Michael Lambie is known for his role in revolutionising the Melbourne dining scene in the mid ’90s. Along with his English counterparts Raymond Capaldi, Ian Curley, Donovan Cooke, Jeremy Strode and Paul Wilson affectionately known as the “Brit-pack”, they shaped an era of fine dining in Victoria’s capital. 

Most notable among Lambie’s top-tier tenures was St Kilda’s acclaimed Stokehouse, as well as Taxi Dining Room, which won Australian restaurant of the year in 2005.

After selling his last restaurant, Lucy Liu, just before the pandemic hit, and enduring two long years of Melbourne’s Covid-crushing hospitality scene, Lambie decided to follow his accountant’s advice and move to the Gold Coast.

With Queensland’s southern coast in the midst of a food revolution itself, Lambie wanted in and has just opened pan-Asian eatery Rubi Red Kitchen and Bar at Nobbys Beach.

Taking over the site once home to acclaimed Greek restaurant Hellenika (which is now at Brisbane’s Calile Hotel), Rubi Red is subtle in its visual nods to the Orient, with shades of light and dark magenta, booth seating and stools downstairs. Meanwhile, upstairs on the rooftop bar level, high tables and chairs sit under a retractable roof positioned to overlook the Gold Coast Hinterland.

There’s also a function space upstairs for large groups and footpath dining downstairs. We sit downstairs under a blaring speaker pumping an odd mix of ’90s bangers seemingly out of character with the venue.

Lambie has brought some of his greatest hits dishes over the decades to Rubi Red as part of a share-style offering that moves from small bites like salt and pepper chicken ribs, to dumplings and buns, then smallish plates like green papaya salad and roasted miso pumpkin, to larger plates, including a whole fish and his famed Korean-style crispy pork hock.

The chef’s kingfish sashimi ($23) – a dish he made famous at Melbourne’s beloved The Smith – makes an appearance here with its thickly cut fillets met with sweet pools of coconut cream, shredded toasted coconut, lime segments and a bright, super acidic nam jim dressing of sorts.

It’s a fine match to Lambie’s equally famous coconut-infused mojito that stars on the cocktail list alongside a line-up of other Asian-leaning, signature shake-ups. There’s also a generous selection of local and overseas beers to match the food, plus a keenly priced global wine list, championing plenty of great smaller producers.

Deep-fried Singapore-style crab dumplings ($16) are surprisingly bland compared to the classic dish they are based on, with the tender wok-seared calamari ($22) having more of the chilli kick you would expect from the former.

Stealing the show, however, is Lambie’s Sichuan duck ($35) – a plate that got tables talking at South Melbourne’s Lamaro’s. Dry-cured with a spice and salt rub, then steamed, and fried to order, its skin is rendered crispier than a perfect roast potato, while its flesh remains plump and moist. An almost honey-like tamarind sesame glaze is the ideal sweet-nutty dressing the spiced meat demands, with water chestnuts and citrus segments carefully positioned for refreshment.

In fact, some of that sesame-tamarind lacquer could be just what’s missing from the banana fritter dessert ($16), which sees a whole banana battered and deep fried until its exterior crunches and interior melts. A vanilla ice cream helps it slide down, but something sticky and toffee-like would perhaps take it up a notch.

The service team is still new and learning the menu, but their penchant to please outweighs any lapses in knowledge. Rubi Red is an attractive new addition to the Gold Coast and, as it settles in, will no doubt shine as brightly as the sun sets from that impressive rooftop.

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