Two Small Rooms | 517 Milton Road, TOOWONG QLD 4066
Two Small Rooms was on the other travel bunnie’s list to try for a long, long time, but for a long time it remained on the list untouched because it’s located at an awkward place and the parking situation is horrendous. So after a few years, we finally put our foot down and decided to check it out for their 2 course set lunch.
As we stepped inside the restaurant, the floor creaked and I could here voices coming from the kitchen. We stood by the entrance for a good minute or two before a lady in sneakers emerged and seated us at our table with no welcoming or greeting. As you can already see, it was not a very welcoming start. After we were presented with the menu, the lady started dusting off the wine rack right next to our table which again isn’t exactly what waitstaff at a fine dining restaurant would do. At that point, I told the other bunnie that something didn’t smell right, I looked at the other travel bunnie with doubt, wondering why this place had ever been on his list? I took my phone out and googled the restaurant, only to found out that the restaurant has been sold, then sold again and was now owned by Korean chef Ricky Kim. My stomach churned, and I wasn’t sure if the food would still be as good as it once was.
The food came out quickly given that there was only one other open table. I thought my blue swimmer crab tortellini with crustaceans cream sauce, preserved lemon, broad bean, cayenne was beautifully presented like a dainty piece of artwork in a bowl. The crustacean sauce reminded me a lot of the famous il centro sand crab lasagne, it was creamy and flavoursome. I loved the slices of pickled radish which gave my palate a refreshing and clean touch. In comparison, the other travel bunnie’s free range confit duck leg with creamed potato mash, bok choy, shallot and Chinese master sauce was hearty and more wholesome. The duck leg meat easily fell off the bone and was tender and juicy. We couldn’t fault either of the dishes and our plates were completely empty when they were being collected. We were both excited about our desserts. The espresso & red bean creme brulee was pretty good but unfortunately the chocolate brownie with dark chocolate mousse, macaroon, strawberry, vanilla ice cream was average and had a number of elements missing.
At that stage, I still thought our dining experience was wonderfully positive, despite the awkward service that we received (the lady that brought us in - the only waitstaff on show - disappeared halfway through our meal and the rest of the service was taken care of by the chef), despite the heavy road noise from the front of the restaurant and even despite the aged decor and stained seats. Without going into too many details, my positive experience was immediately changed when the chef/ owner presented us with the incorrect bill and attempted to deal with it by dropping a snide remark.
Eating out (like any experience) is the sum of many, many elements and there are plenty of places where I can find great crustacean sauce and good duck confit. Two Small Rooms won’t be a place that I would want visit again, which is a shame because the food was good, but the service was a total let down and overshadowed any positives I took away from this experience.
Total Bunnie Dollars Spent: $80.
