cinco bistro

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 breakfastmenuthat cinco bistro serves on saturday and sunday. for many years cinco has become well known for its elegant bistro food 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 breakfastmenuis 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 amenuthat 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

i booked a table online on the prior tuesday with a question in the comments field regarding food selection from both menus. the booking was confirmed to me electronically a couple of days later. however two hours before we were due to dine on the saturday we were called and told we couldn’t sit inside the restaurant...i understand the policy but why not tell me before the day, the question was posted 5 days earlier.
we arrived and the outside setting wasn’t the best (i wasn’t aware of the dual carriageway and the lack of alfresco heating) so we all decided to eat from the a la cartemenuand sought assistance to transfer inside. we were then advised that our original table had been allocated to someone else and we wouldn’t be ‘permitted’ to sit inside. an interesting choice of phrase by the waiter.
we decided we had no real options so sat down outside where our linen napkins were swapped for paper napkins and then back to linen. we proceeded to order from both menus and the entrees were delivered promptly and were good. the mains of quail and a pasta dish were then delivered. a little while later the two pizzas were delivered and we asked where the sides were for the quail. after a further delay the chips then came out and a short time after that the green beans were delivered. unfortunately the quail had been eaten by the time the sides arrived! this was raised with the waitress who advised she would relay this issue. we completed our meal and asked for the bill. at this point the manager came out to apologise for the earlier issue with the table. he did however suggest that we should ring when booking to clarify. i suggested the the electronic booking gives me every opportunity to add comments and that my question had been answered several days after you confirmed my booking electronically. why have an online booking system if the recommendation is to always ring? we also mentioned the late delivery of the sides in this discussion and we were told we should have raised it directly with him. why? we made the waitress aware and she advised she would relay the message...obviously there was a breakdown in communication!
frustrated with the night we paid our bill in full and left cold and disappointed with our experience.
i have raised the issue by email twice to peter who chooses not to respond.

my colleagues and i enjoyed a lovely dinner at cinco bistro in 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 europeanmenuhis 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 cinco bistro was 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 cinco bistro and give it a hearty recommendation.

fantastic breakfast!. hidden gem for breakfast, great variety onmenuand very reasonably priced. excellent coffee. great service, highly recommend.

poor service, average food. friday night 7.00pm and out of stock onmenuitems. had to replace spatchcock with chicken breast, so we agreed but then meal comes out with rice when supposed to be cauliflower mash. the waitress didn't even let us know this was going to be the case, therefore i paid $36 for chicken with rice. a friend ordered fish, the portion was so suitable for a toddler. she ordered dessert because she was still hungry and she's not a big eater. the waitress was pleasant but not knowledgeable. for a restaurant in the burbs with such high prices for what you get you'd think they could get their stock ordering right and if they run out of stock you'd think the chef could at least be creative and come up with a tempting alternative dish to offer instead of chicken breast. not worth the price tag.

what a gem !. took my girlfriend to cinco for her birthday last night and it was a delightful experience. themenuwas a tour of world cuisine and we had a wonderful time. top class food presented with care and attention and the prices when compared to fine dining in other major cities were quite reasonable. i think we will go to cinco for my birthday too !

very disappointingmenufor valentines day. steak fatty+ salty. did receive a discount though so at least they are interested in what customers think

just like italian. this is an "incredible" place and one to think about if you have been to italy.

we like pizzas.

we have been to italy lots of times so have a good idea of what's what.

we tend to avoid trattorias because they usually don't have pizzas and can be a bit self important.

we have been to cinco three times now; with the first about 5 months ago (august 2013).

the last two times we have argued whether to go again or not.

here is why.

five months ago we were looking for a decent italian restaurant. we discovered that there was one only 1 km away. so on thursday evening we walked into the place and were shown to a table.

the table had the usual complement of a couple of wine glasses, linen napkins and chairs.

the asian looking waiter gave us themenuwhich we both perused.

finding that there weren't any pizzas on thatmenui signaled to the waiter. he was at the table pdq.

i asked why there weren't any pizzas and he said..... oh you want the pizza menu? yes we said.

i kid you not;

within two minutes of that statement the waiters whipped away:

the two decent wine glasses and replaced them with cheap ordinary ones;

the linen napkins which they replaced with paper ones;

the cutlery: i don't think they were replaced but that was probably because my mouth was still wide open in astonishment.

as it happened the pizza was excellent.

on trying to pay; the asian guy made a point of being really really busy. the older aussie was very pleasant and even understood when i said that the pizzas were like a haggis pizza i had 6 months earlier. i know that a haggis pizza sounds ridiculous but it tastes brilliant.

would we go there again?
probably because we are pizza afficionado's and they are just like the italian ones and actually cheaper than elio's of carina.... which are nothing like italian pizzas but a really good place.

would we go back?
yes probably. but only because the pizzas are excellent.

happy to be treated as a second class citizen when ordering pizza then go for it.

is it worth it?
we thought the days of supercillios waiters were long in the past... so.....

try asking them why they think they are better than the people who pay $27 for a pizza?

great food, great service, every time. cinco is my restaurant of choice when i need to be guaranteed of an excellent evening out. a birthday dinner last night was enhanced by knowledgeable, friendly, efficient service & a robustmenuthat delivered. great value. you don't survive the restaurant game for 8+ years & counting if you're not doing it right. highly recommended.


-----17 nov, 2012-----

cinco - just do it.. if you want to be certain of a wonderful meal and a great night of dining, put cinco on your 'failsafe' list. forget the city, head to camp hill. you will never be disappointed at cinco. it is a gem of a restaurant. great food, modern fresh expert menu, great service from staff who clearly know what they're doing. (i always think restaurant staff who are still filling your water glass right up to the last minute of your evening are demonstrating the ultimate in good service. a small thing maybe but it shows their interest in your dining experience 'til the moment you leave.) full marks every time.

food- pretty good- but so it should be as it is all quite expensive. interestingmenuoptions, well cooked and presented, very enjoyable,across the table we covered a range of meats and dishes- all were thoroughly enjoyed. desert yes- a great way to finish the evening- soufflé was a real souffle! all our deserts had the oooooh factor.
service- total let down. $8.50 corkage- crazy.
head there for a tasty meal if you have money to burn and you are not to fussy about service.

we tried to go here last night! i phoned to book a table and to ask if we could order off the pizzamenuin the bistro as 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 chaming bistro - you won't regret it!. this little bistro is 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 themenuis excellent. no wonder this little gem is still going strong after all these years! keep up the good work cinco! love it!

decor,menuand 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.menuis varied enough to please every palate. food is fresh, delicious and beautifully presented. somewhat expensive for a bistro on a busy main road but overall a very pleasant experience! would recommend.

top notch. burbs are alive and kicking, great food, lovely setting. themenuis solid and worth checking out. hard to fault any of my options.

great work guys.