EatDrinkBrisbane

Archive for 31/07/2009

ally | 31/07/2009

Quick Bites: 31 July

Ambiwerra: more than a mouthful

This year’s Ambiwerra festival promises food, wine, and entertainment to sink your teeth into. The name may be hard to say, but you ought to be concerning your mouth with more important things: like food from more than a dozen of Brisbane’s best restaurants.

River Canteen, Zenbar, Restaurant Two, and Olivetto’s will be just a few of the providers this Sunday, when the festival will kick off from 10.30am at Erinvale St in Corinda. I’ve got my eye on the house made mini doughnuts from Olivetto’s. Wait, maybe some freshly shucked oysters. On the other hand, I have heard good things about Zenbar’s duck wraps. Because all restaurants are presenting their dishes in entree-sized portions, I can have them all! Yay!

Oh, there’s also entertainment, live music, and the traditional ‘Fashion Platter’ fashion awards. Did I mention there’s also wine? There will also be more than 100 wines available to buy, which means no BYO (leave the Fruity Lexia at home. I know, it hurts me too). Awards will be presented next week to the best food and wine supplier, so make sure you get over to Ambiwerra and do a little judging for yourself first. I hope to see many people clutching their bellies in joy this Sunday! Do me proud!

Ambiwerra Festival
Sunday, 2nd August 2009
10.30am-4.30pm
Erinvale St, Corinda

www.ambiwerra.com.au

Tickets $55 ($20 pensioners), via Ticketek or on the day

Category: QUICK BITES |

nick | 31/07/2009

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Watt Park Lounge at the Powerhouse Review

I freakin’ love the Powerhouse. There’s just something about the place that makes me feel at home. It’s great to chill on Sunday afternoons – you can sit, grab a beer, talk shit with your friends and when you’ve run out of stuff to talk about you can go and watch some comedy or live music for free. I can’t think of another venue in Brisbane where there is so much to do and so much variety.

The downstairs river walk area is constantly bustling with traffic as people ride bikes, walk dogs, run and it’s ideal for just sitting back with a coffee or a beer and people watching.

To keep you on premises when the hunger pains kick in, there’s also 3 different options for food; Bar Alto (upstairs) which features Italian fare, Watt Modern Dining (downstairs) which is a formal white table cloth kinda restaurant and Watt Park Lounge, a cut down café style menu and our choice for a recent late lunch.

Park Lounge is definitely the ‘entry level’ option at the Powerhouse as you order over the bar and the menu is compact and affordable – most options are around $12 – $16. But that’s not to say they haven’t made it interesting. I can’t recall the last time I saw a Croque Monsieur ($12) (fancy French ham & cheese sandwich) on the menu and Gravalax of Salmon with Dill and Mustard ($18) is not your standard café grub. After suitable deliberation over the first round of beers we settled on 2 of The Watt BLT ($12), a Salt and Pepper Squid ($16) and Roast Pumpkin Pide with Red Peppers, Goats Curd and Rocket ($15).

The crowd at the Powerhouse on a Sunday afternoon are a diverse mob. People seem of fit in no matter what they’re wearing and I dare say t-shirt, boardies and pluggers would effortlessly blend with those in a suit and tie. The young family with kids on scooters mingle with those that have dropped in for a coffee break on they’re Sunday afternoon cycle – in full bike kit.

But back to the point of this post… our food arrived in a timely manner and it’s clear that the kitchen goes to a little bit more trouble than many other places when it comes to presentation. The plates were sparkling and the food looked delicious. My Pumpkin Pide (pronounced pee-day as I was reminded when I went to order) sat in the middle of the plate, and the vivid colours of the capsicum, rocket and pumpkin just screamed take a picture.

I couldn’t help but be a little disappointed by the portion size though. Both the pide and squid dishes didn’t look like they should of cost as much as they did, despite the artistic flair.

My pide was delicious – the creamy goats curd and pumpkin working especially well together and it took a conscious effort on my part to savour the flavours rather than wolfing it all down. The flat bread was crisp and the whole package was spot on – I just wish there was more of it.

Around the table there were nods and smiles as the BLTs and squid received equal praise. The squid was served with capsicum and a little onion as well as a dipping sauce, the flavour of which now escapes me – the whole lot was cooked well with the squid nice and tender.

If being able to sit back with a beer (these start from about $6) or a glass of wine ($9 – 14) and laze away a Sunday afternoon with some good food is your style then definitely get along to the powerhouse – it’s not perhaps the best value in Brisbane but it’s certainly got a lot going for it.

Watt Park Lounge

The Powerhouse
119 Lamington Street
New Farm map

07 3358 5464

Tuesday – Friday: 10.00 am – Late
Saturday – Sunday: 8.00 am – Late

www.watt.net.au

http://www.brisbanepowerhouse.org

Visited on Sunday 19 July 2009

Category: BAR, CAFE, INNER CITY, INNER CITY |

ally | 30/07/2009

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Six Degrees Mini-Review

Worth the trip

The word ‘Portside’ never used to bother me. It’s just a funny little place with a cinema, a few shops, and half a dozen restaurants. It also had the Coffee and Chocolate Affair the other weekend. The one with the chocolate strawberries. And the Lindt fountains. And caffeine everywhere. The one that I didn’t attend. Are you seeing where I’m going with this? Now, I hear ‘Portside’ and I have to fight back tears-tears of anger and frustration, as I missed out on the celebration of the glorious cocoa bean.

Luckily I had a lovely meal there the other week, so at least I’ve got some happy memories to fall back on. Mumsy and I (I swear I go out with other people. It was my birthday, alright. Anyway, Momma T rocks) ventured out to the Hamilton establishment for a movie. I thought we’d have no problems finding a place for lunch, but the pickings are slim. Chez Laila seemed to be the only ‘nice’ place that wasn’t hugely expensive.

We finally settled with Mahjongg Cafe, and were pleasantly surprised with the extensive menu. There’s something to cater for all budgets and tastes, from $6 (ham and cheese croissant) to $20 (bouillabaisse). The humble sandwich is offered, as well as gourmet pies, salads, soup, tapas, and heavier dishes like pork belly and duck a l’orange. A place with such a wide-ranging menu can often be lacking in consistent quality, but patrons have nothing to fear here.

There was no way I was going to eat something as boring as a sanga on my birthday, so we decided to share the tapas plate. For $24, it was pretty good value. Little dishes of creamy fetta, plump juicy olives, chicken, baby octopus, roasted vegetables, smoked salmon, ham, and chorizo came served with three massive slices of the softest white bread. This bread was so fluffy and fresh. I wanted to lie down on it and take a little nap and have carb-loaded dreams.

The chorizo was a bit too chewy for my liking, but had a peppery flavour that gave it a good overall taste. The smoked salmon and ham were quite standard, but the chicken was a standout. Although it seemed an odd inclusion on a tapas plate, it was worth it; marinated in an Asian-style coriander and lime sauce, it was tender and some of the best chook I’ve had in ages. Also tasty was the melt-in-your-mouth baby octopus-my only complaint is that we only got two of these guys. Vegies included roasted capsicum and eggplant, and were tasty and not too oily.

Service was excellent at Mahjongg; our waiter was friendly and knowledgeable about the menu. Mumsy ordered a glass of Riesling, and he came back over and asked if she’d prefer a dry or sweet version. Little touches like that, combined with table service, are always nice at lunch and make a casual meal a bit more special. The ambiance is also lovely; in fact, we had originally by-passed the place because we thought it looked too nice and would be too expensive. There’s lots of indoor and outdoor seating, but try to avoid the tables that are oddly right outside a shop next door.

My only really complaint was the price of non-alcoholic drinks; a pot of tea was more expensive than coffee, and a beer was only $1 more than a latte. Mahjongg also do desserts-I saw a massive chocolate concoction at the table next to me and openly stared, like a mad woman. What is it with this place and chocolate?

Mahjongg Cafe

Shop 6
Portside Complex
39 Hercules st
Hamilton map

(07) 3630 2151

Open seven days from 8am for breakfast and lunch
Open for dinner Wednesday-SaturdayA sparkle in suburbia

What’s with Indoooropilly lately, seriously? Why is it so hard to find a place for coffee after 9pm on a weekend? When I’ve seen a movie and stuffed myself with candy, sometimes I need a little pick-me-up before I head home.

There is one salvation, in the form of Six Degrees. It’s one of the very few places in the area that have lengthy opening hours. It’s also very nicely decorated, has a massive menu, and friendly wait staff.

I went there for coffee the other day (this is what unemployed people do. We drink coffee when we should be job hunting. We play The Sims when we should be updating our resume). I got a little distracted by the menu-pizza, pasta, Vietnamese food, crocodile, salads, kangaroo, salmon-what don’t they do, seriously? Plus, they have breakfast until 5pm. Respect. Don’t let the varied menu put you off-last year I ate there several times and it was always good.

We grabbed long blacks ($3.20), a fresh OJ, and a mango smoothie. My memory fails me, as does my phone’s ability to save notes-I think the juice and smoothie were around $5.50.

The coffees were good, and came out quickly. The OJ got a thumbs up too, although the sipper said it probably came from a bottle. The mango smoothie caused a bit of commotion. This is what happens with my friends: I ask a simple question (“How is the smoothie?”) and a drama ensues. Smoothie Girl said it was “very yogurt-y”. Was there real mango in it? “Smell it! If it smells like alcohol it’s mango essence!” another declared. So we all poked our noses over the glass for a whiff. Verdict: real mango.

Some may remember the place when it was Saints and Sinners. It’s changed hands several times since then (with a few hairy results), but I think they’re on to something promising now. Indro isn’t the most inspiring suburb, but the decor in this place is lovely-cushy couches, a balcony area, and big paintings on the walls. They’re licensed, and have a big range of reasonably priced cocktails, beers, and wines. My memory needs refreshing, so I plan to chow down on something there soon. If you don’t check it out yourself first, watch this space!

Saints and Sinners Cafe/Restaurant

4/30 Station Road
Indooroopilly map

(07) 3378 7517

Open Monday 5pm-10pm
Tue-Fri 12pm-10pm
Sat-Sun 10am-10pm

Category: CAFE, RESTAURANT, WESTERN SUBURBS, WESTERN SUBURBS |

nick | 22/07/2009

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Viet Hoa Cafe Restaurant

Nights out with a group of friends can be a little bit tricky. Finding a restaurant that suits everyone’s location, budget and dietary requirements can be a God-awful challenge. Thankfully I keep an ace up my sleeve for such moments-cheap, tasty, convenient Vietnamese at Viet Hoa in South Brisbane.

Although after my last visit I’m not sure if I’ll play the card again.

Viet Hoa is a casual café/restaurant on Melbourne street that does simple cooking at its best. They’re open late–I’ve previously been served after 11pm on a random Tuesday night. Plus, there are heaps of options for less than $10.

Styling is simple and basic but adequate; you have a table to eat from, a chair to sit on and if it’s cold they’ll even put a heater next to you to keep you warm in the cool evening.

The menu is Chinese and Vietnamese, but we skipped straight to the Vietnamese section: two pages of entrees, vermicelli salads, rice dishes, noodle soups, traditional mains and sizzling stuff. The vast majority of the menu is under $20 so you won’t have to worry about the budget.

On the Monday night we were there we ordered several plates of Goi Cuon–rice paper rolls with prawn and pork ($9.5 for four) for entrees, and then backed it up with noodle soup, in my case Pho Dac Bie– special beef noodle soup ($9.5).

The waitress was polite and efficient and took our orders without issue and then promptly disappeared.

So we waited.

And waited.

90 minutes later our entrees appeared and were demolished instantaneously.

Now, it’s extremely fortunate that the rice paper rolls were delicious, as there would have been hell to pay if after such a ridiculous wait they hadn’t been up to scratch. I have no idea why our meal took so long, especially when it’s something as simple as rice paper rolls, but other than a small ‘sorry’ from the waiter no reason was offered. To confuse matters, the restaurant didn’t appear to be overly busy–maybe a dozen tables of diners and a few take-away orders, nothing that would indicate that your meal would be served next lunar month.

Luckily we were not in a rush and were enjoying each others company–and the rice paper rolls were good.

Our mains appeared around 9pm–two hours after being seated, and again they were attacked ferociously. Soup is a cunning dish. For some reason it gets mentally compartmentalised as a ‘light’ dish, but often the volume is deceiving. After 10 minute of solid scoffing I still had a huge bowl of soup in front of me. Value ahoy! Oh, and it tasted good too. In case you’re wondering what the ‘special’ in special beef soup means…it’s tripe, brisket and a couple of other interesting bits.

I’m having a really tough time ripping into Viet Hoa for their crappy service as their food is very good, and I have been there previously without issue. Perhaps all I can suggest is that you ask before sitting down if there’s going to be a wait–I realise you shouldn’t have to do this at all, but I don’t want to tell you to avoid them and it’s the only compromise I can think of right now.

Viet Hoa Café Restaurant

Authentic Vietnamese and Chinese cuisine

210 Melbourne St (cnr Edmonstone St)
South Brisbane map

07 3844 4818

Open late

Category: CAFE, INNER CITY, INNER CITY, RESTAURANT |

ally | 19/07/2009

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Bella Notte Rosalie Review

Cheap and Cheesy
I’ve been to Italy. I’ve had authentic Italian pizza. I don’t mean to brag-well, maybe I do. Just a little. Anyway, I had been craving the sort of thin crust, simply topped, and not overly cheesy pizza that I had indulged in way too often in Italia-the sort that’s difficult to find in ye olde Brisbane. The other week I wandered past Bella Notte in Rosalie, and was delighted to see some diners enjoying what looked like a simple, thin crust pizza.

So, one innocent (hungover) Saturday evening, the pizza cravings struck, and I remembered Bella Notte. I’d often visited their now defunct Park Road (Milton) venue, and before it changed hands it consistently offered tasty food at very reasonable prices. I had a bit of deja vu at Rosalie-the menu was identical to Park Road’s old one. I took this to be a good sign, and happily took my place at one of the indoor tables. What I presumed to be the owner was Italian-also a good sign. Other wait people during the night were friendly and professional, with the only flaw being no water was served and it took a while to get the bill.

The menu covers all the Italian regulars, like lasagna, pizza, and pasta. Other dishes included steak, chicken parmigiana, salads, and paella. I had a craving that needed attending to, so we ordered a regular Margarita pizza ($9.80), and a regular Marinara pizza ($16.80). I wish alcohol hadn’t still been seeping out of my pores, because the range is impressive and cheap. Spirits are only $5, and beer on tap starts from $4. There are a few Sicilian wines, and cocktails as well if you fancy a little Long Island with your Linguine.

The pizzas came out and I was immediately a bit put off. They weren’t the thin beauties I’d spied a few weeks earlier; instead they were on a thick crust, and were so cheesy it was hard to tell which was which. I remained optimistic…until the third bite or so. I was dumbfounded. The Margarita tasted fine enough, but it was so ridiculously saucy and had the thickest layer of cheese. Basil is usually a standout on a Margarita pizza, but I could barely taste the few shreds that were on this one.

The Marinara tasted nearly identical, except for the occasional chunk of prawn, fish, or what we thought (hoped) was a mussel. Considering it was nearly double the price of the Margarita, I was expecting a lot more. It was also drowning in sauce and cheese. The excess sauce had made the crust so soggy, for a minute I thought I was eating pasta.

Perhaps I’m sounding a bit harsh-I’ve had worse pizza. And admittedly, it was cheap. Perhaps if I’d gone in without having seen anything, my expectations wouldn’t have been too high. Perhaps there was a different chef on that night. Perhaps I should harden up and not give such a soft review for once. The experience unfortunately has put me off going back in the near future. I am also quite partial to the plethora of other eating options in the Rosalie precinct.

If you do go, try to get a table outside-the ambiance is much nicer. In fact, there is something totally off about the interior of Bella Notte. D and I pondered, but we couldn’t put our (greasy) fingers on it. Was the music too loud? The lights too bright? The sight of produce and food cartons near the bar unappealing? It was a bit of a mixture that unfortunately didn’t make for a very nice atmosphere. They should take note from some of the places across the road and dim the lights or throw down a candle or two. Heck, even a red checkered table cloth would be cute. That’s one type of cheesiness I can take.

Bella Notte
Shop 6
165 Baroona Road
Rosalie map

(07) 3505 0991

Open from 7am, seven days a week

NOTE: Bella Notte closed in Oct/Nov 2009.

Category: INNER CITY, RESTAURANT |

ally | 17/07/2009

No comments

Mahjongg Cafe Review

Worth the trip

Mahjongg Cafe

Shop 6
Portside Complex
39 Hercules st
Hamilton map

(07) 3630 2151
mahjonggcafe.com
Open seven days from 8am for breakfast and lunch
Open for dinner Wednesday-Saturday

Category: CAFE, NORTHERN SUBURBS, RESTAURANT |

ally | 17/07/2009

4 comments

Extract Espresso Bar Review

Simple CBD munchies
Now that I’m an unemployed loser, there’s one thing that I miss about working (aside from the money thing and the stationery cupboard). Weekday city cafes. There are seriously tonnes of quirky little places all over the CBD that sadly close their doors on the weekend.

If you’re a city worker, or an unemployed bum who’s just been rejected by Centrelink, you’re spoiled for choice during the week. The other day I jumped at the chance to try one of these places. You see, us unemployed people don’t stay home and save money. We go out and shop.

Extract Espresso Bar is tucked away on Adelaide Street, and is housed in a heritage-listed building. There is heaps of seating inside (it actually spills into the foyer of the building next door), and the place has a very funky and cool vibe. A mixture of French and coffee house-style music plays softly, and there’s gorgeous art-deco style tiling on the floor. It’s really a very cosy and comforting space, and is very quiet considering the madness of the city is just beyond the doorway.

The menu is pretty basic: breakfast in the morning, plus sandwiches, pizza, cakes, and other cafe-style fare. Something worth noting though is their range of organic and gluten-free options. I personally am always up for some wheat, so I ordered the avocado on sourdough ($5.20). I was with Mumsy (shopping bugs are inherited you see), and she ordered a special coffee + sandwich deal ($9.50). She didn’t get any choice with the fillings as there was only one sandwich left, which at 12.30pm seems really weird.

The food at Extract is pretty simple, which is good and bad. It’s good because you can chow down and be safe in the knowledge that your meal isn’t hiding a plethora of fatty or salty additions. It’s bad because it makes you wonder what the hell you’re doing paying for something you could have slapped together at home.

Don’t get me wrong-my av on sourdough was tasty. The bread was fair quality, and there was a decent amount of avocado mashed up on top. It was just so plain. I’ve seen heaps of cafes (Brother Espresso comes to mind) do this exact dish with a little more effort on the presentation, which makes such a difference. A little wedge of lemon, maybe thicker bread, or not cutting it into ridiculous tiny pieces could have helped. I know it’s just av on bread, but surely $5.20 should get you something a little nicer?

Mumsy, meanwhile, was struggling with her ham and salad sandwich. She’s a smart lady, but this one had her baffled. Somehow two slices of bread had become fused together. She had to really rip into it in order to separate the two halves, and the result? A pretty basic, albeit satisfactory and seemingly recently made ham and coleslaw sandwich. The ham was pretty salty and not the best quality.

I will be brutally honest here: my coffee (long black, $3.30) was crap. It had a thick crema, which looked promising, but it was really bitter. Mum’s cappuccino was a bit better.

Service was also a mixed bag: our orders were taken by a woman with a bit of a ‘tude, but they were brought to the table by a very friendly dude. Extract is ideal if you’re basic lunch in a soothing environment, but I’m not too upset it’s not open on the weekend.

Extract Espresso Bar

7a / 200 Adelaide St
CBD map

(07) 3221 3166

Open Monday-Friday for breakfast, lunch, and late afternoon snacks

Category: CAFE, CBD, CBD, TAKE-AWAY |

nick | 13/07/2009

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Coffee and Chocolate Affair 2009 Round-Up

If you happen to know who is responsible for the idea of dedicating an entire day to coffee and chocolate, and then actually making it happen please tell me. I and several thousand other people would like to tell them they rock!

The 2009 Coffee and Chocolate Affair at Portside Wharf last Sunday (12 July) made my weekend, as it’s not too often you have an excuse to consume copious amounts of coffee and chocolate without people telling you you’re going to have a heart attack; end up looking like Manuel Uribe; or simply never sleep again

This year’s Coffee and Choc Affair featured about 25 different stalls and vendors. This didn’t feel like quite as many as last year but there was still a pretty decent variety – coffee retailers, wholesalers and equipment distributors, many chocolatiers, several cake stores, brownies and fudge vendors as well as ice cream.

By far and away the biggest draw cards were the Lindt chocolate fountains with chocolate-coated strawberries and the choc and coffee master classes.

I started my day at Red Dog Coffee Traders and grabbed a flat white to kick things off. Red Dog was doing an extremely brisk trade and coffees were flying out the door at $2 a pop. Impressively the wait was only four or five minutes, which is less than I’ve experienced in some city-based cafes when they’ve been almost empty. Red Dog was also selling choc coated coffee beans, which are one of my favorite combinations.

I spent the best part of an hour sampling my way up the line of stalls, dodging parents with strollers and stilt walkers while soaking in the winter sun. Notable standouts included Shott Beverages, who do a range of coffee syrups, efudge, who not surprisingly, make fudge, and Dello Mano chocolates, who had the best brownies I’ve ever tasted. If you have a chance I highly recommend you wrap your mouth around a choc macadamia brownie – you’ll spend the next 10 minutes smiling uncontrollably and going mmm mmm mmm.

It was clear however, that the reason that everyone was there was the Lindt choc dipped strawberries. The line of people was 20 deep when I joined the back of it and everyone was anxious to get their grubby paws on the novelty at $1 a pop. The wait took about 30 mins and many around me were questioning “why are we doing this?” and “dude, do you want to just come back later?”. Pfft, softies. People were ordering 10 at a time and the smell of warm melting chocolate was delicious when you finally got close enough to catch a whiff.

Half a dozen strawberries later, I began wondering if a chocolate fountain is the kind of thing you could set up at home, and began picturing my kitchen renovated in Willy Wonka-style.

This year’s program also included some master classes and barista competitions hosted by Di Bella Coffee and we decided to check them out, if only for the opportunity to sit down. We caught the end of a master class with Thomas Schnetzler of Lindt (more samples) and settled in to watch a couple of rounds of the professional barista championships. Six pairs competed and although half the teams were Di Bella employees, it was clear that the judges weren’t cutting anyone any slack. The team from Two Cups in Spring Hill finished 1st with a grand total of 23 flat whites in seven minutes. 23 may not seem like a lot, but apparently barista competitions are incredibly anal and the judges appeared to be disqualifying more cups than they were letting through!

The final point of interest for the day was trying my first siphon coffee from Veneziano. I’d seen the equipment before in Tokyo a couple of years ago but didn’t realize that anyone in Brissy was doing it. Siphon coffee bars don’t use an espresso machine; instead they use a set up more akin to something you’d see in a high school science lab. Think Bunsen burner and glass flasks to produce a cup of coffee that’s much stronger in flavour and has a much higher caffeine content that espresso. I’m not sure if Veneziano actually makes siphon coffees at their West End store, but you can certainly get the equipment there if you’re interested.

So that about wraps it up. I’m pretty sure festival numbers were up on last year and I really don’t think you’d be able to squeeze many more in, so I’ll be interested to see what the organizers come up with next time.

The Coffee and Chocolate Affair was a fantastic way to spend a warm winter Sunday. When they hold it again I think I’ll book a table at one of the restaurants at Portside and include a lazy lunch, as even though there’s quite a bit of variety it’s still hard to find enough things to do and see to justify spending an entire day at Portside. Hope you were there.

2009 Coffee and Chocolate Affair

Sunday, 12 July 2009
Portside Wharf
Hamilton map

Category: DESSERT, SPOTLIGHT |

ally | 09/07/2009

No comments

Quick Bites: 10 July

Cheap grub: keep your wallet and tum full

1. Get some iron and save some copper. The Fox, at South Brisbane, is doing $2 Steak Sundays. Yes. TWO-DOLLAR-STEAK. Are they mad? Do they not know the sheer amount of meat-hungry people we have in this town, who will lurk hungrily outside The Fox’s doors, well before opening time? You can also grab a side of chips or similar for an extra dollar. That’s a $3 meal folks-pretty sure I spent triple that on a Hannah Montana movie ticket (but it was worth every penny).

2. Enjoy more free meat! Limes, the hotel/cinema/bar in the Valley, is also jumping on the beef bandwagon and cooking up free BBQs every Sunday evening. I tell you what, I may never need to eat a $2 McValue pick again.

3. Shift some beef, plus get a free brekkie. Now, this one carries a $20 entry fee, but it’s supporting research. The Royal Brisbane Womens Hospital Foundation Run for Research is on this Sunday (12/7) in the city Botanical Gardens. All participants in the 5km or 10km walk/run will feel damn good knowing they’re sweating it out for a good cause. Plus, all participants get a free healthy breakfast afterward. I’ll be there, doing my lame trot (also known as ‘the Ally shuffle’), so roll out of bed early for once on a Sunday and do some good.

Category: QUICK BITES |

ally | 09/07/2009

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He said/she said: Paniyiri 2009

Paniyiri, AKA the Greek Festival, has been and gone for another year, leaving in its wake thousands of poor souls clutching their over-stuffed bellies. Two of those souls, Ally and Nick recount the weekend of festivities. Um-pah!

NICK: Paniyiri is something that I look forward to on the calendar. It’s a kick arse weekend of food and frolicking and the Greeks sure know how to put on a party. The festivities kicked off last Saturday (4/7) and went right through to Sunday night. There was food, culture, dancing, wines, fireworks and most importantly, honey-puffs (top)…

ALLY: My mother will be proud to hear that I did not enter the honey-puff eating competition. Or the olive-eating competition. As appealing was the thought of stuffing myself with hands tied behind my back, in front of cameras and strangers, I did the sensible thing and smacked down half a dozen honey puffs upon arrival. These little pastry puffs are chewy but soft, and have a strong honey flavour. They were not as sweet as ones I’ve had from the New Farm Markets, but that might have been a wise thing.

I wanted to see all the brave souls who were putting their dignity and their arteries on the line in the eating competition. The program said that the comps would go until 5.30pm. We got there just before 5pm on the Saturday to find the olive-eaters wiping their mouths, and all eating coming to an end. This was disappointing; a little more clear-cut programing would have been better.

N: Meh! They’re Greek, they don’t keep schedules! I caught finals of both the honey puff and olive eating comps on Sunday afternoon. It was pretty damn funny watching four hapless souls stuff themselves for 60 seconds. John from West End (2nd from top) emerged victorious when it came to olives and some guy whose name and location I’ve forgotten crushed all corners for the title of 2009 Puff Eating Champ. He also got to hug Effie (right).

A: Along with the gorgeous Effie, there were more than 30 food stalls at Paniyiri, although unfortunately they all seemed to be doing the same thing. There were very slight variations in food between stalls, with grilled octopus ($7-$9), baklava (from $2), souvlaki (from $3.5), and haloumi (from $2) being the most popular options. And of course, honey puffs were everywhere. Yay!

N: I agree that the variety on offer wasn’t as extensive as one might of thought, but try as I did, I simply didn’t have the gastronomic capacity to try everything. On arrival we started with souvlaki, AKA meat on a stick. There were yummy lamb and chicken options. One of the things that hit me immediately was the sheer volume of food that was being served up. Clouds of smoke filled the air as vendors cooked yiros and souvlaki over big open fires. Everything smelled of meat cooking (right). Marvelous (sorry vegos).

A: I tried a piece of haloumi, and a chicken yiros. Pretty sure I just drooled thinking of the haloumi. Surprisingly it wasn’t overly greasy, and was chewy and held together well. I was looking forward to the yiros (on a trip to Greece a couple of years ago I ate them daily), but found it a little bit disappointing. These guys are like kebabs but with thicker bread and sometimes fries are inside. The meat was tender and they weren’t greasy in the slightest, but it lacked flavour-a good dollop of tzatziki would have been awesome. It was very different to an authentic Greek yiros.

N: Once I had my hands full with food and drink it was time to explore the cultural side of things. I’ve never actually been into the Greek Club before and wandered in out of sheer curiosity. It turned into one of those ‘right time right place’ situations as we walked into a cooking demo (right) in the upstairs conference hall. 10 mins later we had a samples plate full of moussaka, pizza and some stew with beans in front of us. Neat! We also saw Geni from Masterchef.

It was around this point that I began to notice the sheer number of people at the Festival. I’ve no idea what sort of numbers actually turned up but getting places, let alone more food, was becoming an issue.

A: On Saturday night apparently there were 20,000+ punters! I am crushed I missed samples, but can console myself thinking of the massive piece of baklava I ended my night with. This was the toast of the Festival. The baklava was dripping in a delicious honey, the excess of which I happily mopped up out of the container with my finger. I would say the best baklava I’ve had since I was in Greece.

N: After four hours of getting my Greek on I was absolutely buggered. I’d eaten, drunk, learnt, laughed, danced (?!) and generally over-indulged. I actually went looking for a piece of baklava to finish with but it seemed all the stalls had run out. So I settled for Turkish Delight instead, which was pretty good in its own right.

A: I enjoyed Paniyiri but I fear it’s becoming a bit over-commercialised. There was a huge sideshow alley (with huge prices-$6 for the Ferris Wheel? Do you know how many plates of honey puffs I could buy with that?) that seemed a little out of place. While the food options were good and the entertainment was fun (Effie rocks), I thought the $7 entry fee was a little steep. Having said that, there were some good eats there. I was also impressed to see they offered Mythos, a classic Greek beer staple. I remember drinking massive 700ml cans of this in Ios for a couple of euros each. That’s a story for another day though.

N: Pah! Don’t listen to her, Paniyiri kicks arse and $7 is a bargain entry fee. I agree that the side show alley is a little out of place but if it subsidizes the rest of the entertainment then I guess it’s a necessary evil. I’m definitely heading back next year – honey puffs need to watch their back.

Paniyiri Greek Festival

Musgrave Park
South Brisbane map

www.paniyiri.com