Blackjacks

LOCATION
In the Conrad Treasury building, at the top of the Queen Street mall.

PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIA
A busy buffet is a good buffet, ensuring the food is fresh and the bain-maries are regularly turned over. On a Thursday evening in Brisbane, the buffet at Blackjacks restaurant in the Conrad Treasury Casino building is pumping, with a clientele ranging from bum-bagged tourists to the well-suited business types. The throngs have come to feed from a selection of nourishing soups, hearty pastas, an impressive carvery, vegetable dishes, hot and cold offerings, and a dessert bar that provides everything from ice-cream to a selection of Danish pastries. The setting is clean and modern, which juxtaposes nicely against the sculptural sandstone walls of the heritage-listed building. Modern pop music keeps the mood upbeat while not quite masking the sounds of winning and losing from the casino floor. This buzzing vibe is continued through to the waitstaff, who are always ready to clear an empty plate or fetch a new libation. The star of the buffet is undoubtedly the carvery, manned by an inscrutable chef whose skill with a large knife is almost ninja-like. But it is easy to get distracted by the pasta bar, or the salad bar, or the multiple curries on offer.

Nicholas Wong