cinco bistro

i read in the good food guide that cincobistrowas awarded a hat this year so i have been wanting to check it out for awhile. i was pleasantly surprised to find this little gem so far out from the city too. the food was not too bad and the service was ok. a little expensive though. the venue itself is quite plain, nothing fancy. it was definitely not what i was expecting when compared to other hatted restaurants in brisbane but still worth a try if you've never been.

i don’t usually write breakfast reviews in brisbane as i seem to find lunch and dinner at restaurants way more interesting than the breakfasts that are served at many venues across town. however, i want to tell you about the breakfast menu that cincobistroserves on saturday and sunday. for many years cinco has become well known for its elegantbistrofood but over the last year it began serving breakfast that i believe is worthy of equal acknowledgement and acclaim as their dinner service. mum and i agree that it is hard to beat the breakfast variety at cinco. the great thing about cinco’s breakfast menu is that you eat from around the world travelling to mexico, india, south and north america and asia. and each time you come back, you find yourself ordering something new and exciting due to a menu that is ever changing. we first visited just after they started and i had an amazing chicken chilaquiles with a perfect fried egg on top while mum had baked eggs with chorizo, potato, piquillo peppers, mahon cheese and almonds. both dishes were outstanding and we couldn’t wait to come back for more! as cinco is just around the corner from where i live we returned very soon. this time i tried the chimichanga, which is savoury mince wrapped in a tortilla, which is then deep-fried. on top rested a perfectly cooked poached egg with hollandaise sauce. a crispy kale leaf crowned the dish and a dollop of guacamole and chopped up tomato lay to the side of the plate. after trying this dish i declared it my all-time favourite breakfast! mum ordered an indian lentil curry with chutney and roti, which was perfect for the cold morning weather. on another occasion i tried the new delhi egg curry – a recipe that the owner-chef peter stubbs had recently brought back from india. it was served with some crispy roti bread perfect for mopping up the perfectly balanced sauce. mum tried the duck omelette with a drizzle of hoisin sauce and enjoyed the classic combination. as i loved the chimi

we visited cincobistroon the 29th of february for a dinner for four. street parking was plentiful albeit tight in the side street. the restaurant itself was easy to find with a warm inviting interior.

for entree we ordered the grilled quail and scallop risotto to share. the quail was tender with the breast deboned and the scallops were seared perfectly. for mains we ordered the darling downs eye fillet and pappardelle pasta with beef cheek ragu. i asked for the steak to be rare and rare i received. the steak was paired perfectly with the red wine jus and silverbeet and beetroot. the beef cheek ragu was soft and flavoursome, with a decent balance of meat and pasta.

overall the food was delicious and prepared well however there are a few areas which we feel has let this place down, considering cincobistrois demanding fine dining prices.

according to the website corkage is a steep $8.50 per person. however, we were keen to have our favourite wine for our celebratory dinner so we decided it was fine to cop the corkage. however, corkage was actually $9.50 per person when we got to the restaurant. if cincobistrowants us to buy their wine, that's fine, just don't have byo.

in addition, we were left to dine on large pieces of paper used to protect the table cloth. i mean is this fine dining or yum cha? if we're paying $9.50 per person in corkage, we'd like to eat off the table cloth.

cinco is an upmarketbistrolocated in the inner city brisbane suburb of camp hill.
the restaurant has gained a reputation as a ‘foodies’ paradise receiving praise from the hospitality industry and the general public.
chef peter draws inspiration from his world travels, authentic tastes are presented in the most stylish fashion.
a life long passion for food and travel, all bought together with love and care, sums up the amazing tastes at cinco. 🍷🍷
our ecuadorian waiter was excellent and very patient 👌
(the darling downs eye fillet, beetroot, silverbeet, lardons, fondant potato, red wine jus was the clear winner,,,,🍖)
@cincobistro
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my colleagues and i enjoyed a lovely dinner at cincobistroin camp hill, an up-scale (not quite fine dining) bistro, where chef peter stubbs serves up delicious 'modern australian' fare with a twist - utilising the best of queensland's fresh produce and incorporating asian and mexican influences to make an otherwise european menu his own.

we began our meal with the pea & prosciutto arancini with aioli ($10), two mooloolaba king prawn salads ($21), the potato gnocchi with pork and fennel sausage ($22), foie gras ($21) and two orders of scallops wrapped in bacon ($22). the arancini were lovely and rated 3.5-4. the prawn salads were a bit dry and could have used more dressing, but were still very enjoyable and rated 3.5. the potato gnocchi with pork and fennel sausage was served with black truffle and parmesan cheese - a close second to 1889 enoteca's gnocchi - and rated 4-4.5. the foie gras was smooth, creamy and abundant - this rated 4.5. the scallops wrapped in bacon were very good and rated a 4.

the highlights from the entrees were the gnocchi and foie gras - both of which i would highly recommend.

for mains, we ordered four wagyu beef, two duck breast and a grilled barramundi. all of the mains were between $35-43. the wagyu beef was beautifully marbled (7+) and was served atop a homemade barbecue sauce with a sriracha-like sauce ringing the plate, fava beans and a unique version of kimchi topped with mushrooms. the beef itself was fantastic and the dish rated a 4-4.5. the duck skin was tender and the breast was tender - this rated a 4. my colleague who had the barramundi said it was the best fish she has ever eaten. the barramundi itself rated a 4.5, but unfortunately the curried potatoes that accompanied it were very disappointing. the overall dish rated a 3.5-4.

with the mains we enjoyed a capri salad (caprese), mashed potatoes and hand cut chips with aioli. the capri salad and mashed potatoes were both average and rated 3-3.5, but the hand cut chips with aioli were exceptional and rated 4.5.

we finished the meal with a round of desserts including an affogato, two panna cotta with pear, three salted caramel parfaits and a cheese plate including a lingot triple cream brie and taleggio. the affogato and salted caramel parfaits were both extremely well received and rated 4. the cheeses were just what you would expect and rated 3.5. unfortunately, the panna cotta hadn’t set and was still liquid. recognising this, the server informed the kitchen and these were removed from the bill.

overall, our experience at cincobistrowas quite enjoyable. we also appreciated that in addition to a full bar and extensive wine list, they are byo and charge a very reasonable corkage. i look forward to returning to cincobistroand give it a hearty recommendation.

arranged the new year eve dinner at this one hatted restauarant. since it is the only one-hatted at this side of the town, my expectation was set slightly high. it was a busy night and there were only three wait-staffs running the show. we were told by the manger that some of the staffs rang up to take sick leave in the afternoon.... however, they did manage to offer fine service and it was much appreciated. well, food was another story. first of all, we were let down because they stop serving any quail as the entree so we ordered the charcyuterie board to share, which was average. the wagyu rump was slightly overcooked on some portion but the portobello mushroom deserved thumb up. hero should be the lamb rack which was done perfectly. side dish of the roasted cumin pumpkin was delicious. the serious let down should be the desserts of apple tart and greek custard. we did not have the feeling of enjoying the dessert. one comment is that they should be careful on chosing tea leaves since the lemongrass & ginger was bland. as an one-hatted restaurant, cinco sounds weaker than the others in town, say deer duckbistro(milton), public (cbd) or thomas reserve (spring hill). these restaurants did showcase why they are one-hatted with fine dining standard meals and nice drink menu. i think the chefs should pay attention to the dish plating technique and overall cinco needs time to be more mature.....

we tried to go here last night! i phoned to book a table and to ask if we could order off the pizza menu in thebistroas we had a child with us. we were informed that they don't allow it if they are busy. we arrived at 6.15pm. there were only 2 other occupied tables in the bistro. we explained the situation again but were told we had to sit outside in the piccolo (pizza) dining area. we sat there but after a couple of minutes of not being able to hear ourselves because of the traffic whizzing past we left, very dissatisfied. they knew why we were leaving and chose not to rectify the situation so we will not return. how inflexible!

where ever you live in brisbane drive to the south/east side to visit this chamingbistro- you won't regret it!. this littlebistrois a little out of the way depending where you live of course... but it is well worth the trip... the food is fabulous! service is warm and friendly and the menu is excellent. no wonder this little gem is still going strong after all these years! keep up the good work cinco! love it!

*cincobistrois byo* and also a suburban gem. we are always so impressed by their decor/ambience, and of course the delicious food made by the fantastic chef here. dessert is sublime (a must!) and while the wait staff are always quite busy, we have been happy with our service and wait times. would definitely return to cinco - next time with a byo bottle of bubbles as their sparkling wine selection is basically non-existent. you will be hard pressed finding anywhere online that spruikes this place is byo, but it definitely is :)

decor, menu and service unchanged since our last visit. food is delicious, portions inconsistent- some meals quite generous, others small. still think it is overpriced based on offering and location.


-----10 sep, 2011-----

refurb has made the place more welcoming and balanced. menu is varied enough to please every palate. food is fresh, delicious and beautifully presented. somewhat expensive for abistroon a busy main road but overall a very pleasant experience! would recommend.