E'cco

E'cco, Brisbane CBD

Date visited: 4th Jan 2012

Grace said that she had to take me out for a dinner before leaving Aus and she chose E'cco. The first day E'cco opened in 2012 was on 4th Jan after their Christmas break. I remembered that I had an interview in Manly that day and had to rushed back for our 6 pm dinner appointment. We were early and the first customers there. 

E'cco Restaurant

First, we were introduced to five different types of complimentary bread. I wanted to try all of them but resisted the temptation...

I've forgotten the flavour for this one...

This one with pistachio ...

It took quite a while for us to decide. We wanted to make sure that there is diversity in the type of produce and meat we have. Finally, for entree @ $24.50:

Entree 1: 

Kingfish carpaccio, bloody mary sorbet, cucumber, celery and tabasco oil 

My first carpaccio dish! The fresh kingfish was sliced thinly and with the combination of bloody mary sorbet and the strings of cucumber and celery, my tastebuds were certainly entertained by the flavours. I am not a big fan of tomato juice (I tried once when I had a bad sore throat, but they are just too salty!) but luckily the bloody mary sorbet wasn't too overpowering. 

Entree 2:

Field mushrooms, olive toast, rocket, parmesan, truffle oil & lemon

The entree came out exactly as what it's written on the menu. The field mushroom was cooked to perfection, lying on a perfectly toasted bread. The chef really performed a good job in creating this dish. Even though it looked simple, the flavour combination was superb; with the smooth olive spread and truffle oil. I did wish for more truffle oil since they are $$$ but in this case, the amount was in balance with the rest. Yum!

Main 1 :

Fennel and chili spiced pork belly
celeriac puree, apple, watercress, candied walnuts
and date dressing

Oh my! I love this dish very much! I can't say it enough but it's really good. What's better than to bite into crispy pork crackling of a perfectly cooked and tender pork belly? :)

The celeriac puree was creamy and smooth.

The candied, crunchy walnuts with watercress was good.

The date dressing wasn't too sweet.

All in all, each component of the dish was individually amazing. BUT, it's best when you try them all together. It seemed like there's a synergistic interaction going on when you mix two flavour combinations together. Yum!

Side dish:

Salad of rocket, pear, pecorino & candied pecans - $9.50

We ordered a salad too. It was fresh and simple. I think I'm really addicted to their candied nuts (walnuts and pecans). I keep picking them to munch; they are so crunchy and sweet...

Main 2 :

Grimaud duck breast, hasselback potatoes
maple-glazed witlof and pancetta

Grace opted for the duck. Do not be tricked by this simple looking dish. Breast duck was tender and cooked till medium. Together with the flavourful jus, this dish did hit the mark. The crispy pancetta certainly added another texture to this dish. She commented that the flavours worked really well together.

All mains are @ $42.50.

Dessert @ $17.50 :

Mango parfait, liquorice foam, sesame meringue & kaffir lime sherbet

Too full for a heavy dessert, we both shared a mango parfait. This is certainly more of a Queenslander dessert, with its tropical theme. So far, Grace is the only person I know who loves liquorice (not for me, unfortunately). Trying liquorice foam is definitely a bonus for her! I think the dessert was OK for this restaurant's standard. Besides the different technique displayed here (sherbet, foam and rolled-meringue), the flavour otherwise was just all right.

E'cco certainly lives up to its reputation and both of us had a good dining experience. The service was excellent with attentive waitstaffs and most importantly, the meals were amazing. Hopefully, I'll have the opportunity to return one day!