Does Brisbane need another steak restaurant? From slick establishments like SK Steak & Oyster, The Lex, Rothwell’s Bar & Grill and Walter’s to upscale pubs like The Norman Hotel and Breakfast Creek Hotel, you don’t need to travel far to find a good steak in this city.

Now comes Italian steakhouse Establishment 203, set to debut in Fortitude Valley on November 28. The restaurant – one of the most hotly anticipated of the year – is owned by family-run Queensland beef producer, Stanbroke. It’s led by executive chef (and original Surfing the Menu co-host) Ben O’Donoghue, who recently sold his popular Billykart Kitchen and Billykart West End diners.

“It was great timing,” O’Donoghue tells Broadsheet. “I really liked the idea of getting involved with a company like Stanbroke, and [having] the opportunity to build something from the ground up.”

Save 20% when you buy two or more Broadsheet books. Order now to make sure they arrive in time for Christmas.

SHOP NOW

The Stanbroke partnership is what sets Establishment 203 apart from the crowd. Stanbroke is vertically integrated, handling the beef production process from farm to factory, so having its own restaurant to serve the beef it raises is “the icing on the cake”, according to O’Donoghue.

There are 11 cuts of steak on offer, including four on the bone – like a 1.1-kilogram dry-aged tomahawk, a 1.2-kilo bistecca alla fiorentina and a 600-gram eye fillet boasting a marble score of 10. Off-the-bone choices include Angus rib eye, Wagyu flat iron and pure Wagyu sirloin.

Elsewhere on the menu you’ll find entrees like ‘nduja-stuffed olives and marinated woodfired peppers with anchovy alla piemontese, and a number of handmade-pasta dishes, including Wagyu-sirloin bolognaise with tonnarelli, pici al pomodoro and spaghetti alle vongole. Main courses range from a rib-fillet cotoletta to quail saltimbocca with grilled radicchio, and grilled lobster with lemon and garlic butter.

The impressive open kitchen will house a Mibrasa parilla grill imported from Spain, and a state-of-the-art induction cooking suite. “The kitchen is pretty high tech,” O’Donoughue says. “The [induction suite] came on a ship from Germany, and they had to build the kitchen and restaurant around it.”

The wine list, naturally, steers towards Italy, but there are plenty of Australian drops too. Bar staff will be mixing a list of classic cocktails, including several with a more modern twist – like the Pink Americano, Truffle Negroni and Caprese Martini. There’s also a unique take on a Bloody Mary, called the Bloody Bull, featuring vodka, beef stock, tomato ragu, Tabasco, spices and a celery cracker.

Interior designer Tamsin Johnson – known for her work on Byron Bay’s Raes on Wategos, Sir the Label on James Street and Her Rooftop in Melbourne – consulted on the fit-out. With patterned floors, luxe strawberry booth seating and bright flower arrangements, the space doesn’t shy away from colour.

Establishment will open at 6 Marshall Street, Fortitude Valley, on November 28. Bookings are open now.

Establishment 203
6 Marshall Street, Fortitude Valley
No Phone

Hours:
Tue 5pm–late
Wed to Sat 12pm–late
Sun & Mon closed

establishment203.com
@establishment203