Along Eagle Street Pier, there is a cluster of Chef’s Hatted restaurants that have a nice relaxing view of the River. I’ve heard good things about Alchemy (modern Australian cuisine) and Jellyfish Restaurant (seafood), but after reading online reviews and looking at the menu, we settled on Il Centro, a modern Italian restaurant with one Chef’s Hat, opened since 1992. 

One reason I chose Il Centro was because the chef is a woman–Catherine Anders. There are few woman chefs, and we should show our support.

Exceptional service by a lady who looked like actress Dana Delany. Great ambience with glass panel. There were so many white people. White people everywhere, mostly business(wo)men. No Asians dining here except us. No set lunch menu, so we ordered their legendary sand crab lasagne (above), with crab meat stuffed between sheets of pasta in a sweet creamy-tomatoey sauce, that was too heavy after 2 bites. We also had a fish of the day, a salad, and ended with their souffle, their specialty.

This was a good meal, big, hearty portions–we were so stuffed–but a meal without surprises. I can see why the restaurant receives so many positive online reviews. It serves a predictable, staid, reliable meal, great for locals. But as a traveler, I was looking for something extraordinary, exciting, memorable. We paid A$110 for two persons.

Il Centro Brisbane

1 Eagle Street, Eagle Street Pier, Brisbane 4000
T: +61 7 3221 6090
Noon-3pm, 5.30pm-onwards. Closed for lunch on Sat.
Set lunch available on Sundays only.
Rating: 3.438/5

Written by A. Nathanael Ho.