Boutique Brisbane property Spicers Balfour Hotel in New Farm has opened its onsite restaurant to the public delivering an exciting new dining experience focusing on uncomplicated, wholesome and locally-sourced food. 

The Balfour Kitchen is a bistro-style restaurant where its resident chefs blend the generosity of home cooking with skilful techniques and fresh flavours to yield a unique take on modern Australian cuisine.

Along with guests staying at Spicers Balfour Hotel, members of the public can now experience The Balfour Kitchen which offers both alfresco and indoor dining.

"We're thrilled to open our doors to the public and deliver an exciting new experience to Brisbane's dining scene," head chef Peter van Lunn said.

"The Balfour Kitchen is a friendly, bistro-style concept which still offers a fine dining experience but with a much more relaxed atmosphere. We put a lot more heart and soul into our menu compared to a high-end restaurant and focus on unpretentious, wholesome and locally-sourced food.

"Many of our dishes keep with the theme of the old converted Queenslander - classic dishes but with a twist."

Once housing returned WWII servicemen, Spicers Balfour Hotel is an architecturally renovated Queenslander which boasts nine rooms, each with their own eclectic and contemporary design, an in-house massage room, conference facilities, a spectacular rooftop bar overlooking the Story Bridge and the verandah-fringed The Balfour Kitchen.

Discover delectable mains including cider braised pork belly with white bean puree and pickled apple; hot smoked salmon with whipped goat's cheese, asparagus and crisp breads; and roast eggplant with buffalo mozzarella, semi dried tomato and aged balsamic. 

Also don't forget to try out the wild barra with saffron, mascarpone risotto and seafood bisque; and truffled eye fillet accompanied by baby potatoes, leeks and porcini cream. Mains are priced from $14-30 and are designed to be consumed individually or shared.

For dessert, indulge in treats such as steamed pistachio cake with lemon soup and yoghurt mousse; raspberry croissant pudding with white chocolate anglaise or a gourmet cheese board featuring two, three or four cheeses.

On Tuesday Spice Night, diners can enjoy an adventurous twist on some of the world's most famous spice dishes like barra vindaloo, black Angus massaman and sweet potato and spinach dahl complemented by a selection of Asian boutique beers.

Or indulge in Wine Lovers Thursday, when a different wine is showcased every week and paired with dishes from The Balfour Kitchen's seasonal menu. And to make it even more enticing, you'll enjoy a complimentary glass of wine with your meal.

The Balfour Kitchen is also open for breakfast and high teas to the public from 7am every day, and guests and locals have the choice of dining in the stylish dining room, out on the wrap-around verandah or in the beautiful courtyard.

Breakfast is available from 6.30am-11.00am Monday to Friday and 7.30am-10.45am Saturday and Sunday; High Tea from 11.30am-3pm Monday to Sunday; and dinner 5pm-9.30pm Tuesday to Saturday.

Head chef Peter van Lunn grew up and developed his trade in the Brisbane region in restaurants such as the James St Bistro, Mondo Organics and Emporium Hotel. He also spent several years at some of the top restaurants in Paris such as La Societe and Spring.

He recently returned to Australia with his family and brings a wealth of international experience to The Balfour Kitchen.

Spicers Balfour Hotel's combination of kitchen flair, designer spaces and welcoming service has helped it become one of Brisbane's most awarded small hotels and a favourite among business and leisure travellers.

The hotel was recently named Australia's best destination for business travellers by hotelscombined.com. It is also currently ranked the number one Brisbane hotel on TripAdvisor and took out three awards in the TripAdvisor 2013 Traveller's Choice Awards.

Spicers Balfour Hotel is located at 37 Balfour Street, New Farm, Brisbane. Phone 1300 597 540 or visit www.spicersgroup.com.au. 

For further information contact:
Brenton Gibbs
0419 828 440
Brenton@crookgroup.com.au