Channelling a bygone glamour, Blackbird is a dazzlingly opulent space with velvet banquettes, metallic wallpaper and glamorous dining areas, most with expansive views of the Brisbane River.

Since opening in 2014 in the Riverside Centre, it has billed itself as a carnivore’s heaven – there are 11 choices of beef, including a massive 1.5-2kg Mayura Station full blood. It also excels at seafood, with impressive shellfish platters, comprising oysters, prawns, bugs and scallops, for one to six people. Yellowtail kingfish sashimi is luscious, cloaked with thinly sliced pickled daikon and dotted with black sesame and yuzu.

Neatly sliced marbled wagyu rump cap comes with coleslaw and tangy mustard (as do all the beef dishes from the Infierno 96 wood-wired grill), with sides including roasted carrots glazed in ginger beer and griddled sweet corn cake with salted ricotta. A mighty dish is the Brisbane Valley quail, boned and stuffed with bacon and marjoram, and paired with candied Brussels sprouts, and a sweet potato and miso mash.

Desserts are equally inventive, with an apple galette prettily offset by pumpkin ice cream and pepita praline. The presentation is artful and the produce exceptional. Service maintains the high standards as does the wine list, which changes with the  seasonality of the menu.

Must-eat dish: Brisbane Valley quail