COMING

Impressive accolades, a refreshed seasonal menu and the finest local ingredients.

If you look up “high achiever” in the dictionary, you’ll find a simple three-word definition; The Fireplace Restaurant. This award-winning wood-fire dining experience showcases the finest Australian produce infused with smoky flavour from the exclusive wood-fire oven. Garnished with seasoning from the restaurant’s herb garden and expertly paired with a world-class wine library, it’s pure happiness on a plate…and in a glass.

In addition to its endless five-star reviews, InterContinental Sanctuary Cove Resort’s signature dining destination has two major coups to celebrate. Cue the applause, nods of approval, and the sound of people furiously dialling their posse to lock in a Fireplace dinner, because this year is shaping up to be even more impressive than the last.

2022 was undeniably a memorable year for this fine dining power player. Firstly, let’s start with the resort’s appointment of the Dom Pérignon of Executive Chefs, Mr Hamish Watt. Joining fellow culinary master, Head Chef Randy Tablan, Hamish’s extensive high-brow experience made The Fireplace truly ‘ignite’

(pun intended). With fanfare and hype galore, absolutely nobody was surprised when the prestigious accolades ensued. Speaking of new recruits, InterContinental also welcomed a new Pastry Chef, Dee Hettiarachchi, whose pastry prowess and creativity in the kitchen is secondto-none.

With the A-Team fully assembled, naturally The Fireplace took out the top gong at the Restaurant and Catering Industry Association 2022 Awards for Excellence – South East Queensland, named the Best Restaurant in a Hotel/Resort. But that’s not all because in addition to claiming the gold in our region, The Fireplace was also a finalist in the national awards #bravo.

Don’t roll up the red carpet yet though, because more congratulations are in order. Yet again, this fine dining heavyweight was awarded a Two-Glass accolade in Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards, thanks to the carefully curated 200-strong wine library. This marks the sixth consecutive year of holding such a hotly contended title, and we’ll cheers to that. On repeat….

Looking into 2023, the culinary team are upping the ante even more to keep things exciting and enticing, just the way we like it. They’ve hit reset on the menu to align with the new season and we can already taste the wowfactor. To give your tastebuds a hint of what’s in store, let’s unpack the signature items – hot off the press.

Starting with entrées, the Charred Field Mushrooms with lentils, sauteed spinach and sherry vinegar dressing is simply unmissable. Then, who could resist a main of Barramundi with warrigal, baby corn, sugar snaps, heirloom tomato and salsa Verde and certainly not us. Or, if you’re partial to the grill, the 250g Milly Hill Lamb Rump with a selection of accompaniments and sides is a meat-eater’s dream dish.

Sweet tooths, you haven’t been forgotten with Dee Hettiarachchi’s newest dessert menu including his signature dish: Native Flavours. Featuring fresh Kakadu plum parfait, macadamia nougatine crunch, lemon myrtle sable, Bundaberg infused wild peach marmalade, dry mandarin and fresh berries, there’ll be no sharing because you won’t want to part with a single morsel.

Wine enthusiasts will be tickled pink (red and/ or white) to discover that The Fireplace is sharing the stories of their wine library with a collated series of producer profiles, including Henschke, Bouchard Pere et Fils and Barossa Valley Shiraz. Great news for non-wine drinkers too, because these stories aren’t limited purely to the wine list, with tailored choices across the entire range of beverages, particularly the incredible selection of whiskeys.

The year ahead will also see seasonal menu changes and highly curated special events come to life. Specialist wine dinners, signature dining events and Chef-led experiences are just a taste of what’s to come. Or if you have a special event on the horizon, why not host it in The Fireplace’s intimate Private Dining Room? Seating up to 18 guests, your soiree will be remembered for all the right reasons.

Words by Bianca Trathen

The Fireplace

The Fireplace unearths signature wood-fire cuisine using produce grown in the resort’s herb garden.

Proud recipient of the Two-Glass accolade in Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards, for the sixth year in a row.

Manor Circle, Hope Island 07 5530 1234 sanctarycove.intercontental.com