Brisbane restaurants: 85 Miskin St, Toowong review

This Toowong favourite with a consummate chef just needs a 21st century spruce-up then it would be firing on all cylinders, says reviewer Tony Harper.

IT was a while ago now, but I celebrated my 30th birthday at 85 Miskin St, back when Russell Armstrong owned the place, and it was called Tables of Toowong.

In terms of looks, not much has changed, except that now it carries the patina of decades and the general air of something in decline. Much like myself.

Some of the formal touches have been pared back, making things a little more relaxed, but the building could do with a lick of paint and a few fresh touches to bring it into the current century.

85 Miskin St, Toowong.

It’s now called 85 Miskin St after a name change from Brent’s — The Dining Experience.

I think I prefer the simplicity of the new moniker and the equally simplified offering that comes with it.

But names aside, it belongs — as it has done ever since Bruno Loubet left the space — to Brent Farrell. He’s a talented chef and a man with plenty of fans.

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Part of the allure is the fact that 85 Miskin St is one of the very few surviving restaurants that accepts BYO and can match decent wines with equally decent food (depending, I guess, on the wines in question).

It offers a la carte, a five-course lunch tasting menu and an eight-course degustation, all with the option of wine matches from the long, quirky (odd perhaps) wine list — not the best glass selection (heavy with sweet and fortified) and an occasionally eye-opening but long and rambling bottle list.

Head chef and owner of 85 Miskin St, Brent Farrell. Picture: Annette Dew

We opt for the full shebang: eight courses with our own wines.

Some of the dishes feel dated — not badly so, just not completely contemporary, while others are so unique and refreshing that they counterbalance.

For example, there’s a plate of glazed beef cheek with a large quenelle of mashed potato, then mushroom ragu and a sticky, sweet jus. Delicious, but kind of 1998.

Two plates before is this dish of panzanella (but made with watermelon rather than tomatoes), fried haloumi, sumac and dehydrated olive.

It looks really special, and while the beef cheeks taste more satisfying, the quirk and prettiness of the watermelon thing make it stand out.

The glazed beef at 85 Miskin St is “delicious, but kind of 1998” says Tony Harper. Picture: Annette Dew

There’s a dip into Asia with wagyu-beef wontons paired with dashi broth.

The wontons are small, crunchy and suitably rich in the middle — east meets west. And the broth is served in what I can best describe as miniature steins — tiny beer glasses with handles.

And here’s the thing … how much better would the dish be if the dashi broth came in wee saké cups or mini Japanese teacups? Just a thought.

But there is no faulting the cooking. There’s a leaning toward sweetness in some dishes (like duck liver paté with fig glaze) and it’s great.

And all but the sorbet and the watermelon dish are kind of rich, and in the middle of winter I reckon that’s a good thing. Brent Farrell can cook.

Our eight courses (plus cleanser) lands for $99. Not bad at all.

SCORES OUT OF 10

Food: 8

Drinks: 6.5

Vibe: 6.5

Service: 8

85 MISKIN ST

85 Miskin St, Toowong

Ph: 3371 4558

Chef: Brent Farrell

Breakfast, Sat-Sun; Lunch, Wed-Sat; Dinner, Tue-Sat