Breaking news – Shane Delia reveals first details of his new Brisbane restaurant Layla
Late last year, word emerged that widely acclaimed chef and restaurateur Shane Delia was planning to open his first Brisbane restaurant at West End’s Thomas Dixon Centre. This week, the Melbourne-based hospitality figure has shared some tantalising info on the project, including its name and opening date. Layla will open to the public on Friday March 28 – expect a broadly Middle Eastern-inspired menu built on a foundation of phenomenal Queensland produce. Here’s what we know …
Ask any Melbourne-based foodie and they’ll tell you that a new Shane Delia restaurant is a big deal. The chef and restaurateur’s Delia Group is behind a string of highly praised concepts, including modern Middle Eastern fine-diner Maha and its wine-focussed offshoots Maha North and Maha East, as well as opulent cocktail bar Jayda. At the end of March, Shane will add Layla – his first Brisbane-based concept – to his portfolio.
Shane and Delia Group will be opening the restaurant on Friday March 28 inside the Thomas Dixon Centre – Queensland Ballet’s state-of-the-art performing arts precinct on Montague Road. The restaurateur will be working hand-in-hand with Queensland Ballet’s hospitality partner VenuesLive to transform the Thomas Dixon Centre into a vibrant dining and event destination, with Layla set to be the precinct’s crown-jewel eatery.
“It has always been a dream of mine to open a restaurant in Brisbane,” Shane said in a statement. “I’m super excited by the opportunity to contribute to the dining landscape here, taking guests through an unrestricted spice journey with Layla.”
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Though details on the menu are still being kept close to his chest, Shane reveals that Layla’s offering will have a ‘Middle Eastern overlay’, but will take inspiration from other parts of the world while also drawing upon a bounty of top-notch Queensland produce. Delia Group has appointed Simon Palmer (formerly of Black Hide by Gambaro, Urbane, Gerard’s Bistro and e’cco Bistro) as Layla’s head chef.
Shane and Simon will work together to craft what the group describes as a ‘spice-forward menu celebrating a diverse mix of international influences, and drawing inspiration from the Middle East and the flavour rich, herbaceous and exotic subcontinent’. Layla will also reportedly shape the food and drink offering across the Thomas Dixon Centre’s retail arm and catering offering.
As for the space itself, we’ve been told that Layla will boast a moody main dining room and a sunny outdoor courtyard.
Bookings are now live for Layla – head to the restaurant’s website to be among the first to step inside when Layla opens in late-March.