The 203

A once-iconic Fortitude Valley nightspot is now be home to an Italian-style steak restaurant boasting some lofty aspirations. The 203 can be found at 6 Marshall Street in Fortitude Valley, a site that might be familiar to some as the former home of Monastery and Oh Hello. The restaurant is the brainchild of cattle-farming operation, Standbroke – a family-run business boasting Italian heritage – with a paddock-to-plate ethos looking to shine a spotlight on Queensland’s best beef and seafood. Ben O’Donoghue, a renowned culinary figure famous in Brisbane for founding cafe institution Billykart Kitchen, is helming The 203 as executive chef, overseeing a kitchen equipped with a Michelin-quality MKN induction cooking suite and a Mibrasa parrilla and charcoal oven. Ben is using this top-of-the-line gear to cook sensational steaks (expect eight to ten cuts, including four on-the-bone options) and a range of pasta dishes (filled pastas – from cappelletti to agnolotti and ravioli – hard pastas and some fresh extruded pastas). The steak and pasta assortment is supplemented with well-sourced seafood, poultry and game from across Queensland and Australia. The restaurant’s beverage menu also includes a solid Italian-leaning wine list (featuring some rare reds), Brisbane craft beers and a collection of trademark cocktails.