Anchoring Artesian Hospitality’s revitalised Fortitude Valley GPO precinct, two-level restaurant TAMA is a nosh spot pairing European elegance with traces of the heritage-listed building’s old-world glamour. The 120-seat restaurant occupies a portion of the ground floor and a mezzanine level, with soaring ceilings, double-storey windows, soft furnishings, stone and marble flooring, greenery, original beams and custom chandeliers creating a regal aesthetic. Executive chef Richard Ousby has devised a menu filled with delectable Euro inflections, starting with smaller bites that range from warm native Akoya pearl oysters with sake butter and short-crust caviar tarts with creme fraiche, to anchovy grissini and king-prawn rolls, before moving on to hand-made pastas and large plates of seafood volute and Berkshire pork belly. A Josper charcoal oven is tasked with lovingly handling the flame-licked fare, with centrepiece dishes like deboned whole coral trout, Tasmanian lobster, organic lamb loin and a show-stopping 2-kilo Angus tomahawk available to enjoy with sides and sauces. A 136-year-old vault houses the GPO precinct’s custom-made cellar, which can hold up to 1700 bottles of wine. It’s from this impressive selection Alan has curated TAMA’s vino list, which ranges from economical options to splashy high-end labels.