Tucked behind the Thyme2 Restaurant in the Sofitel Brisbane, is another fabulous restaurant. Quite the hidden little secret for fine dining.

Find the name of Prive’249 inscribed on the floor with light, and you are heading in the right direction. Once through the doors, you immediately notice the hush, particularly after the clatter of plates, cutlery and crescendo of voices you have just walked past. This is a gorgeous, evening, fine dining setting.

The rectangular glass encased, carpeted room, is lit with subdued lighting and candlelight which complement the coloured lights of Central Brisbane, clearly visible through the oversized city facing windows.

Upon entry you are greeted before being seated at your allocated table. On this occasion, we were next to the window facing the city, overseen by the clock tower, which rose above the roof tops around us.

The glint of gold and silver cutlery hints at the gastronomic delights ahead. Tonight we chose the $115 6 course degustation menu. After enjoying the complimentary chefs gift which was a delightful salmon dish, the first course arrived. This creamy, velvety soup was presented without the chestnut soup base. However this was poured around the dressed pear, which sat proudly in the middle of the plate, once the dish was delivered to the table.

The combination of pear and chestnut is superb. To start with, hubby was somewhat horrified when he thought his first course was a pear! You can imagine his relief when the chestnut soup base was poured around the dish.

Second course was this warm pork belly, served with watermelon, pickled red onion and cashew butter. Beautiful presentation of this appetiser coupled with a fabulous taste, as the tender pork with popping candy gently exploded in the mouth, oh wow, an absolutely divine dish!

Next was the barramundi dish with a crunchy, crisp skin and yellow squash. Superb.

Frozen in thyme, the palate cleanser pictured above. Again presentation left you feeling slightly guilty at having to dip your cutlery into this frozen topped dish. An exquisite little winner.

Wagyu beef fillet followed, a delightfully tender course, married perfectly with vegetables and a creamy mash. The chances now of fitting in a dessert are slim to middling, but sometimes you have to take one for the team. Trust me , You just do 🙂 .

Chocolate cake. Not just any chocolate cake but an elegant, chocolate cake, not sweet, presented with beautiful juicy berries. A totally devine finish to end this degustation menu.

I did opt to go with the wine matching for each course, which tonight was an excellent choice given the wines matched the dishes beautifully. Even the Semillon Sauvignon Blanc wine, which to be honest is one I avoid. I’m a straight Sauvignon Blanc fan, not that keen on the sweeter Semillon mix. But, who could resist a coaster like this….Bling!!!

The service throughout was impeccable. Every dish and wine was explained, staff were happy to be discreet or interact, whatever happened to be your preference. It was with a full belly and somewhat heavy heart we had to leave at the end of the evening. Why the heavy heart? Well we are long time devotees of our favourite fine dining restaurant, Salt Grill. Sorry Luke, once this year we had a lunch at a place which came close, but on this occasion, we have found a fine dining restaurant which equals, and in parts, betters our favourite. Another note, the menu changes here every three or so months. Fantastic!

Anyone looking for a special , exclusive fine dining restaurant, I would highly recommend you try Prive’249. We will definitely be back, it might not be for awhile, but we shall return!