il centro

fushion food.sandcrab lasange and angel hair pasta is a must...look out for their specials as well for variety

we had such a lovely dinner here last saturday night. thesandcrab lasagne was everything promised and more. i felt a little disappointed in two things though. the waitress seemed put out with small requests. for example when i requested bread she snapped how many? and seemingly slammed them down in front of me on her return. they were so busy though so perhaps she didn't mean to come across this way. she did come across rather curt and unfriendly throughout the dinner though continuously pursing her lips. also towards the end of the night i could smell bleach being used in the kitchen to clean. i asked our waitress if this was common practice when diners are still eating. she said that she would check what was going on and went to the kitchen. when she opened the kitchen doors, i could see two people with gloves on scrubbing what i assume were pots. the waitress returned and said nobody was using bleach which was pretty silly to say because they were and if she honestly could not smell it then she believed who ever in the kitchen had just lied to her. we were right in front of the kitchen bench and it was either used on the floor directly behind the counter or somewhere nearby. i am pregnant so the smell became almost unbearable and i had to walk outside. the shame here is that the hard work that went into the food service was ruined for me. after our table spent close to a thousand dollars (for party of five) it was a shame that such highs were mixed with such lows.

dined here twice havingsandcrab lasagna ( yum ) and the duck. both times had excellent service & experience.

great food, good service, great view. thesandcrab lasagne is a winner, although i must advise you to order the entree size portion for your main course because it is very rich!

i’m sad and disappointed that this restaurant has changed so much - was a ‘go to’ for special celebrations and catch ups. it used to have excellent, consistent food and top notch, professional service. there were quite a few issues with our meals (for a group of 6) on our last visit and the service was some of the rudest i’ve experienced, ever. in terms of meals, calamari was slightly undercooked and oily, thesandcrab lasagne recipe has changed and the portions are smaller, out of three steaks ordered at the table, none of them were cooked correctly and one had to go back to the kitchen as it was significantly over cooked, the pepper sauce was almost inedible. the service was not good and the worst part of it involved my drink order. i was ignored as the waitress asked another two at the table what they’d like and offered to get a taste for them. when she returned, i asked for a description of two different whites - one i said i liked the sound of more and would it be possible to taste it before she poured. her response “well i’ve got to get to other tables so it will take a while”. unbelievable. i don’t think they’ll get my repeat business. such a shame it’s changed since the george’s sold it.

so much hype but we were disappointed by both the service and food. six of us went for lunch today and spent about $500. we had the arancini ($23 for 3), one duck pasta, threesandcrab, and two pork belly. one drink each, two coffee, and five desserts rounded out our lunch.

the duck rated the best. one of thesandcrabs came with extraneous hair. the pork belly was so overdone that we requested steak knives to cut the meat. two coffee were ordered and both came back wrong. how does on get an espresso when a latte is ordered?

the service was ok but nothing special and slow. the ambience was nice but overall the place was busy.

not likely to return. to to it off the waiter asked if we wanted to tip. that's uncouth.

the restaurant is quite large and you have the choice to sit inside or outside. when we arrived, it was about 8pm on a thursday night, so the restaurant was rather quiet. 

now, i had been to il centro a fair few times prior to this, however hadn’t ventured out past thesandcrab lasagne. of course, we still ordered it, but we also ordered an array of other menu items so we could see what il centro was really about. in light of this, we ordered the entrée size of thesandcrab lasagne, which actually ended up perfect as it is an extremely rich dish. obviously, this was amazing and it will always be one of my favourite dishes. we also ordered the lightly dusted calamari. il centro’s menu changes seasonally ever so slightly, so when we visited this dish was in fact a special - from my knowledge it is now a regular menu item? the calamari was good, nothing too special, but it was a nice dish to nibble on whilst we waited for our mains...

for the full review please check out: foodspaceaus.com/blog/dinner-il-centro

thank you!

i had high hopes but a rare night out but il centro did not live up to expectations.
the table wasn’t ready when we arrived, no worries. we were told to have a seat at the bar and order a drink, we did. not that there was table service. after about ten minutes we were seated and then our drinks followed a few minutes later. the seat for two was lovely, outside but still enclosed. the weird thing is that our table was against the glass wall, and on the other side of the wall was another table but with five. one person was at the head of the table, forced to stare at our mugs the whole dinner. it was a bit awkward and i felt sorry for all involved.
anyway, after perusing the menu and waiting for some time i flagged down someone so they would take our order, the female waitress looked at me like i was crazy and said someone would be around soon. someone came round quite quickly after that, advised the specials and tried to scurry away. not so fast! we put our order in: entree ofsandcrab lasagne (had to try it here!) and the bruschetta of the day. mains ordered were the veal scallopini and porchetta.
entree came out in good time. the bruschetta was as described but not as expected. b said it was surprising tasty, i thought it was a bit unappetising and couldn’t finish a single piece of it. the famous lasagne was also not to my liking. the sauce that i think was meant to be the hero of the dish, tasted like a caramel. the pasta sheets and crab were really nice but i could not get overly this sweet sauce on it.
then the mains. i didn’t really have high expectations after the entree.
veal was unexciting, pretty standard but less pretty than you could get at any italian joint. the porchetta was dry, one piece was visually dry, like when a piece of meat is left out in the fridge without a cover on it. it had gone dark and crusty on one side. side was the pear, walnut salad, which was fine but uninspired.
i don’t think we had the same server twice, no one was particularly friendly or warm. so service and food was lacklustre.
this dessert fiend skipped dessert because i couldn’t face more disappointment in one night.

just under a 4 . excellent location and service. too long to take order and bring simple entrees. noosa prawns excellent as was the crab and avocado and the beetroot cured barra and sardines a standout. the duck was delightful. thesandcrab lasagne, so long a consistent favourite fell short. sorry but well short. heavy pasta and a clear departure from andy and marcia’s signature dish. the soufflés well done. waitress was very professional. over $200 a head made me wonder.

sand crab and avocado salad starter andsandcrab lasagne. the two menu options that never disappoint, except portion sizes sometimes range a bit. great views near the front of the restaurant. many a good celebration here.

re-visited this one-hatted restaurant last saturday for my birthday celebration. well, it was as busy as usual. our table was allocated near the front entrance so we enjoyed the river view while we were having our dinner. we were greeted and served by very professional wait-staff. other than that, it may be my high expectation, overall dishes were only average to somewhat below my benchmark. entrée of quail and daily chef recommendation seafood soup did not ring the bell. quail was bland and fortunately the whole dish was saved by the taste of polenta, figs and crumbed walnut, otherwise the negative impact would be quite high. seafood soup was done with good taste and enough seafood but the presentation of the soup was not that great. mains of their signaturesandcrab lasagne and risotto gained back some marks. however, i would prefer the presentation of the lasagne as the same as their advertising picture with crab shells; having said that, the quantity of crab meat and the texture of pasta deserved thumb-up. risotto came with generous amount of king prawns, rice of the risotto was done spot-on but the king prawns were slightly overdone. at last, we ordered the daily special banana soufflé, which was good but still has a big gap from the soufflé that i had at vue de monde. overall, ambience 4/5, service 4/5 and food 3/5 so review mark 3.5/5.

went their for anniversary. great location. staff were professional and courteous menu is simple and far easier to read than the encyclopaedic wine list. wines are typically twice what you pay for at a hotel so just accept that and move on. entree was the classicsandcrab lasagna. sadly it was not what i remembered the flavour was there but the texture was rubbery. anyway mains were the special crispy skin snapper on squid ink risotto. i thought it quite good. my partner had the duck breast which was ok although a little tough didn't have desert but the restaurant brought out a happy anniversary plate with a selection of little chocolates that was a nice touch. total was $250. the wine was $100 although that's not an expensive bottle for this place. overall it's still a great place for a special occasion but for value for money i think there are better options

thumbs up for il centro!
for entree, we ordered fresh crab and avocado salad with gazpacho. to be honest, this dish is a bit salty, but the crab is super fresh, and its texture just goes perfect with avocado smash.
for main, we orderedsandcrab lasagne with crustacean sauce, osso buco with pappardelle pasta, and barramundi with celeriac puree, char grilled octopus with potato salad.
the crab lasagne is absolutely spot on. the sauce is so creamy and flavorous, but it won't cover the flavor of the crab lasagne. you can still taste the freshness of the crab.
osso buco with pappardelle pasta: i should say i love the pasta better than the osso buco. the osso buco is with little sauce, so it is quite dry. however, you can tell the osso buco has been cooked for a long time, as the veal can be teared apart easily. the pappardelle pasta is yum!
barramundi with celeriac puree, char grilled octopus with potato salad: the barramundi is a bit overcooked, though the skin is yum but not quite crispy. the octopus cooks well, quite soft. the puree is good but lacks some flavor. i don't like the potato salad. the potatoes are just too watery.
for dessert, we ordered strawberry soufflé. it is definitely the highlight today. the soufflé is so fluffy. when you dip in that fresh soufflé, and eats with a mouthful of crispy skin and soft underneath base. you just feel like it all deserves.
so must-try dishes: strawberry soufflé, crab lasagne

even though it was a somewhat rainy evening, looking out to the brisbane river and the story bridge while having dinner was pleasant.
we ordered the baby zucchini flowers, the bbq octopus, thesandcrab lasagne and the sauteed spring vegetables.
the best dish was the bbq octopus. the octopus was cooked perfectly and was complemented perfectly by the beans and sauce which had just a tiny hint of heat.
the baby zucchini flowers, thesandcrab lasagne and sauteed spring vegetables were all solid performers in that order.
the sauce for the baby zucchini flowers was just subtle enough to complement the delicate hero of the dish. and the sauce for thesandcrab lasagne was incredibly rich, while the lasagna was quite nice.
at this price point, i would say il centro is reasonably competitive.

4.5 stars 2016 - amazing service, excellent food and an astounding view is just 3 things you are going to get when you dine in at il centro. their sunday set lunch menu is such good value and the menu changes every week, however if you do go here make sure you get thesandcrab lasagna (it's amazing). 
4 stars 2018 update: came here again for a work function... blown away by the food. sand-crab lasagne was delicious and my main of carbonara and veal was amazing. portion sizes were huge, i was full after my entree but i had to make it to my creme brûlée. slight downfall was the shell in everyones lasagne other than that really impressed!