This Italian Institution Just Scored A Stylish Refurb And New Menu
Mangia Mangia!
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A great work lunch hinges on several key factors. First, the restaurant should be centrally located to eliminate any commute time. Next, the service should be efficient and attentive, ensuring your break doesn’t stretch too long. And last but certainly not least, the food must be exceptional, providing an escape that feels a world away, even though you’re just minutes from the office. On this particular rainy Tuesday afternoon, Massimo delivered on every front.
We were seated by the riverwalk, an ideal people-watching spot, and decided on drinks: the Prima Donna, a refreshing and zingy cocktail with watermelon and liquid sherbet, and Bellissima, a bright, citrusy number, because a mid-arvo tipple never hurt anybody. We were among the first to try Massimo’s new menu and check out the revamped space, which flawlessly encapsulates that flirty, Euro-holiday vibe and heroes a very Italian colour palette of olive green, Aperol orange, and ocean blue – the ideal atmosphere to forget about work for an hour.
The menu still boasts classic Italian dishes – house-made pasta, fresh seafood, and mouthwatering antipasti – but this time, there are a few inventive, modern twists throughout (think cacio e pepe spaghetti-filled croquettes and lasagne bites…drool). Ultimately, we settled on the Pronto Banquet, which was very reasonably priced at $54 per person and was perfect for sharing – because at an Italian restaurant, family style is always the way to go.
As the name of the banquet suggests, the food started arriving promptly after ordering. Pronto indeed! To start, we enjoyed focaccia with whipped ricotta dip and oysters topped with tomato and limoncello granita. Then came the aforementioned cacio e pepe croquettes, which were an absolute delight, and calamari paired with a decadent, slightly spicy nduja cream – simply delicious.
The stars of the show were the mains: a tender loin of eye fillet in a flavourful beef jus and a rich, robust ragu di agnello cavatelli (slow-cooked lamb ragu). These were accompanied by an iceberg salad, beautifully rounding out the meal with some much-needed freshness, and some crispy roast potatoes for a few extra carbs, because why not? To finish: cannoli, of course. It didn’t disappoint.
With a fresh fit-out and all-new menu featuring classic Italian dishes with creative twists, five years after its opening, Massimo Restaurant & Bar has reasserted itself as a quintessential Brisbane foodie destination, perfect for a work lunch. So, city slickers, if you’re looking to spice up your nine-to-five, Massimo is calling your name with an Italian feast that’s well worth lingering a little past your lunch break for. Your boss will understand.
