Just In: Sydney Icon Nomad To Open in the Old Gerard’s Bistro Space

When Broadsheet spoke to Johnny Moubarak in June ahead of the closure of his much-loved Fortitude Valley restaurant Gerard’s Bistro, he already knew what was going into the space.

“I can’t say too much,” he said, “but they’re amazing. They have venues in other states. What I can say is, I can’t wait to go there. It’s my cup of tea, and I’m excited.”

This morning, it was revealed that the space had been taken over by the Edition Group (formerly Nomad Group), which operates Nomad in Sydney and Melbourne, as well as Melbourne venues Florentino, Reine and La Rue.

And while it may feel like a lot of interstate operators have been scurrying to plant a flag in Brisbane ahead of the Olympics, the Edition Group’s move has been anything but hurried.

“The first time I looked at [opening in Brisbane], I had a four-month-old strapped to me, and that child is now 10,” says group CEO and founder Rebecca Yazbek.

It all came down to finding the right space. Yazbek had visited Brisbane and Gerard’s regularly since Ben Williamson’s tenure as head chef, so when Moubarak approached them and let them know he was considering moving on from the space, things fell into place very quickly. In fact, the deal to have Nomad move in was agreed to in a single meeting.

“Johnny’s an incredible operator, and Gerard’s was a restaurant that we loved dearly for a long time. It opened around the same time that Nomad Sydney did, which we loved because we obviously believe in the food and the flavours and wood-fire and local produce. We’re hoping just [to be] that next iteration of an iconic dining site [and] I hope that we do that justice,” she says.

The team is working with Jared Webb (of JAR Office) who also led Gerard’s 2023 renovation on a new fit-out. The new space will retain the same rammed earth walls and highlight some original tiling. Together Webb and Yazbek, who has an architecture background, will create a space that feels wholly different to Nomad’s Sydney and Melbourne iterations, each of which have their own strong visual identity.

“If I was to describe Nomad to anyone, it’s a celebration of space, [and] a very ‘of-place’ restaurant. What the word ‘nomad’ evokes is the traveller transplanting themselves [into] a new environment, so Nomad will hopefully feel like a very Brisbane restaurant,” she says.

The menu is known for “big, bold flavours, cooked produce cooked over fire”. The team, which includes Nomad Melbourne head chef Jeremy Swann, will relocate to Brisbane for the opening period. They will create a menu which highlights Queensland produce, one that’s light, bright and with a whole lot of seafood.

Nomad favourites making the move north include a “Queensland version” of Nomad’s halva and olive oil ice-cream sandwich, and a directly transplanted spatchcock dish with toum and guindilla, “which has always been our bestseller”.

Nomad Brisbane will open at 14/15 James Street, Fortitude Valley in late spring.