E’cco Bistro Newstead

E’cco Bistro is in Newstead’s Haven development and its run by married co-owners Philip Johnson and Mary Randles. It closed for a spell while renovations and a reboot were undertaken and reopened in March 2018.

There is a 65-seat downstairs dining room, a 35-seat upstairs private function room and a 70-seat semi-alfresco area called The Terrace.

The fit-out includes plush leather seating, lots of marble, heavy dark curtains, and a mixture of carpet, brick and slate flooring. There’s a range of seating options including a curtain-enclosed private dining table for 12, bar seating and an eight-seat kitchen counter.

The menu is largely based around a brand-new Brazilian Scheer Parilla grill. The menu is split into three sections: vegetable, seafood and meat. Vegetable dishes include coal-roasted sprouts with sambal matah (a Balinese chilli relish), soft egg and fried onion. The seafood section features coal-grilled market fish with harissa, currants and sorrel. Meat dishes include two steaks – a dry-aged porterhouse and rib eye – as well as suckling pig and veal cotoletta.

At the back wall of the restaurant a stacked wine cabinet displays around 75 wines. There’s a strong focus on Australian wines, both boutique and big name labels, as well as a few classic imports. Beers are mostly local, with many in bottles and a handful on tap.