8 January 2014

Eat Me. Il Centro, Brisbane

Off to Brisbane I went last weekend... of course I managed to have the superb timing of heading to Queensland's capital city during its heat-wave weekend. 40+ temperatures were not conducive to the amount of shopping I had planned and, as expected, the heat got the better of me; after 3 hours sweating it out I headed back to the hotel with one measly pair of shorts.

But not to worry because I had dinner to look forward to at the famous Eagle Street Pier precinct. If you're not a Brissie local, this little corner of the city sits on the river over looking the iconic Story Bridge and is home to a range of the best restaurants around. It really is a lovely area that has a great atmosphere. I ate at Il Centro "where the centre of attention is you" and I will say the restaurant stood up to it's slogan. We had a lovely dinner with fantastic service from a lovely waitress named Simone, she had an uncanny knack of anticipating our every need, I was very impressed.


Il Centro is probably what you'd called modern Italian with a fine dining twist. They are renowned for their Sand Crab Lasagne so I thought I'd better give it a try; especially considering crab is probably in my top 3 favourite foods. The meal certainly didn't disappoint, the lasagne is packed full of delicious crab and served with a creamy crustacean sauce. It was really delicious but perhaps a tiny bit too rich. I ordered the entree size which I would definitely recommend, at $27  it was plenty big enough; I couldn't finish it. But if you're feeling especially daring you can opt for the main size for $40. Also on the menu are a range of enticing pastas, fish and meat dishes from veal scallopini to duck breast.


I was determined to try some dessert so after waiting for my lasagne to digest (it took a good hour before I was ready for round two!) it was time to tuck into the profiteroles which were really delicious. Rather than being filled with the usual creme patissiere they had hazelnut gelato inside. It made for an intriguing change but don't worry you still get the creme patissiere and hot chocolate sauce on your plate.


For an evening out with a great view of the bridge, good service, delicious food and a very extensive wine list then I would definitely recommend Il Centro. I look forward to returning. 5/5

Where: Shop 6/1 Eagle Street, Brisbane QLD 4000
Bookings: Essential
Phone: (07) 3221 6090

Photos by Krissie

Il Centro on Urbanspoon