The Balfour Kitchen

The Balfour Kitchen, the exclusive in-house restaurant of Spicers on Balfour boutique hotel in New Farm, is possibly Brisbane's most unique and charming dining experience.

Since this review the chef has changed and the menu is now Vietnamese-flavoured from head chef Nick Stapleton. 

Housed in a renovated Queenslander in a leafy side street, the Balfour Kitchen's dining area is spread across a cosy main room, wraparound verandah of white clothed tables and frangipani-shaded courtyard and is open to the public (as well as guests) for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

In true Spicers style, the menu from French-trained chef Peter Van Lunn, is a class act, with breakfast dishes ranging from Quinoa flaked almond muesli or Aged Parmesan and Mozzarella Toasted Sandwich with roasted pecan butter to Dukkah Fried Haloumi with smash roast aubergine to Chorizo tomato baked beans with poached egg or the Big Breakfast.Coffee is excellent and is sourced from a local boutique roastery, while the range of teas are from T2.

Lunch and dinner menus both take diners on a voyage across the Indian ocean with exquisite Indo Pacific and Indian inspired flavours making their way into Small Plates like Hervey Bay scallops with spiced cauliflower puree, buttermilk cakes and fennel pepper pork crackling, Poached Chicken Pancakes with pineapple, coriander, bean sprouts and peanut sauce or Betel Leaves topped with shredded duck, ginger shiitakes, pink grapefruit and fried shallots.

Large plates are equally delectable, with choices such as Lamb Fillet, spinach and coriander puree, mint labna and sweet potato chips, Wild Barra with steamed broccoli and spicy vindaloo sauce and Black Angus Beef Tenderloin with crushed kipflers and Massaman style curry.

Meantime desserts are must try and include Valrhona Chocolate marquise, dried chocolate crumble and red berry cream with chilli sugar and Sheep Milk Pannacotta with cardamom caramel and mandarin sorbet.

Need to know: Diners who are not house guests are also welcome to enjoy a pre or post-dinner drink at the exclusive rooftop balcony bar upstairs. Monday night at Balfours Kitchen is BYO night, while the rest of the week the restaurant is fully licensed.

Lower 3 food images courtesy of The Balfour Kitchen