Restaurant: Quay West Suites Brisbane
Jeffrey Gear is a man accustomed to accolades. Since winning his first award in 1977 for Apprentice of the Year (while he trained at Two Faces in Melbourne), his career has gone from strength to strength. Soon after he completed his apprenticeship, a move to regional Victoria saw him become chef de cuisine at The Belle Vue in Albury where he received high praise from many esteemed food critics for his creations. However, Europe beckoned and Gear packed his things and crossed the oceans where he spent time under the tutelage of some of Europe’s top chefs (Albert and Michel Roux, Herman Senn and Paul Bocuse).
Relocating to the UK, Gear eventually gained the position of personal sous chef to the Prince and Princess of Wales during which time he became a friend and confidant of the late princess. At his own restaurant Burn Brae, which he opened on the Isle of Man in 1997, Gear found himself regularly catering for royalty. Luckily for us, Gear still calls Australia home and his fresh, contemporary cuisine can now be enjoyed at McMahons Restaurant and Bar at Quay West Suites Brisbane, one of the Queensland capital’s most luxurious five-star hotels. It’s here you can sample Gear’s signature dish: Tasmanian salmon encrusted in Middle Eastern dukkah and served on tempura vegetables and parsnip mash.
Shelley Hepworth, August 2007