The Five Dishes You Need To Order at Naldham House

Here, head chefs Fabian Hafner and Paul Humbert – originally from Switzerland and France, respectively – bring a traditional European sensibility to local produce, creating a refined brasserie menu that balances classic technique with Queensland ingredients.

Broadsheet and NAB have teamed up for Bookings With Benefits, a dining program that gives diners $50 off the bill when they spend $250 or more on their NAB credit or debit card at selected venues across the country, including Naldham House. Ahead, Hafner and Humbert share five dishes that best showcase the menu.

Beef tartare

A true brasserie staple, Naldham’s beef tartare begins with finely diced Westholme Wagyu eye fillet beef, layered with bright, punchy flavours.

“It’s seasoned with fresh shallots, fresh chives, dijon mustard that we import from France, and finished with olive oil and flaked salt, capers and cornichon,” says Humbert.

The final flourish is a crisp topping of matchstick potatoes dusted with a zingy vinegar powder that cuts through the richness of the beef.

“Matchstick potatoes are smaller than a shoestring – probably like two or three millimetres thick – and just deep-fried at two different temperatures and we season it with a salt and vinegar powder,” Humbert says.

Vitello tonnato

Vitello tonnato is another classic European starter – although very much Italian, rather than French. It arrives with a thinly sliced eye round veal paired with a silky tuna mayonnaise made using premium Olasagasti tuna from Spain.

“The veal just gets sealed off with salt and pepper, and then we slow-cook it with olive oil and thyme in the oven for like two hours,” says Hafner. “Once it’s cooled down, we slice it very thin. We add the tuna sauce with it, and then we have capers that are deep-fried and then a little bit dehydrated, so they stay crispy. On top we have pickled a shallot with red wine vinegar to add a bit of acidity and break the fat up from the mayonnaise.”

Pithivier

A traditional French pie, pithivier is defined by its golden, flaky pastry and rich filling. Here, the chefs take inspiration from beef bourguignon, using Queensland Westholme Wagyu beef cheek.

“We take the beef cheek, pan-sear it and then braise overnight with a red wine jus, beef stock and a mirepoix,” says Humbert. “The next day we strain the liquid, reduce it with more red wine jus and some mushrooms, and we break down the beef cheek by hand. We mix together the sauce and the beef cheek, and then we mould it, let it sit in the fridge to set, and we build the pithivier with the puff pastry and finish in the oven with egg wash on top.”

Chicken ballotine

For their take on ballotine, Humbert and Hafner debone a whole chicken leg before stuffing, rolling and cooking it with spiced jus and white bean puree.

“For the chicken, we take chicken Maryland, we debone it, we brine it overnight in a two per cent salt brine, so it takes a bit water of in and flavour, and then we make a chicken farce out of chicken leg and chicken breast, port wine, chives, parsley, and thyme,” says Hafner. “We roll it in its own skin, and then it gets sous-vide for one and a half hours.”

To serve, the roasted chicken ballotine gets plated with the white bean puree and a jus of chicken stock, sherry vinegar, honey and the North African spice, ras el hanout.

Tarte tatin

According to Humbert, tarte tatin was born from a happy accident – an upside-down tart that became one of France’s most enduring desserts. Whatever its origins, it’s a fitting way to finish a meal at Naldham House.

“It’s caramelised apples with a bit of sugar, butter and lemon juice, and then on top of that puff pastry, baked in the oven,” says Humbert. “On top we finish it with a cardamom crumble, because cardamom goes very well with apple, and mascarpone Chantilly as well.”

The Broadsheet Dining Program Special Offer of a $50 discount when you spend $250 or more is available when you dine at a Participating Restaurant between 13 January 2026 and 16 December 2026. To be eligible for the Discount Offer, you must make a booking via the NAB Exclusive Booking Link for the Participating Restaurant which is found on the Broadsheet Booking Page and spend a minimum of $250 on your NAB credit card. Between 2 June 2026 and 16 December 2026, the Discount Offer will also be available on NAB debit card payments at select venues. The Discount Offer will apply at the Restaurant when you pay the final bill amount including GST and service fees and charges (if any) with your NAB credit card (includes a digital NAB credit card) or NAB debit card (includes a digital NAB debit card) at select venues. The Discount Offer is only valid once per booking and will not apply to any split bills and cannot be used in conjunction with any other offers. For the full Terms and Conditions of this Offer, please click here.

This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with NAB.