Knowhere @ Brisbane

A block away from the Brisbane CBD is a restaurant out of nowhere aptly named Knowhere. Now you know where to get some serious good eats in Brisbane.

Opened in Nov 2021 on the corner of Upper Edward Street and Astor Terrace in Spring Hill, Knowhere is a cafe, a bar and restaurant.

The gorgeous decor combines bright and bold botanical wallpapers with pops of pink neon and glittering chandeliers, with cowhide bar stools, green velvet banquette seating, and brass features including flamingos and a real-size motorcycle.

The delicious food menu that includes house-made, dry-aged, smoked and charcuterie meats was crafted by Chef Marty Coard. Chef Marty finished his apprenticeship just three years ago, training and working his way around some of Brisbane’s better known establishments such as George’s Paragon, Sirromet and most recently Baja Modern Mexican in Fortitude Valley.

Tassie Oyster

smoked vinegar, charred spring onion oil, finger lime     

I usually prefer shucked oysters au natural. But this dressed Tassie oyster was surprisingly good.

I was so taken aback when I slurped my first piece of oyster. The combination of the smoked vinegar and spring onion oil was so shiok! And the slightly acidic finger lime sacs provided bursts of freshness.

Confit duck croquettes

preserved lemon, smoked tomato aioli, saltbush   

The crumbed and fried croquettes were stuffed with strings of just slightly overcooked duck meat and diced potato, topped with a ridiculously good smoked tomato aioli and saltbush chimichurri.

The croquette was superb in terms of complexity of flavours and texture. The chef has left nothing to chance by making sure every one of the components can stand on its own.

Another simple starter was this shoestring fries seasoned with mushroom salt and paired with a spicy aioli. I felt that the fries were too salty, but I could not resist snacking on them.

Heirloom tomato salad

Jersey milk ricotta, zhug, charred grapes, shallots, served with bread

Ordered by a colleague, didn’t have a taste of this, but it looked delicious with the combination of autumn colours!

Wagyu burger and fries

Same for the burgers, as it was a best-seller for lunch.

250g Dry aged Rump, grass fed, aged 30 days

celeriac, chimichurri and pickled onions.

Rump is a very full-flavoured piece of meat that is excellent and versatile when roasted. Dry-ageing makes a really intense and flavourful steak. Cooked perfectly to medium rare, the juicy rump cut was delicious to the last bite.

A jus gras, at its heart, is a sauce made from the drippings from the roasting tray. Fat is the important ingredient here, which differentiate a restaurant piece of steak vs your home grill. A slaw made with celeriac and a remoulade made with chimichurri round up the plate.

Afterthoughts

Many of the familiar restaurants in Brisbane were closed permanently, but many have sprung up in their void opened by young and daring chefs. Knowhere was my surprise find in this trip to Australia, and I would be watching Chef Marty’s career with bated breath.

Knowhere, Spring Hill Restaurant & Bar
419 Upper Edward St, Spring Hill, Brisbane 4000
Tel : +61 (07) 3145 6784

Visited Oct 2022