Alchemy Restaurant and Bar
175 Eagle Street Brisbane Queensland 4000
t +61 7 3229 3175 — www.alchemyrestaurant.com.au
Swish with a fabulous river view it was the specials at Alchemy that most took our fancy and delivered their promise. A lot of work on the plate the food was fresh and delicious and they have an excellent wine list

ANISE–WINE, FOOD, PASTIS
697 Brunswick Street New Farm 4005
t +61 7 3358 1558 — www.anise.com.au

Cru Bar and Cellar
22 James St Fortitude Valley Queensland 4006
t +61 7 3252 2400 — www.crubar.com
Good casual environment, great wine list, simple fresh food and good oysters (for Queensland)

E’cco Bistro
100 Boundary Street (cnr Adelaide Street) Brisbane Queensland 4000
t +61 7 3831 8344 — www.eccobistro.com

Gianni Vintage Cellar Bar Restaurant
12 Edward Street Brisbane Queensland 4000
t +61 7 3221 7655
Old fashioned Italian food but a really excellent wine list and a good place to have a drink and/or lunch

Isis Brasserie
446 Brunswick Street (cnr Robertson Street) Fortitude Valley Queensland 4006
t +61 7 3852 1155 — www.isisbrasserie.com.au
Very good intelligent cooking, a la carte or degustation, serious wine list a good overall experience

Restaurant Two
Edward Street (cnr Alice Street) Brisbane Queensland 4000
t +61 7 3210 0600 — www.restaurant2.com.au
Multi–award winning this restaurant has a simple casual ambience and presents contemporary Australian cooking with ample wine choices. Good bar for a drink as well

We first visited Brisbane in the middle of 07 and were surprised at the energy and vibrancy of the dining scene. Endless flash restaurants along the Brisbane River they all have spectacular day and night views. Public transport is efficient the river Citycat is a very picturesque and easy way to get around. In just a few days we covered a lot of ground, choosing just six of the establishments we visited to recommend without hesitation. There is much more to cover and we spent our time investigating those establishments we could fairly safely think would make it to review status.
Our top pics were Philip Johnson’s E’cco Bistro and ISIS Brasserie at the high end of dining and we also enjoyed and liked the concept of Cru Wine Bar and Anise. Both are totally different one from the other but fun.
There is a lot of new dining sliding into suburban Brisbane but most seemed to be at a stage of settling in and very patchy through the meal, and, all and in comparison to the wonderful food we ate at E’cco Bistro seemed poor value for money.

Great coffee is still hard to find but if you follow your nose, keeping Cru at your back across the road to your left almost immediately in the run–off streets two good coffees to be found. The fish market and supermarket behind Cru is also a great place to shop if you are looking for food to cook. We also love Black pearl Epicure which is very close by for cheese and lots of little luxuries. Black Pearl Epicure and the James Street Cooking School also have regular cooking classes.

Black Pearl Epicure
36 Baxter St Fortitude Valley Queensland 4006
t +61 7 3257 2144 — www.blackpearl.com.au
This is a shop in which it is possible to do some serious credit card damage, but undoubtedly the best shop of it’s kind in Brisbane. Check their web site for cooking class details

James Street Cooking School
22 James Street Fortitude Valley Queensland 4006
t +61 7 3252 8850 — www.jamesstcookingschool.com.au
Casual ambience and always busy good place to while away a couple of hours and learn something at the same time. Check their web site for details