Excellent And Authentic Italian Cuisine In Brisbane, For A Price

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 8
Ambience & Setting: 7
Food & Beverage: 9
Service: 8
Value for Money: 8
Spent about SGD $57 / AUD $47 per person.





Considered to be among the best fine dining establishments in Brisbane, Spizzico is an award-winning family-run Italian restaurant. Owners Angelo and Slivana Di Bartolo hail from Sicily, the largest of the islands of Italy, and they are known for their warm hospitality and hearty Italian fare.

Ambience at Spizzico is rather retro, styled after olden diners, with tiled floors, laminate tables and 'straw / rattan' chairs. But look beyond the surface, as Spizzico is comfortable and rather homely.

Service at Spizzico is welcoming and friendly, from the owners to junior staff. They are able to converse well, and are knowledgeable about the menu. As food is freshly prepared upon order, be prepared to wait at least 10 - 15 minutes for your order.

Food at Spizzico is authentic Italian cuisine. Ingredients are fresh, and locally sourced. Dishes are kept simple, which allows the flavour of the ingredients to shine. I dare say that every single item we ordered during our visit was excellent, well prepared, large portions, and very tasty.

Prices at Spizzico are slightly steep, as befits the quality of food and service you receive. Still, I would highly recommend paying a visit to Spizzico if you're visiting Brisbane.





This award winning restaurant looks unassuming from the outside. Besides in-house dining, they also cater for business functions and private parties.

Spizzico Signage

Spizzico Dining Area

Spizzico Take Away Brochure 01

Spizzico Take Away Brochure 02

Spizzico Take Away Brochure 03

The latte was decent, but not particularly outstanding. The Lemonade Kirks Lemon Lime And Bitters was good, with a fizzy body and refreshing taste.

Latte

Kirks Lemon Lime And Bitters

The Toasted Ciabatta With Olive / Ciabatta Con Olive is a complimentary starter. The olives were well prepared and soft, with the seed easily extracted. The toasted bread was fresh and crisp, though not very absorbent.

Toasted Ciabatta With Olive / Ciabatta Con Olive

The Duck Risotto / Risotto Anatra Con Porcini (Duck Risotto With Porcini And Pumpkin, Finished With Cream And Drizzled With Truffle Oil) has a fragrant aroma, and a savoury, earthy taste. The duck is quite thickly sliced, with a thin layer of fat. The rice has been cooked till smooth, but the cream makes this a heavy and filling dish.

Duck Risotto 01 / Risotto Anatra Con Porcini (Duck Risotto With Porcini And Pumpkin, Finished With Cream And Drizzled With Truffle Oil) 01

Duck Risotto 02 / Risotto Anatra Con Porcini (Duck Risotto With Porcini And Pumpkin, Finished With Cream And Drizzled With Truffle Oil) 02

The Napoli Pizza / Pizza Napoli With Mozzarella, Tomato, Eggplant, Anchovy And Black Olives is savoury, with the anchovies fish lending a salty, briny taste to the dish. The vegetables are fresh, and I like the crisp edges of the pizza crust. Really good.

Napoli Pizza / Pizza Napoli With Mozzarella, Tomato, Eggplant, Anchovy And Black Olives

The Best Beef Steak In Brisbane

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 9
Ambience & Setting: 9
Food & Beverage: 9
Service: 9
Value for Money: 8
Spent about SGD $67 / AUD $55 per person.





Established in 1889, the Breakfast Creek Hotel is one of the most famous dining establishments in Australia, and an iconic institution of culinary fine dining in Brisbane. Regularly featuring in multiple 'must-dine' lists and visited by the elites, the Breakfast Creek Hotel has also been featured in many books about Brisbane. A visit to Brisbane would not be complete without a visit to the Breakfast Creek Hotel, as its more than just a pub or restaurant, it's a dining destination.

The Breakfast Creek Hotel has beautiful French Renaissance architecture, and a choice of ambience. The Staghorn Beer Garden is the pub / bar area, and features lush and relaxing sub-tropical landscaping with bright lighting, cool breeze, an open kitchen, and a dining area for 500 people. The Spanish Garden Steakhouse is the restaurant area, which features low alcoves in an intimate villa setting with full table service. For those who prefer yet more ambience, the Breakfast Creek Hotel is also said to be haunted by the spirit of the original builder of this place, William 'Old Bill' MacNoughton Galloway, who fell to an untimely death while drunk.

Service at Breakfast Creek Hotel differs depending on the location you're dining in. The Spanish Garden Steakhouse has full table service befitting a fine dining restaurant, and staff are polite, knowledgeable and efficient. The Staghorn Beer Garden has more relaxed and casual service, though staff are similarly professional in their work.

When it comes to food and drink, the Breakfast Creek Hotel is world famous for 2 things: its Dry Aged Beef, which is aged for up to 60 days, subsequently cut into steaks and perfectly grilled, and its Beer Off The Wood, which is beer served straight out of wooden beer casks, improving the flavour. Part of the dining experience at Breakfast Creek Hotel is the ability to select your steak from 12 different cuts of beef derived from 4 different herds of cattle, then watch it flame grilled to perfection.

Such a high standard of quality, great taste, and excellent service doesn't come cheap. However, the Breakfast Creek Hotel is still relatively affordable by fine dining standards. This results in Breakfast Creek Hotel having a constant queue of diners waiting to get in. I highly recommend making advance reservations before paying a visit.





Step into this place, and immediately you're confronted with a choice of ambience, the Staghorn Beer Garden Dining, or the Spanish Garden Steakhouse.

Breakfast Creek Hotel Signage

Beef Aged For 31 - 45 Days

Colourful Cow

Fresh Seafood In The Chiller

Breakfast Creek Hotel Menu - Beef Steak Options

Breakfast Creek Hotel Coaster

Breakfast Creek Hotel Dining Area

Garlic Bread served before the start of a meal as an appetizer. Pretty good, as the bread was crisp and nicely toasted, but the garlic spread was a little lacklustre; slightly bland.

Garlic Bread

The Beef Steak Eye Fillet is a classic cut here, and 1 of the 4 original cuts on the menu when it was first established. Characterised by its lean and tender meat, the Beef Steak Eye Fillet cut is a rather hefty portion. The meat is perfectly grilled and very flavourful, still moist and juicy within. Excellent. The classic and most popular combination here is Coleslaw, Baked Potato, Bacon Bits And Gravy, which features fresh, clean vegetables in the coleslaw, warm buttery baked potato with salty and savoury bacon bits, and a luscious and thick beef meat brown gravy. Other choice of sauces includes black pepper, chili and mushroom sauce.

Beef Steak Eye Fillet With Coleslaw, Baked Potato, Bacon Bits And Gravy 01

Beef Steak Eye Fillet With Coleslaw, Baked Potato, Bacon Bits And Gravy 02

Beef Steak Eye Fillet With Coleslaw, Baked Potato, Bacon Bits And Gravy 03

Beef Steak Eye Fillet With Coleslaw, Baked Potato, Bacon Bits And Gravy 04

Beef Steak Eye Fillet With Coleslaw, Baked Potato, Bacon Bits And Gravy 05

Casual, Affordable And Quick Dining

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 8
Ambience & Setting: 6
Food & Beverage: 8
Service: 7
Value for Money: 8
Spent about SGD $20 / AUD $17 per person.





Sparrow And Finch, otherwise known as Sparrow And Finch Espresso Bar Pizza, is a casual cafe that offers quick dining at affordable prices in the heart of the Brisbane central business district (CBD). Offering breakfast and lunch, as well as dinner on selected days, Sparrow And Finch is a popular place for a bite, due to its quick service and great tasting food.

Ambience at Sparrow And Finch is good. Indoor seating is rather limited, but the ample outdoor seating makes up for it... provided it doesn't rain. Furniture is comfortable and functional, but not very opulent. Decor is minimal. The biggest draw is the open counter which displays their range of food prepared for the day, behind a huge covered glass. Most people in Brisbane don't exactly visit Sparrow And Finch for the ambience though.

Because Sparrow And Finch caters to busy executives and office workers, service is quick and efficient, with a focus on high turnover in the shortest time. Thus, food is mostly pre-prepared, and kept warm / chilled at the open glass counter. If the order has to be prepared, it's fulfilled very quickly, within 5 to 10 minutes at most. Fortunately, quality of food is never compromised, and you'll still get great tasting dishes. You won't have much opportunity to converse with staff though.

Food at Sparrow And Finch is of good quality, and portions are large. Ingredients used are fresh, and prices are rather reasonable, being slightly cheaper or comparable to other cafes in the area. They specialise in burgers, salads, sandwiches, pizza, coffee, milkshakes and beer.

Sparrow And Finch, otherwise known as Sparrow And Finch Espresso Bar Pizza, is typically crowded during meal times. Many Brisbane people order take away. If possible, visit Sparrow And Finch early, or go during off peak hours.





The appetizing display of food at the counter is what draws in the crowds, but it's the great taste and quality of dishes that keep them coming back.

Sparrow And Finch Counter

Hot Food And Carvery

Carvery Ham

The traditional Australian Hamburger With The Lot is listed on the menu as the 'Sparrow Burger With Fries'. Despite the rather odd name, the juicy, grilled mince beef patty is a winner, and goes well with the 2 sesame seed burger buns, fried egg, bacon slices, cheese, romaine lettuce, onions, tomato, pineapple and beetroot. Excellent taste, good value for money, and very filling. I actually couldn't get my mouth around it, as it was so tall! Attempt to eat only if hungry.

Hamburger With The Lot 01

Hamburger With The Lot 02

Hamburger With The Lot 03

Hamburger With The Lot 04

Good Quality Dishes Popular In Brisbane

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 7
Ambience & Setting: 7
Food & Beverage: 7
Service: 8
Value for Money: 6
Spent about SGD $28 / AUD $23 per person.





Established in 1982, Jimmy's On The Mall is a respected local Brisbane diner and bar that prides itself on serving good quality and tasty food made with fresh local produce, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Their reputation as a respected dining place in Brisbane, combined with their unique business hours (few stalls in Australia operate 24 hours daily), means Jimmy's On The Mall sees good business traffic at all hours of the day and night.

Ambience is above average, as Jimmy's On The Mall benefits from its open concept in the middle of the street. Lighting is rather dim however, and the open concept also means that rain is prone to come in, although it hardly rains heavily in Australia. But the furniture is comfortable and nicely spaced, and they add to the greenery with hanging potted plants.

Service at Jimmy's On The Mall is very good, and staff are attentive and alert. Food is served quickly, even during busy periods. The open concept does mean it can get rather noisy as well, meaning you have'll to raise your voice slightly to be properly heard by staff.

Food at Jimmy's On The Mall is simple, traditional Brisbane fare. Ingredients are freshly delivered daily, and dishes are typically Western style / Australian style. Portions are rather big, and prices are slightly more expensive than other cafes in the area. But the food is tasty! Drinks are also very popular here, with their coffee and beer being the most commonly ordered drinks.

Personally, I find that the menu for breakfast and dinner is slightly better than the menu for lunch. I would recommend visiting Jimmy's On The Mall if you're around the city area in Brisbane, but I don't think it's worth travelling here to dine if you're rather out of the way.





Equal parts diner and bar, the restaurant / cafe is neatly laid out, and rather spacious. With a somewhat open concept kitchen and televisions for viewing rugby matches, this is the prefered watering hole / dining establishment in the area.

Jimmy's On The Mall Bar

Jimmy's On The Mall Exterior Facade

Jimmy's On The Mall Kitchen

Jimmy's On The Mall Interior Facade

Hanging Plant

Singapore Style Chilli Bugs

Jimmy's On The Mall Diner

Haloumi And Eggs / Halloumi And Eggs is a typical breakfast often served in Brisbane cafes, which consists of grilled Haloumi / Halloumi Cheese, rocket leaves, poached eggs, sauteed button mushrooms, avocado puree, toasted sourdough bread and fresh tomato chutney. The mildly salty cheese goes well with the sweet tomato chutney, and the bread is excellent for soaking up the runny egg yolks. The avocado adds a slight freshness to the dish, while the mushrooms lend a savoury taste. Good!

Haloumi And Eggs 01

Haloumi And Eggs 02

Haloumi And Eggs 03

The Latte here is excellent, and many locals stop off here in the mornings to pick up their coffee for take away.

Latte 01

Latte 02

Brisbane Street Food


Brisbane Street Food is largely influenced by British cuisine and cooking styles, as a result of Australia formerly being a colony of the United Kingdom. But besides Britian, cuisine in Brisbane is also greatly influenced by other international cuisines including Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Turkish, Indian, American and Spanish. The majority of cuisines can be found in the city centre and along the central business district. Brisbane doesn't have an active food culture, and the food identity in Brisbane is rather weak, as they have few dishes or drinks which originate from the city.

Food in Brisbane is typically found in individual restaurants and cafes, with few actual streetside stalls or pushcarts. Restaurants and cafes all tend to be located within the same area, along streets with high traffic, such as a main road or near malls. The further you go into the suburbs, the less restaurants and cafes you'll see. Because the majority of stalls are all located within specific areas, eating out often means having to commute quite a distance. Food courts are uncommon, and only found in shopping malls. Such food courts normally consist of various fast food brands, with a mix of various ethnic food vendors.

Breakfast in Brisbane is often eaten on the move, with takeaway sandwiches, kebabs, coffee and other handheld food being very popular. Few people sit down for breakfast, except on weekends. Lunch is typically a quick affair at a nearby restaurant or cafe, and prices for lunch are cheaper than dinner. Dinner in Brisbane often means a full meal, accompanied by wine or beer, and takes place over a few hours together with family or friends.


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The Almond Stick is a sweet pastry normally consumed during breakfast, consisting of an almond and custard paste within a flaky pastry shell, studded with sliced almonds.

Almond Stick

ANZAC Biscuit from Brisbane.

ANZAC Biscuit

Avocado is a very popular fruit in Australia, commonly served sliced or in a mashed / puree form, often with sandwiches or salads.

Avocado

Banana Bread is a type of sweet bread made with ripe bananas, butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, salt, baking soda, and all-purpose flour. Sometimes, chopped walnuts, chopped almonds, or raisins are added. Although it's commonly known as Banana Cake in Singapore, the texture and density of Banana Bread in Australia is very different. It's heavier, as well as more dough-like than a typical cake, with a crumbly texture, and buttery fruity sweet flavour.

Banana Bread

Beef Kebab from Brisbane. Turkish cuisine is very popular, especially for a take away meal.

Beef Kebab 01

Beef Kebab 02

Beef / Beef Steak is prevalent throughout Australia, and this famed and prized meat is also popular in Brisbane, and is normally consumed during dinner. Beef Steak is often grilled to your choice of doneness, and served with a choice of sides and sauce. The most popular combination in Brisbane is Coleslaw, Baked Potato with Bacon Bits, and a side of Gravy / Beef Meat Gravy / Brown Beef Gravy. The cuts of beef meat here tend to be a lot thicker, and more flavourful, than the airflown Australian beef I get in Singapore.

Beef Steak Eye Fillet With Coleslaw, Baked Potato, Bacon Bits And Gravy 01

Beef Steak Eye Fillet With Coleslaw, Baked Potato, Bacon Bits And Gravy 02

Beef Steak Eye Fillet With Coleslaw, Baked Potato, Bacon Bits And Gravy 03

Beef Steak Eye Fillet With Coleslaw, Baked Potato, Bacon Bits And Gravy 04

Beef Steak Eye Fillet With Coleslaw, Baked Potato, Bacon Bits And Gravy 05

Beetroot is a popular vegetable throughout Australia, often served sliced, in a salad or hamburger, and sometimes, as a part of a dessert.

Beetroot

A Cheesecake Blueberry from Brisbane.

Cheesecake Blueberry

The Cherry Ripe Candy Bar is an Australian confectionery, and the first type of chocolate bar made in Australia, in 1924. It consists of cherries and coconut coated with dark chocolate.

Cherry Ripe Candy Bar

The Chocolate Coated Honeycomb was invented as a way of storing honeycomb, which spoils quickly, but has since evolved into a popular confectionery. It consists of honeycomb coated with dark chocolate.

Chocolate Coated Honeycomb

A Doughnut Sugar Glazed from Brisbane. The sugar shatters when touched, releasing the soft, chewy doughnut.

Doughnut Sugar Glazed

A Duck Risotto from Brisbane. Italian cuisine is slowly gaining popularity here, but 'pure' Italian restaurants are still rather uncommon. Often, such Italian restaurants are positioned as fine dining establishments.

Duck Risotto 01

Duck Risotto 02

A Falafel from Brisbane.

Falafel 01

Falafel 02

Garlic Bread from Brisbane, served as part of a meal in a restaurant.

Garlic Bread

Haloumi And Eggs is a popular breakfast dish in Brisbane. Haloumi, or Halloumi, is actually a mildly salty, semi-soft white cheese made from goat's milk, sheep's milk, or cow's milk. Although it originated from Cyprus, Haloumi, or Halloumi is also made in Australia. The dish of Haloumi And Eggs also includes poached eggs, sauteed button mushrooms, avocado puree, toasted sourdough bread and fresh tomato chutney.

Haloumi And Eggs 01

Haloumi And Eggs 02

Haloumi And Eggs 03

Hamburger With The Lot is a traditional Australian term which refers to a beef mince hamburger between 2 sesame seed burger buns with a fried egg, bacon, cheese, romaine lettuce, onions, tomato, pineapple and beetroot. The condiments regularly used are either barbecue sauce or tomato sauce.

Hamburger With The Lot 01

Hamburger With The Lot 02

Hamburger With The Lot 03

Hamburger With The Lot 04

Honey, freshly packaged from Brisbane, and served with either coffee or pancakes.

Honey

Jerky refers to strips of dried lean meat, cured with salt. In Australia, Jerky is commonly made with beef meat, although kangaroo meat and crocodile meat are also used to make Jerky.

Jerky Beef, Jerky Kangaroo, Jerky Crocodile

The Lamington is an iconic Australian dessert common in Brisbane. It is a light, plain vanilla sponge cake set in a square shape, coated with a thin layer of chocolate icing / chocolate sauce, then covered in desiccated coconut. The Lamington is often served with a layer of cream or fruity jam. Named after Charles Wallace Alexander Napier Cochrane-Baillie 2nd Baron Lamington, or Lord Lamington, though ironically, he actually disliked the dessert, calling it "those bloody poofy woolly biscuits".

Lamington 01

Lamington 02

Cafes are found all over the Brisbane central business district (CBD), and all of them serve coffee. The most popular breakfast drink is the Latte, often ordered by Brisbane office workers in a takeaway cup and drunk on the commute to work during the cold winter mornings in Brisbane.

Latte 01

Latte 02

Latte 03

Latte 04

Latte 05

Lemonade / Lemon Lime And Bitters is a popular drink in Brisbane, and there are many different canned and bottled varieties.

Lemonade Kirks Lemon Lime And Bitters

Lemonade Lift

Lemonade Solo Original Lemon

Licorice / Black Liquorice is often sold in confectionery shops. Made with extracts from the licorice plant / liquorice plant, sugar, water and a binding agent such as starch, flour or gelatin.

Licorice / Black Liquorice

Macadamia Nuts were first cultivated in Australia, and are still strongly associated with the country. 2 popular ways of serving Macadamia Nuts are Honey Roasted, and Salted. Other flavours include wasabi, garlic, barbecue, chili, or chocolate coated.

Macadamia Nuts Honey Roasted

Macadamia Nuts Salted

Napoli Pizza is a traditional Italian pizza from the pizza capital of the world, Naples. It consists of fresh peeled tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese, olive oil, capers and anchovies.

Napoli Pizza

Nougat is a popular Italian confectionery, often sold in 2 different varieties. The hard Nougat / Brown Nougat is made with sugar / honey, almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, macadamias and pistachios. The soft Nougat / White Nougat consists of the exact same ingredients, but also includes egg whites. Sometimes, candied apricot is added. Nougat actually means 'Nut Cake'.

Nougat

Fudge is a popular American confectionery, which is usually soft, sweet and rich. It's made with sugar, butter, milk, and various flavourings.

Old English Vanilla And Chocolate Fudge

Popcorn, in a multi-coloured, multi-flavoured spectrum.

Popcorn

Semifreddo is a type of semi frozen dessert which originated in Italy. It consists of a light mousse mixture made with equal parts of vanilla ice cream, mascarpone and whipped cream, topped with almonds and pistachios. It's garnished with a pistachio biscotti.

Semifreddo 01

Semifreddo 02

Semifreddo 03

A Toasted Ciabatta With Olive from Brisbane, often served as part of a meal in an Italian restaurant.

Toasted Ciabatta With Olive

Vegetable Chips are a healthier alternative compared to Potato Chips, and are made with either sweet potato, yam or beetroot.

Vegetable Chips

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