Rooftop-to-Table at Lobby Bar

Organic greenery now sits atop the Fortitude Valley hotel, which Head Chef Andy Gunn is using in a new French-themed menu.

Seven years after it was first announced, five since it opened and a year after floating plans to launch in Noosa, too, things are still looking up at The Calile Hotel in Fortitude Valley. Down in the venue's Lobby Bar, part of Head Chef Andy Gunn's menu now comes from above, in fact. Setting up a rooftop garden that grows organic produce to use onsite will do that. The sky-high patch of greenery doesn't only serve the Lobby Bar — The Calile's function spaces benefit, too — but it's a key force behind Gunn's latest range of dishes. Now that the venue can offer a rooftop-to-table spread, he's gone with a French-themed concept. Think: steak frites paired with rooftop leaves, confit duck consommé with rooftop herbs and baked camembert with rooftop honey.

The garden towers above the James Street hotel, complete with eight wooden planter boxes on the Doggett Side of the building, plus a colony of bees that make honey just for The Calile's guests. Future Wild is a partner in the leafy venture, while architecture firm Richards and Spence has continued its association with the structure — after originally designing it — by lending its skills to the greenery as well. Boasting its own lofty source of ingredients helps The Calile's commitment to sustainability, with the Lobby Bar working towards a zero-waste goal. "We've designed flexible menus that enable us to replace ingredients where required," advises Gunn.

"Our garden sets Lobby Bar apart from other venues. Guests know ingredients have been harvested directly from the garden and placed with care on their plate and, as a chef, it's an amazing tool and privilege to have."

Full article by Sarah Ward at Concrete Playground.