Lúc Lắc’s Launch Date, Culinary Team, Menus Revealed

Tuesday, 22 October 2024: Tropical-chic restaurant and bar Lúc Lắc celebrates its much-anticipated debut on Wednesday, 23 October 2024 at The Star Brisbane and its premier location on The Terrace Level 4, as part of the stunning, new Queen’s Wharf development.

Lúc Lắc (pronounced Look Luck) is the 10th operating restaurant of family-owned Ghanem Group, which has played a pioneering role in the development of Brisbane’s dining scene since 1978.

The vibrant restaurant and bar is inspired by the cultures, cuisines and traditions of Vietnam and Thailand, and takes its name from a classic Vietnamese dish called Bo Lúc Lắc, which means Shaking Beef due to the dramatic shaking of the wok during cooking. The Executive, Culinary and Beverage leadership teams fell in love with the dish during an extensive research trip to South-East Asia, which brought Lúc Lắc’s vivacious identity to life.

Lúc Lắc is designed by Space Cubed Design Studio and will be open Monday to Sunday, from lunch to late night. 

A la carte and banquet menus are curated by Ghanem Group Executive Chef Jake Nicolson, who has led the Group’s culinary adventures for 11 years, and Head Chef Dann Rowell, who has been recruited to take theday-to-day reins at Lúc Lắc.

Chef Dann has impressive credentials from working at some of Australia’s finest luxury lodges, including a trio in the Baillie Lodges portfolio: Baillie Lodges portfolio: Longitude 131° luxury wilderness camp at Uluru in the Northern Territory, Silky Oaks Lodge in the Daintree Rainforest in Far North Queensland, and Southern Ocean Lodge on Kangaroo Island. Most recently, he worked at Spicers Balfour as Head Chef of the Asian-inspired Balfour Kitchen & Bar.

The duo specialise in South-East Asian cuisine and have spent several months refining menus, a large portion of which are gluten and dairy free, making them highly accessible for all diners, and large groups.

“The menus are inspired by Vietnam and Thailand, taking the best of those worlds and combining them into something super-exciting,” Chef Jake explains. “Guests can explore a delicious pairing of local produce and Asian flavours – tropical Queensland fruits such as pink pomelo, green mango, green papaya, jackfruit and dragon fruit; splashes of house-made nahm jim and nuoc cham dressings; scatterings of locally produced Thai basil, perilla, Vietnamese mint, and coriander; and sprinklings of roasted peanuts, toasted rice, and fried shallot.”

Chef Dann has designed the menu around irresistible snacks, small plates and fragrant salads, big and saucy slow-cooked curries and aromatic broths, and a ‘stirred and shaken’ section that features wok-tossed dishes such as the signature Kampot Peppered Beef with Cherry Tomato and Capsicum, a unique spin on the traditional dish Bo Luc Lac that is the restaurant’s  namesake.

“Red, crispy, whole roast ducks hang in a traditional display with the rich meat featuring in dishes such as our signature Roasted Red Duck Curry with Lychee and Beansprouts, and several dishes showcase baby goat from Meredith Dairy in Victoria, which is renowned for its goat cheese and has recently started selling the beautiful meat,” Chef Dann explains.

“In addition, we’re using native tamarind in a Thai-style, three-taste sauce to accompany our show-stopping Whole Crispy Speckled Blue Grouper, and we’re sourcing hand-caught periwinkles from Port Fairy and the youngest commercial diver in Australia, which feature as Periwinkle Escargot with Ginger and Garlic.”

A Lúc Lắc spin on fried chicken sees wings poached in house-made masterstock, before being battered, fried and tossed in a shrimp paste caramel, creating a sensational hot, sticky and sweet combination.

The menu also incorporates a playful approach to desserts, including a Vietnamese inspired twist on tiramisu – Viet Misu, with whipped Vietnamese coffee folded through mascarpone, dulce de leche, sponge and a light dusting of Vietnamese chocolate. For the banquet menu, a bite-sized version of Viet Misu is layered inside a mini, house-made Madeleine. Another delightful dessert is a spin on Coconut Sago Pudding that incorporates pandan jelly, pineapple, and dragon fruit.

The interior design is a symphony of floral fabrics, animal prints, brass accents, textural rendered walls and tropical styling. References to Vietnamese sacred animals, including the Dragon, the Tiger and the Ky Lan (Vietnamese Unicorn) can be found, represented in fabrics, artworks, carpet designs and, most boldly, in the laser-cut, 3D, golden dragon artwork over the main dining space.

Family member and owner of Klemenza Interior Design, Sophia Klemenz Ghanem, guided the vision that interior designers Space Cubed Design Studio brought to life, and hand-selected key interior features and furniture.

“We played with different materials that are very much used in Asia like rattan, we went with warmer timbers and brass lighting to create an atmospheric mood,” Ms Klemenz Ghanem explains. “The silhouettes of the pieces we selected are sculptural and varied, playing with geometric forms. We wanted to combine softer curves with sharper lines to create tension and interest.”

Space Cubed Design Studio, Associate Interior Designer, Jill Chilton says the design vision reflects the vivacious spirit of the venue, and the vibrant juxtaposition of the fresh flavours of Asian cuisines.

“The result is a maximalist interior aesthetic, a glamorous fusion of eras, where layers of both contemporary and traditional elements mingle with contrasting patterns, and bold styling, combined to create a lavish, sub-tropical-inspired interior. Much like the five flavour elements of sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami when mixed in the right proportions, somehow, they just work,” Ms Chilton says.

Website: luclac.com.au | Instagram: @luclacbrisbane | Facebook: luclacbrisbane

Media Enquiries: Sass Communications Director, Rachel Lebihan | rachel@sasscomms.com.au