If there’s one thing that hospo veteran Chris Higgins, Enyo Lawyers managing director Liam McMahon and Melbourne-based chef, restaurateur and TV personality Adrian Richardson (Bouvier Bar & Grill, La Luna Bistro) can argue endlessly about, it’s steak. Where Adrian loves grass-fed beef, Chris prefers grain-fed. Liam loves both varieties, but with four barbecues at his house he’s probably more particular about how the steak is cooked.

When the three mates decided to team up and open a restaurant together here in Brisbane, there was little argument about what kind of eatery it would be – a steakhouse was almost a certainty. Fast forward two years and we have BŌS, an upscale restaurant where beef is king. Its location on level four of 480 Queen Street – the stellar space previously home to OTTO, now located in South Bank – is sensational, with views stretching across the river to the Story Bridge. When Dexus phoned Chris in 2020 to gauge his interest in the site, it didn’t take much to convince the trio – especially Adrian, who had spent months dreaming of a Queensland escape while enduring Melbourne’s tight lockdowns – to sign on.

Talking about the vision that underpins BŌS, Chris (who previously ran beloved grill Cha Cha Char and Mr & Mrs G Riverbar) cites a desire to showcase Queensland’s superb produce via a Melbourne-inspired delivery style. He also speaks of a shared ambition to break into the top echelon of the city’s steak restaurants, with a goal of becoming Brisbane’s best.

Once the location was firmly in hand, the BŌS team sought to transform the site into a restaurant that boasts a high-end steakhouse feel. In partnership with Alkot Studio, the crew has pieced together an aesthetic that’s bold but with a touch of glamour. “I wanted to take hold of what was essentially a version or model that worked,” says Chris, “But make it slick, sharp and chic.”

Liam describes the restaurant’s look as “nouveau-European decor in a New York steakhouse”, pointing to the elegant green, black and gold colour scheme that gives BŌS a contemporary identity. A green stone bar greets visitors when they enter (the entry portal itself is wrought from a custom steel shroud that will patina over time), with 12 stools reserved for walk-ins lining a slender dining counter.

A dry-ageing cabinet sits next to the lengthy kitchen, which runs parallel to the 110-seat dining floor. Though BŌS has inherited some furnishings from OTTO, the team had deftly amalgamated them into the overall design, reupholstering chairs in the same green velvet that coats the banquettes and painting the tables to resemble Japanese yakisugi-style burnt timber. Hidden behind opaque curtains and wine shelves is BŌS’ private-dining space, which boasts a capacity for close to 30 guests.

A steak restaurant is only as good as the beef it serves. Thankfully for curious carnivores, the BŌS brain trust (which, did we mention, includes a chef who wrote an entire cookbook dedicated to meat?) has linked up with some of Queensland’s best beef suppliers to source a spectrum of cuts. Head chef Nick Foat (formerly head chef of SK Steak & Oyster) is helming BŌS’ kitchen, which boasts a plunger grill, a new Synergy chargrill and a woodfire grill. For the first few weeks of operation he’ll be experimenting with different cooking styles and woods (including ironbark, nectarine wood, cherry wood and olive wood) to hone in on the best flavour profile for each cut of meat. The from-the-grill section of the menu is a beef-lover’s dream. Three kinds of porterhouse (a grain-fed option from Jacks Creek Liverpool Plains, a dry-aged grass-fed hunk from Cape Grim and a full-blood southern-Queensland Tajima, Itozakura and Kikumidoi wagyu from 2GR) are available alongside a 500-g Five Founders rib eye, 2GR wagyu rump, Five Founders bistecca T-bone and a 2GR wagyu tomahawk. For those that can’t decide, there’s a tasting plate boasting slices of all porterhouses to share.

For the reef and beef fans, Tasmanian lobsters, Mooloolaba prawns and foie gras from Lady Truffle are available as toppers. There’s more to enjoy beyond steak, too – the menu’s flip-side is where you’ll find oysters, charcuterie (including Richo’s take on Calabrese ‘nduja), small dishes (chargrilled Fremantle octopus, Sturia Oscietra caviar with buckwheat blinis and steak tartare), pasta (including a riff on Il Centro’s iconic sand-crab lasagne) and mains (crackling-wrapped pork loin, roasted Kinross lamb Barnsley chop and Mareeba free-range duck breast).

The wine list is Liam’s baby, with the vino enthusiast teaming up with hot-shot sommelier Lucie Graziadei to create a hefty list totalling 400 wines (and growing). “There is no limit to what we want it to be,” says Lucie. “We have access to wines that you can’t find easily or wont see at many other places.” Flip to the back of the tome and you’ll find a page dedicated to limited back vintages and cellar releases featuring heavy hitters like Penfolds Grange, Henschke Hill of Grace, Torbreck and Petrus. While handily catering to the high-rollers, Liam and Lucie are ensuring the wine list is still inclusive to all tastes and budgets.

Cant make a decision? The Just Trust Us section funnels the entire list into a single page of winners. “There’s some real screamers on there,” says Liam. “But every single wine on the Just Trust Us list is something that’s still value. It distills the entire wine list into some absolute bangers at a decent price.” Cocktails are also a prominent portion of the beverage program, with Chris building upon his work at Mr and Mrs G to assemble an array of signature concoctions, a clutch of martinis and range of top-shelf gins matched with boutique botanicals.

It’s a lot to take in, all told, but the team aren’t close to being finished. Sharing BŌS’ elevated perch is The Aviary, a more informal alfresco bar boasting booths and bottle service set to open in early 2023. Once complete, it’ll form a symbiotic relationship with the restaurant, giving diners the option of kicking on after a weekend lunch or a place for pre-drinks ahead of dinner.

BŌS is now open to the public – operating hours, booking info and menu links can be found in The Weekend Edition’s Stumble Guide.

This article was written by James Frostick from The Weekend Edition.