Star Otto chef to bring comfy Italian to storied New Farm spot

It’s funny the things our friends sometimes don’t know about us.

From the outside, Will Cowper was Otto through and through, a Fink man until the day he hung up his apron. So much so that there was genuine surprise, and even shock, when he announced he was leaving the South Bank restaurant in March – including among his friends.

“I think everyone thought I’d be there forever,” Cowper says. No one ever asked him what was next, perhaps because no one thought there might be a next, despite his relative youth.

One of the exceptions was Andrew Solomon, perhaps Cowper’s oldest friend in Brisbane. Their relationship kicked off after Cowper arrived in town in 2015 to open Otto Brisbane and began hunting for fresh produce for his menus. Solomon’s Fish Factory was one of the first stops.

“We were speaking every day, and it wasn’t just catching up – it was seafood related, it was the honest love for what we both do,” Cowper says. “‘Talk to me about what’s new, talk to me about the fish of the day.’ And the longer that happened, the easier it was to talk to him about other things.

“I’d bounce things off him: ‘This person’s offering me this or that.’ He was industry adjacent, a good sounding board I could talk to openly.”

Eventually, though, it was Solomon who wanted to bounce something off Cowper. He and his wife, Andrea, had bought the heritage-listed New Farm corner site occupied by Gerties Bar & Restaurant and the neighbouring bar Hell Bound. Did Cowper want to come onboard as chef and partner?

“I thought, ‘It has character. It’s in a great part of town.’ It sits in the middle of James Street and Howard Smith Wharves, and the new developments on Merthyr Road. There’s a lot of buzz here, so it feels like it can become more of a hub.”

In September, Cowper, along with his wife, Gianna (Otto’s former pastry chef), and the Solomons will open Pici, a 60-seat restaurant and bar. Yes, it will be Italian, but expect something different to Otto and its focus on occasion dining. In part as a nod to Gerties longstanding role as a New Farm bolthole, Pici will very much be an approachable locals’ venue first.

“You feel like a really good Negroni and you come here and think, ‘Oh, these snacks are really cool. I might have a bowl of pasta … that bowl of pasta was incredible. I’m actually going to do a steak.’ That’s what we’re aiming for.”

Pici co-owner Will Cowper.

“Gianna had her 18th birthday here,” Cowper says, laughing. “When you talk about it, everyone has a story. If you’ve been in Brisbane all your life, you know about it. I want us to still be a name in 20 or 30 years.”

Cowper says he’s looking forward to stepping back slightly from the more elevated aspects of Otto, which could inch towards fine dining.

“This is going to be a bit more tapered back,” he says. “As simple as possible on a plate.”

In-demand Brisbane designer Alkot Studio is overseeing a fitout that will knock down the wall between the old Gerties’ lower floor and the Hell Bound space next door to create the main dining room, which will come with an open kitchen and counter dining. The upstairs area will be angled towards drinks, much like it was in its Gerties days.

“It’s meant to be comfortable,” Cowper says. “It’s warm colours, burgundy, marble across the bar. It’s not going to be anywhere people think, ‘Oh, this is too much for me,’ or, ‘This is too upmarket for me.’ It’s going to feel amazing.”

The drinks are intended to be uncomplicated, with bottled beer and classic cocktails “done well”, backed by a wine list that focuses on Italian producers and local interpretations of Italian wines.

“You feel like a really good Negroni and you come here and think, ‘Oh, these snacks are really cool. I might have a bowl of pasta,’” Cowper says. “‘Oh f–k, that bowl of pasta was incredible. I’m actually going to do a steak.’ That’s what we’re aiming for with Pici.”

Pici will open at 699 Brunswick Street, New Farm, in September.