Ok, so I'd planned to take my girlfriend to dinner at Garuva tonight but because I'm a slacker I didn't try and make a reservation until today. Unfortunatley, they are booked out so I'm trying to find another place which is private like Garuva. So if anyone knows of anywhere I'd greatly appreciate your input. Also, if anyone knows of any other places which are cool, but not to ritzy (I don't wanna have to get all dressed up), please let me know. Thanks

the willow at moorooka

awesome food
non spanky atmosphere

Blue Smoke at New Farm ... genuine southern/texan style smoked barbeque! even have buffalo wings!

Haha i saw the thread title and was going to come in and say Garuva, and i just came back from the willow!

Garuva is the best for a hot date. There also used to be a restraunt in town called Circa, not sure if its still around, I think they had to sell for development, but that was nice. Ecco just around the corner is good too.

Garuva rocks. went there with the mrs a couple of weeks ago. Try Satchmo's at west end. pretty cool place

the gun shop at west end is good too

how did i not know about Blue Smoke?!

thx stinky. im there saturday night.

Try Satchmo's at west end. pretty cool place

Hehe groydis used to own that place awhile back.

Green Papaya @ the Gabba

Owned by Quan Yeomans from Regurgitator's mum!
Sickest contemporary Viet you can find for realzzz

Was looking for a nice place and both Garuva and Ecco were recommended so Id put them on the list.

Food wise I also love Kapsali at Southbank, not too expensive, huge range of great food though and really nice if you can get a table outside (on a deck opposite from the southbank pools so it can be nice at night).

Anyway, oysters kilpatrick there are awesome.

Places I have not been to that have been recommended to me are - Bubbles in the valley, venice on the river near eagle street.

Wynnum Maccas.

How much will a date at Garuva's set u back?

blue grotto at rosalie
patio at the coro (or the lure if you want seafood)
satchmo's at west end

i heartily reccomend all these places

bretts wharf you might still get a reservation too

Raphael's at Shorncliffe up on the cliff.

how did i not know about Blue Smoke?!

thx stinky. im there saturday night.

np :)

we had some yanks over, including one from the south somewhere and he reckoned the baby back ribs were as good as you'd get anywhere but the very best bbq places back home.

Jazz Club in Toowong! It's one of those places that brings out your meat raw and they give you a really, really hot stone to cook it on yourself! It's awesome. We were there for new years last year! Meals < $30 and well worth it. Live music Saturday nights (maybe others too).

cooking your own food for the lose.
if you're gonna do that you should just cook for yo woman at home and she'll be far more impressed

also
live music for the lose

last thing i want when im eating dinner and trying to talk to my party is some farken loud guitar warbling lame tunes

I was really disappointed with Ecco when I went there, might have just been on a bad night I guess. What about somewhere like isis brasserie?

Giannis upstairs is awesome and private, but its 'ritzy' heh :)

heh, we're off to isis next saturday for my netty breakup

it better be super flash coz i dont like paying big for meals

much happier with a nice steak from a nice pub

My advice would be to leave 1/2 hour early so you have long enough to read through the entire winelist :)

If you can book some space in the back room of the himalayan cafe in new farm, its rather awesome as long as your shoes don't stink or something - very busy out the front but the bookings in the back room are awesome

How much will a date at Garuva's set u back?

Think when i went there once it was 60 dollars (for both) including cocktail each.

So it's not dear at all.. compared to what it looks like :-)

last edited by Joanna at 17:01:16 10/Nov/06

last edited by Joanna at 17:01:30 10/Nov/06

Satchmo's at West End is ok...actually, most places at West End are really quite nice.

There also used to be a restraunt in town called Circa

Circa is no more. The chef has moved to a new place, Era, at West End, which by all accounts is equally impressive (and expensive)!

Raphael's at Shorncliffe up on the cliff.

the guy who owns this place now is a toss.

there's a tepanyaki place called oyama i believe(in the valley,city end of wickham st.), which is pretty good fun.. meals are about $40 bux per head depending on what kind of menu you get.. they cook all the food in front of you play some games with you it's great.. great for a group as well
there's another place around near birdee num nums which i don't know the name of but in Sydney it was called korean BBQ.. basically same as what hardball said.. they bring out chicken/beef/vegies and you cook it on a little stove it's pretty cool, kinda gives you something to fiddle with while you're talking and with those kinds of places if you really wanna balls up you can get ox tongue etc. :)

i hated that place ... that u had to cook s*** up...

the stove had no guts.. and took forever to cook s***...

and f***, why would i go out and pay someone else for me too cook my own food

Any of these places serve up a good yam?

Two Small Rooms on Milton Road is good too; went there with the fam last year and had one of the best meals I've ever eaten in my LIYFE.

i went to Blue Smoke on saturday night, holys*** whatta f***en AWESOME meal.

i got a huge rib combo ($43) and a 10 buffalo wing starter... just thinking about it now is making me drool.
best buffalo wings i have had since living in texas, and wednesdays is 50c wing night! although you have to book a week in advance cos its mega popular.

in the combo was texas short beef ribs, pork baby back, and memphis pork belly. again, best ribs i have had in aus. GAWD DAAAAYUM the mephis pork was 2DIE4.

the owner is this really nice yank dude who makes a point to come around and have a chat and see how your meal was. i am infact thinking of moving to new farm so i can eat there eeeeeeeevery day

OMG I love buffalo wings! Where is this place? Was there blue cheese dressing? What was it like?!

Shop 9, Merthyr Rd, New Farm. Ph: 3358 1922.

go down brunswick st, then at merthyr lights turn left and its just there on right.

yes there was blue cheese dressing and celery sticks, everything was fkn superb :D

tell them the Pandemic boys sent you :)

I could list off all the good restaurants in brisbane but it would be retarded becuase anyone can google good brisbane restaurants, everyone knows their name.

However, I would reccomend manx if you can get a booking for a corner table that isnt in the f'ken cinema next door. Its very nice relaxed atomsphere - unlike

bretts wharf you might still get a reservation too

which is a f***ing mad house becuase its high volume.

I suggest manx because of its location and being one of the decent brisbane restaurants. (paul mcgoven, the head chef/owner, just left rapide which is also still nice and romantic, its at red hill? and is run by his sous which usually means that the quality will remain the same and really the food as well since souses are usually like the right hand of a chef) It is at portside which is quiet even when its busy because its huge and being on the river with a walkway along the water, which is fairly dark, it would be good for a walk and whatever that leads to.

Would fit your bill better than going to ecco or the other city bistros and having to walk outside into traffic and cab flagging :P

last edited by qmass at 18:58:27 13/Nov/06

last edited by qmass at 19:02:15 13/Nov/06