Tucked along the balmy edge of the Cairns Esplanade, The Vine Room feels like a breezy postcard from the Mediterranean, minus the jet lag, plus the reef. But this isn’t just another stylish venue leaning on views. It’s powered by two passionate professionals who are quietly, and quite beautifully, raising the bar for hospitality in the Far North and are this weeks FNQ Food Hospo Heroes.
Meet Horace Chiu, the unflappable front-of-house dynamo. Originally from Hong Kong, Horace studied journalism before detouring into hospitality, a second job that grew into a career spanning luxury hotels, Michelin-level restaurants, and even a stint as a scuba instructor. After his first dive trip in Cairns, he was hooked. “You only live once,” he says, grinning. “I came back as a backpacker, became an instructor, and never left.” These days, he’s swapped wetsuits for wine lists, bringing the same care and focus to the dining room as he once did to the water. “I want The Vine Room to be the first place you think of, for a first date, or a 20-year anniversary,” he says. “Somewhere special, but not stiff.”
Behind the pass, the culinary fire belongs to Pier Rossi, a Roman-born chef who started in his family’s trattoria at ten years old. From Navy kitchens to fine-dining stints in France, London, and Rome, his journey eventually brought him to Australia in 2007. “I like the adrenaline,” he says of à la carte cooking. “I want people to come back not just for the venue, but for the food.”
One dish that speaks to that pursuit of perfection is the Lemon Rosemary Prawn Risotto — a signature offering that’s evolved through careful iteration. Pier refined it with a bisque base and a gentle poach on the prawns, balancing citrus brightness with depth and creaminess. “I test my food every day,” he says. “The goal is that someone eats and says: ‘Wow.’” It’s a plate that captures the menu’s ethos: Mediterranean in spirit, local in execution, and crafted with pride.
Equally emblematic is the signature cheesecake — a fusion of Mediterranean inspiration and Far North Queensland freshness. “We don’t do big batches,” Pier says. “I make it fresh every day. If it runs out, it runs out.” Light, textural, and deeply flavourful, it’s not just dessert — it’s a testament to the team’s commitment to doing things properly.
Horace and Pier work in lockstep, one running the floor with calm precision, the other refining every plate that leaves the kitchen. “We respect each other,” Pier says. “We push each other. And the food is better for it.”
The Vine Room isn’t trying to be flashy. It’s trying to be good, consistent, warm, confident. “It’s Europe in the tropics,” Horace says.
And that’s the real magic: a restaurant that doesn’t overpromise, it overdelivers. Quietly. Deliciously. Every time.
Experience it all at The Vine Room
