On Wednesday 4 October, Australia’s first vertical restaurant Vertigo opened – and this restaurant reviewer was among its first ten diners. Hovering beyond the edge of the roof of the 100-year-old structure that’s home to Brisbane Powerhouse, Vertigo sees diners take a seat 17 metres above the cold, hard ground below. And, there’s an option to jump (harnessed) from the building at your meal’s end. 

I’ve dined at many rooftop venues, in a small aircraft, inside a ferris wheel on top of a tall building in Osaka, and at clifftop restaurants. And yet, being suspended in an open space on a small, wooden seat while wearing a harness – using a cutlery that’s tethered to the table – was unlike anything I’ve experienced before.

I’ll admit it: I have a relentless fear of heights. I’d go as far as to say I’m allergic to heights. They have the power to give me full-body shakes and to break out in a sweat. As a relatively short person, I’m happy to remain at my usual 158 cm from the ground. And on this particularly windy evening in Brisbane, boldly clambering out onto my petite table setting – before having to swing my body around, my legs dangling in the open air – I’m not ashamed to tell you my palms were sweating profusely. So profusely I feared I might slip. It took a full half hour before I could bring myself to look down over the action of the Night Feast markets below and release my white-knuckled grip from the building’s edge. Luckily, you’re buckled up by professionals before you make the climb.

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Fortunately, the Vertigo team is accustomed to helping people overcome such fears. As Brisbane’s Riverlife creator and the co-founder of Vertigo John Sharpe tells me, he’s encouraged people far more fearful than I to fling themselves, tethered, from great heights or abseil down the Kangaroo Point Cliffs. He tells me I need to trust in the system. (The system being my harness and his cleverly designed restaurant.) And so, for me, this dinner was one-part immersion therapy and one-part fulfilling my duty as a restaurant reviewer. You’re welcome. 

‘But what about the food?’ I hear you wonder. Developed by the chefs at Brisbane Powerhouse’s Bar Alto, the locally sourced fare provided a welcome distraction from the gap between my feet and the concrete. Once I’d mustered the courage to allow both of my hands to release their grip from the table and pick up my cutlery, I enjoyed an entree of creamy burrata with tomatoes, a toothsome gnocchi served in a flavourful mushroom-based broth alongside a side of sourdough, and ended the night’s repast with a mousse-like chocolate cake served with a hazelnut cookie. I’m pleased to report not a single cup nor plate was dropped despite my slippery palms, which feels like an accomplishment in this particular setting.

For those interested in taking on this extreme dining challenge and think they might help themselves to some Dutch courage before ascending, please note that guests are breathalysed before their meals. You are, however, welcome to enjoy a glass of beer or wine when you’re seated at your table – again, a welcomed distraction. 

The highlight? An inimitable and completely interrupted view of the sun setting behind Brisbane city. My fellow diners and I watched boats glide over the city’s namesake river to one side of our tables, and, to the other, the jacarandas in bloom across New Farm. And, underfoot, the action of the Night Feast marketplace. Did John convince me to take a leap off the jumping platform at the end? Absolutely not. 

For more information, or to make a booking, visit vertigobrisbane.com.au.

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