Without going into too much detail, I have a significant event coming up at the end of this year which has involved considerable organisation on my part. Anyway part of the food from the upcoming event will be sourced from Central, which is why I decided it would be prudent to grab dinner there to make sure I was happy with the food first.
Making a reservation beforehand, Dr L and I were warmly welcomed and seated at the benchtop overlooking the kitchen. Arguably the best seats in the house, ensuring I could watch and learn some cooking skills from the chefs while I enjoy my dinner.
Menus were provided promptly. There was an a la carte option as well as an executive banquet. Dining during the month of June also mean there were a couple of Dine Brisbane deals. Maintaining my eye on the end goal, we made our choices selectively off the a la carte menu.
Staff were super attentive during the evening and even though I didn't announce my arrival, they recognised my name and gifted Dr L and I a glass of champagne each to commence our meal which was a very nice touch. We were also provided prawn crackers whilst we browsed the menu, these were delightfully seasoned rather than being served plain and also came fresh out of the fryer.
Starting with a few serves of dim sim, we had the chicken and foie gras siu mai and the crab and prawn spring rolls. Both were served unbelievably hot and fresh. The siu mai was wholesome and decadent, straight out of the steamer. The spring rolls were unbelievably fresh and crispy with very plump prawn fillings and a generous amount of crab.
We also had a scallop and prawn dumpling straight out of the steamer. It was served with some salmon roe on top. Again the fillings were delicious and fresh. Arguably the dumpling skin could be a tad thinner, but it was executed fairly well.
Opting for the Dine Brisbane deals meant we had two cocktails to go with our steamed dimsim. We had the heart of glass and the night fever. They were fairly sweet and could have been a bit stronger for my liking. We also had a serve of the XO sauce scallops, these were flavoursome and tender without being overcooked at all.
Our main event came soon after, being a serve of roast duck served with greens and rice. The roast duck was heated in the oven and then finished off in the deep fryer, ensuring a crunchy, crispy skin, however it did dry the meat out somewhat. Otherwise the seasoning was delicious and infused deep into the meat. The greens were done exceptionally well, not too overcooked and not undercooked with generous lashings of oyster sauce. Had we just shared this between the two of us, it probably wouldn't have been enough, but as a main with some entrees and dessert, it was very satisfying.
On the topic of dessert, we finished our meal with a french toast with black sesame gelato. Interestingly the french toast came with the crust cut off after frying. It was soft and had a fairly thick smear of chunky peanut butter that was a tad sweeter than usual and lacked a bit of saltiness. The condensed milk added more sweetness to it, but I did like how the peanut and sesame complimented each other with harmonious nutty flavours.
Overall we had a good time at Central. It is an expensive venue to enjoy a casual date night but well worth the effort for special events.
Price Range: $100 - $110pp
Taste: 8.5/10
Value: 7/10
Service: 9/10
Environment: 8/10
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