Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Luxe dinner and a movie for $25?

We went down to Dendy Portside the other week to catch The Dark Knight. Heath was truly creepy: Nicholson cain't hold a candle to him now. It sure is all happening down at Portside these days: plenty of free undercover parking, cute boutiques and cafes, great view, and best of all, relatively uncrowded (unlike James St or Oxford St) because every man and his dog hasn't worked out how great it is yet.
The Portside Dendy is class on a stick: it's dark, great plush furnishings and you can buy alcohol to take into the movie. Nothing like saying to the attendant: "One adult ticket, please, and a glass of the pinot grigio". Ah. Decadence.
The other cool thing happening down there at the mome is the Dine With Dendy program. For $25, you get a movie ticket and a meal from one of several participating restaurants. Now this would be an awesome idea anywhere (I'm looking at you, Cineplex) but what's surprising is that these aren't your local dodge-city cappucino-and-foccacia dives: some of these are luxy places you'd love to go to anytime. You can choose from Manx, Chez Laila, Byblos, Fresh n' Wild Fish, Sono Japanese or Wilson's Boathouse. They provide a set menu for cinema patrons and you buy a special voucher when you get your ticket, so there's no waiting when you go to your chosen restaurant and they can bring your meal out quickly.
We went for Sono: gorgeous. Beautiful, stark, Japanese austere design, hot towels, perfect staff, sunken seating, incredible million-dollar river view, the lot. They brought us each a crisply-grilled salmon steak, skin on, fresh miso, steamed rice and pickled vegetables; green tea on the side. Rustic glazed earthenware plates and glossy lacquered chopsticks. We felt like royalty.
This is surely the best value deal in Brisbane. It's only available for dinner Sunday to Thursday, but better get onto it before everyone else in town cottons on.

1 comment:

food bling, Brisbane said...

that sounds excellent! i love going to the movies at portside, but that is a crazy price for dinner and movie. I hope they keep it going