Archive for April 2011

Home Archive for April 2011

Bistro Allure, Ann Street BRISBANE CITY QLD 4000

Okay, residents in BrisVegas, consider yourself SPOILT.

Brisbane's biggest Easter Chocolate Buffet @ Bistro Allure. I know Easter is over and you probably have had waaaay too many cute looking chocolate eggs. But seriously, how can anyone ever get sick of chocolate? I mean, is that even possible?

The buffet runs from 18 April to 2 May 2011 for $20 per person.

They say, a picture is worth a thousand words, so…

Our waitress @ Bistro Allure was really attentive, this bunny didn't really pay too much attention to the decor of the place, as my brain and eyes were very occupied (you know, processing what you see and deciding on which one to have…)

Their mains range from $25.00 to $40.00 and the menu covers a fairly good selection of seafood, steaks and wood fired pizzas. However, Bistro Allure is probably not the restaurant I would go to for dinner anytime soon.

Little Singapore Up Town, Shop G14b Albert Lane 191 Albert Street, BRISBANE QLD 4000

I like Little Singapore, the one that's tucked away in Albert Lane.

It's simple.

You get the menu, you order, pay, sit and collect your food when it's ready.

It's the ultimate chinese fast food joint without the Maccas/KFC atmosphere. The restaurant is bright lit, decorated with the colours of red and white. Its wallpaper is a highlight.

The other travel bunny and I came to this place one night for a quick bite. He ordered his favourite Char Kwai Teow ($10.50) and I had the Butter Herbed Chicken ($10.50). Both were under $15, both were generously served (no no, I mean it!) and both were absolutely delicious. I'm not quite sure what the secret ingredient was, but the herbed chicken... WOWed me.

Their coffee tea ($3.80) however, was a little disappointing. It sort of tasted watery (if you know what I mean...).

Lefkas Taverna, 170 Hardgrave Road, WEST END

Lefkas has been around for a long time, since 1991. It’s a restaurant that provides traditional home cooked Greek cuisine and a place that I had wanted to visit for ages.

Having always held a deep fascination for traditional Greek cuisine, the other travel bunny and I arrived at this restaurant situated at the bottom of Hardgrave Road in West End on a busy Friday night.

The place was filled with foodies.

We wasted no time in deciding on what to eat and immediately ordered.

We had haloumi cheese ($6.90), grilled eggplant ($8.50), skordalia dip w’ pita bread ($8.50) and grilled quails ($19.90) for entrée.

And haloumi cheese (χαλούμι), OMG, do you really need me to say anymore about the cheese? It is highly recommended, a must try. (**beginning of a bunny’s gibberish ranting** okay, I know this might sound a lil’ strange, but haloumi with watermelon is a really good combo for the summer months. The main ingredients required are haloumi, watermelon and fresh mint, hmmm I should do a blog post on this… **end of a bunny’s gibberish ranting**)

We shared a chicken yiros served w’ greek salad & tzatziki ($20.90) for main. The chicken, wow, soooo tasty. Tzatziki (τζατζίκι) is one of my favourite dipping sauces. It’s a traditional Greek mezze made of Greek yoghurt mixed with fresh cumcumbers, garlic, dill and olive oil.

Lefkas also does take away and during the whole two hours we were there, they served non-stop.

I have to admit, I enjoyed every bit about that place. It’s a must-visit for foodies.

Sanitarium Kitchen, 145 Eagle Street, BRISBANE QLD 4000

On a recent lunch outing, my friend & I decided to check out Sanitarium Kitchen, located in the very busy central business district of Brisvegas.

As the name suggests, this healthy vegetarian cafe is owned by Australian Health and Nutrition Association Limited, trading as Sanitarium Health & Wellbeing Company (you know… the company that makes Weet-Bix).

This place gets extremely busy around lunch time as the white collars escape from their cubicles for some sunshine and fresh air, so food can take a little longer to be prepared and served.

We ordered pumpkin risotto and linguine w' olives, baby spinach & goat cheese, I also had a smoothie to drink.

My pumpkin risotto had a very creamy consistency and tasted really pleasant. The smoothie however, tasted way too healthy for me (a rather important point to note: I am a self-confessed Maccas lover). It just felt like I was drinking a bunch of freshly harvested carrots topped with soil.

I think Sanitarium Kitchen is the perfect place to go to when you had a crazy weekend of eating Maccas (or was simply being a carnivore) and it's an awesome idea to provide healthy lunch options for the inhabitants of the Brisbane CBD.

I noticed that their curries are also really popular and that's what I'll be having on Monday.

Piaf, 182 Grey St Shop 5, SOUTH BRISBANE QLD 4101

Piaf, a little sparrow.

It is also currently known as one of the best casual dining joints in BrisVegas.

While taking a relaxing stroll down Grey Street, we spotted this cute French-styled bistro around the corner and surprisingly (not) our bunny taste buds were demanding us to sit and dine. So we did.

We ordered Confit duck leg w’ parsnip puree, brocolini & jus ($24) and Pan seared white fish w’ roasted peppers, artichokes & salsa verde ($24). The dishes were presented very nicely. The duck leg tasted really yummy, oh which reminds me, **Beginning of a bunny’s gibberish ranting** I’ve noticed that I have this tendency of immediately liking the other travel bunny’s choice of meal and completely disregard the food on my plate. Whether it’s duck leg, beef ribs (as per my previous blog post), or even a McDonald’s burger **End of a bunny’s gibberish ranting**.

Fish of the Day was barramundi, the skin was crispy, the flesh in my opinion however, was slightly overcooked and tasted quite bland. A point to note is that the service at this restaurant is ordinary. My drink arrived at the table long after the mains with several reminders to our waitress (and at the time, there were only three open tables including us).

At the end of our meals, we decided to ditch Piaf and head to the good old Max Brenner for desserts as their dessert menu only provides a very limited selection as follows:

Crème brulee;

Chocolate mousse w’ pecan praline & cointreau strawberries; and

Profiteroles w’ creme patissiere, caramel sauce & toasted almonds.

Piaf definitely has its uniqueness, e.g. a wall of vertical wooden slats and its simple & casual dinner menu. However, if it’s a true Parisian affair that you are after, alternatives should be considered.

The Smoke BBQ, 85 Merthyr Road, NEW FARM

A bar decorated with cowhides, a wall filled with firelogs, The Smoke BBQ reminds you of Texas, cowboys and … ribs. Yeeeeeha~

The other travel bunny and I arrived at this restaurant in New Farm on one Sunday night, we were promptly greeted and seated.

Their complimentary corn bread & lemon butter soon arrived at our table. The bread was sweet and moist.

We ordered the famous buffalo chicken wings with blue cheese dipping, Kansas City baby back pork ribs and Texas beef short ribs.

I'm not quite sure that I liked my baby pork ribs, but the beef ribs were definitely delicious and juicy.

Both mains were served with chips however, we ordered their coleslaw on the side as well just so that … we weren't feelings so guilty…

As we were chewing on our meaty dinner, a scream came from the table next to us, the high pitch noise was then followed by a series of moaning and heavy breathing. I turned my head to see what the fuss was all about, only to realize that a young gentleman around the age of 25 was gulping down a glass of milk, sweat dripped down his forehead. The other travel bunny and I looked at each other and nodded in mutual agreement… ‘3^rd degree burn’... So, unless you are a chili expert, I wouldn’t recommend that you try the buffalo chicken wings covered in their spiciest sauce.

Dinner at The Smoke BBQ was an enjoyable experience and the restaurant is worth another visit for sure.

Le Bon Choix, 379 Queen St, BRISBANE QLD 4000

You know how sometimes you just want to get out of the office because you've been having a really bad day at work? I go to Le Bon Choix when that happens.

Those colourful, mouth-watering cakes sitting in the display cabinet, they just stare right into your eyes: 'eat me, eat us, you know you want to…"

Their cakes are not just pure indulgence on a plate, but each one of them is a masterpiece hand-crafted by a French artist.

My personal favourites are Miroula (macadamia mouse and creme brulee centre)and their must-have chocolate eclairs.

So next time when you need a perk-me-up, why not go to Le Bon Choix?

Lychee Lounge, 2/94 Boundary Street West End QLD 4101

I went to Lychee Lounge recently with a girlfriend after work on a Thursday night, the place was packed.

The venue possesses some kind of wicked charm with its bizarre décor. From the quirky barbie-doll-head chandeliers (but be warned, they can get a lil' freaky after a few LL martinis, so try not to look up…), to its oriental touches, and most importantly, a superb range of cocktails, this stylish cocktail bar is worth a visit.

We ordered a Smoke & Lace ($18)- Calvados, Pedro Ximenez, Ardbeg Buttterscotch, organic apple juice, vanilla syrup, fresh cream and nutmeg)and a La Floridita Frozen Lychee Daiquiri($16) - a frappe style cocktail consisting of havana especial, triple sec, lime juice and lychees (yum yum).

Capitan Torres, 73 Liverpool St, Sydney

Being a self-claimed foodie, I must admit that I wasn't ready to step out of my comfort zone (food-wise that is) until I met the other travel bunny.

So, to expand my culinary horizons, one day, the other travel bunny took me to the Spanish Quarter, an area with an abundance of Spanish restaurants.

Capitan Torres, that's the restaurant we went to.

The place is small but full of characters, such as authentic dark oak and traditional stools at their tapas bar. The menu offers a mouth-watering selection of tapas, including gambas a la sevillana (prawns cooked in onion, tomato salsa and garlic sauce), chanquettes (deep fried white bait) and chorizo (not that i had any clue as to what they were at the time… )

But the moment when a carafe filled with berry-coloured liquid arrived at our table, I felt my pupils dilated (i know, i know, but I'm a non-alcoholic bunny). Sangria.

I reached out for the glass and had a sip, then another sip, a delightful combination of flavours ( wines, spirits, liqueurs & chopped fruit) burst into my month. And that's when I knew… I'm in love with Sangria.

Oh, and this blog post is a review of Captain Torres, so:-

I've read a few reviews regarding the rudeness of the waiters at the restaurant. We had a really nice lady serving us and she even offered to take photos for us. Food was tasty, served fast. The place isn't big and can be noisy, but hey, you're there to have tapas, not fine dining. The atmosphere of the restaurant makes it a great place for spanish casual dining.

Worth-a-try: sangria & garlic prawns.

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