Otto Brisbane
Seven short years of marriage deserves a special celebration.
After a bit of research and recommendation from friends we book a table for two
at Otto. The modern and trendy Italian restaurant situated at 480 Queen St is a
new player in the Brisbane high end dining scene. With killer views of Story
Bridge and trendy but elegant dining environment one must think it has the
formula to succeed. We were greeted warmly by the restaurant floor manager and
taken to our table. After reviewing their well laid out menu, we decided to go
for the 7 course tasting.
Warm table bread was served with extra virgin olive oil
poured in the dipping tray. The golden crust bread was a surprise highlight to
kick off the dining experience. The bread has a buttery and almost doughnut
like taste with a light and airy mouthfeel. A gentle dip in olive oil elevates
the flavour further with fruity & hint of bitter taste. The bread was
complementary refilled but the oily feeling on the palate makes it hard to
reach for thirds. 3.5/5
Our first dish was a surprise off menu treat consists of half fig, prosciutto, infused crumbs, finely chopped nuts and Italian cream cheese sauce dressed with balsamic vinegar. The rich salty cream cheese matches very well with prosciutto and the balsamic vinegar. The fresh sweet fig does its job to balance out the flavour and leave the palate quite clean. Bravo! 5/5
Second entrée Crudo di Ricciola arrived 20min later. The elegantly plated dish contains three pieces of thinly sliced raw Kingfish, orange, finger lime, lemon, fennel & horseradish. First bite and you will be overwhelmed by the strong acidity from citrus fruits followed by fishy with a hint of fennel after taste. The strong fishy Kingfish was not to our liking combined with acidity made the dish hard to finish. 2.5/5
Third entrée Carpaccio di Manzo made a swift appearance with thinly sliced raw Angus beef, topped with truffle oil, aioli, capers, parmesan & baby rocket. The lightly cured beef presents a near prosciutto like taste and elevates further by the fragrant truffle oil & parmesan. The combination gives the dish a creamy and complex mouthfeel with the beef soft and buttery. The baby rockets and capers adds an elegant refreshment. 4/5
With the entrees sorted, it’s time for mains. First up, Cannoli. The well-presented dish consist: ricotta filled cannoli, tomato confit, char-grilled zucchini, finely chopped black olives & basil. The light and creamy ricotta with hints of citrus fruits matches perfectly with the delicate and thin cannoli. Combined with sweetness of the tomato and char of zucchini, the dish presents a full flavoured almost “meaty” mouthfeel. Minor disappointment was the lingering oiliness on the palate. 3.5/5
Gnocchi was up next with braised duck, potato gnocchi, fried cavolo nero & gremolata. The duck braised in red sauce was tender, thick and flavourful. The gnocchi was light and airy and matches very well with the meat's gamy taste. The dish was flavoured very well with right amount of acidity vs salty. The beautifully fried cavolo nero adds an east meets west fusion which flavour resembles Japanese fried seaweed. No wonder our Zomato community love this dish. Bellissimo! 5/5
Guancia di Maiale containing pork belly, mandarin, roasted onion, cashew nut & mustard made a strong presence to conclude the mains. The serving portion was generous with a large piece of pork belly sitting proudly in the plate centre. The meat was melting soft with a thin sweet glazed cracking, combined with the mandarin and sweet mustard sauce; one was taken to porky heaven. To balance the rich meat, mixed greens were offered but did little to reduce the fatty aftertaste of the pork. Mrs was only able to finish half and gave the rest to myself (lucky me!). 4/5
With my palate murdered by the glorious fatty pork, I ordered another bottle of sparking water. Two glasses down, the first desert Limone arrived with lemon curd, infused crumbs, sweetened celery, fennel meringue & olive oil. First impression, interesting combination. The lemon curd and crumbs was a welcoming refreshment. The frozen drops of fennel meringue adds a cool and almost creamy texture, enjoyed with the celery, it adds a unique depth of flavour that was elegant and sophisticated. 4/5
Last dish of the meal Gianduia made a quick appearance. The appetising desert contains chocolate & hazelnut mousse, milk chocolate gelato & fresh raspberry. The mousse was surprisingly oily with strong hazelnut and hint of chocolate. The gelato was creamy but lacks character. As a grand finale for this dining experience, the dish lacks the wow effect and balance of flavour. 3/5
Overall service was very friendly and attentive. Water was always refilled without asking and the waitress patient with explaining each dish. Slight disappointment was our table placement, with 1 week prior booking and advised “anniversary celebration” we were give a table third row from the window and smack bang beside the walk way where food was coming from the kitchen. Mrs felt unease at times with waitress rushing past at high pace. 3/5
Whilst walking towards the car, we started concluding our experience. We both agreed the $140pp tasting menu compared to similar priced degustation (Urbane, Esquire & Aria) does not fit in the category of high end fine dining. The dishes were good but lack the wow factor with some questionable combinations. Our experience at Urbane few years back was frequently talked about among ourselves. The memory at Otto may be short lived.
Overall Ranking: 3.5/5
Hint: Their tasting menu is a guide only, dishes may have slight changes base on available ingredients that day (the pork belly was supposed to be pork cheeks according to the menu).
Our first dish was a surprise off menu treat consists of half fig, prosciutto, infused crumbs, finely chopped nuts and Italian cream cheese sauce dressed with balsamic vinegar. The rich salty cream cheese matches very well with prosciutto and the balsamic vinegar. The fresh sweet fig does its job to balance out the flavour and leave the palate quite clean. Bravo! 5/5
Second entrée Crudo di Ricciola arrived 20min later. The elegantly plated dish contains three pieces of thinly sliced raw Kingfish, orange, finger lime, lemon, fennel & horseradish. First bite and you will be overwhelmed by the strong acidity from citrus fruits followed by fishy with a hint of fennel after taste. The strong fishy Kingfish was not to our liking combined with acidity made the dish hard to finish. 2.5/5
Third entrée Carpaccio di Manzo made a swift appearance with thinly sliced raw Angus beef, topped with truffle oil, aioli, capers, parmesan & baby rocket. The lightly cured beef presents a near prosciutto like taste and elevates further by the fragrant truffle oil & parmesan. The combination gives the dish a creamy and complex mouthfeel with the beef soft and buttery. The baby rockets and capers adds an elegant refreshment. 4/5
With the entrees sorted, it’s time for mains. First up, Cannoli. The well-presented dish consist: ricotta filled cannoli, tomato confit, char-grilled zucchini, finely chopped black olives & basil. The light and creamy ricotta with hints of citrus fruits matches perfectly with the delicate and thin cannoli. Combined with sweetness of the tomato and char of zucchini, the dish presents a full flavoured almost “meaty” mouthfeel. Minor disappointment was the lingering oiliness on the palate. 3.5/5
Gnocchi was up next with braised duck, potato gnocchi, fried cavolo nero & gremolata. The duck braised in red sauce was tender, thick and flavourful. The gnocchi was light and airy and matches very well with the meat's gamy taste. The dish was flavoured very well with right amount of acidity vs salty. The beautifully fried cavolo nero adds an east meets west fusion which flavour resembles Japanese fried seaweed. No wonder our Zomato community love this dish. Bellissimo! 5/5
Guancia di Maiale containing pork belly, mandarin, roasted onion, cashew nut & mustard made a strong presence to conclude the mains. The serving portion was generous with a large piece of pork belly sitting proudly in the plate centre. The meat was melting soft with a thin sweet glazed cracking, combined with the mandarin and sweet mustard sauce; one was taken to porky heaven. To balance the rich meat, mixed greens were offered but did little to reduce the fatty aftertaste of the pork. Mrs was only able to finish half and gave the rest to myself (lucky me!). 4/5
With my palate murdered by the glorious fatty pork, I ordered another bottle of sparking water. Two glasses down, the first desert Limone arrived with lemon curd, infused crumbs, sweetened celery, fennel meringue & olive oil. First impression, interesting combination. The lemon curd and crumbs was a welcoming refreshment. The frozen drops of fennel meringue adds a cool and almost creamy texture, enjoyed with the celery, it adds a unique depth of flavour that was elegant and sophisticated. 4/5
Last dish of the meal Gianduia made a quick appearance. The appetising desert contains chocolate & hazelnut mousse, milk chocolate gelato & fresh raspberry. The mousse was surprisingly oily with strong hazelnut and hint of chocolate. The gelato was creamy but lacks character. As a grand finale for this dining experience, the dish lacks the wow effect and balance of flavour. 3/5
Overall service was very friendly and attentive. Water was always refilled without asking and the waitress patient with explaining each dish. Slight disappointment was our table placement, with 1 week prior booking and advised “anniversary celebration” we were give a table third row from the window and smack bang beside the walk way where food was coming from the kitchen. Mrs felt unease at times with waitress rushing past at high pace. 3/5
Whilst walking towards the car, we started concluding our experience. We both agreed the $140pp tasting menu compared to similar priced degustation (Urbane, Esquire & Aria) does not fit in the category of high end fine dining. The dishes were good but lack the wow factor with some questionable combinations. Our experience at Urbane few years back was frequently talked about among ourselves. The memory at Otto may be short lived.
Overall Ranking: 3.5/5
Hint: Their tasting menu is a guide only, dishes may have slight changes base on available ingredients that day (the pork belly was supposed to be pork cheeks according to the menu).
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