OTTO Ristorante | 480 Queen Street, BRISBANE CBD QLD 4000
OTTO Ristorante oughta be one of the most exciting restaurant openings in Brisbane this year. I found out about the opening when I was browsing through the highlight events occurring during The Brisbane Times Good Food Month, and learned that the Editor’s Dinner was to be held there. For anyone that’s wondering, OTTO Ristorante is owned by the Fink Group, a successful hospitality empire that also owns places such as Pete Gilmore’s Bennelong at the Sydney Opera House as well as the iconic Quay restaurant, and of course, OTTO Ristorante in Woolloomooloo which is often frequented by celebrities.
So this year, when we were deciding on where to take mum for her birthday dinner, OTTO was the obvious choice. I love what they have done in creating an airy space; open kitchen, light coloured wood, linen table cloths and those mesmerising hanging lights that spin around, but the heavyweight in this game, had to be what was literally in front of our eyes. Beyond the floor to ceiling windows was the Brisbane Story Bridge twinkling in so many different colours.
To make the dining experience easier for Minibun George (as it was late and getting close to his bedtime), we opted for some oysters served natural with orange granita ($5 each) to start with. As expected, the oysters were super fresh and sweet and came out very quickly. I had never had granita with oysters before and I liked the tangy yet sweet flavour with the cold icy sensation. Given that OTTO is an Italian restaurant, we all had pasta on our mind. The other travel bunnie raved about his potato gnocchi with braised rabbit, gremolata ($38) and insisted it was the perfect winter dish to fill and warm his tummy. I had the tagliolini - black and white long pasta cooked with Moreton Bay Bugs, cherry tomatoes, chilli, basil ($39) and it was so tasty I started eating the dish like a lady but seriously, 30 seconds in all I wanted to do was to slurp up the whole dish like a bowl of ramen. The texture of the pasta was perfect, and the chilli tomato sauce was the bomb! I guess mum’s strozzapreti - twisted pasta, banana prawns, garlic, chilli, black olives, tomato and calamari sauce ($39) was also good because there was not one bad comment from her and she’s a really picky eater. We also ordered some fish and chips ($30) for George, which I thought was quite pricey for a kid’s meal but regardless it was thoroughly enjoyed by him.
When they brought out our desserts of strawberry panna cotta, Amaretti biscuits, strawberries, yoghurt gelato ($15), Dark chocolate and orange cannoli, ricotta gelato ($15) and coffee with petit four ($5.50), they also brought out a cute chocolate cupcake with a sparkler for mum. I thought that was a really nice touch on top of the friendly and professional service that we received throughout the night. Our waiter was so personable, he seemed to be knowledgeable of the dishes when he explained the black and white pasta to me he was also very friendly to George which put a smile on my face. Oh, and did I mention that the strawberry panna cotta was absolutely amazing? I love berries, and I think every single element of that dessert was a standout. You’ve gotta try it.
We all had a wonderful experience at OTTO Ristorante, and I would definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone that’s looking for a great contemporary Italian dining experience with a view.
Total Bunnie Dollars Spent: $257.50
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