I am looking at Brisbane trying to see it through new eyes and was pleasantly surprised at the dining precinct called Cove on Southbank.

There is an intimate and inviting grassy amphitheatre beside the river girdled by white terracing that resembles the ribs of a beached whale. We watched today as small children met the challenge of heights to jump down, whilst others launched themselves from the hard surface to race each other on their bikes across the grass towards the riverbank.  This delightful ‘cove’ is overlooked by a series of restaurants offering a variety of food styles.

We went there today to celebrate our 13^th wedding anniversary.  At this time of year it was the perfect outdoor setting, under an umbrella, on the pavement watching the world go by. I will be intrigued to see how the architecture copes with Brisbane’s extremes of hot weather, tropical downpours and winter as it has a high roof and what appears to be a smallish enclosed area for cooling or heating. I’ll use it as a good excuse to revisit this dining precinct, which provides some lovely and delicious food.

There aren’t many restaurants in Brisbane where you can sit and watch the river life and judging by the number of people eating out in the three venues currently open I think others are as enthused as I am.