Belle Epoque

Belle Epoque is a French Restaurant at 1000, Ann St. Sophia, Peggy and I stumbled upon this nice place by accident. We were wandering home after missing a bus from a evening BCC service. The Emporium [a location with plenty of classy restaurants] was pretty near by, and we fell in love with the look of Belle Epoque straight away. The interior is really lovely, and the atmosphere and service is really romantic and elegant.

I've been there twice since and here's a brief critique of the food.

Scallops. Average. Too expensive to be satisfiying. Lovely presentation though.

I didn't show the escargot[snails] though. They were nothing special.

Lamb. GORGEOUS. Belle Epoque's strong point is their red meat.

They do it with great precision and delicacy. The portions are hearty too. The polenta served with it is also sublime.

Eye-fillet with goose liver pate and mashed potatoes.

The best steak I've tasted in Brisbane so far. It's priced at a hefty $39 though.

Another shot of the lovely scallops.

Quail with truffle and ravioli.

The sauce is very nice. The truffles are of course, heavenly.

The quail is quite average.

I've had duck there before as well and I've concluded that the cook usually doesn't cook poultry that well.

Skip the dessert here and have some wine instead. Their desserts have been disappointing so far. Nothing compared to the exquisite ones of the Lab. Their white wine recommended by the waiters on the other hand, is one of the nicest I've had. Slightly sweet and tangy. Not too dry.

Conclusion: Go for the red meat and the wine. Don't bother with the poultry and desserts. Starters are a bit pricey, but they are ok. One special feature is that the restaurant opens till 2am, and you can do a 10pm booking.