Brisbane restaurants: Rico Bar and Dining review, Eagle St Pier

Scenery and seafood take top billing at this city eatery sitting pretty where Aria once lived. But is the new place with the same stellar views as good as the reputable fine diners that came before it?

As dining rooms go, there aren’t many in Brisbane that can top Rico Bar and Dining, formerly Aria, and before that Pier Nine.

And if my memory isn’t playing tricks it had at least another incarnation or two before then. It’s on the river – almost in it – with a sweeping water vista when the Kookaburra Queen isn’t moored like a monolithic view-killer.

I reckon it’s been brightened up, made more airy by the Rico crew, less sombre perhaps than Aria.

Rico Bar and Dining is the latest venture to fill the space formerly held by Aria. Picture: Mark Cranitch.

It seems a bit more relaxed too, more open space, and definitely less expensive, but still erring towards the formal. Even the bar seems brighter and more inviting.

It’s mostly Spanish-themed with a dabbling of South America, at least as far as the menu goes, and laced with seafood.

I walk to my table past a tank of live marron – not sleepy and upside down, but as lively as a preschool – which later appear as an optional addition to the paella.

It’s a nice touch and hints at some pretty good, fresh seafood coming out of the Rico kitchen, which isn’t a great surprise as it’s owned by the George’s Paragon crew just up the stairs.

And I order the seafood paella ($55), but without the marron option (which is another $55), simply because I’m dining on a budget. And I don’t love it.

Seafood is a staple on the Rico menu with main dishes such as chargrilled snapper tail with chimichurri (above). Pictures: Mark Cranitch

There’s no socarrat – that’s the chewy, sometimes crunchy, intensely-flavoured crust where the rice meets the pan which, while not a deal-breaker, is part of what makes really good paella really good: the best bit of the dish, like the skin on KFC chicken and the batter on a Dagwood dog.

It’s not lacking for seafood – prawns, mussels, fish, squid and cockles – but there’s better seafood in town. Which kind of makes sense – why squander top-notch seafood on a wet dish?

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But in the end, this is more like a so-so seafood risotto in a paella pan than anything more spectacular.

Kingfish ceviche ($17) is quite the opposite – a very good piece of fish (well, four pieces really), but under-seasoned and just missing the electricity of good ceviche.

There’s something awry in its marinade; it’s kind of flat. A sprinkle of salt flakes helps.

Beef cheek empanadas ($17) are stellar: like a good, rich Irish stew, peas and all, stuffed into short pastry.

Rico’s signature catalana dessert. Picture: Mark Cranitch.

The beef cheek is sticky-rich and beautifully tender.

And croquettas ($9) are laced with bacalao – salt-cod – which takes them from a lump of crumbed potato into something delicious.

The drinks list dabbles with the Spanish/South American theme with a trio of sangrias and a handful of Chilean, Argentine and Spanish wines.

But the bulk of the wine list is made up of Antipodean wines.

Rico is a very different offering than Aria was – it’s less lofty and certainly doesn’t pack the same sort of culinary punch, wine list clout or even precision of service.

But somehow the makeover has focused attention on the river rather than the interior, and everything simply seems more relaxed.

SCORES OUT OF 10

Food: 6.5

Drinks: 6.5

Vibe: 8

Service: 7

RICO BAR AND DINING

45 Eagle Street, Ph: 3188 1444