An exciting new change took place at Emporium Hotel in South Bank in July 2024, with the ultra-chic accommodation destination giving its signature restaurant a new identity, one predicated on traditional Italian dining. Italian-born chef Alba Rizzo has stepped into the lead role at FIRMA, giving diners a glimpse at her upbringing in Lombardy through a selection of flavour- and comfort-driven dishes. A broad range of seafood and seasonal produce from Queensland providores has been incorporated into FIRMA’s a la carte and set menus. Spuntini like Sicilian olives filled with veal and pork, and gnocco fritto with slow-cured pork leg lead into antipasti plates of spiced Brisbane Valley quail and Hervey Bay scallop gratin with prosciutto di Parma. FIRMA’s mains include buttery agnolotti filled with pork and mortadella, squid-ink spaghetti with South Australian pipis and mussels, Queensland reef fish with braised borlotti and pancetta, roast Gooralie pork belly with celeriac puree, and the signature slow-cooked veal shin ossobuco with wilted greens and gremolata. For cocktail lovers, a martini and negroni trolley also trundles around the space, but oenophiles will no doubt have their attentions affixed to FIRMA’s custom-built display cellar, which houses a number of exclusive drops from the hotel’s 6000-strong main cellar.