Rogue is perhaps the antithesis of the mullet – party out front, business in the back.

While it’s buzzy, cafeteria-esque main dining room and relaxed outdoor areas – lit by fairy lights and paved with astro turf – may conjure backyard barbecues and Sunday sessions around the blow-up paddling pool, this modest eatery is a serious foodie affair.

Service is knowledgeable, well-paced and approachable, with staff happily suggesting food and drink pairings from the short, mostly familiar wine list, which sneaks in a few unexpected offerings to keep things interesting. While the value-focused, produce-driven menu takes familiar ingredients and flavour pairings and pimps them up with fun twists – barbecue pork with an apple pop tart anyone? Or perhaps you’d prefer the crowd favourite of salt and pepper squid reimagined with a coriander-spiked, bubbled crust and squirts of coconut aioli to add sweetness against a subtly spiced laksa oil?

While tables of two can share three mains and three sides for only $55 per person, including the likes of quartered spatchcock – tanned and crisp from pan-frying, and served with a golden potato hash, sweet corn puree and salty chicken rillettes cradled in onion petals.

Desserts also offer modern interpretations of classics such as the “red velvet” encompassing miniature silos of beetroot chocolate cake moistened by dots of raspberry puree, cream cheese semifreddo domes dusted with raspberry powder, and a quenelle of rave-worthy chocolate ganache.

Hidden in the industrial backstreets of Brisbane’s Newstead, Rogue lives up to its name, but is a destination restaurant worth seeking out.

Must-eat dish: Red velvet dessert
Instagram: @roguebistro