At 6pm we headed to Marco Polo (international cuisine) which is claimed to be Brisbane's best five star restaurant. Evidently the sign pretty much said it all. It achieved Best Restaurant in Australia Accomodation Division for Excellence. The entrance boasted a huge wine cellar with over 300 wines on the menu behind an enormous glass window. I took a step back. Of course I didn't order since I do not drink wine. While grandma was having a quick chat with one of the friendly well groomed waiters I peeped inside the area and admired how beautiful and contemporary the restaurant felt - quiet chatter among guests, warm dim lights, contemporary decor, creamy, red and chocolate colours, and the pretty moss green fabric chairs and matching wall backing.
We were seated down by an exceptional and skilled waiter, had a quick chat and took our orders. I had a look at the dining menu and the food was basically Asian and European. The Asian food I can pretty much whip it up by myself at home however looking at the price at the Peking duck (with pancakes and shallots) was $130 between two people. Did I have a heart attack or what? Probably because I can buy a whole Peking duck at Sunnybank for $25. That food is for the high rollers! lol. Well I have to try this Peking duck next time when I am earning a 6 figure income to see if it's worth the price :) or maybe when I have a big win? lol
Flipping through the menu there were traditional food that you would find at other award winning restaurants. The first food on the list that caught my eye for my main course was the Sesame King Prawns with chili and honey glaze for $32. For the dessert I ordered Marinated Lychees in Iced Jasmine Tea with Mint Sorbet for $14 since I wanted something fresh, cold and sweet. Now I didn't order an entree since I knew I would be so full that I couldn't eat my dessert!
The food came about 15 minutes later after having a complimentary warm bread and garlic butter. Pretty efficient service!
Sesame King Prawns with chili and honey glaze for $32.
The Sesame King Prawns with chili and honey glaze was enormous! Plated was 4 crispy battered king prawns, with a side of salad and slices of mango covered with a tangy sweet kind of dressing. I ate the the whole lot well besides the heads and tails lol. It was pretty good although I would like to see more dressing from the glaze a bit more and maybe add one more prawn to live up to the price :).
Next was the dessert Marinated Lychees in Iced Jasmine Tea with Mint Sorbet. Oh now I was excited! I initially thought the whole dish was going to be in one big bowl with lychees and sorbet but it was presented on a long plate and each piece of dessert was placed beautifully on it's own. Now I didn't expect a creamy coconut jelly thing (left in photo below) but my goodness it tasted just perfect - not too too creamy and not overly sweet. The mint sorbet was nice and refreshing! The downside of this dish was the lychees.....it tasted like it was from a can of lychees that I would buy from the local Asian markets for $2.50 a can or from a lychee tea drink. Overall the dessert was good mixed with the creamy coconut milk jelly and the tang of the passion fruit sauce.
Overall the experience at Marco Polo was a good one. Next time when I come back I will try their Seafood range and maybe order and side or two? :)
Overall rating:
Affordability: Okay if you were on my wage - I would be going once a month. But if you are a high roller :)..you can devour this kind of food every week. It's pretty expensive.
Food: 8
Ambience: 8
Service: 8
Value: 5
Open: 6pm-late, seven days.
Menu costs: Entree $21-$27; mains $22-$41; and dessert $15-$19.
Address:
Level 2, Treasury Casino
Queen Street
Brisbane QLD 4000
Contact:
Tel : +61 7 3306 8744
Fax : +61 7 3306 8687
I felt hungry when I see this food.
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