Over the past few years when discussing where to dine in Brisbane, one restaurant name has consistently been recommended as the number one spot to dine.

It’s a dining institution in the city, one which hasn’t faltered since its initial opening over a decade ago. The restaurant? Gerard’s. 

The Gerard’s legacy of brilliant hospitality and even better dining – of original Levantine-inspired cuisine – is known throughout the city, with the restaurant seeing success since it first opened in Fortitude Valley in 2013. This year, after a five-month renovation, the restaurant reopened in the same location with a new executive chef at the helm, and entirely new interiors by Brisbane-based J.AR OFFICE. 

J.AR OFFICE, led by founder and principal architectural designer Jared Webb whom gained experience working for almost ten years with acclaimed architectural office Richards & Spence, drew inspiration from the temples of Baalbek in Lebanon – not far from Gerard owner’s The Moubarak brothers’ hometown.

Conceptually it is an ode to the resilience of the Roman ruins standing the test of time since the Phoenician period, much like the Gerard’s ongoing legacy of great dining. It’s a testament to the restaurant which has remained a mainstay in the dining scene in the city despite the overall challenges in the Australian hospitality scene.

Naturally-toned rammed earth being one of the main features, the restaurant feels warm yet sleek and sophisticated with notes of steel and white fabric amongst the overall interior design. 

Recently dining at Gerard’s, we noted that the best talent in town is drawn to work there, with service and knowledge of restaurant details at top-level standards – again highlighting why Gerard’s has remained of the best restaurants in the city for so long, beloved not only by locals but those that visit for the first time.

The re-opening this year saw culinary creative Jimmy Richardson join the team as Executive Chef.

Co-owner of Gerard’s, Johnny Moubarak, admitted that it took quite some time to find the best chef for the job, with the Scottish chef winning The Moubarak’s over with his creative and progressive cuisine. Continuing the Gerard’s legacy of Levantine-inspired cuisine, celebrating the flavours and aromas from the region, Richardson has reinvented dishes with sustainably-sourced produce from the Brisbane and QLD region. The authentic, wholesome Gerard’s touch remains, with a blend of tradition and innovation.

Bursts of single or multiple colour ways delightfully surprise when each dish is presented, with Richardson cleverly combining the best produce for both outstanding taste and visual pleasure. Richardson has access to some of the best producers in Queensland and the NSW border, very easily recognised in the ‘Green Palestinian farmers salad’ made from multiple salads and crisp, yellow tomatoes. Producers and their fares such as Ben McCulloch bass grouper ‘mujadara’ and Game Farm spatchcock are also found on the menu. Still, dishes reflect the Levant region, such as the ‘Carob pastry cream, bee pollen meringue, shiraz caramel’ desert made from carob and not cocoa which doesn’t grow in the Middle East. We absolutely loved the handmade ‘Camp fire mastic marshmallow, isot sherbet, chocolate ganache’ served with its own hot coals on an iron pan to roast the marshmallows ourselves. 

The wine list is equally as impressive, highlighting brilliant Australian wine producers alongside European choices. Our choice? Domaine des Tourelles ‘Bekaa Red 2021’ made from a Cab-Sauvignon, Syrah, Cinsault and Carignan blend, available by the glass. Made in Lebanon, the light red wine is a perfect pairing to any of the dishes on the menu. 

Naturally-toned ceramic tableware presents Richardson’s dishes bursting with colour. Johnny Moubarak took a chance on emerging potter Sally Kerkin (whom had lived in New York working in fashion and returned back to Brisbane to establish her pottery practice) commissioning her to design and create all of the tableware for the restaurant. 

It’s no small feat. With multiple tableware options, they were all handcrafted in Brisbane by Sally herself, and the pairing of her designs in neutral clay with Richardson’s naturally-colourful dishes couldn’t be more perfect.

Indeed, all of the design details at the restaurant are worth nothing, each curated and carefully considered by The Moubarak’s. 

Their expertise in hospitality, the finest producers in the area, and natural skill for selecting talent and collaborators is what makes their recipe for success so revered. With their new renovation breathing new life into the dining destination, it makes us wonder if all the famed Temples of Baalbek needs is a restoration itself. Either way, strong foundations remain at both. 

With the Roman architecture ruins inspiring J.AR OFFICE’s revamp, the texture-driven interior design is an ideal match for indoor and outdoor dining especially enjoyed in the tropical Queensland climate. Webb’s studio is already contributing to the city’s landscape, with Gerard’s being the studio’s first hospitality project for the studio. 

We spoke to Webb to find out more about his curation of artisans and overall interior design for Gerard’s, making it one of the best places to dine in Brisbane city. 

Please tell us about how your collaboration with Gerard’s began and what the process of development for the new interiors entailed. Is this your studio’s first interior design project for hospitality?

After frequenting the venue for 11 years, it was a great honour to be asked to forge the restaurant’s redesign and subsequent rebirth. What seemed initially a daunting task evolved into a rewarding creative partnership between The Moubarak’s and ourselves. This is the practice’s first hospitality project.

With inspiration taken from the impressive Roman architectural temple ruins in Baalbek, close to Gerard’s owners’ hometown in Lebanon, could you tell us more about the hidden details or concepts we might not see or know about in the interior design?

From the outset, we were determined to indirectly reference the restaurant’s origins. Avoiding a typically themed approach.

Our main concept for Gerard’s is built upon resistance to the short-lived trend and a deep commitment to custom, ceremony and persistence – something not easily spotted during your first few visits. The concrete bar is conceived as an altar, located centrally in the dining room, removed of typical back bar trimmings. The raked ceiling is intentionally designed to reference a tomb-like volume, creating a unique ambience. High-level light boxes mimic a shaft of light, punctuating the space from the surface above, offering a dramatic effect to the overall design. The planting (ponytail palm) was selected for its ability to self-propagate and is known for growing in the cracks of desert rubble.

For the design, you transformed 40 tonnes of rammed earth into a sleek interior for the restaurant. Can you tell us about your choice to use rammed earth? Is it sourced locally? Did you add anything more to the natural tone of the sand/blend?

Rammed earth was chosen for its heft and ruin-like presence. The deep tone of the rammed earth evolved from the local red clay found in Brisbane, this was further darkened with a deep brown oxide. Oversized gravel and concrete rubble from the demolition of the previous fit out was used to champion the past and provide coarse imperfections to the rammed earth.

What considerations were taken into the seating for multi-hour dining? The layout in the restaurant like it is based around the rammed earth ‘Roman columns’. Could you tell us more about your approach about this part of the design brief?

We believe each visit to a restaurant should be a unique experience. Brisbane diners love to sit outside, so we decided to externalise the restaurant’s interior. By removing the previously fixed shopfront glazing and using external materials, the outdoor landscaped laneway and interior become one. 

The rammed earth walls strategically edit out intrusive signage and light pollution while providing intimacy for the diners internally. We wanted to casualise the dining approach while providing variety, whether sliding in without a booking to sit at the bar or hosting an intimate dinner for 7 in a private, dimly lit earth-lined room. Our favourite is the raised concrete kitchen table, wedged between the bar and pass — action-packed.  

The Moubarak’s worked with local designer Sally Kerkin on almost all of the tableware, can you tell us more about some of the local designers’ works you collaborated with or sourced for the interiors?

We worked on an exciting collaboration with Lauren Brincat, a Sydney textile artist. Brincat has produced a series of wall works that enclose the private dining room with a sheer tapestry inspired by traditional handcraft techniques. We also worked with Sharhil Maharaj, a local metal worker known for his metal manipulations. Maharaj painstakingly produced all of the custom-designed stainless wine buckets, shelving and furniture.

Gerard’s
14 / 15 James Street, Fortitude Valley
Brisbane, Queensland, 4006

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Text: Editor-in-Chief Monique Kawecki
Photography: David Chatfield©