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Archive for RESTAURANT

ally | 10/12/2009

Siana Review

So, I have a bit of a burping problem. Shocking, I know. But let me tell you: I can let out some amazing belches. They are whoppers. My brother taught me how, and now I beat even him when we have a burp-off (and before you ask, we’re both in our twenties). I admit there are times when my ~~gift~~ digusting habit is a negative: like when I’m all dolled up, make up nicely done, outfit carefully selected, and then….buurrrrrp. I just ruin it.

It’s a similar case with Siana’s website. Go to it. Turn the volume up. Looks like a nice website, right? Nice colours, very chic. Wait for it…
“Everybody’s talkin’ ’bout Sianaaaaa”. There’s the burp. Oh God. Seriously? Seriously, Siana? Take it off. They’ve got a very nice-looking website that’s easy to navigate, then they go and crap all over it with that ridiculous background song.

Luckily, Siana in person does not embarass itself. There is no awkward tune to spoil the night. The food isn’t ugly. The waitresses aren’t mean. In fact, on a recent dinner date at the riverside restaurant/bar, the only thing that worried us was where to go for dessert after (Gelatissimo. Of course).

Neighbourly dining

Siana has a bit of a ‘communal’ dining style that might seem off putting at first. Two very long tables in the dining area mean that you will probably be sitting next to, or across from, a stranger or two. However, this isn’t as bad as I thought it would be. The tables are big, so there’s a bit of a buffer zone. Plus, the ambiance at Siana is so gorgeous that you can’t help but overlook the seating arrangements. The location is unbeatable-right on the river, with a view of the Story Bridge. There’s Asian design influences inside, and lots of funky lighting and a fun atmosphere.

Sashimi Platter

The menu is ideal in that it combines several Asian cuisines. This is genius! Indian, Japanese, Thai, and Chinese are all on the one menu. There’s dishes like Pad Thai and Fried Rice, Dim Sum like Gyoza and Pork Buns, Sushi, Tandoori dishes, and curries. A great option are the platters (from $30pp) which come with all sorts of goodies for tasting and sharing. On a previous visit we’d tried the Gold Platter ($35) and loved it-it had sushi rolls, rice paper rolls, little balls of popcorn seafood, dumplings, and some of the best naan I’ve ever had.

We mixed it up a bit on this visit and ordered our own dishes. I went for the Sashimi Plate (12 pecs for $20) and the Asian Greens ($8), which were stir-fried in ginger, garlic, and sesame oil. D went for the Tandoori Salmon ($28), which came with naan bread.

Asian Greens

Tandoori Salmon

The twelve very generous portions of sashimi was delicious and excellent value for money. I felt like a Grizzly Bear who had just been dipping its fat paw in the waters of Alaska, the salmon was that fresh. There was also white tuna, which didn’t have a very distinct flavour-is this normal, sashimi lovers? I am a little new to tuna sashimi, so I wasn’t sure, but it was tasty all the same and seemed very fresh.

My Asian Greens were so simple, yet it was one of the best dishes I’d had in a long time. The flavours in the sauce were tangy and light, and the vegies were cooked to perfection. This, coupled with the sashimi, was probably the healthiest meal I had ever had out.

D’s Tandoori Salmon was also pretty good. The thick slab of salmon went perfectly with the accompanying yoghurt sauce, and the plain naan was there to soak up all the dregs. We’d never had Tandoori salmon before, and noted that the spices took away a lot of that distinct salmon flavour. If you were scoffing it down quickly, you could have mistaken it for a different meat.

We didn’t get any alcoholic drinks but their cocktail (from $17) list is impressive with some tasty-sounding choices. Beer is reasonably priced from $6, and the dessert menu carries the platter theme too; for $16 per person you can enjoy the Dessert Platter, which includes such delights as the Half Baked Chocolate Cake.

Don’t judge a website by its god-awful theme music. Ignore the kitsch, go to Siana, and save the belching for when you get home. Or for in the car, in your partner’s ear. Your choice.

Stairway to Sushi!

Siana Bar and Restaurant
Upper Plaza Level
Riparian Plaza
71 Eagle Street Brisbane

07 3221 3887

www.siana.com.au

Category: BAR, CBD, CBD, RESTAURANT |

ally | 16/11/2009

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Tipple: Jazz Bar

Drink your Dessert

I’m starting to get into the cocktails lately. Don’t ask me why-it’s not like I can afford $20 drinks. When I’m standing at the bar, and I’m presented with a list of delicious concoctions, my mind seems to convince me otherwise.

Such was the case recently at the Jaz Bar, in Toowong. This restaurant/jazz bar specialises in Stonegrill dining, and the dinner and lunch menu is well worth a look. But really, you’d be crazy to side step the cocktails: Jazacino with coffee, Baileys, Tia Maria, milk, and honey. Their menu also included other classics like a Pina Colada and Long Island Ice Tea, and they also offer Virgin Cocktails. It may seem like an odd-looking restaurant from the outside, as it’s positioned over a Woolworths carpark. But don’t let that put you off-inside is quite pleasant and spacious, with a large bar area, a deck, and a jazz musician playing away.

We started with a Lychee Sundae (Lychee Liquer, Baileys, Midori, lychees, and cream), and a Watermelon Kiss (Chambord, Mango Liquer, Lychee Liquer, muddled watermelon, and pineapple juiec). They were both $16, which is really quite reasonable.

The Watermelon Kiss was very refreshing and fruity, and didn’t have a strong alcohol flavour. It sort of was like what would happen if you were a kid with a slushie, and you ‘accidently’ broke intlo your parents’ liquor cabinet with a paper clip and a safety pin. Not that I’ve ever done anything remotely like that.

The Lychee Sundae absolutely trumped the Kiss. It was amazing. It had the consistency of mushed up ice cream, and had a fantastic creamy and tangy flavour. I threw caution to the calorie wind and we ordered more.

This time, my pal got the Lychee Sundae (she had cocktail envy; plus, it’s that damn good), and I went with the Toblerone. It had a very strong chocolate and hazelnut flavour, which was a bit confusing; since when does a Toblerone have hazelnut in it? Have I been eating the wrong pyramid-shaped chocolate all this time? It didn’t bother me too much though, because again, it tasted awesome.

It’s drinks like these that you truly savour, and not knock back like you’re a 16 year old on a Vodka Cruiser. The barman definitely knew what he was doing with a cocktail, which is actually something hard to find in a lot of bars.

Cocktails are the new dessert, people. Take note.

Jaz Restaurant & Wine Bar

80 Jephson St
Toowong

(07) 3870 1111

www.jazbar.com.au

Category: BAR, RESTAURANT, WESTERN SUBURBS, WESTERN SUBURBS |

ally | 06/11/2009

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A Night in India Review

A Night in Deliciousness

I believe what take out food your family ate frequently defined you as a child. It cements in you habits, tastes, and preferences. It carries you through primary school weekend treats, high school study breaks, and drunken late night cravings well into your twenties.

We were a Chinese and Thai family. Granted, we didn’t get take out often, but when we did it was usually honey sesame chicken, beef in black bean, and fried rice. I blame this for the fact that I had my first Indian meal at age 19. It’s not my fault-I wasn’t raised in that sort of household, okay?

So, lately I’ve been trying to leave behind the shackles of my childhood and get my Indian on. Recently I did this at A Night in India, in Toowong. I’ve heard people rave about it for ages, so figured it was time to flex my Indian muscle a bit more.

The decor of A Night in India is quite lovely; it’s decorated with Indian furtniture and art, but it is by no means tacky and has a warm ambiance. There’s lots of seating inside, and a few tables outside. We decided to sit outside, and while the view of High St isn’t exactly appealing, the seats were comfortable and it was actually quite pleasant.

We enjoyed some free crispy, grilled pappadams with our BYO wine ($1 corkage). The menu is fairly standard for an Indian place, but they clearly state a few points that aren’t found everywhere: all food is free from added preservatives, thickeners, gluten, and MSG; everything is cooked in cholesterol-free vegetable oil; all curries are low fat; and vegan meals are available on request.

We started with a Kashmiri Naan ($5)-a naan stuffed with dried fruit and coconut. This naan was entree, main, and dessert rolled into one. We split it, and half of the large portion was a perfect size(entree-check). It was filled with dried dates, raisins, coconut, and nuts, so it was quite substantial (main-check). It had a sweet flaky pastry, and coupled with the sweet fruits inside, it was like a sweet, over-stuffed pancake (dessert-check). Naan-alicious.

There’s a hotness scale of 1-7 on curries, ranging from mild/sweet, through to the big mama, and I quote: ‘Super HOT (ACTION!)’. Seriously, how good is that name?

I’ll just make one thing clear: I am a pussy when it comes to chilli. Judge me, I don’t care. Would you like a kleenex to wipe your tearing eyes and the boogies coming out of your nose? Yeah. Sometimes mild is good. With that said, I ordered mild/sweet for my main dish of Mango Vegetables ($15). My pal also ordered mild/sweet for her Chicken Korma ($17), so I had a partner in wimpness.

The dishes were both fantastic. They came with plenty of basmati rice, although I would have happily drunk the leftover sauce in mine like it was water. Big chunks of perfectly-cooked vegetables were covered in a light mango sauce that had a very delicate flavour.
There was a hint of fruitiness, but it didn’t scream mango: this was good, as I think mango sauce on vegies could be a bit sickly and overpowering.

The Chicken Korma had very tender chicken pieces, along with a creamy sauce that tasted like tomato, coconut, and peanut, all at the same time. We happily chowed down, only stopping to grunt words of appreciation.

A Night in India also offers Banquet options from $30. Judging from the large serves and good quality of our dishes, the banquet would be well worth the money.

The service here was also fantastic. Everyone was extremely polite, warm, and very welcoming. They do take-away too, so parents: have a think about how you want your children to be raised. Do you want them to live a sheltered life, never knowing the beauty of a fresh naan or a creamy Korma? Or do you want to raise them right?

You know what you need to do. The phone number is below.

A Night in India
Restaurant & Take Away

58 High St
Toowong

(also at Carindale)

07 3217 7955

http://www.anightinindia.com.au/

Open 7 nights for dinner
Open Wednesday-Friday for lunch

Category: RESTAURANT, TAKE-AWAY, WESTERN SUBURBS, WESTERN SUBURBS |

ally | 29/10/2009

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Bar Barossa Blogger Dinner

Blogger Bonanza (oh and good food + wine)

Blogging (or is it pronounched ‘yohging’?) has not quite taken off in Brisbane as it has in Melbourne, Sydney, and especially North America. Usually when I tell people I have a blog I am met with a blank look. It was, therefore, a nice relief to attend a recent bloggers dinner and find out that there are lots of other Brisbane bloggers out there.Originally GG’s idea, the blogger dinner was set up by Kerry and was held at Bar Barossa. A new-ish restaurant, Bar Barossa specialises in wine, particularly from the Barossa Valley (who knew). It has a casual feel, and is decorated with all things vino-oversized wine bottles, a welcoming bar, wine glasses, photographs of such connoisseurs as Peter Lehmann, and some sweet grape-like chandelier things. The space has a very clean and modern feel, which wasn’t what I was expecting-I hear ‘wine’ and I think warm, cosy spaces.

We had a wine tasting on our visit, and tried about seven wines. I have been trying to get into the wine lately, people. And by ‘try’ I don’t mean I’ve been smacking the Sunnyvale every Friday night (but that’s not to say I’d oppose/judge/not join in those who are). I’ve been trying to develop more of a palate for vino, so the tasting was rather timely. We started with a Clare Valley 2008 Riesling, from the Wilson Vineyard. What does this all mean? I don’t really know. But it tasted good. Next up, we were the first ever customers to sip the Semillon from the Cirillo Estate. Winemaker Marco described it as a good oyster and seafood match. This wine was a little lighter in alcohol content, which was probably a good thing, as there were plenty more to try.

I’m really not a good wine critic, so I’ll just briefly go over the others: the 2007 Picardy Chardonnay was fruity, but still a little dry for my liking. The Rose, again from Cirillo, was really good and not overly sweet. This was because it was a dryer red, with only 3.4 grams of sugar per litre. It wasn’t as bitter as the other reds, and Marco said it was because there wans’t as much oak.

The wines were all tasty and complemented the food well, which coming from a newbie to wine, is really saying something.

Now. Food? Food.

I was disappointed to see the all-day tasting menu wasn’t on our tables, and assumed we had to order from the main menu (the waiter told us later that it was in fact available-it would have been nice to know this). Bar Barossa’s menu is fairly small but covers a good range of entrees, mains, and sides. I stuck with a main and promptly got food envy as entrees came out, and on either side of me was plonked half a dozen Coffin Bay Oysters, served with a Verjus Salsa, and a Slow Roasted Tomato and Basil Tartlet (both $18). The oysters looked very fresh, and were presented on a bed of ice. The tart was a pretty generous serve, and had very flaky pastry. I didn’t try either, but that was ’cause I was getting me some SALMON, baby.

For $30, I was really impressed with the size of this dish. The Grilled Atlantic Salmon was really quite big, and had a nice crispy skin. Salmon roe was on top-this was my first salmon roe, people. It was goood. They were little balls of sweetness that burst in my mouth. It was a rather exciting experience for my molars, let me tell you. The salmon came with celeriac mash and some steamed asparagus and snow peas. I would have preferred a higher vegie: mash ratio, but the huge mound of buttery, creamy mash made it a very filling meal. In fact-wait for it-I couldn’t finish it. Huh?

Kay-Lynn beside me was on fire. Both entrees she picked were delicious and excellent value for money. I was really jealous, especially when i tried her House Made Pasta wth Scallops, Prawns, & Salmon in Saffron Salmon Cream & Pearls ($18). The scallops (a generous serving, too) were very tender and were cooked perfectly, while the pasta sauce looked really rich but had a light flavour.

I also tried a little of GG’s Salt & Pepper Quail on Shaved Cucumber and Watercress Salad ($18), which was accompanied by a lovely sweet dressing. The serve was pretty small though, I have to say-and I always find this really funny with salads. Lettuce is cheap, right? Why not chuck a few more leaves on? The presentation of all of the dishes was beautiful, and they came out in an ideal time frame.

If you blog, or review, or whatever, you know that the most stressful part is taking a photo of the food. Some people have no problem with this and will just whip it out (filthy). I get massively stressed out, and am convinced everyone is looking at me and thinking I am a restaurant spy. Or, that they’ll be like the charming girls who sat near me recently at The Cupcake Parlour and loudly discuss why the hell “that girl is taking photos of the cupcakes. OMG she is taking photos of the cupcakes!!11!!”

So. A moment of acceptance washed over me as as soon as the first dish landed on the table, and a dozen cameras were whipped out and people began busily snapping away. Yay!

GG and I were keen for some cheese, although we were pressed for time and had to forgo it in the end*. I was intruiged by the Ciresa Gorgonzola Dolce ($8 for 50g)-sweet cheese?? Yes please.

Service throughout the night was friendly, efficient, and professional. Wine lovers will no doubt adore the place, and it’s refreshing to see such a specialty establishment opening in Brisbane.

*I may or may not have attacked a block of cheddar when I got home

Bar Barossa
Restaurant and Wine Bar

545 Queen St, Brisbane
(corner of Adelaide & Macrossan Streets)

(07) 3832 3530

www.purplepalate.com/barbarossa/

Category: BAR, CBD, CBD, RESTAURANT |

ally | 28/10/2009

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Area profile: South Bank

All the Colours of the Food Rainbow

South Bank used to have a beverage that my friends and I thought was the ultimate in culinary delights: the Rainbow Smash. I can hear you all sneer, “Oh, it’s just a frozen coke.” It is not just a frozen coke. It is a Rainbow SMASH, people. It’s all in the title. The range of flavours in the Rainbow Smash are not to be reckoned with. As I’ve grown older, my tastes have matured (somewhat), and so have South Bank’s. Here’s a brief run down on some of the dozens of restaurants, bars, and cafes that are scattered around this relaxed riverside community.

Breakfast
Poppy’s Basket earned rave reviews from Nick recently for their accommodating service and fresh eggs. Era do an all day breakfast on the weekend, and are more higher-end.

Lunch & Dinner
There is such a huge number of food places in and around South Bank that I’m going to just list them under the one heading-I am fairly sure that all of them are open for both lunch and dinner. I’m also going to list them by cuisine, as the beauty of South Bank is the plethora of different foods.

Pub-style
The Fox is on the outskirts of South Bank, and is a busy bar by night and a relaxing spot for a pub lunch by day.
The Plough Inn and The Shipp Inn have this same relaxed open-air feel and upscale pub grub.
Beastie Burgers are the perfect spot for a working lunch; they’re outdoors in the sunshine, they’re licensed (gets you through that arvo meeting), and they have awesome burgers.

Italian:
Dell ‘Ugo are an upscale restaurant with traditional Italian food, available on both a set menu and a regular menu.
La Via Pizzeria is ideal if you want to seduce someone (sexy low lighting and waiters that don’t hover), plus enjoy some pizza and Italian fare while you’re at it.
Amici’s do some impressive sounding banquets, or just some singular Italian dishes for all you weaklings out there.

French:
Piaf do possibly the most well-priced French food in Brisbane (think under $20).

Asian:
Satay Hut have low prices, a casual and modern setting, and mainly Thai and Malay food.
Viet De Lites: I am dying to try some food off this fresh, healthy-sounding Vietnamese menu.
Ginga Japanese are a sushi train (yay!), as well as a more up-scale Japanese restaurant.
Gandhi Curry House is another very reasonably priced, clean and chic restaurant, this time offering South Indian and Sri Lankan food.

Other
Mado do delicious Turkish food and are ideal for large groups.
Chez Laila have some of the best river and city views, and offer Lebanese dishes.

Modern:
Toscani’s have a huge, varied menu, including pasta, seafood, steak, and sandwhiches.
Sardine Tin was recently opened by Piaf’s owner Simon Livingstone, and is a small, open-air space serving mainly tapas.
5th Element is possibly the best-looking lady on the strip, with low lighting, open flame features, and a waterfall behind the bar. The menu is a bit more up-scale, and the service is fantastic.
Stone are located within the Saville Apartments, and are being very mysterious and saying that they have a new concept coming soon.

Drink
Era Bistro has a restaurant menu as well as a varied tapas menu, and are well-stocked with a variety of wines. Aside from The Fox, The Plough Inn, and The Shipp Inn, there aren’t many large bars or pubs around South Bank. You can take a short walk down the road to West End, or simply enjoy drinks at a South Bank restaurant’s bars (like 5th Element, who have a well-stocked wine bar, or Sardine Tin).

Sweet
Speaking of 5th Element, I am still yapping to people about my recent, unique dessert experience there. There’s also cute cupcakes at My Sweetopia, which is open until late on the weekends and also serves coffee. For something more casual, Movenpick ice cream serves up Swiss ice cream scoops that are all-natural. And, well, I have to say it: Cold Rock is right nearby. It’s no Rainbow Smash, but the ice cream flavours and mix-ins are equally as enticing.

Category: BAR, CAFE, DESSERT, INNER CITY, INNER CITY, INNER CITY, INNER CITY, INNER CITY, RESTAURANT, SPOTLIGHT, TAKE-AWAY |

ally | 22/10/2009

9 comments

Beastie Burgers Review

Bloody Good Burgers

Has anyone seen the news story about the Krispy Kreme burger? It’s disgusting, isn’t it. Imagine: a greasy burger, dripping with fat, sandwhiched between a Krispy Kreme doughnut. There’s a sick part of me that is curious, and would probably take a bite. Maybe it tastes fantastic? Maybe it could be the new culinary delight, but everyone is too scared to try it in fear of getting fat and heart disease?

Luckily, if I’m ever feeling this way again, I’ve found a good burger place to satsify my burger craving and not increase my cholesterol level. I’m talking about Beastie Burgers at South Bank, a licensed burger joint that offers imaginative and unique burgers, with nary a doughnut in sight (damn).

Yeah, I’m a little slow to jump on the Beastie bandwagon, but whatever. The point is, I’ve now been, and it’s damn good. On our recent visit we ordered an IT Support (tandoori chicken, yoghurt dressing, roast tomato, onion jam, lettuce), and a Spice Route (sweet potato, beef patty, haloumi, chill jam, tomato relish, hummus). Or, as D called it, “A Spice Rowte? Rootay? What is it?” Lucky he’s cute.

Both burgers were $10.50, which seemed like a reasonable price given their size and the quality of the ingredients. The IT Support contained a huge fillet of grilled chicken in a subtle Tandoori coating, along with generous serves of the vegies. Similarly, D’s Spice Rowte was packed to the brim, with thick discs of haloumi and beef taking centre stage.

Goddamnit, D’s burger beat mine. The combination of the sweet potato, beef, and haloumi was fantastic. Suprisingly, the flavours all complemented each other really well. My only complaint was that there were too many condiments-while delicious, in the end they made the burger a little soggy and start to fall apart. Having said that, the condiments were all so tasty. Very conflicting.

It was the opposite story with my burger-I felt there could have been a little more yoghurt dressing, to really push the whole ‘Tandoori’ focus of the burger. Here’s a funny story. I thought they called it IT Support because it must be what nerds eat. D is a nerd, but does not eat Tandoori chicken burgers all the time (nerds prefer Pepsi Max and Chicken Crimpy Shapes, it seems). Then I made the Tandoori-IT Support connection. Ohhh. Very un-PC, but cleverly named.

Despite my lack of sauce, my burger was also really tasty. The chicken was very lean and cooked perfectly, and not an ounce of any sort of greasy substance spilled out of either of our burgers. The buns were large, fresh, and fluffy, and made the burgers easier to eat (rather than those thicker yet smaller buns that force the burger to be really high, thus impeding eating technique).

Beastie Burgers also has salads, onion rings, fries, and a variety of drinks, including a Lindt Chocolate Milkshake. God that sounds good. There’s also beer from $5.50, wine, and coffee.

There’s friendly and polite table service, free water, and very relaxed and casual outdoor seating. I admit I still find it weird eating at places that have elements of both restaurant (licensed, table service) and casual take away (simple furniture, open-air, fairly low prices), but Beastie’s is still worth a visit. The burgers are, to date, the best I’ve had in Brisbane. Follow the delicious rawte to Beastie’s.

Beastie Burgers
Cafe and Takeaway

Shop 60D
Little Stanley St
South Bank

(07) 3844 4070

Category: INNER CITY, INNER CITY, RESTAURANT, TAKE-AWAY |

ally | 15/10/2009

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5th Element Review

Unique Treat

Lately, desserts have been making me sad. Caramel slice. Baked cheesecake. Even the humble chocolate mud has been getting me down. Don’t get me wrong, classics like these will always have a special place in my heart, along with things like Degrassi Junior High and Brad Pitt. It is hard to perfect some of these desserts, but they are boring. They have been done. They need to step up their game.

They need bacon.

5th Element at South Bank has restored my faith in Brisbane’s dessert scene. We wandered past there the other night and spotted the following dish on the menu: Banana mousse, [banana] bread, condensed milk ice cream, macadamia nuts, and bacon ($14).

FINALLY someone is doing something unusual, different, noice in Brisbane. Thank God. We returned to 5th Element after a dinner at Beastie Burgers (more on that to come later), and ordered the banana dish along with some coffees. 5th Element is a very cool bar and restaurant, and is ideal in that it can be visited for dinner, a drink, or dessert. It’s all dim lighting, waterfalls behind the bar, and open flames (leave the polyester shirt at home), with cushy couches and high stools. It’s a beautiful space, and service was consistently professional and friendly during our whole visit. Plus they spell their name like the band 5ive.

The dessert menu is small, but has other interesting items like the Warm Chocolate Tart with Cumquat Compote. Coffees arrived promptly, but were a bit hit and miss. My mocha was very good, and struck the perfect balance between chocolate and coffee, but D’s flat white was a little on the bitter side.

No matter-dessert soon arrived to sweeten our mouths. I have to apologise, because this photo is crap, and it doesn’t do the dessert justice. The presentation was lovely, I promise. It was also a decent size; good for sharing, but also good if you wanted to have it all yourself and not feel too sick afterwards.

Now, anyone with half a brain knows that banana and bacon are perfect together. Yes, I know the Canadian Breakfast thing has been happening for a while, but 5th Element’s dish just took it to a whole new level. A thick slice of fresh banana bread and fresh banana slices were the foundation for scoops of condensed milk ice cream and fluffy banana mousse. Two crispy strips of dried banana lay on top of this little mountain, and bacon bits, macadamias, and a light banana syrup covered everything else.

I am very fond of condensed milk. When that can is open during a baking session, my finger is into that bad boy like it’s nobody’s business. This condensed milk ice cream was truly amazing; thick and creamy, it had a flavour that was between vanilla and condensed milk. Every now and then you’d get an actual chunk of pure condensed milk. It was spiritual.

The banana bread was moist and dense, and was just savoury enough to balance out the sweet on top. The mousse was tasty, but we agreed perhaps it could have been left out-it risked overpowering the dish with too much banana.

What amazed me was that the bacon was literally just bacon, albeit very small and crispy pieces. It wasn’t glazed, it wasn’t sugared, it was just bacon, and it worked. A forkful of banana bread, banana, the ice cream, a touch of mousse, and the bacon=the perfect bite. Sweet and salty are a partnership that will last the distance.

Our only other criticism? Not enough macadamia nuts. These guys were delicious, and roasted in a sweet, crispy shell. Unfortunately there were only about five of them on the plate. D’s other suggestion: “Instead of the banana on top, it should be whole strips of bacon!” His tastes aren’t a very good indicator, though; this is the man whose facebook status the other day was, “D wonders what bacon flavoured ice cream would taste like.” I rest my case.

Never mind the fact that places like North America have been doing unusual dishes like this for years. The point is, 5th Element is raising the bar for unique desserts in this town, and I thank them.

5th Element
Resturant and Bar

Corner of Tribune & Little Stanley St
South Bank

(07) 3846 5584

http://www.5thelement.com.au/

Category: BAR, DESSERT, INNER CITY, INNER CITY, INNER CITY, RESTAURANT |

ally | 08/10/2009

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Little Lily Sushi Bar Review

‘Bursting’ with Flavour

It seems it is my goal in life to eat my way through every sushi train in Brisbane. What is it about plates of rice on a moving vehicle that excites me so? As a child, did I make a little sushi hut and transfer sashimi and inari over to it on the backs of toy trains? Do I have a bit of a thing for train drivers? Who knows. All I know is conveyor belt + nori = happy Ally.

Although this Ally had a little confused frown on a recent sushi train trip. I was at Little Lily Sushi Bar, a sushi train that adjoins the Little Lily Vietnamese Restaurant, at Kelvin Grove.

The good news first-it’s rather cheap. Plates are $2.80, $3.50, and $4.80, and green tea is served free. The train track is large, so there’s lot of seating too.

So why was I frowning? Because when you try to place some sushi in your mouth and it falls apart, all over you/the floor/your neighbour’s foot, you look like a damn fool. Unfortunately, this was the story with most of the sushi. It was either put together rather sloppily, or rolled so tightly it was bursting at the seams. Either way, the end result was me picking dried rice off my top that afternoon (although that tends to happen after most meals).

There’s also not a lot of choice with what’s on the train; on my visit, there was mainly rice-based rolls and a few deep fried things. I may have seen a lone inari, but the train was moving so fast (seriously, this thing was flying), I could have been imagining it.

Now-once I finally got the sushi in my mouth, my grumpiness evaporated. The sushi tastes good. I tried a salmon and avocado plate ($3.50), and the salmon was of a really high quality. The avocado was perfect and was very fresh.
I also grabbed a mysterious plate of what I thought was spicy tuna ($2.80). It was actually some sort of canned salmon mix, and as weird as that sounds, it tasted really good. On a previous visit I also tried some deep fried tofu and picked vegie rolls, which were fantastic and held together well. This makes me think the chef might have just been having an off day with her rolling technique.

The sushi is all fresh and prepared on the spot, and there is a menu that presumably you can order whatever you want off (like sashimi). The ambience isn’t fantastic; it’s rather plain inside and austere. Having said that, it’s clean and it is a sushi train, designed for quick and cheap meals. The servings are bigger than most places, but still don’t match up to such monster servings like at Toowong Sushi Station.

So, despite the sushi falling apart, it was really quite tasty and good value. I’ll go back, and risk looking like an idiot who can’t feed herself.

Little Lily
Sushi Bar (and Thai Restaurant)

Shops 19 & 20, 8 Carraway St
Kelvin Grove

(07) 3832 2888

Category: INNER CITY, INNER CITY, RESTAURANT, TAKE-AWAY |

ally | 01/10/2009

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Simpatico Review

Fast Break
I can be extremely grumpy of a weekday morning. I have been known to scowl at people when they try to talk to me. When people chirp “Good Morning!”, I grunt in return. I’m not one of those people who needs caffeine before they can function normally-I’m just always in such a rush that I fear slowing down to mull over what a beautiful morning it is/there Kochie goes again/it’s going to be a scorcher/ will cut into my schedule.

Therefore, I like to take my time with breakfast on the weekends. Unfortunately, a recent Sunday breakfast was so rushed I felt like I was back in the unpleasant land of Monday mornings, grunting, and the magical dance I like to call Dressing While Eating.

I was at Simpatico, a pretty little restaurant in Paddington. On Sundays, the breakfast menu is all that they serve, which is absolutely fine. At first glance the menu seems standard-there’s pancakes (from $11), eggs (from $8), and fruit salad ($8.50). But wait-is that pancakes with bacon? As an actual menu item, not a side you have to add? The Canadian in me whooped with delight. Top marks, Simpatico.

Other unique dishes include the Breakfast Curry with Roti ($14), Turkish Toast with Crispy Haloumi and Chutney ($7.50) and the Turkish Eggs ($14). The Turkish Eggs are the bomb diddy. They would make any weekday morning a joy. They would make me happily sit down and discuss the weather. I would run around screaming a ‘good morning’ to anyone who would listen, and I’d even make sure I was dressed and showered, sans sleep-in-the-eyes (ew), before I sat down to these guys. So GOOD. Two poached eggs with a crispy shell were dusted in dukka, and rested atop a little stack of a cumin-spiced pumpkin fritter, avocado, and salsa. A few pieces of turkish toast accompanied everything. The flavours just all worked so amazingly well together. Sometimes a lot of thought isn’t put into breakfast dishes-this was so complex, like what you’d expect for dinner at a fine restaurant. The eggs are sort of crunchy, the salsa is sweet, and the fritter has a bit of spice to it-like a delicious cross between an Indian pakora and an onion ring. Mmmmm.

Across the table, my fork was also making frequent sweeps into D’s Freshly Made Pancakes with Bacon, Banana, and Maple Syrup ($14.50). The pancakes themselves were very fluffy and light, and cooked perfectly. The bacon was a little bit on the too-crisp side, but the bananas were perfect; very lightly cooked and a bit like a fritter. Again, all the flavours worked wonderfully together. There was the sweet taste of the syrup and banana, then the crunch of the bacon, and finally the fluffy, not too sweet pancakes to even everything out. The lemon on the side suprisingly tied everything together even more with its tart flavour. Plus, the maple syrup was actual maple syrup-extra points. “There should be more maple syrup,” D pouted. “I want to drown my pancakes in it.” Wah. Pay no attention, I felt the syrup serving was fine. Then again, I like to actually taste my food.

The coffees (latte and cappuccino, both $3.60 for skim), were also good, although I think charging an extra 30 cents for skim milk is a bit cheeky. The meals were brought out super-quickly, and here is where I start to get a bit whiny and Monday morning-ish. It’s great when things are prompt, but there is such a thing as being served too quickly in a restaurant. The bill was given almost immediately after the plates were cleared, and when the waiter returned our receipt, he basically flicked it onto the table in a swooping motion and dashed off. I felt very rushed towards the end, which is really what you don’t want for a Sunday breakfast. We were in and out in about 35 minutes, and we didn’t eat quickly either.

Now, despite this, the food is damn good, and the prices are very reasonable given the quality and portion sizes. There’s lots of outdoor seating, and a small amount indoors. Simpatico also do lunch and dinner, and have a bar for just drinks. Will I go back? Hell yes. But Simpatico, please do not rush me: I like to save my morning grumpiness for days that don’t begin in ‘S’.

Simaptico
Bar Bistro

Corner Given & Latrobe Terraces
Paddington

(07) 3367 1117

Open for lunch and dinner Tues-Sat
Open for breakfast Sat & Sun

www.simpaticobar.com.au

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

ally | 24/09/2009

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Raun Thai Review

Sweet and Sour

I’m usually a bit of a softie on here. Well. Things have changed. There are two things that make me angry. One is finding used bandaids in the shower. The other is bad Thai food.

Normally, I’d focus on the very sweet and friendly service. Or the fact that the ambiance was actually quite nice and not tacky, which can be rare in Thai restaurants. Or the swift service and little touches like constant water refills and free prawn crackers. But no. My name is Ally, and I’m about to get a little bad ass.

I’ll back up a bit. I was on a blind date with fellow blogger, GG. Being with someone else who whips out their camera at the dinner table was quite magical, I assure you. We started with Kao Tung Savoai ($7). Little rice cakes that very closely resembled rice crispie squares came out, accompanied with a dish of tamarind chicken. I’m sure these cakes were made from Rice Bubbles. The fact that they looked like LCMs but were hot and sort of buttery was very disconcerting. This was a shame, because the chicken dipping mixture was really good; light and fresh, with delicate lime leaf flavours. There was one more rice cake left but I happily left it there and scooped up the chicken in a spoon.

Next came the Yum Neua (Thai beef salad, $16.50) and Moo Kratiam Prigthai (garlic and pepper pork, $16.50). The pork was really chewy. That’s all there is to it; chewy, chewy pork. I got a hint of some nice flavours in the broth, but that meat was an effort to chomp through.

The beef salad was a little better. Flavours were quite nice; lime leaf, coriander, and a hint of chilli came through nicely. The beef, however, also put my chompers to work. My tongue was performing acrobatics trying to wrangle a piece out of my back molar. There was a massive absence of vegies; the dish mainly just had some very large limp lettuce leaves. It was a similar lack of roughage situation with the pork.

Now, this is where Bad Ass Ally takes a break and goes to punch through concrete walls and whatnot, and Soft Ally returns from the land of fairy floss and ginger kittens. I feel bad bagging out on Raun Thai, because the service we encountered was very lovely. The owner (presumably) and the waitress were very sweet, and looked after us. I also feel funny writing this less than stellar review because everyone I speak to just loves Raun Thai. In fact, friends went there on the weekend and had nothing but good things to say. I’ll also point out (not that this is criticism
by any means) that Raun Thai is a bit tricky to find, and is tucked away up a flight of stairs near Woolworths.

So. Did I catch the chef on a bad night? Am I just looking for a chance to flex my bad ass muscle? Or does most of the food leave patrons with a sour expression on their face too? Who knows. What I do know is that you can find far better Thai in this town. Now I have to go soften up and bake some cookies or something. Bad ass does not suit me.

Raun Thai
Thai Restaurant and Take Away

1/6 Sherwood Road
Toowong

07 3870 8103

BYO
Open daily, 6pm-10pm

Category: RESTAURANT, TAKE-AWAY, WESTERN SUBURBS, WESTERN SUBURBS |

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