It can’t have been easy ensuring that Otto Brisbane lives up to the standards set by its acclaimed Sydney sister venue, but the guys at the new venture make it look like a breeze.

The sense of occasion begins before you even reach the front door. A soaring two-story glass-tiled rainforest mural forms a dramatic backdrop for the ascent to Otto’s fourth-floor atrium location within an impressive new office tower. The restaurant takes pride of place overlooking the river and Story Bridge, adjacent to the city’s only high-rise public green space, a beautiful, lush expanse of sub-tropical gardens.

Inside is a classy, clean, contemporary blonde wood fit-out, with wall-to-ceiling glass giving due prominence to those killer views. But all those hard surfaces are softened – both visually and acoustically – by flashes of magenta: it makes its first appearance along the bar at the restaurant’s entry, in the carpet in the semi-private dining space, and, most notably, in the spectacular felt light shades overhead. Doubling as fans, they spin and twirl, their mesmerising dance reminiscent of the skirts of ball gowns at some Alice in Wonderland-esque gala.

It’s day two of service, but you wouldn’t know it from the hive of calm, quiet activity in the open kitchen. Former Otto Sydney sous chef Will Cowper heads the Brisbane kitchen, and takes the time to chat to guests celebrating a birthday at a neighbouring table. The service entirely lives up to the warmth and assurance for which the Fink Group’s Sydney venues are renowned. Like its Sydney counterpart, the wine list celebrates a carefully curated collection of Italian and Australian wines, with former e’cco sommelier Alan Hunter taking charge of the cellar.

The contemporary menu adopts the same straightforward, assured approach as its southern sister. The menu starts out looking quite similar to Sydney’s, with Woodside goat’s curd and truffle honey sandwiched between crisp Sardinian flatbread, classic marinated olives and various salumi. But read on, and it’s clear that, overall, it has been thoughtfully reimagined for our warmer climes.

Snapper crudo from the primi piatti section of the menu is a case in point. The semi-sweet acidity of pink grapefruit segments and pomegranate seeds are in perfect partnership with the ribbons of raw, sweet snapper beneath. Finished with a scattering of red-vein sorrel, it’s as fresh, light and pretty as can be.

If spatchcock wrapped in pancetta with potato and rosemary sounds as if it may contradict the light-and-bright Queensland brief, think again. The potato accompanying the butterflied bird is wafer-thin; a collection of a dozen or so almost translucent crisps, melded in a flower-like formation, balance on top of the spatchcock. Juice from the char-grilled lemon balances the richness of the pancetta.

To finish, limone from the dolci menu is an exact duplicate from the Sydney menu, and the decision to send this one north sits very sweetly with us. Granita of any kind is the perfect antidote to the sub-tropics. Hidden within this savoury-sweet fennel version is creamy lemon custard and shards of golden, buttery crumble – a scoop of zingy lemon sorbet is its crowning glory.

Not only does it live up to the lofty expectations, Otto’s arrival serves as the final argument against those tiresome nay-sayers who deride the quality of the Brisbane restaurant scene.