Brisbane

July 1997

Everyone we asked, all the experts, said the same -- E’cco (literal translation here, there) so there you are, here is where you eat in Brisbane. And so we did, on a Friday for lunch before and between some wonderful musical moments at the Brisbane Biennial Festival of Music last month (June 1997).

That may have been Brisbane’s last such festival and may also be one of the longest lunches we have ever had. It was a busy Friday, we did not say that we had appointments to keep, the pace in Brisbane is slower than Melbourne -- but two and a half hours? Timing can win or lose your audience. The food was OK. But E’cco, for all the compulsion of its name, lost our attention.

Michael Conrad has been working in restaurants since he was 15, starting in the kitchens of the Brisbane Club and then going to the front of house, including a stint at the legendary Milano’s. At 21 he became restaurant manager for the new Sheraton Hotel and now clearly knows very well what he wants from a dining situation. He enjoys wine and wants to sell it but this might have to wait until a more prestigious and serious city location comes available. David is originally from New Zealand, worked in a variety of restaurants and hotels, including several years in the super prestigious kitchen of the Connaught Hotel, London. Here he really learnt what serious cooking is about. At the same time, Russell Armstrong (of the well respected Tables of Toowong) was in London and on their return the two worked together at a now defunct restaurnt.

“We were just working so hard. We were going ballistic trying to emulate what we had done over there (in London) which was stupid really. It was impossible, but we tried to do it. We made it work for about three or so months and then we just about cracked up and had to get out”.

They each went their seperate ways but are both now in Toowong. Russell realises that he needs to diversify and is opening a fish and chip shop and cafe to be called Café Viva in Carseldine shopping centre. He’s visiting Melbourne this week to cook for the Möet Art dinner at Gallery 101 and will take the opportunity to check out our local scene (he’s particularly keen to try est est est (now closed), the restaurant opened by Donovan and Philippa Cooke, my former chefs).