Archive for November 2011

Alchemy Restaurant and Bar, 175 Eagle Street, BRISBANE CBD 4000

Alchemy wasn't part of our dinner plan for that Monday night. But having learnt that Montrachet was fully booked and there was no way for them to make room for a table of two somewhere even in a little dark corner. I presume that the other travel bunny could not bare to see the devastation written all over my face, he booked Alchemy.

And it was goooooood.

Dazzling view of the BNE river and the Story Bridge while you wine and dine at this well situated restaurant created by owners Brad and Angelica Jolly. We ordered seared scallops with vine ripened tomato dressing, toasted brioche and basil jelly ($27) for entree, Duck Breast with Spiced Bok Choy, Pears, Sautéed Potatoes, Confit Garlic and Red Wine Sauce ($42) and their special of the night, slow cooked beef cheeks with creamed potato for mains. Mmmm, the scallops were so delicately cooked and the beef cheeks were juicy and soft, it felt like they were literally melting in your mouth. Dessert selection is always hard for me, but we had Lemon Soufflé with White Chocolate Sabayon and Raspberry Sorbet ($17) and Chocolate and Vanilla Parfait with Salted Chocolate Caramel and Peanut Brittle Ice Cream ($17). The soufflé, risen and golden on the outside, but still soft and creamy inside.

We had a great time at Alchemy. Although I wouldn't say that it's my new favourite place in town, but it's definitely worth a try, especially their beef cheeks! Yummmm…

Spring, 26 Felix Street, BRISBANE CBD 4000

We witnessed Spring coming into existence. The beginning of a new chapter for the BNE foodies.

It was our daily ritual to walk past the shop everyday after work on our way home. We would put our hands on the window and peek inside, hoping to catch a glimpse of… well, anything.I know it sounds like a freaky act, but the corner of Felix & Mary has been lifeless for months and we prayed (very faithfully) for something new and exciting to happen.

So as you can imagine, when the first stage of Spring finally opened we couldn't get changed out of our pyjamas fast enough to rush downstairs for some breakfast and coffee. Spring comprises of not only a restaurant/gourmet takeaway, it also has a cooking school, a shop (for kitchenware, recipe books, gourmet sauces and much more) and a bistro. Seriously, this is exactly what BNE was in need of!

There weren't much to choose from for breakfast, so we ordered most of the items that they had on offer. I was quite surprised that a shop like Spring didn't stock any caramel syrup but the coffee was good without it regardless. The lightly toasted bun with bacon was really tasty and the raspberry macaron… light and sweet on the outside, creamy in the centre. We paid a little under $20 and they even came in pretty paper boxes (which really reminded me of the LEGENDARY French pâtisserie Ladurée).

I can't wait to see everything this Spring has to offer.

Heraklion, GREECE

We arrived in Heraklion very early in the morning. By ferry. When it reached the harbour, the sky was still dark, the moon was shining on the water. Serenity. We were eager to get off, with excitement of course. I wanted to see this town, its Venetian castle, its old harbour and the history that was left behind by the Ottoman empire.

The town was so quiet just before dawn. With barely anyone on the streets, a few homeless puppies wandering around and us... trying to capture this peaceful moment and carefully store it somewhere in our memories.

Watching the sunrise from the Old Harbour was an amazing experience. It was hypnotic.

Somewhere close to the Cathedral, we found a little cafe and had some ice cold frappe with honeyed feta and walnuts. God, I love Greek food. I often dream about going back to Greece for summer vacations, get up early in the morning and eat all day long (haha... spotted, a lil' piggy).

We strolled around the streets of Heraklion. Then, a bus trip took us to the lost city of Knossos (Κνωσός), which also translates to the labyrinth. According to the ancient Greek legend, a half man half bull monstrous creature, called the Minotaur lived inside of the Palace and people who entered this place would eventually get lost and get eaten by the Minotaur. How much of this incredible tale is based on reality isn't important to me, because it was an amazing experience being able to stand on the ruins of the Knossos Palace, once the ceremonial and political centre of the Minoan civilisation and culture.

And that ended the travel bunnies' day trip to Heraklion.

Ole Restaurant, Shop B12, Little Stanley Street, SOUTH BRISBANE QLD 4101

I never considered myself as a fussy bunny when it comes to food. But Ole was such a disappointment.

We found this restaurant on a sunny sunday afternoon after a nice stroll around South Bank and decided to try it out as the place was looking pretty vibrant.

It took a long time before we could get anyone's attention to place our order but I wasn't too fussed about it at the time. My jaw almost dropped when I saw the three 'lonely' scallops presented in front of me. The pork crackling was stale, as in there is no way for you to take a bite of it. The olives baked in batter pastry took more than an hour to be brought to our table, which really surprised me. The service was terrible in general.

Having said all that, their sangria really deserves a mention. It tasted very refreshing, not too sweet and not too strong.

Sadly, it's no more hola for me at Ole.