Brisbane, Queensland

From a French bistro to the best yakitori, chef BEN RUSSELL shares his tips on where to eat and drink in the northern capital.

Brisbane: “Less cool than Melbourne and minus Sydney’s glistening harbour.” Once upon a time, says chef Ben Russell, this was how most discussions about the city’s food scene would have concluded. The discussion has changed, insists the former Aria Brisbane head chef. Today, the Queensland capital is a city brimming with dining brio. Between its shiny new precincts and an injection of new cooking talent from interstate and overseas, Brisbane is ready, once and for all, to shake off its dated Bris Vegas tag. “Should you wish to dust off your favourite pastel blazer and hit the town for steak and prawns on the same plate, you can still do that,” says Russell. “But Brisbane now has a legitimate dining scene that stands on its own.”

The restaurant that put Brisbane on the map

Philip Johnson was perhaps the first Brisbane-based chef to attract national attention when his restaurant E’cco Bistro was awarded Gourmet Traveller’s Restaurant of the Year back in 1997. In 2018, after 20-odd years at the same CBD location, E’cco moved to a slick new space in Brisbane’s Newstead area. And good news, the whole package is as good as ever. It’s what people want to eat and it’s what I want to eat: luxe bistro fare that’s unfussy and big on flavour.

French bistro classics