Siggi's at the Port Office

Ph: 3221 1999; Stamford Plaza Brisbane, Edward St, BRISBANE 4000 www.siggis.com.au

Modern Australian, $$$, ** for Ambience
Open Dinner Tue-Sat 6.30pm-10pm, Closed Public holidays; Licensed; AE DC MC V EFT
Chef Cameron Matthews (27-05-08) Owner Stamford Plaza (27-05-08)

Mietta's Review
Still maintaining the heritage dining room and food style that Siggi's is famous for. The entry ot the top of the stairs is dominated by the gleaming open kitchen, complete with a bevy of white toques. The dining room has something of a rich wood-lined gentleman's club about it and is vey handsome indeed. The setting is of high quality, the service professional and the wine list extensive. A good fine dining experience. In 06 mains averaged $39.

Other published opinions

Gourmet Traveller 2009 Australian Restaurant Guide "Gracious colonial architecture, noise-deadening carpets, well-spaced tables dressed in white cloths, and attentive, formally trained waiters help define Siggi's as an occasion restaurant"

Courier Mail Lizzie Loel, 27-5-2008 Score: Food: 16 Wine: 15 Service: 16 Ambience: 16 " It should be said that I haven't always been a fan. But it should also be said that I haven't always been a detractor either. In the '80s when I favoured big hair and big shoulder pads, I loved meeting there in the bar ahead of dinners in the private room with "friends with money" who would try to outdo each other with wine choices that I could get caught up in the crossfire of. The food was grandiose and so was our conversation, or so we thought. This continued into the '90s but our budgets did not. These went towards prams - ones that could take a wide load in my case - and so trips to Siggi's became more rarefied. This change also coincided with the birth of new Brisbane dining, a wholly more casual but no less pleasant affair. As my baby-filled Emmaljunga rounded the supermarket aisles with difficulty, Siggi's also seemed a bit out of step. "

Brisbane News 30-1-5 Score: Food 9 Wine 9 Service 9 Ambience 8 "For sheer swank, it's hard to go past Siggi's at The Port Offi ce. You pull into the Stamford Plaza driveway, toss your car keys to a concierge, wander through the marbled lobby, across a courtyard and into the 1880s. Two decades have passed since the restoration of the Harbours and Marine Building, and its austere 19th-century architecture has settled comfortably into the streetscape, Siggi's with it"

Courier Mail food and wine guide Queensland 2008 Score: 14.5/20 "From the moment you are greeted at the top of the winding staircase of the heritage building, it's a luxurious, old-world dining experience"

Gourmet Traveller 2008 Australian Restaurant Guide "Silver service, all but disappeared from the modern restaurant scene, s alive and well in this oasis of Old World charm"

Brisbane News Dining Out Guide 2007 "Possibly the last of the fine dining restaurants in town, Siggi's offers the complete five-star experience"

Gourmet Traveller 2007 Australian Restaurant Guide "This gracious 19th-century restaurant on the upper level of the former Brisbane Port Office is imbued with charm. A sweeping mahogany staircase leads to the dining room where French doors open out on to deep colonial verandahs. The cuisine at Siggi's marries French technique with contemporary style: rabbit with caramelised shallot, walnut and apple tarte Tatin, or feuillantine of scallops with orange, fennel and mint."

Courier Mail QWEEKEND Des Houghton, 20-12-05 Food: 16 Wine: 13 Service: 13 Ambience: 17 "Make time to visit the lovely bar first. With a huge ship's bell and sailing boats under glass, it reflects the historic building's maritime heritage. Siggi's once was Brisbane's first port office, home to the harbourmaster and pilots. It was built by John Petrie in 1880 from drawings by Queensland's great colonial architect F.D.G. Stanley. I was there when Siggi's opened in 1988. We'd never seen anything like it. It arrived with such flair and tremendous food that every restaurant in town had to raise its standards. Siggi's is still working its magic. The menu pays homage to some wonderful Australian produce."

Courier-Mail Goodlife Restaurant Guide 2006 ** "The foyer at the base of the grand winding staircase is an indicator of the elegance that is about to engulf you at this special-occasion venue housed in the heritage-listed 19th century Port Office building."

Gourmet Traveller 2006 Australian Restaurant Guide "Located in Brisbane's gracious old 19th-century Port Office, Siggi's has a decor very much in keeping with the building's classical style. Beautifully restored in traditional colours, the main dining room is a magnificent long space with towering windows and doors opening on to wraparound verandas."

Brisbane News Eating Out Guide 2006 "For an opulent dining experience, Siggi's delivers. With frescos on the walls, graceful arches, tassled curtains and large windows, the room exudes a quiet elegance of yesteryear."

Courier-Mail Goodlife Restaurant Guide 05 * "Housed in the gracious heritage-listed Port Office, Siggi's is one of the city's few remaining old-style fine dining restaurants. The building is of classic Victorian Revival style with details and forms associated with Italianate palazzo architecture. Service is in keeping with the surrounds"

Gourmet Traveller Australian Restaurant Guide 2005 "Graciously positioned in the lovely Italianate 19th-century Port Office building, a vast mahogany staircase sweeps you up into traditional Siggi's, one of the last of the city's old-school fine-dining rooms."

Brisbane News Dining Out Guide 2004 "This established restaurant offers one of the most elegant dining experiences in town. The service is first-rate as is the wine list and the food."

The Courier Mail,goodlife,22/6/04,Lizzie Loel,Food 16/20,Wine 15/20,Service 16/20,Ambience 16/20,'Chef George Diamond and his team create classic dishes that are elegant and robust. Service is formal and bordering on over-attentive.The wine list is strong in most parts but expect to pay for this fine-dining experience-mark-ups are maxed and mains about $40, so it isn't cheap but then neither is providing this level of dining.'

16/9/03 won RCAs award for Best Fine Dining & Restaurant of the Year

Brisbane News, 26 Feb-4 Mar 03, Restaurant, Alison Walsh

Brisbane News 2002 Eating Out Guide

Virgin Airlines, Brisbane Guide, April/May 2002