (and, more recently, Justin Lane) into a multifaceted hub encompassing a cafe, restaurant, rooftop bar and subterranean cocktail lounge.
Getting a project like this off the ground is not only a massive undertaking, but also a huge gambit. As Queensland’s only venue operating from 6:00 am to 3:00 am, Ember & Ash is described as an “always on” playground – a place where commuters can grab their morning coffee mere hours after night owls have polished off their last cocktail.
With a suite of amenities to utilise, Trent and the Luna team are keen to maximise every aspect of the venue.
“It’s very hard to survive on just food or just a small bar or just a cafe, so we looked at the space and figured, ‘let’s do all of those things together,” says Trent. “The whole concept is based around that ‘dawn till dusk’ aspect – you can come here at the break of dawn and have breakfast, or you can leave just as the sun is coming up in the morning.”
At Ember & Ash’s cafe (nestled in the standalone space formerly home to Paradise), folks can pop in for cups of Single O coffee alongside the likes of smoked-bacon bagels with fried egg, breakfast burritos, slow-cooked brisket with potato puree, potato gem eggs Benedict and braised XO mushroom medley.
Subscribe for updates“I lived in the valley for three years and I always struggled to find a good breakfast spot,” says Trent. “There are thousands of people walking past this place every day, so we are pretty confident that, at the very least, people are going to be intrigued enough to come and try something new.”
Next door, the venue’s main dining room has been given a makeover, with cushy booths and a colour scheme of cream and muted blues creating an understated yet elegant place to dine at leisure. Here, it’s all about flame-licked fare, with head chef Kyran Henry (previously of City Winery) curating an offering that bridges the gap between casual dining and fine dining.
Highlights include hand-cut beef-fat hash browns crowned with tuna tartare, lobster dagwood dogs with sauce gribiche, coal-roasted fish collars with black garlic and brown butter, crab and prawn ravioli with leek cream and native myrtle, slow-roasted pork neck with sweet potato, and a range of fire-kissed steaks – including a tomahawk.
“I’m not a big fan of the term ‘modern Australian’, but it covers everything from steak to seafood and so on,” Trent explains. “You can probably dine here for at least a week straight and not eat the same thing. We’ve got everything from caviar and fresh oysters to some beautiful seven-plus, nine-plus marble score wagyu in the dry-ageing cabinet.”
Upstairs, Ember & Ash’s rooftop bar boasts its own snack-led menu (think wagyu sandos, lobster toast, truffle-potato croquettes and char-grilled wagyu cheeseburgers) available alongside cocktails, wines and beers. In the basement sits Ember & Ash’s invite-only, subterranean speakeasy – a trove of top-shelf tequilas and high-end whiskies.
“You can finish up your dining, go downstairs and continue on with some nice whiskies, or if you want to come upstairs, we’ve got the DJ on the rooftop and a beautiful cocktail offering,” says Trent. “There’s something for everybody between the three levels.”
While it might seem like a lot to take in, at its core, Ember & Ash is best described as a multidimensional playground equipped to give guests the exact experience they desire. It’s not a venue that expects you to enjoy everything all at once. You don’t need to stay until 3:00 am, but when the mood to tie one on does strike, at least you have another place to do so.
“Someone’s got to start trying things, go out on a limb,” says Trent. “People might think we’re crazy, but we know the concept is good and we know the offering is good. Someone has got to take a swing – we’re swinging.”
Ember & Ash is now open to the public – head to The Directory for more information.
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