“Oh wow, it’s huge, and so much fancier than I thought,” says my dinner date as we walk into the sprawling, bustling Thai-fusion eatery Melrose in Bulimba.

Down what was once the quiet, river end of the eastside suburb’s popular Oxford St, this rooftop-bar-cum-restaurant is heaving with diners – even on a freezing winter’s evening.

The retractable roof is understandably closed for the night, but it’s easy to imagine it drenched in sunlight by day – the terracotta tiles, contemporary cane furniture and striking black beams adorned with ornate fans creating the ideal spot for afternoon cocktails.

Speaking of cocktails, the venue is split into two dining spaces: one with high tables and the bar, which shakes up a mix of signature Asian-inspired and classic alcoholic concoctions, while pouring food-friendly wines; the other half of the second-floor tenancy buzzes with the energy of an open kitchen and chefs working feverishly.

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Ex-Longrain Melbourne chef Arté Assavakavinvong is behind the share-style menu, which focuses predominantly on Thai cuisine, while making detours to China, Indonesia and even Japan.

Staff, though sometimes hard to flag down, are well-drilled on every element of each dish, passionately recommending favourites from the mix of small and large plates and curries.

To begin, Assavakavinvong’s version of the Thai favourite ma hor pork ($12 for two) is a standout – the sweet, sticky, chewy, salty, spicy mix of caramelised pork and prawn wrapped in wafer-thin sheets of pickled pumpkin carefully pleated like bite-sized dumplings on the plate.

Meanwhile, prawn betel leaves ($14 for two) explode with both flavour and juices in a sour, spicy mouthful. The khanom Tokyo crepes ($24 for two) are an up-market riff on a popular Thai street food, with this version like a savoury thin cannoli, the sweet, crisp cylindrical shell stuffed with curried spanner crab and crowned with globes of scampi caviar.

For those with an aversion to chilli, beware of the pork belly ($36). But for those who can handle the heat, the pig’s enviable crispy crackling, fired up by a fresh and intensely spicy green nahm jim, is worth the tongue-tingling discomfort.

Alternatively, head to the sweet side with battered cubes of deep-fried eggplant in a sticky black vinegar dressing that could substitute for an Asian version of gnocchi thanks to each morsel’s buttery soft centre.

A hat-trick of curries is also in play – the waitress steering us towards the gang hung lay ($42). A popular curry in Thailand’s north, it usually features pork belly but this version is more akin to a massaman, starring achingly tender beef cheek in a deep, garlicky gravy.

The twists keep coming with dessert – black rice not arriving as the popular pudding, but as a beautiful cake ($16) comprising layers of purple-hued crepes.

Melrose is a restaurant taking traditional Thai cuisines into the contemporary and with a fit-out designed to make the most of Brisbane’s weather, there are few better settings for it.

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