Food
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Phillipe Blake—22 October 2026·2 min read
Brisbane's inner-city voice since 2014
Brisbane's inner-city voice since 2014
We spent Thursday night at W Brisbane's W Exchange, from a Tokyo Basement at Living Room Bar to JANAI COFFEE's espresso martini and a Four Hands dinner at The Lex with Chef Kenji Haneda of W Osaka.
We spent Thursday night at W Brisbane as guests of the hotel, sampling W Exchange, the month-long Japan residency that has brought Tokyo's JANAI COFFEE and Chef Kenji Haneda of W Osaka to Brisbane. The night began with a cocktail at Living Room Bar, moved on to an espresso martini in the Listening Lounge and ended with dinner at The Lex.
It started with a Tokyo Basement, a pink whisky serve poured over one large square cube of ice, finished with two drops of sansho (Japanese pepper) bitters and a small disc of grapefruit peel. There was a hint of banana in the glass, and it set the tone for the night: theatrical to look at and serious to drink.
The Tokyo Basement at Living Room Bar.
From there we were taken into the Listening Lounge to meet the JANAI COFFEE team, including head bartender Kento Mukai. They poured us a magnificent "cross-culture" espresso martini, made with JANAI's original ingredients and Australian wild honey.
A JANAI COFFEE bartender prepares an espresso martini.
Then came dinner at The Lex, where Chef Kenji Haneda cooks a Four Hands menu alongside The Lex kitchen. It was exquisite.
The Four Hands team at The Lex.
The first course, scallop and salmon roe with tofu cream and crisp fried tofu, was an immediate lesson in restraint and textural contrast: the sweetness of the scallop, the pop of the roe, a soft cream against a crisp edge, all bright and in balance.
Two entrées followed. The teriyaki chicken on avocado melba toast was succulent, its sweet glaze met by the mellow creaminess of the avocado and the crunch of the toast, an elegant bite. The Australian tuna, served with Oscietra caviar and rice tartare, was a study in texture, silky fish and salty pearls of caviar over soft rice, lifted by the wasabi nori sauce, and it had real fullness of flavour.
The main was a wagyu sirloin, unbelievably tender and finished with a truffled sukiyaki sauce, a nod to the sweet and savoury Japanese classic. It melted in the mouth, and every flavour pulled together into a single, satisfying experience. We finished with a matcha warabi mochi, a Japanese sweet with a soft, chewy texture and the gentle bitterness of green tea, rich and unusual and a perfect ending to the meal.
Dishes from The Lex. Photography: W Brisbane.
Each course came with a thoughtfully chosen pairing. We drank the 2024 Catlow & Company Pinot Blanc from Victoria's King Valley, the 2022 Mora Pinot Noir from Central Otago in New Zealand, and the Mt Fuji single malt whisky.
It is a special experience, and you leave thoroughly looked after and completely satisfied.
The details
Photography: W Brisbane.
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