Two Small Rooms

Ph: (07) 3371 5251; 517 Milton Rd, TOOWONG 4066 www.twosmallrooms.com

Modern Australian, $$$, ** for Food & Ambience
Open Mon-Sat noon-3pm 6-10pm; Licensed, BYO, Corkage $10 bottle; AE DC MC V EFT, Seats inside 70, Outside seats, Private room 6-10 seats, Kids welcomed
Chef Glenn Barratt (27-12-07) Owner Pia & Peter Willumsen (27-12-07)

Mietta's Review
Unchanged, neighbourhood haunt, still very strong. Not sharp or smart, but absolutely reliable and serving really terrific food; sophisticated with excellent flavours. Many loyal customers, usually an older crowd who like to BYO. Recommended.

Other published opinions

Courier Mail food and wine guide Queensland 2008 Score: 15.5/20, One Hat "Terms such as 'institution' and 'celebrated' always crop up when Two Small Rooms is mentioned. But a visitor ignorant of the restaurant's illustrious past might wonder what the fuss is about"

Courier Mail Lizzie Loel, 10-12-2007 "APPROACHING Two Small rooms on a chaotic Friday lunchtime, I made the mistake of thinking I could turn right into the busy side street on which the multi-awarded bistro is situated. I was wrong and those travelling behind me made no bones about making sure I knew it. ... Once finally ensconced in one of the simply furnished rooms it seemed everyone but me was calm. The private room, adjacent to ours, was overflowing with gaiety and end of year celebrations. But gradually, as the breaths of innovation and modern wafts of Europe that the place is known for began to drift to our table, in the form of the menu, wine list and polished and friendly service, my shoulders began to drop and my teeth to unclench from their vice-like grip."

Gourmet Traveller 2008 Australian Restaurant Guide "Two Small Rooms outgrew its namesake in the front of an old Queenslander on busy Milton Road and now extends into a smaller room and covered courtyard"

Brisbane News Dining Out Guide 2007 "A star of the west for 18 years, this is boutique dining at its best, set in a colonial Queenslander to make for a quiet and intimate experience"

Gourmet Traveller 2007 Australian Restaurant Guide "Since 1989, Peter and Pia Willumsen have overseen many changes and modernisations of their restaurant, including an upgrade of the rustic decor and the compilation of a six-course degustation offered with or without a matched flight of wines. Quality ingredients have always been a feature in the preparation of solid, flavour-packed, bistro-style dishes here, the likes of which include braised Hereford Gold beef cheeks with soft polenta, cavolo nero and slow-cooked capsicums, or the equally mouthwatering loin of Amelia Park lamb with rosemary fried spaetzle and smoky garlic jus."

Brisbane News Tony Harper, 20-10-06 Food 8 Wine 9 Service 8.5 Ambience 7.5 "It's the athlete of lists: pared down and lean, and every wine that makes the list has a place and a purpose, and every one is an exceedingly good drink. And the eclectic wine selection shows that pretty serious insight was behind its construction. So, in typical bumbling Harper fashion, I took my own wines along when I went to dine. It's been a good two years since my last visit and there have been a few notable changes. The menu prices have risen (considerably) and the whole experience has become a little more sophisticated. Gone is the easy suburban BYO that was Two Small Rooms of the past decade and a half."

Courier-Mail Restaurant Lizzie Loel 21/2/06 score Food: 16 Wine: 16 Service: 17 Ambience: 15 "THE aptly named Two Small Rooms is something of an institution in Toowong, in Brisbane's inner west. Originally home to some of the city's best chefs and restaurateurs, notably David Pugh. Michael Conrad and Andrew Mirosch among others, the little shopfront on busy Milton Rd has remained largely unchanged - save for attention and upgrades to the decor since it opened in the '80s."

Courier-Mail Goodlife Restaurant Guide 2006 "Two Small Rooms hasn't needed to change much since it opened more than 1 5 years ago in this renovated Queenslander. The recipe of food and wine service appeals to its loyal customers."

Gourmet Traveller 2006 Australian Restaurant Guide "For 16 years Two Small Rooms has been humbly serving fine food in the suburbs. The standard has been high since the start, but now there is a wine list that should be the envy of many longer-established licensees."

Brisbane News Eating Out Guide 2006 "Matthew Whitton has been running the kitchen in this renovated Queenslander for five years. Constant favourites like the mud crab omelette and barbecued duck will never leave the menu"

Courier-Mail Goodlife Restaurant Guide 05 "This restaurant occupies a special place in Brisbane's culinary evolution. Located on Milton Rd in a former shopfront, although it was recently renovated with a colonial colour scheme and open kitchen, it hasn't deviated from its original aim to provide high-quality food and service."

Gourmet Traveller Australian Restaurant Guide 2005 "Fifteen years on from its inception, and with a change of ownership, Two Small Rooms continues to provide one of the best suburban dining experiences in Brisbane, with very few noticeable changes in either food or service quality. "

Brisbane News Dining Out Guide 2004 "One of the veterans of the suburban dining scene, Two Small Rooms continues to build on its reputation. Set on busy Milton Rd, it provides a comfortable dining experience in very pleasant, Queenslander surrounds."

Brisbane News 05/04 Audra Dunsford score 7/10 'It's still a damn good place to have a feed' proclaims the menu at Two Small Rooms, a restaurant that has stood the test of time as one of Brisbane's best. Chef and part-owner Matthew Whitton has been cooking there since the days of Michael Conrad and David Pugh (now of Restaurant II) and he is still working to the same recipe for success - good produce reflected in tasty uncomplicated food."

Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide Australia 2004, Good vegetarian options,'Two Small Rooms is exactly that-two rooms divided by a tongue and groove wall...The menu is largly European in style and the food has a lovely, casual feel about it.Hearty braised dishes'

16/9/03 won RCA award for Best BYO

THe Brisbane TImes, Restaurants, Alison Walsh, May 2002

Brisbane News 2002 Eating Out Guide