In France, Spain, Italy & Switzerland some of the best restaurants have offered the same house specials and simple comfort food for over a hundred years. In the "new world", finding establishments that consistently offer unfussy honest food, very well executed, is much harder. In Brisbane, The Continental in New Farm, has done just that for over twelve years. More recently The Continental has extended its menu to include "conti classics" on one side of the menu and a more eclectic range of menu items on the other side, as specials of the month.

The Proprietors Beau Downs and his wife Nadina frequently say that it is their guests who "own the restaurant". Amongst them are scores of politicians, barristers, artists, actors and independent business operators ­ many of whom have travelled extensively and are looking for the same thing at home that they enjoy during their stays in Europe.