The Lab Bar Restaurant

While staying in the Treasury Casino Hotel we had a chance to gamble on where to eat. We are RATS so why not try The Lab for this scientific experiment in culinary delights. The surroundings are from another era –like the long mahogany saloon bar and the large bay windows.
We had to try the carved steak with a fantastic Argentinian Malbec.
But the best was the Barra with Fennel Purée and the Duck with Orange Segments and sour cherry glaze. A great way to spend a lazy Monday night.
Signs that the food could be a little inconsistent pending which night you eat their — part of the gamble I guess when around a casino.

One star is for the lovely waitress who had to deal with a situation that wasn’t her fault.
After a long stint travelling for work, I thought I would treat myself to a nice meal at a nice restaurant…
I ordered the house made spinach fettuccine and it was so bad, I simply could not eat it. The pasta was stuck together in huge, hard clumps, the Napoli sauce was bland etc etc… I was asked if I would like another meal, clearly I couldn’t eat again from that kitchen…
When I approached the «manager» at the bar to say I was leaving, she informed me that the meal was taken from the bill and I only had to pay for the solitary glass of wine I had… I didn’t know the restaurant name and asked if I could have it for a review. The «manager» immediately went defensive and said «we’ve comped your meal, you know»…
Taken aback, I mentioned that I wasn’t sure what I had done wrong, and couldn’t believe she would try to argue with me, the response was «I don’t want you to leave unhappy»??? How would you like me to leave. «Don’t want you to leave at all, I offered you another meal»…yep, still made me pay for a glass of wine too!
Give this place a wide berth folks, seriously…

I wish there was a 3.5 star button, because I’m not quite a fan to give it a solid 4 but it’s certainly better than a 3.
With saying that, it’s a lovely looking restaurant/​bar, service was nice and attentive. I found that the staff had knowledge of the menu, which is a refreshingly stark contrast to many other establishments in Brisbane. Staff even went out of their way to accommodate our request for a drink that was not on the menu. Service was certainly close to a perfect 5 (minus a couple of moments with a very nice, but awkward manager).
Food: We received a complimentary amuse bouche, which was a very nice gesture but when it came to taste it was boring, bland, cold, and dry, and when referring to chicken, that’s never a good thing. For our entrée we ordered the baked goat cheese crotin with hollandaise, onion marmalade and rocket… and it looked like someone had melted a thick slice of provolone cheese over bread and grilled it on top. It was not pretty to look at, and more importantly not very pleasant to taste. Not to mention the complimentary hair from the kitchen that came with it. The staff were thoroughly mortified, and dealt with it professionally, but we all know a hair is the kiss of death for any restaurant. Our entrée was replaced with the beetroot and goat’s cheese risotto, which I liked and I think worked. However, I am being extremely persnickety here, I’m not the biggest fan of combining beetroot with risotto, but if you are, you’ll love this dish.
For mains I chose the barramundi with crushed kipfler potatoes and greens… and it was good. I found the fish to be under-​seasoned but overall it was good. My husband ordered the gnocchi and it tasted very good. He only wished there was more of it, not just because it was so tasty, but because there literally was only a healthy scoopful. I mean for $ 28, I think the kitchen could afford to give a more generous portion.
Overall, service was great, food was good, and I’m sure hairs are not normally on the menu. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed, but I know of better places for a better deal not too far away. Enjoy!

While I haven’t visited the restaurant itself, I do enjoy coming to the Lab Bar for a few cocktails before heading into the city for a big night. A friend of mine knows some of the bartenders and they can always be relied upon to shake up some amazing cocktails for us. They have an extensive wine list as well. Its a very upmarket bar (especially in comparison to the rest of the Casino), with quiet music in the background and lots of tables for large groups and comfy lounge areas. Definitely not somewhere to get messy but great if you want to start the night feeling a little classy or just enjoy drinks after dinner.

When my mummy came into town from overseas, we wanted to celebrate her 60^th with a bang. My brother thought somewhere posh was in order, not the usual cheapass chinese restaurant we always go to (chinese family here), but why not take my mum out of her comfort zone for just one special night. So we did.
It’s a 1 Chef Hat Restaurant, so I knew the food would be quality and fancy. I wasn’t exactly sure if I would understand the menu, but I did. We ordered some entrees to start including the pork belly and prawns and my god was the pork belly tender. I’d never had such yummy pork belly, it melted in our mouths and left us salivating for more. Thank goodness for the free bread rolls which we ate beforehand. or there would be fighting words around I’m guessing.
The highlight for our mains was the roast duck my mum coincidentally ordered which everyone had a pick at, so good.
All in all, this place was fancy, but not too fancy. The dishes had sizes suitable to the type of restaurant it was, not super small, but not super big. Prices ranged from $ 25-​$ 45 depending on what you ordered and the service was impeccable.
Bonus — right next to the casino so afterwards you can gamble gamble gamble!

Within walking distance to the casino, the Lab Bar Restaurant is a fantastic place to go before spending a few dollars at the casino. It is a «fine dining» restaurant and wasn’t the place for a cheap meal. That being said everyone in our group thoroughly enjoyed their meals. The seafood in particular was superb. The service was great and they had some fantastic wines on the menu.
The lounge bar section was very relaxed with areas to sit down in a small group quite comfortably and also large tables that would be great with a larger group. I had a great time here and will definitely return… only for special occasions though.