Moda Restaurant

$ 7 for a bad tasting coke
My meal was good, and the service was good; I just can’t get over the fact they served me a watered-​down, funny tasting, small diet coke and charged me $ 7 for the privilege of drinking it. This means their highest margin product on the menu was also the grossest and most deceiving one. For shame.

On Friday lunch Moda has paella as a special — they make a big show of it and cook it in the middle of the restaurant — probably the best paella I have had in Brisbane, sold by a French waiter who doesnt actually know how to pronouce paella (but that did not affect the deliciousness of the dish). Nice ambiance for lunch with outdoor covered seating. Good for groups.

Great setting in the courtyard. Faces the street and the hotel opposite, but it’s a quiet street and the old façade of the
Great setting the courtyard. Faces the street and the Stamford Plaza opposite, but it’s a quiet street and the hotel is a series of grander buildings. Such ambience. Had the scallops — excellent! And the Seabass, also very nicely done. Garlic everywhere and in everything, but that has to be good for you right?!?
I’ll be back for the steak.

Moda was probably the best meal that we have had in Brisbane. I would definitely recommend Moda to celebrate any special occasion or just a night of amazing food.
The staff are so attentive and knowlegable about the menu.
We decided to start with a tapas platter of three items, the chicken croquettes –a family recipe that were amazing), chorizo sausage– to die for! and the tempura whiting– good as well but nothing compared to the other two.
For mains we tried the Duck Confits with Jamon, mustard fruit and fig– the meat just fell of the bone. I am not a big duck fan but my husband is and I tried a piece and it was tasty.
The Prawn and scallops with carrot broth and primavera vegatables was incredible! I think I got every last drop of the carrot broth out of the bowl without licking it. the seafood was cooked perfect for me as it had to be cooked through since I am pregnant but was not over cooked at all and so fresh.
We were too full for dessert but will be back again for Javier’s table experience or the Paella for Friday lunch.

Great spannish food in Brisbane

Tuesdays are usually unimpressive, with lots of class and a workout of some kind, but not this one! I was lucky enough to enjoy a fancy dinner date with a couple of friends at Moda, a beautiful restaurant located near Eagle Street Pier.
We started the night with Mooloolaba Prawns, Half Shell Scallops, and Duck Liver Parfait (in a share plate for two). The prawns weren’t extraordinarily impressive, but they were good, though I enjoyed the scallops and duck liver much more. The scallop was tender, but not overcooked, and paired perfectly with the jamon, cauliflower and saffron. My favourite of the three was definitely the duck liver parfait. It was a great flavour with the Pedro Ximinez Jelly, and was probably one of the best liver parfaits I’ve ever had!
I was torn between the Duck Confit Leg (yes, I love duck) and the Beef Cheek, and ended up ordering the latter as a recommendation from our waiter. Naturally, beef cheek is very forgiving, but I actually did enjoy the flavour of the marinade and sauce itself. My biggest complaint was that the meat was way too salty (including the swordfish I had a bite of), which left me thirsty the rest of the night. The horseradish mash was also a great flavour, but also too salty. The swordfish was perfectly done — not overcooked, and crispy on the outside. I was impressed with the mains that night — both with the presentation and the taste.
Of course, as with all dinners I have with Jo, we ended with dessert. Between the three of us, we had the Spanish Crème Caramel, Crema Catalana, and Valhrona Chocolate Fondant. I’m not typically the biggest chocolate dessert fan (more of a fruit tart kind of person), but I think the Valhrona chocolate fondant won my heart that night. The orange marmalade ice cream wasn’t as orange-​y as I had hoped, but the chocolate fondant spoke for itself. It wasn’t overly sweet, and was both rich and fluffy at the same time. I also enjoyed the Crema Catalana for the honeycomb and the fruit, but we weren’t a fan of the jelly.
As a restaurant in Brisbane, Moda has actually impressed me with their food, service, and ambience. The food did take a while to come throughout the night, but to be fair, they were quite busy for a Tuesday night! The chandeliers, pretty plates, space heaters, and Spanish ambience only made me fall in love with this place more.

Beautiful little outdoor (but covered) restaurant in Brisbane city. VERY impressed. Service overall was excellent. Our waiter was lovely, and provided some great wine suggestions given the menu selections we made. He was always there when we needed him but didn’t linger longer than necessary or check back incessantly. The food was faultless. Beautiful flavours and some unexpected combinations that were executed to perfection. We shared three different entrees, all of which were absolutely delicious. One of the owners (Francois) dropped by to see if everything was to our liking. We had a relaxed conversation — lovely guy! Mains continued the high standard as did dessert. While not on the cheap end of the spectrum, its a perfect special occasion destination. There was nothing I could complain about during the whole night. Thoroughly recommended and I’ll be going back again.

Recently, I found a good deal on
for a Spanish restaurant called Moda. I had never heard of it before nor had any of my foodie friends so I immediately assumed it was a new establishment.
We followed the directions and found the place easily enough opposite the Stamford Plaza, tucked away in a stylish courtyard.
As part of the Scoopon deal, we had the Share Plate for Two as a starter with half shell scallops, crispy pork belly and piquillo peppers. The crispy pork belly was interestingly coupled with a green apple salad which cut through the fat and made it seem much healthier than it really was.
For our main we shared a Paella — apparently their signature dish. It took about twenty minutes to come out but it was worth the wait. I’ve never eaten Paella this good. After we’d eaten all the seafood and chorizo, we were scrapping the paella pan for every last grain of rice.
I immediately asked the waitress about the background of the restaurant and the chef. To my surprise, Moda has been around for at least two years and before that, had traded under the name Gianni. Despite a change in business ownership and name, the head chef Javier Codina remained constant.
My only complaint about the restaurant was that there was no indoor dining area. This was fine because the weather held up but I got bitten by mosquitoes and my kind husband ended up running to the pharmacy to buy me mosquito repellent.
Also, it’s a pricey meal — without a Scoopon discount, the entrees are $ 14 each and the mains start from $ 35.00. Still, this is a place to keep in mind when you want to splurge for special occasions.