Packed with some of Brisbane’s finest restaurants, the Eagle Street stretch of the Brisbane River is the perfect place to enjoy a progressive lunch on a balmy Brisbane day.
Alexander Stone, AKA The Thirsty Stone, takes a stroll in search of lunch.
It was an amazing winter morning at Eagle Street Pier and I was fixating on what to have for lunch.
Did I want a steak, did I want sashimi, did I want a burger, did I even want meat at all? Luckily enough, thanks to the help of Brisbane Marketing I didn't have to limit myself to one meal or cuisine. Instead we slowly hopped our way down Eagle Street Pier, from Sake to Pony Dining down to the Marriott then back up to Aria. It was a hard afternoon, to say the least.
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| Sake's grilled Moreton Bay bugs dressed with yuzu koshu, |
Normally when I go to Sake, I head straight for the sashimi menu. This time I decided to try something different and went for the grilled Moreton Bay bugs dressed with yuzu koshu, olive oil and yuzu juice, served with mixed leaves, sliced chillies and onions. The chilli and yuzu juice was a nice change to the normal lemon and butter I put on bugs when I cook them myself - spicy without lingering.
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| Cauliflower steak at Pony |
We then headed across the walkway to Pony Dining where I discovered I might have been making a big mistake. 98 per cent of the time everything I order will have meat in it. I see vegetarian and vegan options on the menu and completely gloss over them without even reading what they might be.
After I tried the cauliflower steak sourced from Gatton I realised my meat focus may be a mistake. It was caramelized with brown butter and curry oil, served over cauliflower puree with raisins rehydrated with curry oil, house-made dried grapes, fermented apple, almonds, kaffir lime and fried curry leaf. The cauliflower head was sous vied for 45 min at 85 degrees, which made it tender without crumbling. However, the stand out was the fermented apples. They were soaked in star anise and cinnamon for two days leaving them with a tart flavour that really stood out in the dish.
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| Medium rare, aged scotch fillet with cream garlic prawns at the Marriott. |
Then there was a slight walk along the river up to the Marriott Hotel, daydreaming as I thought about the steak about to come. I was little worried when I first saw the steak, which was thinner than I imagined. I even thought it might have been a bit overdone, but my concern was misplaced as I cut into a great medium rare, aged scotch fillet with cream garlic prawns and market salad greens. The prawns were firm and not too flakey, while the garlic sauce balanced everything nicely. One of the perks of being the only guy at this event was that I got all the extra prawns!
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| Honey cake with toasted rice sorbet and lavender |
We casually strolled back down the river to ARIA just in time for desert. As we relaxed enjoying Aria’s great service and ambiance, the final item on our exploratory lunch appeared, honey cake with toasted rice sorbet and lavender. The dish showcased fantastic Scenic Rim 4Real Milk from local producer Greg Dennis, AKA “Farmer Gregie” and Capalaba honey, topped with pollen from the same farm.
Our extended lunch proved you don’t have to wander far on Eagle Street to find a more than satisfying lunch while enjoying Brisbane River views.
Disclaimer: The Thirsty Stone was a guest of Brisbane Marketing.