Urbane

Posted by: jackoknows | 29 August 2011, 8.53am

After hearing in the print media that "at the time", this was the place to eat i decided to take my partner there to impress her!!. WOW what an experience, service was second to none, food divine and the sommellier was exceptional with the selection of wines. Highly reccommend a few hours of your life to this quaint, yet superb, sophistacated restaurant.

Food:			Visit: Sat 6 August 2011 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: foodie201 | 15 August 2010, 11.35pm

We had the full degustation menu and shared a wine degustation. It was quite a different experience for us, generally we like to be in control of what comes to the table, and with a degustation it's just not up to you! However, it was so worth it. Fabulous combinations of flavours and textures that built throughout the course of the evening. Perhaps there was just a little too much in the end, thankfully the desserts were fruit and ice - based, very refreshing. The sommelier was knowledgeable, and although we were a little apprehensive initially about having every dish explained to us, it gave us the opportunity to ask about any ingredients or details we needed clarification with (staff were very happy to explain).
A great addition to the Brisbane restaurant scene.

Food:			Visit: Sun 15 August 2010
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Posted by: kwa | 25 January 2010, 1.22pm

At Urbane you're not paying for a feed because you don't get one. We had the 6 course degustation with matching wines $140 a head without any extras. The portion sizes were a joke, e.g. the first course was lobster with almond gazpacho etc which turned out to be no more than 1 teaspoon of food, barely enough to appreciate the many flavours which were supposedly incorporated in the sample. The remainder of the dishes were of a similar proportion ranging in size from 1 teaspoon to 1 dessertspoon of food for the venison dish. We had to order a cheese board (another $60 for 4 small wedges of cheese & a few biscuits) as an extra because there just wasn't enough food;in fact there was more wine than food. The food presentation was very artistic but for me, when I go to a "supposedly" top restaurant I'm going for exceptional quality & appropriate quantity and don't mind paying for such when I feel I get value for money; unfortunately this time that wasn't the case. What you pay for here is anything but food and the only thing provided in abundance was pretention.

Food:			Visit: Fri 22 January 2010 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: MummaKim | 25 March 2009, 9.32am

Went there to eat for my partner's birthday.. There was 8 of us. We got told the wrong directions to the venue, as we got inside (finally) it was dead quiet.. not a good start.. We handed them a cake to put in the fridge until we were ready to use it. Ordered our meals, which disappointedly took over 1 1/2 hours to come back out to us, no talk from the staff that it was going to take longer, we were all hungry and waiting, asking for a bottle of wine, of course with 8 people it is going to not last very long. After that bottle finished, we asked for another, they seemed to have no wine, as they come out with a different one. No kids' meals or nothing that they could put together so a 3 year old was left eating only a little bit of chicken. Meals finally come out, although the food was nice, it took about 5 minutes to eat what was on the plate - meals very small. Left us still hungry! Looking forward to the cake though...Staff member comes up and says we can't have the cake there - shock horror !! Who doesn't let people celebrate their birthday with a cake?? It is the only restaraunt that I have ever been too that had no nothing, no atmosphere, no kids' meals, not allowing to have a cake.. Overall was very disappointed and won't go back there.

Food:			Visit: Tue 24 March 2009 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: aoko | 18 January 2009, 11.10am

While the food was excellent the pretentious waiter who snubbed my partner's request for beer did not make us warm to the restaurant. Perhaps we were there too early for this hip restaurant, but it was almost empty on a Friday and this resulted in a cold, lonely atmosphere. Not the best for a restaurant.

Food:			Visit: Fri 22 August 2008
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Posted by: Catherine 1 | 1 July 2008, 10.41am

Team of executives attend Urbane for lunch.

Report back was the service was great and the food was delicious however a bit pricy for the mains.

Overall a good lunch spot.

Food:			Visit: Fri 27 June 2008 Mealtime: lunch
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Posted by: ClintonM | 13 February 2008, 7.32pm

Great food, great service and all up a great afternoon. We visited Urbane for a staff lunch and were treated to an afternoon of gastronomic and alchoholic indulgence courtesy of Drew and Andrew. We will definitely return to Urbane as we now rate them as one of the best restaurants Brisbane has to offer.

Food:			Visit: Fri 1 February 2008 Mealtime: lunch
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Posted by: gpa | 10 May 2007, 1.43pm

I had never been to Urbane before but have heard about from friends & family. Rather than believe the hype I thought that I would do my own research. I found some rather unfair reviews, such as the one posted by da76. This person had no interest in the food at all and would have been better off at the local take away.
The food and service are truly exceptional for Brisbane. Do not go to Urbane is you wish to walk away so full you are uncomfortable but if you wish to try something great then I recommend a visit.

Food:			Visit: Thu 3 May 2007 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: elricardo | 28 April 2007, 10.44pm

To be frank, if you want the best food in Brisbane, you're going to have to pay for it. If you want a big serve for $20, then go to Sizzler, don't try Urbane.

The food at Urbane, in my opinion, is close to the best in Brisbane.

Sure, the portions aren't large, but the idea is to sample up to 6 different courses, in a tasting menu. The menu at Urbane isn't to be approached as entrees or main courses. It's an exploration of flavours, which are explained with each course by the friendly staff.

Anyway, with some of these dishes, for instance, the Papillon Roquefort, you couldn't eat any more than the divine serving which was plated up to us.

Our dinner at Urbane was without a doubt one of the best meals I have ever eaten in Brisbane. If only there were more restaurants in Brisbane serving this quality of food.

Our only real qualm was with the service. The whole idea of the tasting menu was not explained particularly well when we arrived, particularly to my vegetarian dining companion. Perhaps the restaurant should explain the "tasting menu" concept when the reservation is taken, to avoid confusion on the night.

Other than that, the evening was memorable. I was completely amazed that on a Saturday night, the restaurant was only half full. With food of such a high standard, the patrons will surely come.

Definitely not a restaurant to be missed in Brisbane.

Food:			Visit: Sat 21 April 2007 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: da76 | 2 March 2007, 11.02am

Many of the comments so far (above) paint a realistic picture of this restaurant. The food is without question exceptional and the service is exuberant to the say the least. All this is pales into insignificance when you are treated to an (unsuccessful) attempt to reinvent a gastronomic experience. While I applauded the attempt, I am left somewhat bemused with the performance of the staff who deem their pantomime around the presentation of the food as high art when realistically it should be seen as cloying and sycophantic. To be introduced to my food after each course is simply a joke. As other reviewers have said, the portion sizes make nouvelle cuisine seem like a smorgasbord in comparison! My guests and I left feeling confused and unsatisfied. Even with a platinum company American express card I would think twice!

Food:			Visit: Thu 1 March 2007 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: M.L. | 19 November 2006, 11.41am

But the food was wonderful and creative, the service first class. It's amazing to walk away from a restaurant with such mixed emotions. The degustation menu can hardly be called that when you are forking out $15 for so-called entrees and $25 for so-called mains when the great taste is over in a couple of small bites! At around $90 per person (excluding drinks) and your tummy still not satisfied, I wouldn't recommend it to those looking for a decent feed.

Food:			Visit: Sat 18 November 2006 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: herbie76 | 6 October 2006, 5.42pm

Reviews often focus on quality, service, wine list and atmosphere. Urbane certainly ranks highly in these areas. However, an important criteria for any restaurant should be value for money; it is here where urbane scores abysmally. It is risible that a chef should attempt to serve miniscule amounts of food to Brisbanites (who are used to generous serves of quality produce) at extortionate prices. At Urbane you can anticipate your duck breast to arrive before you with a flourish, albeit the size of an eraser. Comical. Expect to pay the price for a whole kilo of barramundi, but on your plate, you'll only find the equivalent of half an anchovy. Cute. You might hope for a hearty serve of vegetables, or a robust sauce to accompany the meagre scraps on your plate, but no, instead you'll be expected to "dine" on 'dust of ginger', or 'froth' of god-knows-what. In essence, you can expect to pay $100 a head for no more than warmed, whipped air. Great if you're on a heroin-induced fast, but perhaps somewhat 'esoteric' for those of us who believe that the 'art' in creating a beautiful meal lies not simply in the creative process, but also in the honesty of providing enough of it to satisfy your guests.

Food:			Visit: Sat 7 October 2006 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: Unregistered user | 8 February 2006, 4.11pm

The service was excellent, the atmosphere was warm and the food was divine, although two mouthfuls later my $15 entree was gone, and I was left very worried about how small they could go for their 'main meals'.
It was miniscule to say the least. The $28 wagyu beef was actually two measly slices of meat with a few salad leaves. The Moreton Bay Bugs turned out to be one-half of one bug. It tasted great, but that's no excuse for charging those prices.
As the waitress suggested, start with 3-4 courses and ideally do all 6. But who can justify paying about $100 for a meal when you can easily get an incredible dining experience [elsewhere] for half the price?

Food:			Visit: Wed 8 February 2006 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: Unregistered user | 16 December 2005, 8.43am

Dinner at Urbane was a wonderful experience with a high quality food and exceptional service. I was amazed at the detailed service that is not normally present in bistros in Brisbane. Highly recommended.

Food:			Visit: Fri 16 December 2005 Mealtime: dinner
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