In what was once a laundromat in an unassuming suburban shopping centre hides the most unlikely of restaurants – a tiny, 22-seat, pan-Asian chef’s experience. Diners gather in the darkness around a central bar and open kitchen as ’90s R ‘n’ B blasts over the speakers – the vibe somewhere between a cool city bar and a pumping nightclub. There are two set menus in play: a three-course option with a side ($75 each) and an elaborate eight-course banquet ($95), prepared by chefs within arm’s reach. Before the food, though, start with a drink. Asian-leaning signature cocktails are the standout here; while all wines – a predominantly Australian and French list – come by the glass, 240ml carafe and bottle. Then sit back and let the passionate and enthusiastic team put on a show. There are strong Vietnamese and Thai influences across the menu, with many of the dishes sweet like pork skewers with a sweet chilli sauce, or gnocchi-like tempura eggplant with a sugary chilli caramel. Surprisingly, perhaps the least saccharine of all is a dessert of soy sauce ice cream paired with a chilli and garlic biscuit crumb that makes for a refreshing climax to a playful experience. 12/44 Commerce Dr, Robina; eddyandwolff.com.au.

Old and new school hip hop pumps through the sound system like a nightclub; diners sing and dance along in their chairs, while the shadowy image of Batman looks down from walls lined with superhero murals. Welcome to 1st Edition in Fortitude Valley. The work of comic-loving mates Marc Grey and Steve Maiden, this tiny 22-seater bar-restaurant is all about fun, with diners perched on stools along an L-shaped counter laminated with cartoon strips, as kitchen staff plate up dishes and bartenders shake drinks within arm’s reach. Although pretentiousness isn’t part of the package, the blokes clearly take their crafts seriously, with Grey behind a cracking cocktail menu that offers signatures and spins on classics worthy of a superhero; while Maiden combines his love for Mexican and Asian fare with French technique to create a share-style menu that’s approachable yet out of the ordinary. Think steamed spanner crab in a jalapeno-laced cucumber emulsion ready to be scooped up with artichoke chips; or a red duck curry fired up with birds eye chillies and jalapenos producing a heat that creeps up on you like Spider-Man. 1st Edition is a restaurant delivering equal parts fun, flavour and frivolity. 356 Brunswick St, Fortitude Valley; 1steditionbar.com.

From the family behind renowned defunct Hampton bistro, Emeraude, comes its grown-up, more sophisticated cousin Myrtille, in nearby Crows Nest, 40 minutes outside Toowoomba. Soaring barn-like ceilings hover overhead, while cobalt blue brick walls and an enormous floral mural help close in the sprawling space and add a level of cosiness. Warming things up even further are the welcoming, passionate and professional staff, who explain the generous ever-changing menu, which moves from share-style snacks through to entrees and mains that continue matriarch Amanda Hinds’ ethos of showcasing the best of local produce. Bowls of puffed salt and pepper chicken skin crackling hit tables, devoured with the restaurant’s own gin made by Pechey Distilling Co, just down the road. Meanwhile a signature cocktail of blueberry syrup, cassis and prosecco makes for a delicious foil to the tasty pair of Mooloolaba whiting sliders with finger-licking tartare sauce. Entrees may run from chicken soup to slow-cooked snails; while mains could be fish and chips, Moroccan hogget pie or a twice-baked gruyere souffle topped with scallops that is every bit as good as it sounds. It’s a venue overflowing with country charm and hospitality and it’s easy to see why diners are making the trek to Myrtille. 1 Thallon St, Crows Nest; myrtille.com.au.

Opening during the pandemic along Sunshine Beach’s popular Duke St, this intimate 14-seater is a restaurant with swagger as confident and bold as the lairy, multi-coloured mural that brightens the walls. Owned by couple Stacey Conner and Jade Tareha, Conner is in the kitchen turning out a unique share-style set menu influenced by her time working around the world, particularly in Dubai. For a set price, guests are treated to a range of snacks, say, sumac-sprinkled baba ganoush with all the smoky delight of a winter fire, ready to be scooped up with thick and thinly cut toasted Turkish bread; or perhaps the Middle Eastern version of crudités with the freshest of local veg, served alongside chunks of feta and herbs. It’s then time to select a larger plate, with the option to add on more snacks, sides and dessert, or simply opt for the “Chef’s feed me” menu where Conner shares all her favourite dishes from the ever-changing, always seasonal menu, including some not-to-be missed wagyu fat potatoes. Meanwhile, Tareha runs the floor, attending to diners as only an owner-operator can with her passion so infectious for Australian and New Zealand wine and cocktails made with local spirits that patrons will want to leave the car at home. Shop 4/48-54 Duke St, Sunshine Beach; humbleonduke.com.au.

This new 20-seat restaurant in Boonah, an hours’ drive from Brisbane in the Scenic Rim, has caused a sensation since opening late last year. In a former dental surgery, with pressed-metal walls and ceiling, Brisbane-born chef Jack Stuart, who worked in the UK before three years as head chef at Melbourne’s Congress Wine, returned home to South Brisbane’s Gauge for a year before heading for the hills to craft a menu from local produce including from his aunt’s garden up the road. The set, multi-course menu is $95pp, with a few add-on options. Menus change but might include a starter of iced consommé of tomato and lemon verbena with just-picked basil leaves. Each dish reveals skill and a serious intent with stunning, intensely distilled flavours. Chunks of smoky zucchini, and spelt cannoli filled with savoury custard and showered with Towri Sheep Cheese’s pecorino are noteworthy. Stuart and his kitchen offsiders deliver and explain courses, with a cheerful staffer taking drinks from a two-page, global list. Other dishes may include kingfish pastrami over a mound of devilled eggs, sangas filled with black garlic and mutton or rainbow trout topped with buttery sauce speckled with magical pops of finger lime, roe and pearl tapioca. A tart yoghurt ganache crowned with strawberry slices and pistachio, surrounding a drift of apple-flavoured ice may conclude a wonderful experience. Worth the drive. 5 Church St, Boonah; blumerestaurant.com.au.

Those in the know slide open a large black door – marked ‘Rogue’ in gold lettering – to reveal a clandestine dining space veiled within an industrial corner of Newstead. Beyond its subtle entrance, a low-lit restaurant presents an evolving degustation affair – alongside adapted dietary multi-course menus – revealing welcomed surprises in each of the artfully adorned dishes. An attentive staff brings the month’s offering to the stage, opening with a dollop of remarkable whipped, smoked butter served with sourdough baguette, the meal enthralling from its first notes. A quartet of starters may feature a flavoursome black garlic waffle topped with spiced avocado and fish roe, trailed by a yuzo kosho prawn cocktail with edible succulents. To follow, it’s an umami-rich, honey-miso glazed pork belly. Next in line, a potato leek gratin is served with a wild venison striploin. Sweet-toothed diners will appreciate the inclusion of two show-stealing desserts. The first, a refreshing strawberry gum granita with a scoop of matcha and coconut gelato serves as an intermission palate-cleanser. The finale? A petite but mighty sticky date financier delights with butterscotch foam, candied chocolate, and aniseed-myrtle gelato. As this restaurant’s name indicates, Rogue is doing things differently; its willingness to experiment delivering memorable and delicious outcomes. 14 Austin St, Newstead; roguebistro.com.

This cosy, 16-seat, Italian-inspired eatery in Mermaid Beach confidently pushes the definition of “moody lighting”, with the room so dimly lit it could be a nightclub. But that’s part of the venue’s rustic, inn-style charm, with guests losing track of where they are and fully immersing themselves in the experience. And here the experience is a three-course set menu ($79), with guests to choose three dishes per person from four sections: antipasti, primo, secondi and dolci. Charming waitstaff will suggest opting for the bigger primi and secondi as part of the three courses to ensure maximum value for money, while they’re also obliging with wine recommendations from the two-page list, heavy with well-suited Italian drops. Begin with the “Ortiz anchovies, garlic bread” – a surprise standout, featuring two of the umami-rich fish reclining across a golden, spherical bread roll – its core soaked in a garlicky butter. Just as good is the prawn ravioli bathing in a creamy, tangy buttermilk sauce. While co-owner and front-of-house guru Thea tag teams with her chef-husband Brad in the kitchen to crank out a cracking sticky date pudding with a caramel brandy sauce that will have diners making their next booking as they walk out the door. 2460 Gold Coast Hwy, Mermaid Beach; piatto.restaurant.

An aromatic homage to wood, smoke and flame, The Arsonist offers much more than barbecued meats. An inviting, low-lit neighbourhood restaurant that serves as an antidote to its neighbouring sea-themed restaurants, The Arsonist is playing with fire – and the results are captivating. Knowledgeable waitstaff speak warmly of the restaurant’s dishes, many of which harness the transformative power of smoking, charring and coal roasting. And yet, the menu here strikes a satisfyingly delicate balance (this is not your average barbecue fare). Firing up appetites, Hervey Bay scallops dressed in fermented chilli set the tone for an appetising meal ahead. Coal-roasted pumpkin sings on the plate, backed by a choir of smoked goats curd, salt bush, burnt sourdough, brown butter sauce and piquant slices of pickled pumpkin.From the large share menu, a heady yet refined smoked Stockyard brisket, ample for two, arrives flanked by locally caught king prawns, elevated by Chinese broccoli and XO barbecue sauce. An impressive drinks menu sees discerning drops – from effervescent pet nats to full-bodied reds – listed alongside cocktails featuring native ingredients (try the lemon myrtle cooler), and an extensive spirits selection centred on whisky. End the meal in a blaze of glory with the signature crème brulee with bitter orange biscotti. 457 Esplanade, Manly; thearsonist.com.au.

Smoke streams through the air as the still-smouldering plate is carried to the table. If it’s theatre you want with your dinner, order the flaming tamale at this uber-cool, laid-back taqueria inside West End’s historic Rialto Theatre. Rarely seen on menus around Queensland, this classic Mesoamerican dish features masa flour soaked in sumptuous pig fat, rendering it soft and sweet with bites of mole-kissed chicken wrapped in torched banana leaf. It’s a dish as tasty as it is histrionic, and the undisputed star of a super tight offering, ranging from just four tacos to tostadas with numerous accompaniments. Of the tacos, the lamb version, cooked over charcoal until compliant, is the pick, served on a soft, hand-pressed tortilla with salsa verde, jalapeno and meat juices that’ll run down your arm. Or for something lighter, try the crunchy, fried tostadas, with your choice of dip from a generous list. Exceptionally well-versed staff will take the hard work out of the decision- making process, while also delivering myriad details on the tequila and mezcal offering, from which a range of classic, fun and fruity Mexican-influenced cocktails are born. For a fiery experience that goes beyond just chilli, Mama Taco is full of spark. Shop 4/59 Hardgrave Rd, West End; mamatacobrisbane.com.

Clarence, new this year, is a 35-seat bistro settled into the bare red brick walls of an 1865-built shopfront, with polished floors, naked wooden tables and black ladder-backed chairs under a row of dangling light bulbs. It’s the creation of chef Ben McShane, whose CV runs to sous chef at Nineteen at The Star on the Gold Coast to Umu in London, and Franklin Heaney, whose experience includes front-of-house manager at Momofuku New York. The drinks list keeps it tight with a spritz and a negroni for cocktails, Felons lager, Balter XPA, nine Australian whites, six reds, and a couple of rosés. The clipped menu begins with starters such as green bean, white peach, almond and marjoram “salad”; squid with kohlrabi, bottarga and aioli; and an appealing deconstructed duck terrine with bean chutney and horseradish. There’s complimentary excellent house-made bread and butter, too. Main course options are inventive and might include Murray cod with asparagus and cranberry hibiscus sauce; crispy-skinned roast chicken with carrot, pine nut and nori; or venison with beetroot, cherry and white onion. Rhubarb meringue pie with yoghurt sorbet is a solid conclusion to a small enterprise with big dreams. 617 Stanley St, Woolloongabba; clarencerestaurant.com.