Pavement Whispers: Volume 563 June 23
From news of the closure of a Brisbane dining institution to a new inner-city coffee spot, The Weekend Edition is always on the search for the latest food news in Brisbane, dedicated to ensuring its readers are in the know. When we put our ears to the pavement this week, this is what we found out …
Gerard’s
Brisbane’s restaurant scene was dealt a blow last week with the news that long-running Middle Eastern-inspired restaurant, Gerard’s, would be closing its doors after 14 years of operation. The iconic restaurant’s last day of trade has been set for Saturday July 4, after which the keys to the restaurant will be handed over to new operators. Chatting to The Weekend Edition earlier this week, owner Johnny Moubarak said he’d been pondering the decision for a while, but was intent on ensuring that the site was entrusted to new owners who shared a similar philosophy.
“It’s definitely been in the back of my head for a while,” reveals Johnny. “We just wanted to make sure that we passed the baton on to someone that had the same synergy as us – that was really important.”
Though the identity of the site’s new custodian is being kept close to the chest, Johnny reveals the crew will renovate the restaurant space ahead of reopening it under a new name. “We’re fully supportive of the new owner,” says Johnny. “That transition’s going to be amazing. We are totally behind it.”
Gerard’s evolved into one of Brisbane’s preeminent dining institutions not long after Johnny and his brother Elie opened the restaurant in 2012. While the traditional Lebanese recipes of Johnny and Elie’s mother, Salwa Moubarak, were the primordial material that would evolve into Gerard’s culinary offering, it was the progressive spin applied by a succession of top-shelf chefs like Ben Williamson, Adam Wolfers and Jimmy Richardson that elevated the restaurant into icon status.
“We’ve had such icons in this venue,” says Johnny, who credits his team as the driving force behind Gerard’s 14-year innings. “The chefs, the front-of-house staff and the somms that have worked in the venue brought so much to it, and so many have gone on to bigger and better things.”
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When asked if the sale had stirred up any emotions, Johnny was frank. The past 14 years have seen the restaurant run the gamut of hospitality highs and lows, from national acclaim to the lean years of the pandemic. Though Johnny says there was a sense of sadness around the sale, the melancholy was tinged with excitement about the future – both his own and that of Brisbane’s dining scene.
“It’s bittersweet,” Johnny admits. “But sometimes you can only give so much time to a venue and a brand. I’m definitely looking forward to the break and a chance to reset. Whether I come back to hospitality or not, I’m a little bit unsure at this point.
“Brisbane is such an exciting place – I can’t wait to see how it develops over the next few years.”
While Gerard’s legacy is reflected in its influence on Brisbane’s dining scene and the careers it helped shape, Johnny says the restaurant’s greatest achievement has been the community that formed around it. In the days since announcing the closure, Johnny has been overwhelmed by messages from longtime patrons, many of whom have shared memories of milestone celebrations, weekly dinners and chance encounters that took place around Gerard’s tables.
“The support we’ve had over the years and the following we’ve built is just phenomenal – we never expected it,” says Johnny. “That kind of beautiful sadness that people have for the end of Gerard’s … it’s nice to have that.”
Bookings for Gerard’s final weeks of trade are still available. Be sure to read our profile on the restaurant from 2024 here.
In other news, here’s what’s happening in Brisbane’s food scene this week …
CUBIC Coffee
One of the inner-city’s best coffee spots has expanded its footprint. CUBIC Coffee softly opened a brand-new location on Edward Street this week, located across the road from Golden Avenue and next door to soon-to-open steakhouse San Telmo. The brainchild of Richard Barthes, CUBIC’s Edward Street site joins the concept’s preexisting George Street location, with both outposts delivering a top-tier coffee program. CUBIC Edward Street is equipped with four free-pour batch taps, which serve rotating single-origin batch brews, oat matcha on tap, fruit-forward cold brews topped with dairy-free cold foams and other seasonal drinks. While CUBIC Edward Street follows the same coffee-centric philosophy as its sibling, Richard is expanding his new cafe’s offering with a bigger focus on baking. Richard’s wife and business partner Akiko has developed a new pastry element for the locale, with an in-house offering encompassing house-made shokupan-style brioche, canneles, financiers, cookies and other baked goods produced fresh throughout the day. We’ll be taking a closer look at CUBIC soon – stay tuned for more.
The Calile Hotel
James Street’s iconic centrepiece, The Calile Hotel, has just announced the appointment of Raul Hinkson as its executive chef, with the seasoned hospitality figure taking the reins of the award-winning hotel’s culinary operations. Boasting more than three decades of experience spanning Michelin-starred restaurants, large-scale hospitality groups and multi-venue operations, Raul will oversee all food offerings across the property, including the Lobby Bar, bakery, in-room dining, conferencing and events. Drawing on his extensive knowledge of Queensland produce and seasonal ingredients, Hinkson plans to further evolve The Calile’s culinary identity through a produce-driven approach that emphasises clean and confident flavours, close relationships with local growers and producers, and greater utilisation of ingredients sourced from the hotel’s rooftop kitchen garden.
Ilo Bakehouse
Daniel Bowles, the operator behind Sister, Butter Cafe and Alby’s, is bringing a new concept to Wynnum this August, teaming up with longtime Sister manager-turned-pastry chef Tram Phan to transform the former Island View Cafe into Ilo Bakehouse, a Scandi-inspired coffee and pastry destination on the esplanade. Named after the Finnish word for “joy”, Ilo reflects Tram’s desire to create a community-focused neighbourhood hub, with a flexible offering centred on specialty coffee from Single O, pastries including croissants and kouign amanns, seasonal focaccia, sandwiches and rotating baked goods. The venue’s minimalist fit-out will feature warm clay and cream tones, timber and stainless-steel accents, with seating spread across the interior, courtyard and footpath. Daniel and Tram hope Ilo Bakehouse will become a staple of Wynnum’s growing bayside community, serving as an easy stop for locals and visitors looking to grab a coffee and something delicious before enjoying the waterfront. Click here for more info.
If you’ve heard something that’s worth mentioning in The Weekend Edition’s Pavement Whispers, email [email protected].
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