On our recent trip to Australia, we had the opportunity to visit Brisbane for six days. It has a pretty vibrant food scene at different price points and my wife & I were fortunate enough to sample a few of the higher end establishments the city has to offer. Restaurant Dan Arnold in located in the Fortitude Valley area of Brisbane and is about a 15 min taxi ride from the Brisbane CBD. It is highly rated by the Australian Good Food Guide with 18 hats out of a possible 20. For reference, there are no 20 hat restaurants in Australia at the moment in 2025.
The space is relatively large with neutral wooden tones, floor to ceiling windows and with both table and bar seating. We dined the night before a national holiday so it was busy but not bustling.
There are three menu offerings: a shortened 3 course, the standard 5 course or an extended "carte blanche" course. We went with the latter for $240AUD and I want to say it was about 10 courses (2 groups of snacks, 6 middle courses + bread, 2 desserts + petit-fours). Wine pairing available for all but we did not partake.
Apologies for the camera work (old iPhone). Unfortunately no menu was provided and I have to go by my crappy notes so there will be a lack of detail on several items. Apologies for that too.
Snacks 1 (served prior to menu selection): Australian waygu tartare, kolrabi ravioli, eggplant crisp
Snacks 2: fish terrine, chicken curry bun, goat cheese with fig purée
Sea urchin w/ caviar, oyster & apple tart
Prawn, scallop mousseline
Bread course (sourdough, molasses, brioche) with sage butter and salted butter.
Steamed coral trout, tempura perilla leaf, yuzu, apple, daikon with dashi/apple vinaigrette.
Sweetbread & celeriac "risotto" .
Duo of duck. Filet/magret wrapped in prosciutto, samosa of confit leg & stuffed pepper.
BBQ short rib & 9-score Australian wagyu strip loin. Coffee, onion, onion jus.
Dessert 1: Breton sablé, kumquat, ginger, ginger beer, sorbet.
Dessert 2: Cocoa & tahini chantilly, chocolate sorbet, kumquat
Petit-fours.
Service was well intentioned but a little awkward, with a mix of wait and kitchen staff serving the courses. The wait staff was kind but a little unsteady while the kitchen staff was professional but gave the impression they would rather be in the kitchen. While it was nothing worrisome, it just felt uneven. Also (as can be seen in my notes), i would have preferred a slower description of the plates being presented not having a physical menu reference.
Food-wise, the last four "main courses", starting with the coral trout were the strongest parts of the meal, with the sweetbread being my favourite dish of the night. I was happy but not amazed by any particular dish and in that sense I feel like my perception aligns with what I read in some reviews on the BrisbaneFoodies subreddit. Overall, it was well executed food and I would recommend a visit.
by illico
2 Comments
Which other restaurants did you visit in BNE?
18 hats! Looks good but it’s universally agreed that AGFG is not the voice of reason compared to the Goodfood guide (didn’t know they were different for ages )