aquitaine brasserie

went to aquitaine last night for dinner for the first time, excellent service, menu and food. will bebackagain.

food and service was top notch. we were sat beside each other, overlooking the brisbane river. the waiter provided excellent information and catered to my pregnancy needs. goingbackand forth to double check with he chef on what i can and cannot eat. the duck and pork terrine was devine, paired it with some starter bread. the spatcoq was bigger than expected and went perfectly well with the crispy kale. the wagyu rump was perfectly grilled. will love to come back!

very impressed with all the food i tasted at this
place!!! there was a set menu as my friend was having a function but we were not the slightest bit disappointed. the real star was the duck and dessert, beautifully presented and perfectly flavoured. will definitely bebackfor more

terrible service. went for a late dinner on saturday night. we didn't have a booking but were told they would have a table in 30 minutes, so we put our name and number down and went for a drink. we camebackin 40 and were told they didn't have a table. not only that but that they wouldn't have a table for us. when i asked why we gave contact details they were unapologetic andjust stated they didn't have a table. i have eaten there previously and enjoyed it but i will not be back.

the bouillabaisse brought out my inner teen wanting to scream "omg"!! a rich fish soup with plenty of fish and shellfish pieces, and a generous side of crusty bread with rouille -"rust", a spicy aioli-. so flavoursome, so many varied seafood bits, the perfect dish for a hot summer night.
the roquefort ice cream was original and a great complement to the main: the poached figs and the orange sauce brought the right sweet/salt balance. i finished with the mille feuille just to load up the calories. so good, i'mbacktomorrow.

my thoughts on this restaurant are somewhat negative. we arrived and were given the normal menu however we mentioned there would be 9 of us so that menu (which included a range of interesting appetisers and share plates) was whisked away and a new, less choice menu took its place. two of our party were "plain food" eaters so found it hard to find anything on the new menu. the waitress then suggested they might like the kids meal of steak and chips but as one of them was not a child she would be charged an adult rate. 50+ minutes later the meals came out...
no apologies or forewarning regarding food service delay and venue not full.
the two 'children's ' steak and chips were identical cuts of meat on top of a bed of chips... same amount of chips.....1 cost $15 and the other $39 when the bill came and then add the 15% surcharge. "
another member of our group had the fillet steak from the menu advertised at $39 ... guess what ... different cut of meat, thick and delicious looking with interesting additions to complement the meat. when bill was challenged it was basically " tough luck" and we don't care.
so very long story short ... great company (our family :) ), ok but certainly overpriced food with exceptionally poor customer service from inflexible staff and owner. needless to say we won't bebackever.

very disappointing experience overall. wait staff were friendly but inconceivably slow. my partner and i shared the jamon flatbread as a starter which was delicious. 
my main, snapper fillets with clams (and other stuff) had bones in it. no apology or any attempt to reconcile this was made. had to ask 3 times for the wine we ordered, and side dishes came out 15 minutes after our mains.
asked the waitress 3 times to get the bill and when it never came, i walked to the counter to pay. the manager told me to go and sitbackdown, and when i told him that we'd asked for the bill, he rolled his eyes and slammed the eftpos machine on the bench.
considering acquitaine wasn't even half full, the service was atrocious and we certainly won't be returning.

love if from the first time. 
love it more cause is on the entertainment book.
love it cause is at the quiet end of south bank. 
keep comingbackfor the dinning atmosphere and the food.

terrific food and service. we went using the entertainment guide and will most definitely bebackagain! i had the special which was a 'to die for' duck pie. the entrees of sardines were incredible as were the mushrooms. finish off by a great ganache. good location and very attentive service.

rather let themselves down.

this is a fine location, perhaps a touch cool, semi-outdoors in late autumn, but the heaters are nice. the service is competent without being warm.

six of us - three couples who know a bit about food and about france and speak french - had dinner there one friday night in may 2015 and very much enjoyed the food. the "all things duck" entrée was seriously good as was the special shellfish.

we actually chose to go there because we saw there was a bouillabaisse. well, there is a limit to how good a bouillabaisse can be in australia, since we don't really have the right sorts of fish and anyway australian diners won't come at the ugly, bony little numbers that make a fish stew great (rock cod for example) but these guys get pretty near to that limit: plenty of saffron, a strong broth, a nice variety of textures and flavours.

one of us is a vegetarian and she was pretty well catered for - except that the rest of us kept pinching her stuff because it was so nice. go for the mushroom with cheese and egg!

a nice selection of cheeses for the grown-ups and a hugely chocolatey dessert for the rest.

and a good wine list: not too expensive, by brisbane standards.

all very happy so far.

but then, the bill.

so we are three couples and - this is australia, you know - we want to pay for ourselves, so we will just divide the bill in three and pay a third per couple.

and we all have credit cards.

well, it appears we are in luck because they will take separate cards but no more than three.

but my card is amex. well, there is a surcharge. ok, i'm used to that. i know that amex actually doesn't charge so big a fee and it does deliver higher spend customers to the restaurant so the surcharge is just a lie, but i just accept it and mark down the restaurant as a place not to gobackto.

but wait! the amex surcharge does not just go on my portion of the bill - if one card is an amex, then all the cards get hit with the surcharge.

"oh, the system just works that way."

what utter rubbish! this, guys, even in france, is the 21st century. cash is going out. people pay with plastic. you are not a hole-in-the-wall mum-and-dad eatery, you are a major player that can handle hundreds of diners, you want my money - you take my plastic.

and people split bills. you know that every time more than two people turn up at your restaurant, it is almost certain they will want to pay separately. you don't like this? then only have tables for two!

what worries me is that, if you have trouble with this, then what other basic 21st century technological issues also challenge you. food safety, perhaps?

severely disappointed. dined here for valentines day, the offering was a set menu which is understandable on one of the busiest nights of the year. also allows the kitchen to have enough of each meal, as well as enables a fast preparation and service of the meals. with the intention that the customer does not have to wait long for their meals and therefore a higher turn over of tables.

except which was not the case for valentines dinner!

the issues:

wait staff were not organised and seemed in complete kaos. wait staff didn't have designated sections to look after. resulting in customers being forgotten. i saw a number of hands being raised to catch wait staff attention.

the meals were pre-prepared a number of days in advance which is normal, except for some particular items. for example goat cheese in vine tomato and charred lavosh. the tomato was at the point of turning bad with loss of flavour & watery taste. the lavosh was far from charred as its texture & taste resembled a stale water cracker lacking the crisp factor.

the portion sizes were not consitent across the board of the meals.

on an important date for couples looking for a special experience to enjoy with a loved one, a restaurant should have well rehearsed staff and faultless food!

the chefs at aquitaine should ask themselves would i feel confident to serve up that slop to someone that i am trying to impress?

the apprentice chefs and wait staff south bank college easily put you lot to shame! perhaps you should gobackto college?

on a positive note the bar staff were outstanding, mixing the cocktails to perfection! pity that experience, presentation and taste perfection did not carry across the whole night!

if intend dinning at aquitaine lower your expectations to the level of that of broncos leagues club!

ten thumbs down!

excellent evening. recently my wife and i went out for our normal friday night dinner and decided to give somewhere new a go. so glad we did. the service was good and the food excellent. a good variety in choice, well priced and great flavours. the location just seems to match the food with great views of brisbane. i can see this being a regular due to the service and food provided, a job well done on the night we were there. definitely goingbackand looking forward to our return.

fancy french cuisine. my partner and i dined here the other night as a spur of the moment outing. we were a bit concerned about the cool weather but this venue has heaters and blankets to keep you warm!
the house bread with confit garlic was a prefect little appetizer to share between the two of us.
i enjoyed the market fish for my main with amazing flavours, colours and textures and my partner loved the corned beef cheek. you must try the brussels sprouts and pork belly side, it simply delish.
we finished off with the summer snickers and the crime brûlée for dessert - we could have had two desserts but was simply too full!
staff were friendly and knowledgable about the dishes. the food was outstanding and we will definitely bebackfor more indulgence :) loved it!!!!


-----01 dec, 2013-----

i recently celebrated my birthday here with a group of friends on a lazy sunday afternoon.
staff are friendly and attentive. they have a good knowledge of the menu and helped me match a nice bottle of wine with my entree and mains. the pork entree is a definite winner and the lamb main is divine!!!
but the stand out for me was the snickers dessert, delish!!!
best birthday lunch to date :)

perfect!. went with a friend for a girly date. booked and shared seating on this couch overlooking the water. nice afternoon breezes with a drink in hand to start off with than came entree of ham terrine. mains of fish and duck. dessert - that snickers creation and cheesecake.. delicious and perfect finish to our night.. most importantly - our attentive waiter. will definitely will gobackfor drinks, dinner and/or dessert. great location amongst all the others however this venue stands out!

lee & rachel buckingham. we had lunch today at aquitaine
and all i can say is wow.
the service was great and the food will give and two hatted restaurant in brisbane a run for there money.

we are looking forward now to our next visit

i dont eat desert but the snickers desert was just amazing

great jobs we will spread the word, and we will bebacksoon.

oh great views and the price was good too.

lee