Leonards Bar & Bistro has welcomed new head chef, Jimmy Richardson, and his brand new gourmet menu is guaranteed to delight the stomachs and hearts of Brisbane foodies.
After making a name for himself at acclaimed restaurants such as Gerard’s Bistro (head chef), Bridge Room, Cafe Paci, Glass Brasserie and Café Roux, there’s no wonder that there is such a buzz around this Glaswegian super chef.
Richardson’s journey began as a child when he would go home for his lunchtimes and create pasta or rice meals for himself while his mother was at work. From the age of 15, Jimmy trained in Amsterdam at Cafe Roux (owned by culinary legends Michel and Albert Roux, aka the men who discovered Gordon Ramsay and Marco Pierre White) where he worked his way up to junior sous chef. The rest, as they say, is history.
Complementing Richardson like a fine wine and cheese, is Leonard’s General Manager and internationally awarded (including best cocktail maker in the world!) mixologist, Marco Nunes. Portuguese born and Parisian raised, Nunes has been involved with food and wine his entire life and is trained in speed bartending and flaring (throwing bottles!). His expertise has led him to craft Leonards an exquisite wine and cocktail list, taking classic styles and using modern techniques to create a seasonal twist and the perfect sip.
Leonard’s new menu launches on 24th February and features mouthwatering meals such as Spencer Gulf kingfish with lemon butter, yoghurt and sesame; roasted game farm spatchcock with smoked harissa, yoghurt and lime, and smoked pineapple with coconut, kefir lime leaf and rum butterscotch.
Richardson describes the menu as being “contemporary, simple but with big flavours and lots of work going on behind the scenes to make those flavours. The plate will look clean and elegant but the flavours will be what I hope will set us apart.”
Nunes has a clear vision for what the team hopes Leonards will become. “We had spoken about doing something like Leonards for many years, somewhere that had something for everyone where you could come to for morning coffee, brilliant lunches, dinner and late-night drinks with high-quality items, local produce, warm and friendly service, a traditional European bistro with a New York twist.”
Dig into this delicious new menu from Thursday, 24th February and keep up to date with the team via their Instagram @leonardsbrisbane.
