The Summit

The Summit is an iconic place in Brisbane, I swear everyone I know has been here for some event or another. The food is expensively tasty and the view is breath taking. I swear since I first went here, I can't stop seeing pictures on Facebook of people going here. I went here for Jubi's 21st birthday and early in 2014 as we had 2 for 1 lunch vouchers to use from her birthday party.

It's really not hard to find, its at the top of Mount Coot-tha. Keep driving to the top, just remember to keep to the 60km speed limit!

Up there!

Everything the light touches is yours, Jubi

What about that shadowy place? That's the Bayside, its too fucking far to go there Jubi

VGirl and I were carpooling and we got there quite late, so we didn't have as much food as everyone else. VGirl got a vegetarian entree but I got zip. Here it is below, an antipasto assortment of marinated mushrooms, mixed olives, giant cubes of creamy goats cheese and brittle rosemary lavosh. She nibbled everything but she didn't like the sourness of the mushrooms, she never eats olives, she doesn't like cheese and that only left the lavosh, which she doesn't like the texture of. So I sat and ate her entree like the good hungry sister I was. Good olives though, I agree with the rest of her sentiments, the goats cheese cubes were very big compared to everything else.

I wonder what the carnivores got?

When I got there, I got given this plate of food without another question. Apparently everyone else had a choice of chicken, beef or salmon according to where they were sitting and most people swapped meals. I had the grilled chicken with roasted rhubarb, asparagus, tiny dutch carrots, vine roasted tomatoes and roasted parsnips. I've never had rhubarb on a savoury dish so I was absolutely fascinated by it. I actually thought this was my entree that's how small the portion size was.

Where was the rest of it?

VGirl received a roasted vegetable frittata, we think, which had gfeta, sweet potato, spinach inside it as well as the same vine roasted tomatoes I had on top of a bed of silky smooth mashed potato. I kept trying to eat her food, it was quite good and she had polished it off within seconds.

It's not often that I envy my sister's meal

They do a very pretty lemon, lime and bitters though. 

Pretty layers

This is a glass of Fever Tree ginger beer, super spicy ginger beer, great if you love a really strong tasting ginger flavour. 

Definitely try it if you see it

Jubi and I went back in early 2014 for the next photos since she got given a whole bunch of vouchers for two for the price of one lunch items. There were a lot of terms and conditions, but we basically got to choose either one dish, OR two dishes from a choice of entree/ small main/ dessert OR or a choice from all three options. She had already used up a voucher on the entree and recommended against getting it, so we chose to have two dishes from the small main and dessert options. 

Jubi chose the pan fried pumpkin gnocchi, blistered grape tomatoes, parsnip crisps, sweet capsicum coulis with asparagus and edible flowers. The gnocchi was delicious, light and fluffy with a mild pumpkin flavour and a crunchy exterior. It's just a pity that there were so few of them, from memory there was about seven or eight on her plate. The coulis tasted like a roasted capsicum puree and other than that I was afraid to try anything because of the fear of eating half of her already tiny meal. She said she was very happy with the dish, as she doesn't have gnocchi very often.

Pretty though

I got the spiced pulled pork, coleslaw and apple ring on brioche bun with onion rings and tomato chutney. The pulled pork was quite plain and a touch dry without the chutney to moisten it up. The coleslaw wasn't anything to write home about being made from the usual medley of red and white cabbage with carrot. The apple was a little circle separating the pork and the coleslaw. The onion rings were tasty. I'm pretty sure I ate that little burger in about three bites. 

Like a kid's meal

I ordered the Italian style lamington with wattle seed cream, chocolate covered coffee beans, frangelico syrup, hazelnut crumbs, a few raspberries and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The Italian style lamington was a Savoiardi biscuit I think, the kind normally used in tiramisu, coated in chocolate icing and coconut. It was an unusual texture, I think especially because I was expecting soft sponge instead of hard biscuit. The wattle seed cream sandwiching the two fingers was pleasantly nutty. The vanilla ice cream had lovely creamy and fluffy texture, other than that nothing else on the plate was worth mentioning.

Lamingtons!

Jubi got the lime curd pie with burnished meringue and a brandy snap sail with a vanilla creme anglaise. The pastry was very short and the curd had a lovely thick consistency and a good balance between sweetness and tartness. The meringue was smooth and shiny, and I didn't try the brandy snap or the anglaise. Jubi said she liked it, especially since it was well balanced between sweet and sour flavours.

Summit Restaurant & Bar
Atmosphere: 7, its a beautiful, well lit restaurant with pretty furniture and a breath taking view. It makes me mildly uncomfortable to be here because I don't find it particularly welcoming for some reason.
Service: 7, pleasant and friendly. I can't think of anything exemplary.
Food: 8, if someone else was paying and also if I can grab something else to eat afterwards. 5, if I had to pay for myself, the food is well prepared, combination of ingredients is great and everything is very well presented but the portions are exponentially inversely proportion to the price I have to pay for them. I'd much rather lug up a picnic basket to the top of the Summit and enjoy the view with some food that will leave me full and satisfied. All in all, I wouldn't go back here again unless someone else was paying.