e'cco bistro

e'cco bistro has all the components of a great restaurant for me. grown up and confident but not too showy, and a menu that's bold without being too trendy normally have my fingers hovering over the 4.5 mark. sadly, e'cco fell short on a recent visit.

service and setting, done well, have the ability to make a decent meal memorable, and this is really where my gripes lie. we arrived on time and walked in to thegoodlooking room. there's no reception table so we stood while someone rushing past said hello and that somebody would be with us shortly. after two or three more people did exactly the same thing the manager eventually connected with us and we checked in. we were asked if we were happy to have a seat at the bar while our table was being prepared. the woman tending bar was fantastic as was the glass of gruner veltliner served. we then saw two people walk in and get shown straight to "our" table. i don't think this was a deliberate slight but there was definitely a whiff of distraction amongst the floor team. after another wait the manager then showed us to another table, one that had been empty the whole time. we were in the bar section which definitely feels like being in the afterthought section of the room.

our waiter was professional but perfunctory. everything was done correctly but there was no engagement or warmth. it felt a little like being cogs in a machine. the staff were all busy being very busy but the customer was merely an extra rather than part of the main cast. our waiter asked us if we were there celebrating a special occasion. no i said. just as i had done when making the reservation initially, and again when confirming the reservation that very day. why ask if no one listens?

food wasgoodhowever. the entree of pork belly was delicious as it had that soft and crispy, savoury and sweet mix that pork belly done right can deliver. my companions octopus looked great on the plate, a single piece, and tasted good. mains of barramundi and lamb were decent but not standout - the lamb was slightly under and the fish had a sauce that seemed somewhat heavy. we shared a verygoodcheese plate although another side plate and knife might have been considerate.

overall i wanted to love e'cco but couldn't. service wasn't bad exactly, but the feeling that the staff are on autopilot marred what should have been a better experience.

consistency, quality produce andgoodcooking. service is above par. parking is a hassle but well worth the effort.

a very big restaurant name in brisbane, very high reputation when friends recommended it to me. i went with the 39 dollars lunch special to try it out. i had a really high expectation for.it as everyone talked it up therefore it wasnt an extrodinary experience unfortunately. salmon wasgoodsize 4.5 star the steak was okay probably 4 star as well. service waa 3.5 stars.

5 stars? absolutely. memorablygoodfood, fun efficient service that’s not pompous, comfortable seating (i now know which is my fav table at e’cco), and great interior design. oh, and a sense that there is no rush... relax... and we did. thank you again to the e’cco team. see you again soon

visited e’cco for their $39 2-course lunch special, which my wife and i thought wasgoodvalue. the menu was impressive, mainly because it was difficult to choose which dishes to select.

i eventually ended up with the salmon for my entree (4.5/5) and the steak for my main (4/5). with my steaks i prefer simple flavours and focusing on the flavour of the meat, which made me feel the sauce was a tad bit too salty. still pretty happy with the cut and how tender it was.

the only letdown for me was the service, the staff weren’t the friendliest and welcoming. not sure if that was the intention being classified as fine dining?

went here for a team lunch to take advantage of their ‘two courses for $39’ lunch deal last month. service was quite slow, and a little unfriendly... i decided to go for the salmon for entree and the pork belly for main. salmon was melt-in-the-mouth fantastic! the pork belly was reeeally yummy too. we ended up also ordering dessert because they all just sounded sogood- the hazelnut semifredo sandwich was definitely a standout 😍 overall, despite the service, great lunch experience with the team! would be keen to try out a few things from their full menu next time :)

i worry sometimes when i dine out. i worry that verygoodestablished restaurants may suffer declining patronage and viability, with so many new venues popping up all over town at increasing frequency.
this was the case when i recently enjoyed a lovely lunch at e’cco with my sister. a special menu offering 2 courses for $39 ticked my omnipresent box of ‘good value’. entrees of salmon or gnocchi. mains of pork belly or john dory. a well priced spanish albariño was the perfect accompaniment. e’cco’s signature mango and passion fruit cheesecake was shared and nicely rounded out an exceptional lunch.
the new(ish) space at newstead is an oasis of elegance and calm. the welcome and the service ... warm, professional, caring, attentive and knowledgeable.
e’cco has been a stalwart on brisbane’s dining scene for a long time, and deservedly so. let’s hope this solid performer continues to be so.

food wasgoodand flavourful, didn't feel that special 'wow' factor for a fine dining place though, and the wait staff calling cerviche 'cervish' added much comedy to the night.

last time i came to brisbane this place was almost impossible to get into. the evolving dining scene appears to have fixed that early in the week.

sleek, modern restaurant with impeccable service. the beer list was short and not particularly creative (cub "light craft" playlist). the wine list is great,goodbalance of styles, price points and countries. we had a nz pinot, it was excellent. sauternes by the glass was pretty good.

the food is excellent. i had the daily special: rabbit and painted lobster lasagne. awesome. others went for variations on steak and loved it. dessert was great too i had many chocolate things, someone had the custard tart and was still banging on about it the next day.

not cheap, but very good.

one of the delicious place to eat in brisbane. the charges are on upper end but worth paying for the tasty food. service is alsogoodand fast. we went on a weekday afternoon so was not much crowded and had a great time in a relaxed environment. they havegoodcollection of champagne and wines. we requested sweet champagne but unfortunately they only had one from new zealand, which was little bit sour. but the chicken and beef dishes were really well cooked and had verygoodtaste.

i’ve wanted to eat here as soon as i heard all the rave reviews and saw the pictures of the amazing dishes. alas, it has taken a long time to getting around to dining here.
we booked in using the dimmi app and had no troubles. browsing the online menu we’d pretty much decided what to eat even before we arrived!
we shared some bread and i had the wagyu beef tongue to start, the bread was great and the beef was especially good. for our main course we shared the milly hill za'atar spiced and herb crusted lamb shoulder with a side of roasted sweet potato. to be honest we really didn’t need the sweet potato as the salad and eggplant that accompanied the lamb were more than enough for us. the lamb and all the sides were fantastic, the meat was exceptional! as we couldn’t eat all the lamb (saving room for dessert!) we took some of the lamb home with us as it was simply toogoodto waste (it tasted great the next day too). for desserts we had the toasted marshmallow and the caramelia date cake both were nice, but unfortunately they were just too sweet (and we both have a sweet tooth), they just lacked a bit of something to balance out all the sweetness.
overall, an excellent meal withgoodservice, but unfortunately the oversweet dessert took the edge off for us.

i finally got to eat here last week, after plans to visit had fallen through every time previously.  e'cco delivered what i expected - a very professional dining experience, with some wonderful dishes, but maybe missing some of the excitement i had hoped for.  one dish that ticked every box was the octopus - it was one of the best dishes i have ever eaten and was an exciting experience with the tastes and textures ever so enjoyable.  maybe having a dish thatgoodmade the others feel less exciting!  we had the tasting menu, which was well considered and had some other lovely highlights, like the kingfish cevice and the carrot puree with the tortellini.  i felt the menu offered excellent value considering the quality of the food. the place is lovely, all the staff were well trained.   the matching wines were also very well considered (and poured at a very appropriate size, which basically was somewhat disappointing!  it is kind of nice when you feel they are spoiling you a bit with a little extra!)  i'm not sure quite what it was, but we didn't feel inclined to linger - a lack of warmth?  and being greedy, we headed off to find a cheese platter and bottle of wine elsewhere.  overall, thank you for a lovely night and i would happily go back to order the octopus again!

nice french food and great wine bistro close to cbd.  the service was verygoodfrom start to finish and wait staff were very attentive.   the entree, main course was very unique and well prepared.  the long island steak was tender juicy and makes it on my top 3 in brisbane.  the service matches international standards and excellence.  outstanding food, great ambiance, great wine and exceeds brisbane’s restaurant service standards.

had the chiefs tasting menu and was very nice, 3 stand out dished for me the 2nd 3rd 4th and 5th. found the first dish the octopus a little heavy straight up and desert wasn't my fav. but all round great service andgoodfresh and tasty food

overpriced and over rated. i have previously written a negative review about this place. interestingly enough it has now been 'taken down' and has disappeared. i wonder how long this stays on the website? seems like ecco pays urbanspoon to delete bad reviews!! what other reason could there be?


-----25 nov, 2014-----

overpriced and overrated. we had dinner there recently. i just cannot fathom why this place charges so much for such a small amount of food.the minuscule portion was tasty but way, way overpriced for this amount. apparently one should have to pay top dollar here because 'it has a reputation'. we only had the mains. my partner's lamb dish was small in quantity but very tender but my swordfish dish was fit for the appetite of a toddler rather for an adult male. when we got back home got thegoodold toaster out and topped up after spending $80 for 2 dishes. average glass of wine was too expensive also. service was average. i feel this was the waiters first night though as it was in no way close to the standard expected for such an expensive place. if you want tasty food, have deep pockets and a tiny appetite this place is ok. if you are genuinely hungry go elsewhere.