Other Published Opinions
QLD Good Food Guide 2012 May 01, 2012 Score: 14/20 "
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Gourmet Traveller 2013 Australian Restaurant Guide Score: Stars "Whether you're a traditionalist or new to Japanese cuisine. Sono offers the ideal middle ground by delivering modern Japanese fare with an Australian twist. Here, quality ingredients (many of them local) underpin a menu that includes everything from sushi and sashimi to wagyu and teppanyaki"
Queensland Good Food Guide 2012 Score: 14/20
Gourmet Traveller 2012 Australian Restaurant Guide "Elevated river frontage and floor-to-ceiling windows place Sono squarely in the view-restaurant category. Vistas of the river help pass the time as you await the (re)appearance of smiling waitresses ferrying trad Japanese fare to the elegant, timber-heavy dining room"
John Lethlean, 18 December 2010 "Riverside sibling of an established Brisbane CBD Japanese, Sono has obviously had a heap of money thrown at it. It's tasteful: acres of timber and slate, restrained fabrics, stainless steel and, at the high-rent tables with sunken footwells, terrific views of the Brisbane River. Tasteful, but in a safe, corporate kind of way. From the moment the front-desk steward hands you over to one of too many waiters you'll encounter, money and opulence abound. There's a sushi bar and teppanyaki table, tatami rooms, an impressive wine cellar and a cocktail bar. Where we sat, however, lacked drama, except for the odd bit of soy/wasabi spilled by one of our waiters
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Courier Mail Food and Wine Guide 2011 Score: 15.5/20, One Star "For those who still only know Sono from its city digs, the fraternal Portside twin will come as a surprise. There are some continuities: beautiful ceramics, superior sushi and tempura, and of course the kimonoed staff"
Gourmet Traveller 2011 Australian Restaurant Guide "If the floor-to-ceiling views of the Brisbane River don't immediately bring on a sense of calm, order a sake and settle into this Zen-like experience. Sono Portside Wharf has a reputation for some of the city's finest Japanese, as illustrated by an excellent black cod marinated in saikyo miso; it comes to the table in a dark glaze which is both salty and sweet and entirely moreish"
Queensland Food and Wine Score: 15.5/20, One Star "Upstairs and right on the water at the Portside Wharf development at Hamilton. Sono boasts an impressive decor with several different dining styles - ensconced in the elegant tatami private rooms, watching the action at the teppanyaki bar or barefoot in the riverfront dining area"
Courier Mail Lizzie Loel, January 04, 2010 Score: Food: 16.5 Wine: 16.5 Service: 16 Ambience: 16.5 "SONO Portside is one of the city's most attractive, traditional Japanese spaces with the added bonus of striking river views on three sides, two of which are lined with gorgeous private tatami rooms. Sliding doors remove you from the rest of the multifaceted dining space and the same internal doors allow flexibility with numbers for private parties. And while the room gives off a sophisticated glow at night accented by a cool travertine floor, lots of wood and highly polished black finishes, it's by day that it really comes alive"
Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2010
Gourmet Traveller 2010 Australian Restaurant Guide Score: * "Lovers of minimalist design and the subtleties of Japanese cuisine already have Sono's number on speed dial. Staff are knowledgeable, the floor-to-ceiling views of the Brisbane River provide a constantly changing panorama and the elegant fit-out is as conducive to a business meeting as to an intimate tete-a-tete"
Courier Mail Tony Harper, Brisbane News, 15-09-2009 "Sono at Portside is anything but low end. It inhabits a glorious eyrie above the Brisbane River and I shudder to think how much was spent on the interior it's simply gorgeous in a modern, lush, Japanese way. Yet a large portion of floorspace is devoted to private rooms for large groups. ... The Sono workers were somewhat militant (in an incredibly polite Japanese way) in their insistence on our being seated at the pre-ordained time. That's just good restaurant practice. ... However, given the price and the circumstance of this latest occasion, I can't think of a Brisbane venue offering a better large-table experience. The view is unbeatable, the wine list excellent and the service befitting of its Japanese heritage."
Courier Mail Food and Wine Guide 2009 Queensland Score: 15.5/20, One Hat "From the imposing Samurai who greets you at the door, to the stunning private tatami rooms bordering the vast dining spaces, to the vivid expanse of water that surrounds the restaurant on three sides"
Gourmet Traveller 2009 Australian Restaurant Guide Score: * "Water features, stones, bamboo and expanses of gleaming wood combine to create one of Brisbane's most elegant restaurants. And, given Sono is upstairs in the Portside development on the city's north, it also has excellent views across the river"
Brisbane Times Score: 12/20
Courier Mail food and wine guide Queensland 2008 Score: 15.5/20, One Hat "Upstairs at Portside, north of the river, Sono boasts a $2.5 million fit-out complete with seven private rooms, separate sushi bar and large teppanyaki table seating more than a dozen"
Gourmet Traveller 2008 Australian Restaurant Guide "Amid polished marble and bijou Japanese gardens, Sono is vast and pleasingly plush. The best spots overlook the river and are in a shoes-off area, but don't worry about legs going to sleep - these tables are sunken with cushioned seats with backs, so you get the best of both worlds"
Courier Mail Anooska Tucker-Evans, 02-9-2007 "SONO at Portside Hamilton would have to be one of Brisbane's most beautiful restaurants.While it would want to be for the reported $2.5 million spent on its fitout, it is worth every cent.We sat almost in the middle of the restaurant at a solid wooden table with soft fabric chairs. But there is a variety of seating options to choose from, including the seven private rooms complete with padded rattan matting, and a selection of beautifully appointed tables which are set into the floor. ... As well as the fantastic fixtures, the place offers million-dollar views down the Brisbane River"
Brisbane News Tony Harper, 23-05-07 Score: Food 8.5, Wine 8, Service 7, Ambience 9.5 "the entrance is suitably theatrical, and you are met with a warmth and politeness that seem achievable only when delivered by the Japanese. Then you enter the restaurant proper, and it's beautiful: slick Japanese-style with the odd faux touch (but it is top-quality faux) and a view worth a trillion bucks."
Brisbane News Dining Out Guide 2007 "With a wonderful mixture of textures - wood, stone, water - this fine diner offers a serene setting"