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With Friday night approaching, and the exciting prospect of no pre-existing plans, it was decided that dinner at a nice restaurant was well in order. My first thought of where to dine went straight to the newly-reopened Powerhouse and its already well-known dining institution, Watt Modern Dining.

The last time I ate at Watt, a few years ago now, we quipped that the restaurant’s name came from the fact that none of the waitstaff seemed to know the answer to questions about the meals’ ingredients, and were continually asking ‘what?’ Well, last night I was more than pleasantly surprised by the obvious development of the professionalism of staff and the general ambience of the place. Upon arrival, we were greeted by a smiling girl who showed us to our table and gave us menus. No sooner had she disappeared than another had arrived with a pitcher of water to fill up our glasses. A third person came to our table about 5 minutes later with a little platter containing two (non-alcoholic) shots made of cucumber, crushed pineapple and chilli to stimulate our palates before we ordered. Wow.

Our meals all arrived with haste; the waitstaff were constantly on a mission somewhere, doing what looked like a choreographed dance with each other in some kind of synchronised production line, each having some specific task to perform and stay on top of to keep things running smoothly. They were friendly, but not about to engage in a conversation - which gives you the privacy you sometimes want in a dinner outing. The specials were described with enthusiasm and confidence, and every bite was to be savoured. And if the complementary shots weren’t enough from the outset, the meal was bookended by another free offering - little chocolate cups filled with a creamy ganache of pistachio and hazlenut.

I’ve often heard it said that Watt wouldn’t have to try hard, since they really do monopolise the waterfront dining market in Brisbane; there is something unbeatable about that position. But this new impression I have in my head tells me they don’t just want to be the only choice anymore, they want to blow competition out of the water completely (pardon the pun). And with the re-vamped Powerhouse carrying a new vibe all of its own, as well as new upstairs restaurant Alto (the old Spark Bar), which doesn’t take reservations, this precinct is starting to reinvent itself yet again, this time with gusto.