Marco Polo

Marco Polo
Conrad Treasury Casino, Brisbane



My parents don't dine out or enjoy themselves nearly as much as they should. One time, they made the effort and went to Marco Polo in the casino and recommended it to me. In particular, they were impressed by the service.

I was keen to try it out and have actually been twice since they mentioned it. The first occasion was dinner a year ago and I remember the food and service to be good. One of the dessert items we ordered then took a bit long to come out but Marco Polo apologized profusely and ended up letting us have it on the house.



This time, I wanted to revisit the restaurant and see if my good memories of the place are justified. It was refreshing to see that the menu was mostly new - some of their specialty dishes were still there (e.g. Peking duck) but with slight tweaks. I think that if a restaurant wants a repeat customer base, menu changes are necessary.


We made an early booking on a weekday - the restaurant opens at 6pm and that's when we were seated. I thought it'd be quite deserted at that time but soon enough, a few other tables filled up and I didn't feel too isolated.


I liked the plates they had on the table and, on the topic of our dining table, the tabletop is actually cushioned so when you prop your elbows on it (like I do), it's nice and comfortable. Those kinds of small details, along with carpet on the floor and a dark, natural color scheme created a nice mix of luxury and homeliness.


The menu has a strong Asian influence but this is more so Modern Australian cuisine. We ordered the Marco Polo oyster trio to start with. Charlie chose a rack of lamb as his main and I can't remember what mine was called but it was a mix of mini-mains.

Complimentary bread rolls

Our meal started with complimentary bread rolls and some accompaniments: olive oil with balsamic vinegar, blended herbs and herb butter. The bread was a bit chewy but nice with the herb butter. Charlie really liked this bread but I thought it was a wee bit tough.

Marco Polo oyster trio - with Nham Jim granita, cucumber and vodka nage, horseradish float and pancetta, lemon and parmesan gratin

The oyster trio came and we tried one each of every type. Overall, the oysters were a bit too salty. They were very fresh and fleshy, which is a good thing but the saltiness was slightly overwhelming. That's a shame because I really liked the flavors they used. I normally don't eat raw oyster but these ones were good. We especially liked the Nahm Jim granita.

Assiette of sausage, croquette and rack

Mains came not long after. My main (which I can't remember the name of) was a bit like 3 mains in one, each a small size. Very cute. I liked the sausage with risotto. The flavors were unbelievable. The croquette was absolutely delicious too. There was a knob of 'something' that I ate and literally could not believe I ate something so tasty. Too bad I can't identify what it was! Mushroomy but solid... The rack portion of my main was a bit bland and I didn't really like the salad it was on. The other mains definitely made up for that though.

Cumin lamb rack with falafel

Charlie's lamb rack came with a falafel and a pastry. I thought the lamb was perfectly tender. The pastry filling had some Indian spices and though I like Indian food, it was a bit out of place in this dish. The falafel was quite good but I always like falafel.

We asked for dessert menus after our mains. While we were deciding what to order, the waiter came and gave us hot towels, as well as scraping the tablecloth clean. We felt very pampered and spoilt. For dessert, I chose the pistachio parfait with strawberry salad. Charlie decided we should also have a 2 cheese platter for afters.

Pistachio parfait with strawberry salad

The pistachio parfait was different to what I imagined. It was a bit like a semifreddo filling inside a bread crust. I couldn't really taste the pistachio flavor, if anything, it tasted a bit like almond. This dessert was alright-tasting but not as delicate as I imagined. The strawberries were lovely though.

Cheese platter with walnut bread, lavosh, sultanas, date and preserves

Close-up of cheese - QLD washed rind and FR gallazola

The cheese we chose was washed rind and gallazola. They came with walnut bread, homemade lavosh, sultanas, dates and preserve. I liked the gallazola and it was great with the dates. The walnut bread was pretty good too (even on its own).

I think Marco Polo is an extremely underrated restaurant. When you discuss 'top restaurants' in Brisbane, it rarely gets a mention but I truly think it deserves a place somewhere at the top. Sure, there are hiccups but my overall impression of Marco Polo is positive and I won't hesitate to return.