E’CCO BISTRO
100 Boundary Street (Corner Adelaide Street)
Brisbane, Queensland Australia 4000
W www.eccobistro.com
E mail@eccobistro.com
T +61 7 3831 8344
F +61 7 3831 8460
OPEN Lunch Tuesday to Friday 12.00 pm till 2.30 pm, dinner Tuesday to Saturday 6.00 pm till late

FOOD Philip Johnson, chef and writer has maintained the excellence of his restaurant while others have come and gone. The commitment to produce, a driving fascination for food and wine has seen Johnson’s restaurant remain at the very top of the culinary scene in Brisbane. Johnson hasn’t succumbed to the clone restaurant interiors or fashionable food and at E’cco there is an enthusiasm from staff for his food that boasts confidence in the place itself. No running back to the kitchen when intentionally sticky questions were asked about food and wine; the answers were prompt and informed and recommendations that proved trustworthy were given without hesitation.
Johnson’s fascination with the food process has meant accumulated skills over a broad spectrum of cuisines and styles, but each dish maintains the integrity of its roots, whether it is a Thai pork belly dish or a northern Italian gnocchi with green peas. Three of us managed three courses and worked the full spectrum of the meat menu having venison, beef and his (very good) classic rabbit main course. Everything was individual, properly cooked and no overlapping ingredients apart from green peas. Most satisfying is that the good quality produce he starts with is not smothered in a thousand other flavours but allowed to remain the centrepiece of the dish. It is intelligent modern cooking at its best, presented in an environment that is comfortable, but made more so by the excellent service that was still welcoming guests with genuine friendliness well after 10.00 pm. They weren’t even scratchy when we arrived an hour late, but we had been polite enough to call. Brisbane is an early town and Greek, Spanish and South American visitors should be warned with the exception of E’cco finding a meal at your normal dining time of 11.00 pm is impossible.
Not that there was anything wrong with any of the desserts, but here was one utterly glorious dessert of the three we tried. It wasn’t handsome looking like to other two, but the Banana bread, with toffee banana and burnt butter ice cream was so delicious it was possible to bathe in the clear envy of my companions who were only allowed two spoonfuls each. The banana bread was flavoursome, soft and moist centred with a crunchy crust, the toffee banana perfectly ripe and luscious and the burnt butter ice cream wonderful.
The food at E’cco is not tortured into submission and nothing comes in tiny inedible bits, it is generously portioned and well cooked. There are very few restaurants were we feel we can safely recommend anything on the menu and E’cco Bistro on is one of those restaurants. AO

WINE E’cco Bistro has an excellent wine list with ample thoughtful choices over a broad range of prices. Mark-ups are sensitive to the market and it is possible to be quite indulgent with the list and still feel you are getting terrific value for money. Wine Editor Duane Coates considers this wine list worthy of formal review and will be adding a formal wine list review later this year.