FOOD & DRINK
The Brunswick is part of the ALH Group, whose stable includes the Indooroopilly Hotel, the Newmarket, the Morrison and many other pubs around Brisbane. We’ve dined at a number of them and always found the standards to be consistently high. We’ve never been disappointed at an ALH Hotel, and the Brunswick was no exception.
My wife and I dined on a quiet Sun night. We started with the beer special, a schooner of Great Northern Super Crisp at $6, and a glass of Prosecco ($8). Great way to start the evening. As seniors, we were able to avail ourselves of the discounted seniors menu. For entree, we choose the calamari, with chips, salad, lemon and aioli. It was delicious and chewy, and came with a generous serve of crunchy chips and salad. For our main meals, we both chose the 250g rump steaks with pepper sauce for me and mushroom sauce for my wife. Unbeatable value at just $16. Steaks were beautifully prepared and well cooked just the way we like them, but still tender and full of flavour. Steaks come with a choice of two sides, I chose chips and caesar salad, my wife went for the garden salad and mash. It was all perfect and we thoroughly enjoyed our meals, so thanks to the hardworking chefs. We couldn’t have been happier. For dessert, our all-time fav, the sticky date pud at the reasonable price of $8. The pud was sweet and moist, and came with fresh cream, a dollop of ice cream and finely sliced strawberry to top it off. Perfect way to end a fine meal.
AMBIENCE
We both loved the relaxed, casual, laid back ambience of this place. The bistro space is large, spacious and airy with stylish, trendy decor and comfy chairs. It’s carpeted throughout with colourful artwork on the walls and low mood lighting to give it a perfect atmosphere. It’s the kind of place that you’ll feel happy to be in. On the night that we dined, it was fairly quiet, just a smattering of other diners, but that added to the calm and unhurried vibe. Acoustics were good and we were easily able to converse.
SERVICE
Our server, Morgan, was neatly turned out in a smart white serving jacket. She greeted us warmly and throughout the evening, she was friendly, efficient and attentive. Orders were promptly taken and drinks came out quickly, followed by the entrees and shortly after that, the main courses and then dessert. We arrived at around 6.00pm, by 7.30pm we were done, and that’s just how we like it. There’s also the option for electronic ordering, using a barcode affixed to a little disc on your table, but being a quiet eve, we found ordering with the waitress the easier way to go.
TOILETS
The toilets are sparkling clean, modern and well provisioned. They look pretty new too, or recently renovated, with ample male and female cubicles, strong lighting, rows of shiny basins and fast hand dryers. They’re well signposted and easy to find just behind the bistro.
COST
Taking advantage of the seniors' menu, we paid a modest $74 for two glasses of wine, a schooner of beer, an entree, two main courses and dessert. That’s outstanding value for money when you think that a humble cup of coffee now sets you back almost 5 pesos, so thanks to the ALH Hotel Group for this generous initiative to help out long suffering seniors.
PARKING
We found easy street parking on Brunswick St, opposite the hotel, where there were no weekend or after hours restrictions. The hotel also has its own car park, which you can access via Brunswick or Kent Streets.
SUMMARY
We had a fab evening and everything ran smoothly. Food was outstanding and served in generous portions. The cool ambience is perfect for a relaxing meal with family and friends. Service was efficient and polite. Add to that, clean and modern toilets, free parking and modest prices and you have an ideal evening out. They have poker machines too, if you want to have a little flutter after your meal. Thanks guys, we will definitely be back!
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