Nest Restaurant

Well do I remember the days when this place was The Queenslander bar and smelt of stale beer and cigarette smoke. Not anymore — a hipster stylist has ripped through the joint when the tower became the Hotel Jen and the result is lots of modern-​looking light fittings and green velour couches.
I’ve been wanting to check this place out for a while as it is handy to my work so I suggested an after-​hours drink to my colleagues and off we went.
We were there before the Friday afternoon crowd and it was nice and quiet. The service was not great — he bartender didn’t know how to make a vodka lime soda properly for my friends & charged me for a full nip when I only ordered a half. When I realised this next round and mentioned it to the other bartender, he couldn’t be less interested.
We had some chilli fries for $ 7.50 which lived up to their name and enjoyed a nice relaxed chit-​chat. A summer storm was rolling in and as they had the door propped open the aircon was useless, and I must admit I was sweating much of the time from the humidity.
Live music stated at 5pm making ordinary conversation impossible so that was my cue to leave. I noticed the clientele rolling in were not just crumpled white-​collar drones from nearby offices but travellers and tourists (complete with luggage) too. Heck, if I had to wait an hour for a train I’d be in there too! Compared to the Roma St food court it is an oasis.
The restaurant serves Thai for reasonable prices, so I will probably be back for that at some point.

Got there around 12:15 pm on a Wednesday. We were seated shortly, supplied with water and menus. I am very impressed with the décor. It took a while for the waitress to come back and take our order. It took about 30 – 40 minutes for the food to actually arrive, which is disappointing considering we had gone there during our hour long lunch break from work and we ordered from the list of «express» items.
Having said that, the Pad Thai i ordered was delicious and nicely presented on a brown/​mustardy big plate. But I felt it needed just a tad bit of punch to it. Perhaps some fresh chilli or a bit more sour & sweetness.
Overall, I was happy with the food and loved the space so I’ll be back to try other items. Hopefully the service will be a bit faster next time.

Situated alongside the Roma St Transit Centre, Nest Bar & Restaurant is located in Hotel Jen in the former Trader’s Hotel venue. The Nest menu is Asian Fusion, reflecting Hotel Jen’s access to experienced chefs from its parent company Shangri La Hotels. It’s an all day menu with a variety of snacks (I recommend the calamari), Asian stir fries and noodle soups as well as larger meals. At around $ 25 the steak is the most expensive item so it’s a well priced menu. I was on a strict time limit so we went for a quick and easy Pad Thai and a Wagyu Beef Burger. They arrived fairly quick smart despite it being quite busy so the pressure was off.
The burger was large with egg, cheese and bacon in addition to the patty and salad so certainly good value at around $ 15. Usually I eat my burgers with my hands, as nature intended, but on this occasion I opted to cut it into quarters first. It was a good, juicy burger with plenty of flavour and I also liked the little kick the sprinkle of Sichuan pepper gave to the fat chips. The Pad Thai had some spice to it as well. With the inclusion of chicken and fish cake, a couple of king prawns and topped with crunchy fried shallots it was another flavoursome meal. Certainly big enough for lunch.
I visited Nest a third time in as many weeks to have a quick drink with an acquaintance on the way to the station. Though relatively early on a Thursday afternoon, there was a constant stream of people drifting in for end of week drinks and nibbles. With lounges to drape yourself upon and great design features, Nest has appeal as both a restaurant and bar with plenty of variety to keep people coming back. Certainly worth a visit.

Tucked away on the second level of Hotel Jen on Roma Street is Nest, a funky little asian fusion restaurant.
Nest describes itself as ‘fine dining’ and definitely wouldn’t be out of place on Eagle St pier competing with the best of Brisbane. The service was absolutely fantastic, and so was the food.
The one thing that didn’t scream ‘fine dining’ to me was the prices! Man oh man, $ 19 for a main and $ 12 for a ‘small’ noodle dish… Fine dining at affordable prices? Yes, please! We paid just under $ 50 for a glass of wine each and our two dishes… And we couldn’t even finish all the food on our plates!
We had the honey peppered beef and pad thai. So yummy!
The only thing stopping me from giving me Nest 5 stars was the atmosphere. Nest only opened very very recently, and I’m guessing the very hidden location means it doesn’t get any business from foot traffic. We were one of three groups dining, and in such a big space it felt very empty. Seriously, get down here guys! Don’t let such an awesome restaurant go without business!