Phillip Johnson’s e’cco Bistro has long held a place on my ‘I reaaallly want to go there’ list, all that was missing was an occasion to make the trip. When my birthday rolled around I finally had my excuse to check out one of Australia’s best restaurants. With a family consisting of a vegan, a vegetarian, a meat-lover and me, it’s near impossible to find a restaurant that suits everyone’s requirements; e’cco, however has a vegetarian menu on hand with options including more than just chips to keep the vegos happy.
e’cco is a stunning restaurant. With sophisticated nods to the Jetson’s and some space-inspired vibes, the interior makes you feel instantly classy. The kitchen is also quite open which means you can see the chefs at work, which is always great.
The food = beyond delicious. Each dish is plated up beautifully, so before you’ve even tasted it you know it’s going to be good. As they saying goes, we eat with our eyes.
We started things off with Danny’s bread–bread and butter done right is always a winner, and this was definitely done right. I opted for the fenugreek confit lamb breast with baba ghanouj, barberry, spiced granola and pickled chilli which was melt in your mouth soft, yet crispy-skinned and delightful with a hit of spice. This has to be one of my all-time favourite dishes. My dining companions had the pan-roasted chicken which was, in their words “so bloody good.”
My herbivorous dining partners opted for the smoked Lebanese eggplant with red pepper, wild rice and sheep’s milk yogurt dressing which was delightfully tasty and super filling – all the things a vegetarian wants in their dining experience!
Our waiter was very accommodating in terms of what could be made vegan (almost every vegetarian dish) but we opted for the compressed radicchio with poached quince and dukkah which served up some new flavour combos and again, left our vegan diner more than satisfied. We also got some of the fries, just in case, and it’s safe to say their chips are the best in Brisbane. Plus, the garlic aioli is so garlic-y you’ll never be satisfied with another.
We were quite full when it came time for dessert, so we went down the shared route, with some dessert inspired cocktails to match. The toasted marshmallow with goat’s cheese, fig, honey, black pepper popcorn ice cream was our choice. This dessert was also crazy delicious – the tartness of the goat’s cheese was the perfect antidote to the hyper sweet marshmallow. It was the perfect end to an all-round amazing meal. Plus, the cocktails were good enough to consider a meal in themselves.
Dining at e’cco is a must do. It’s visually spectacular and mind-blowingly delicious; if this isn’t on your list yet, it definitely should be.
Image credit: Yaseera Moosa