Alchemy was the perfect location for a surprise birthday dinner and the meal was exceptional…read more While enjoying a champagne and the stunning views of the river and bridge we were presented with a complimentary cauliflower soup amuse bouche. We chose the special, medium rare wagyu tri tip with duck fat potatoes and mushrooms, which was absolutely delicious paired with a Shiraz. Dessert was the affogato, liquid nitrogen bomb experience, and another surprise, some mini macarons with a lovely Birthday message from the chef. This was our first visit to Alchemy, but it definitely won't be our last.

Took my girlfriend out here as a special going away dinner…read more We both ordered the degustation and were very happy with the overall experience. All dishes were fantastic and the service is exceptional. Highlight was the scampi risotto with sea urchin butter. A definite must have!

Came here in a Friday afternoon after hearing about $5 draft beer (4 pines, stone & wood and…read moreAshai) on tap. Monday to Friday. Amazing! Best.deal.ever! As we were going out for dinner so only had a snack. Let me say- the Edamame was AMAZING! Prob the best I've ever had and i love Asian food! Salty the whole way through, perfectly cooked and perfect temp. We will be back for more another day. Ps. Had live music playing which was great. Nice background ambiance which is what it needs to be. Perfect!

Great coffee and friendly staff. I popped in here while I was waiting for some printing next door…read more Decided to stay for an early lunch!

Supper nice. U must have to try kangaroo tartare here. I will back to here when I in Brisbane city…read morenext time!

On my recent visit home, I wanted to check out one of the higher-end restaurants to see what the…read moreBrisbane food scene was up to. It took me a while to pick the restaurant, but once I heard about Chef Ryan Squires, I knew this was the restaurant I wanted to go to. Squires has done stints at The French Laundry and el Bulli and with a resume like that, I was intrigued not only about his menu, but also, why/how this caliber of chef ends up in Brisbane. Well, I guess Squires returned back home to open esquire and it made me very happy to see something like this finally hit sleepy Brissie. We came here for lunch -- there were kids involved -- and like one of the other reviewers stated, making a reservation is kinda a pain in the butt. I made the reservation for 8 people about a week before our anticipated visit. I was told that I had to fill out a form and leave a credit card (not a problem). Anyway, after a few days I called back and gave them the credit card info and spoke to a really nice man who ended up letting the filling the form part go. On the day of our visit we arrive to an empty restaurant. The view is lovely, along the Brisbane River, and we were seated at one of those large square tables. Our server Joanna was lovely. I know usually restaurants do not allow some of the table to order the tasting menu and some not, but I think they made an exception seeing we were the only ones in the restaurant. I wanted to get the most of my visit, so order the prix fixe as well as off the a la carte. The prix fixe was AUD75 for 5 courses which includes 2 appetizer-ish dishes, 2-entrees and a dessert. The menu is seafood-heavy taking advantage of all the wonderful fresh seafood available Down Under. I love the presentation and there are definitely hints of the Ferran Adria look on some of the plates. My favorites were the smoked trout, charcoal grilled calamari and charcoal grilled baby octopus, buttermilk fried chicken. Didn't care for the wagyu pastrami. A stellar restaurant -- something Brisbane has needed for a very long time -- bravo!

Pretty happy to say that I've finally undertaken the Esquire experience. What a big tick on the…read moreto-do list! A friend and I went a little crazy on a recent Saturday night, and I'm not ashamed to admit it (although my wallet is weeping). Let's talk about the ridiculous and incredible food. No, let's not - I don't want to spoil it too much for you, this is something you should get to experience with as little prior knowledge as possible. Frank D says the menu changes every day, but I think that's a bit of a stretch. I think it's more likely seasonal, and I'm sure that maybe a couple of courses get subbed in and out here and there, but for the most part we had the same menu (with a lot of courses still on the menu from Jess's date in early June). Never mind that, though. Esquire is a treat, not the kind of place you'd go every other weekend (as much as you might want to, and I do). We arrived for a 6:30pm reservation and were seated in the darkest, dingiest corner of the restaurant. Just jokes. We had a table at the full-length windows looking out over the Brisbane River and the Story Bridge. The next three hours or so were spent at our table, dining on course after delicious course. The bone marrow and bread was definitely the most exciting course, presentation-wise, but I've since heard that last week was its last week on the menu, so please don't get your hopes up! There will be plenty of other exciting things for you, don't worry. Also, be sure to slowly sip your palate-cleansing glass of grapefruit soda. Trust me. Little sips. It definitely cleanses the palate. After an amazing degustation with brilliant service, we retired to the informal side of the restaurant and got comfortable at the bar. The brilliant service continued, and it was great to have the opportunity to view the buzzing hive from a different perspective. By the end of the evening we knew almost all the service staff (and some of the chefs) by name, and apprentice chef Erik gave us three house-made chocolate bars to get us out the door. (I do love that even Esquire has "f*ck-off chocolates".)

Amazing place for breakfast and lunches. The food is delicious and well presented. Thank you!read more

Gauge is by far my most favourite restaurant in Brisbane! Especially since they have now also…read moreopened for dinner. The menu is wonderfully eclectic, and even if similar dishes are featured, the new twists are always exciting. The black garlic bread is the standout dish everyone should try. Another favourite of mine was the parsnip with chocolate & blood sauce on the previous menu, and recently I tried the Angus sirloin, which is simply divine! Tender, full of the most amazing flavour and cooked to perfection. Gauge doesn't take reservations, so it can be difficult for a larger group to get seats, but the staff is more than happy to work through accommodation issues as people arrive.

Don't just come here for the ambience- recreated home of Shingle Inn - yes it's beautiful but the…read morefood is good too. It's not just about arvo tea! The Tea Rooms are inside City Hall - easy enough to find and the scene is very colonial. Service is satisfactory - it has an old world charm with the staff dressed in the uniforms of last century. Menu is broad - all day breakfast to afternoon tea - good choice of beverages and they do a good coffee. Daughter had a breakfast for lunch and was very satisfied. Soup of the day delicious and you have to try the sweet potato chips - really good. Couldn't help getting a sweet treat - the passion fruit cup cakes are famous. Great range of other yummy things to try. Great old world charm and wonderful food.

If you are looking for a fantastic place for high tea with your girlfriends or mom, this is your…read moreplace! I have been here on a few occasions for afternoon tea and just tea and sweets. Every time has been a wonderful experience. The patty cakes are a favorite and the passionfruit is delish. It's a bit on the sweet side with a touch of tartness which I love. The premium teas are excellent. I have tried several and enjoyed the Chai Marsala. The high tea is decadent with their wonderful scones with clotted cream and strawberry preserve. The ribbon sandwiches are tasty and the mini desserts will leave you filled to the brim. We wanted to stay longer but had to return for a meeting. Service is fantastic here! The greeting is most welcome and they make sure you have water right after being seated. They take your order and confirm it before walking away. After they take your order, watch what they do with the sugar tin. The food is lovely and I would love to try it for lunch too. I love seeing a mother daughter outing or a grandpa with his granddaughter. The Shingle Inn is a historical landmark in Brisbane and I love that I can experience it as well! Hope that you will make time to relax and have a cuppa here one day! The Shingle Inn is a wonderful place to escape from the hustle right in the middle of the city!

If you are looking for reliable quality, this is good place to go. Nothing spectacular, but the…read morehave good food and cold beer; what else do you need. I went on a Sunday so they were running a limited menu. Even so, I didn't walk away hungry.

A lot of fun Came here for a work lunch and it was great -…read moreservice, drinks and food. A work colleague booked for 15 and we had tables reserved in the beer garden under shade (the only down was the afternoon sun did sneak in and summer heat found us after a hour - shade was cool direct sun not). Service is a choice of the old fashion walk up and order at counter, get given a number on a stand or if you have your phone you can scan the QR code on the table pull up menu, order and pay. I did the last and had my burger in good time - bit of wait on the "Parma" for some who did counter orders but we all had food and drinks in reasonable time. Great range of beverages - what you would expect for a city pub. Finished the time with a coffee - not the worst not the best. It's near the river - on a busy street - perfect place to meet friends.

Great find in my move to the area. It's walk ins only and neither times have I had to wait. There…read moreis inside and outside seating with the inside feeling fresh and bright. Yes I've been there twice now. Two weekends in a row around 8am. Both with friends and all trying something different from the menu. Everyone had only positive things to say, except maybe the portions were large and they shouldn't have eaten it all. If you're going for breakfast they are not going to have your typical breakfast foods. But who doesn't love a lunch style menu for breakfast. Regardless, you'll have trouble deciding what to have. It's an eclectic menu and if you prefer something on the lighter side there is a bakery onsite as well. I was told the chef likes to play around when I asked about a particular biscuit/cookie. Think red velvet biscuit with marshmallow inside. The staff are very friendly and helpful giving recommendations with regard to what might satisfy your craving when you've narrowed your decision down to two. For my part there were a lot of meals with eggs which I'm very fussy about so typically just don't choose it (makes sense ). But there were a couple I just really want to try next time and was told some accommodation could be made. Having said that the ingredients in each meal are so well thought out I would really not want to change things up. Unless it was to maybe ask for the egg on the side. Will I be back. Yes definitely, even if just for a coffee and pastry. I will try to not be so excited to eat and even take some photos.

This little place came highly recommended, with descriptions that made me salivate. So, off we went…read morewith high expectations. We didn't booked, because it was a rainy Saturday, surely, most people are still in their cosy warm beds. We put our name on the wait-list when we arrived. It wasn't too long before we were shown to a table. Tick! We promptly placed our orders and sat back to chat, enjoying the buzz in the space. Interiors was clean, simple and homely. We liked that. Front of house was staffed by a young team. Most of the staff was friendly enough, but looked to be under the pump and it showed on their faces. However, a couple of the girls looked disinterested and lacked a smile, which is very important in a customer service-oriented industry. My girlfriend ordered a coffee and it arrived in a timely manner. We thought, this is a good sign, perhaps the food would soon follow, as they seemed to be an efficient team. Two tables arrived, we peeked and saw that they ordered similar dishes to ours. We got excited, thinking we would be next. Nope! 40 minutes passed with one waiter reassuring us that our food is only, but minutes away. We accepted their response and continued to wait patiently. Our food finally arrived after we enquired about it again. With a rushed apology, she set down our food and vanished. We enjoyed the food, it was very well presented and was super tasty. When we finished, our plates was immediately cleared away and we were asked if we wanted more coffees. All this happened while we were in deep conversation. After refusing further coffees, we were handed the bill without asking for it. This is a very rude thing to do, as the establishment is implying that we need to move on. As a person with a massive hospitality background, this is a big no-no in the industry. It is rude and leaves a sour taste in the customer's mouth despite the beautiful food. I cannot recommend this space, as they need to life their game with it comes to customer service. Food wise, not much to fault from my one meal. I later found out that my girlfriend frequent this place often and every time her servings have been bigger for the same dish.

Very nice atmosphere with quiet music so you can talk. Staff quick to serve and drinks are very…read morewell made.

Stopping by Fish Lane's newest bar, Maker, the sibling venue of Gauge, is one sexy intimate…read moreexperience.We almost don't want to share this bar with the rest of Brisbane, as it's small confines (max 25-30 people), & personable bar tenders, make it feel as if it's a secret that should be guarded.The ambience is relaxed & chilled, with a soundtrack to match, much like the conversations. It's such a beautiful space, from the 7.5m brass bar, custom glazed porcelain lights, back lit shelves, & a charcuterie cabinet at the end of the bar (which will form the basis for a very simple menu in the coming weeks). Maker's menu has a strong focus on Australian wines, beer, and spirits; with the sophisticated cocktail menu an adventurous interplay of flavours,like nothing you'll find anywhere else in Brisbane.Prepared with flair, artistry, & unique techniques, having a cocktail at Maker is a feast for the senses. Try the "Whisky Wax Coffee", a combination of Whisky, coffee, beeswax, pollen, macadmia ($22), and watch how it's prepared. Served in artisan glassware with sphere ice-cubes, & some of the famous black garlic bread from Gauge.We also tried the Starward (Australian) whisky as well as another cocktail not on the menu.It's one of the main benefits of being in such a small bar, that one can have meaningful conversations with the bartender, request a cocktail based on your particular flavours, adding to the overall bespoke experience. Maker has arrived, and it is a game changer.