Have you seen Shane Delia around town? Since the star Melbourne chef announced his plans to relocate to Queensland to open his first interstate restaurant, he’s been pounding the pavement trying to get a feel for Brisbane.

“I’ve been really trying to get an understanding of what the city is,” Delia tells Broadsheet. “I’ve been trying to get out of the city. I’ve been out to Sunnybank and Inala. I wanted to know where people live. You know, where are the migrants? Where are the markets? To understand what underpins the city … I’ve been eating, I’ve been talking to people, I’ve been sitting in food halls and markets and shopping strips and listening to conversations and not really spending much time at the top end [of town].”

Delia is one of a host of interstate chefs who have set their sights on the River City and been won over by the fresh produce and booming hospitality scene. He’s been overwhelmed by support from the local community (which he hopes will translate into bums in seats when Layla opens its doors this Friday) and has said he’s planning a Queensland expansion. “This is where we want to plant the rest of our seeds,” he says.

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For his first venue, Layla, Delia is pulling out all the stops. Located inside a heritage-listed section of the Thomas Dixon Centre, home of Queensland Ballet, Layla is accessed by a grand spiral staircase. Inside the 90-seat restaurant, a moody fit-out from Melbourne-based architecture firm Studio Y sees original exposed brick elements alongside blue velvet, walnut timber and blue terrazzo flooring. The dimly lit dining room leads out onto a sunny adjoining courtyard where 20 diners can enjoy the open air surrounded by greenery and beige umbrellas.

The menu features two banquet menus and a long list of à la carte options. Delia designed the menu himself but has tapped Brisbane local Simon Palmer (ex-Urbane, Gerard’s Bistro, E’cco Bistro) to lead the kitchen team.

“The biggest thing you’ll see is the introduction of flavours that are not prominent in my existing restaurants. The use of a lot of fresh ginger, [Makrut] lime, the use of fresh turmeric, coconut, and then [looking at] how we entwine that with things like ras el hanout and Persian lime and Aleppo pepper,” says Delia.

Snacks and small plates include king crab dressed in coriander and lime and served with charred pineapple; a signature flatbread that’s brushed in toum, dusted with fennel and served alongside smoky dips; and pistachio-crusted quail. Fresh fish features prominently, from arak-cured kingfish to a tuna crudo served with “burnt lime and pickled Turkish chilli dressing that was totally changed once we started adding things like cranberry hibiscus”.

Working to Queensland Ballet’s sustainability ethos means the whole kitchen had to be electric (a first for Delia) – so ingredients are either roasted or smoked in ovens or cooked over a hibachi. These techniques are on full display with mains like eight-hour slow-roasted lamb shoulder, coal-grilled swordfish T-bone with burnt orange and saffron, and roast duck with walnuts, pomegranate and fragrant herbs.

Desserts include a whipped knafeh with pinenut ice-cream and a watermelon and rosewater granita. A 150-bottle wine list has been designed by sommelier Darcy Curnow to match Brisbane’s subtropical climate.

Layla’s menu refuses to be pigeonholed. It’s been touted as an “unrestricted spice journey” which draws on influences from the Middle East to the “exotic subcontinent” and, while that might sound vague, to Delia its simple. He wants to create interesting, layered food and he’s drawing influences from all the countries who use spice best.

“It’s everything from Sri Lanka to India, Nepal,” says Delia. “Then you follow the spice route back into Iran, then into Turkey and back to the Middle East. [The focus behind Layla is] how do we bring together big flavours from either end of the spice trail and find harmony in the middle? That’s the journey we’re on and the first step starts on Friday.”

Layla opens on Friday March 28.

Layla
Corner of Montague Road and Raven Street, West End
(07) 3013 6644

Hours:
Mon closed
Tues & Wed 5.30pm–10.30pm
Thur to Sun 11.30am–10.30pm

[laylabrisbane.com.au/(https://laylabrisbane.com.au/)
@laylabrisbane