Familiar, much?

A whopping 10,200 miles away from New York’s legendary Balthazar, one finds the city of Brisbane, Australia.

Apparently, the owners of that city’s Belle Epoque brasserie figured that such a distance was all that was necessary to get away with completely ripping off the interior of Keith McNally’s timeless hotspot.

The weeks-old eatery, adjoining the equally gleaming new Emporium Hotel, clones everything (and that is to say everything about Balthazar; except the constant crowds.

From the raw bar to the mirrored walls, from the frosted glass partitions to the mosaic tiled floor, the next-door bakery to the French staffers, with its red booths and dark wood tables, the restaurant actually out-McNallys the original. What’s next – an Arnie’s Co-op?

I asked the owners if they were a licensed subsidiary of Balthazar. The answer from owner Tony Harper: “No, but I’d love to be.”

Australians often decry this coastal city as ersatz and unoriginal, sometimes calling it BrisVegas. It’s easy to see where they’re coming from.

— Mark Ellwood