Philip Johnson opened e'cco bistro in 1995 in Brisbane, Australia, focusing on taking high quality local ingredients and preparing them simply to let their natural flavors shine through. The restaurant gained national recognition and acclaim. Johnson recently renovated the interior space, giving it a soulful dark palette with bright white walls as an elegant backdrop for the cuisine. Johnson's dishes at e'cco continue to highlight local seasonal produce, using techniques like scallops served as a play on carbonara with potato "spaghetti" or duck breast served with slow-roasted carrots and dates. On the restaurant's 20th anniversary, Johnson remains committed to dishes that let the ingredients speak for themselves while keeping the menu interesting for patrons.

1. The choice is easy for me – I would hope
that chef Philip Johnson was stuck
there too. He is a master of the admirable
cooking philosophy: taking top quality
ingredients, treating them simply, with
exquisite results.
Johnson opened e’cco in 1995, staking
out a corner of an old tea warehouse
in the industrial buffer zone between
Brisbane’s CBD and Fortitude Valley
known as Petrie Bight. The bistro
became a favourite for swathes of savvy
locals, and was brought to national
attention two years later for winning
the Remy Martin Cognac/Australian
Gourmet Traveller Restaurant of the Year
award. E’cco has always had a stylish,
understated guideline for its space,
which has recently been renovated.
There is a common thread woven
through both the renovation and the
menu – nuanced reinvention, examining
elements in a different light. Architect
David Gole at Conrad Gargett Riddel
designed the alterations – which is
appropriate because Robert Riddel owns
the building. The interior broadens out
with the use of a soulful dark palette
for the floor and ceiling (save for some
chrome light fittings), and bright white
walls. The bar and the pass boast intricate
tiling – subtle wedges of pattern. A large
round mirror reminds me of an Anish
Kapoor sculpture, hung next to a peek-
through window to the Story Bridge.
The new design provides an extremely
elegant backdrop for e’cco’s fashionable
patrons and Johnson’s enduring cuisine.
There is a tray of bread from Jocelyn’s
Provisions – fragrant, dense and of a
quality rarely found outside France.
Scallops are a play on carbonara, the
‘spaghetti’ made from potatoes in a
machine imported from China. Smoky
duck liver is served with a sweet/sour
sherry vinegar sauce. Cutting into a
barramundi fillet is like hot butter,
flavour overflowing into the salad of
fennel, rocket, sumac and currants. Duck
breast is treated in a similar manner, laid
out in succulent strips with slow-roasted
carrots, dates and pearly barley. Grilled
salmon appears buried in a field of
chewy black risotto and a slash of tomato
vinaigrette and shavings of fennel.
Currants re-emerge in a side salad with
peeled zucchini, pecorino, sunflower
seeds and lemon, and a bowl of duck fat
roasted potatoes with confit garlic and
chard is profoundly satisfying.
Now celebrating the restaurant’s 20th
birthday,PhilipJohnsonisobviouslyproud
of e’cco and humbled by compliments.
He says, “We’ve always been about the
produce” – he is keen for dishes stand
the test of time. He notes this is proven
in his first cookbook, published in 1999, in
which the recipes remain contemporary.
His patrons, however, demand change –
Johnson reckons – unlike Americans who
are happy with a more consistent cuisine.
Johnson’s subtle, superb gastronomy
and the tasteful interior at e’cco bistro
have evolved together, holding up the
benchmark for modern Australian dining.
» More images can be viewed at our online
magazine – www.indulgemagazine.net
BY CHRIS HASSALL
Time-
less
E’cco.PEOPLE OFTEN
TALK ABOUT THE
FOOD THEY WOULD
CHOOSE IF THEY
WERE GOING TO
BE STUCK ON A
DESERTED ISLAND.
17 . Indulge #2

2. EAT
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3. 19 . Indulge #2

4. 1. Contemporary dishes at e’cco bistro
2. Philip Johnson 3. Refurbished interior
Images by Michael Greves Photography
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