The Fifty Six
A beautiful Cantonese restaurant by DAP & Co atop the refurbished Naldham House.
The Fifty Six
Cantonese$$
The Fifty Six is DAP & Co’s (Walter’s Steakhouse, Popolo, The Gresham) beautiful Cantonese restaurant atop the refurbished Naldham House in Brisbane’s CBD. It’s defined by imposing velvet banquettes, turquoise glass table tops, and a line of spacious booths down one side of the space – a treatment that contrasts cleverly with the arched heritage windows, with their views across the surrounding trees, office towers and the river.
For food, chef Gerald Ong has split the menu into small bites and dim sum (Ong has brought dim sum master Ka Wai Kwok with him from Canberra); cold and hot entrees; and mains, roasts, vegetable dishes, and rice and noodles. Expect dishes such as Bangalow pork xiao long bao; Hong Kong-style Murray cod with fragrant soy, ginger and scallions; and claypot Queensland mudcrab with vermicelli, chicken fat and aged shaoxing.
For drinks, there’s a cocktail section that remixes the classics, and an extensive wine list – compiled by sommeliers Xiangyu Jie and Marcel Thomson – that’s stacked with drops that converse with the spice and flavour of Ong’s food.
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Matt Shea is Food and Culture Editor at Brisbane Times. He is a former editor and editor-at-large at Broadsheet Brisbane, and has written for Escape, Qantas Magazine, the Guardian, Jetstar Magazine and SilverKris, among many others.