Archive for August 2012

Home Archive for August 2012

The Crosstown Eating House, 23 Logan Road, WOOLLOONGABBA QLD 4102

Did someone say perfectly seasoned crispy shoelace thin fries for breakfast? That's what the other travel bunnie had on our recent breakfast affair at Crosstown Eating House and it sure was one of the best we've had in a while.

To be honest, Crosstown faces tough competition with the ever so popular Pearl Cafe located just across the street and they sure do a great job being unique.

The restaurant is spacious and we were given a few seating options, their courtyard seemed quiet and that's where we sat. The service was great, very prompt but not pushy. A pot of hot English Breakfast tea and an aromatic latte were delivered to our table within 5 minutes.

We had already looked at the breakfast menu the night before after our dinner at E'cco, which means that we wasted no time in deciding what to put into our tummies that morning. I hadn't had french toast for a long time as the last one I had didn't live up to standards, but my sweet tooth made me order their French toast, honeyed ricotta, fresh strawberries and coulis ($15) and O.M.G it was good. So good that I could just eat it all day! It wasn't overly sweet and the honeyed ricotta provided great texture to the dish.

The other travel bunnie went a lil' crazy and ordered the bacon and egg roll, bbq sauce, fries and aioli ($15.5). Mmm... it was a great choice. I kept asking the other travel bunnie to look the other way and every time he turned back, some fries would go missing (ahem... I didn't steal them I swear, it was the boogy man... or a hungry bunnie).

Crosstown Eating House provided us a wholesome, delicious breakfast. It was just what we needed and left us happy for the rest of the day.

Total Bunnie Dollars Spent: $38.

E'cco, 100 Boundary Street, BRISBANE CBD QLD 4000

Philip Johnson's E'cco has always being our list and we thought that we should get it out of the way before the much anticipated One Eleven opens.

The décor of the restaurant is very simple, wooden tables and chairs placed next to one another with a finishing touch of an open kitchen. When we arrived at the restaurant, it was really quiet but the restaurant was soon filled up with hungry customers. I found the tables to be too crammed together, as we were eating we surprisingly found out that the table next to us worked in the same industry and not that we were ear-dropping or anything, but let's just say we unintentionally heard some dirty and juicy gossips.

We started our dinner with roast pork belly, abalone, pickled fennel, celeriac purée & fried sage ($24.50) and crumbed duck rillettes, duck prosciutto, cornichons & celeriac remoulade ($24.50). The pork belly was really nice. I mean, I hardly ever dislike any pork belly dish as long as the cracking is good.

Our mains were lamb rack, goats cheese polenta, onion jam,  zucchini flowers & harissa ($42.50) and duck breast, sweet potato fondant, truffle honey baby carrots & blood orange ($42.50). The meals were simple, nothing too adventurous. I quite liked the lamb rack, the medium rare meat was cooked perfectly and it had just the right amount of fat. I thought the goats cheese polenta was a more exciting alternative to potato mash but the flavour could get a lil' too rich. The duck on the other hand was a big disappointment, at a price like that I expected more than three baby carrots on the plate and the slices of blood oranges were too sweet in my opinion.

Was the food good, yes but there wasn't any wow factor and I can think of a handful of other restaurants that I would rather go to for the similar amount of dough spent.

Total Bunnie Dollars Spent: $134.00

Chouquette, 19 Barker Street, NEW FARM QLD 4005

We went and saw the Prado exhibition at QAG yesterday and when we stepped out, the weather was beautiful. Both of us were in the mood for some sweets and since I've always wanted to go to Chouquette after having tasted my delicious birthday cake, we hopped onto a ferry to New Farm (and I spotted a cute giant duck floating on the river, just chillin' and getting a sun tan I suppose).

Chouquette is a lot smaller than I had imagined. Located in a quiet neighbourhood, it's very popular among the locals.

We sat and talked about our upcoming holiday over some pastries and hot drinks, it was really relaxing to be honest.

I heard that they make fabulous almond croissants but unfortunately, neither of us had any room left in our stomachs.

I probably wouldn't travel to New Farm for some French pastries considering that Le Bon Choix is conveniently located only one block away from where we live and they are just as good if not better.

Total Bunnie Dollars Spent: $20.30

Sing's Asian Kitchen, 5 Nash Street, ROSALIE QLD 4064

Ever since I've started my new job, cooking dinner on Monday nights seems like an unachievable task. I keep making empty promises to cook at home but I swear that there is this invisible force that's stopping me from cooking...

Dinner tonight was at Sing's Asian Kitchen in Rosalie. It's a small restaurant that provides cheap and quick Asian fusion food. Famous for their Wing-Wing (deboned chicken wings stuffed with delicious ingredients including water chestnuts), I had to have them. They tasted pleasant on their own but the dipping sauce created perfection.

As for our mains, we opted for two Chef's Recommendation dishes – Peppercorn roasted duck and Ketchup pork chops. I was especially disappointed of the duck which only came with a few thinly sliced duck meat and tasteless vegetables. The Ketchup pork chops was a better option.

The steamed rice wasn't fluffy, it was cold and burnt. I felt embarrassed for staff who presented this to us. I ordered their mango sticky rice in an attempt to finish my meal on a sweet note and it turned out to be disappointing as well.

Based on the great reviews on the internet, we must've went on a busy night. But should that be a good excuse?

On a positive, the service was very friendly.

Although I wouldn't take my friends to Sing's Asian Kitchen for a tantalising culinary experience, given the number of different dishes that this restaurant has on offer, it could be a dinner option on a lazy Monday night.

Total Bunnie Dollars Spent: $49.80.

PS. Sing's Kitchen also has a shop in Cooparoo.

Day trip to Nice, Côte d'Azur, FRANCE

I don't want to start every blog post on Europe by saying “Ahh...” but seriously, Europe has a special place in my heart because that's where I caught an incurable sickness which requires very expensive and time-consuming treatments to keep me sane and happy. Yes, it's called the Travel Bug Syndrome.

Nice is one of my favourite places in the world and I swear that the flowers there are brighter than others and the lettuce used in their salade niçoise are somehow more crisp and fresh and of course, the water, crystal clear and amazingly blue.

This cosmopolitan city is a mix of old and new, I personally prefer the old town where you can loose yourself in alleyways and or sip on a cup of coffee in a tiny bistro somewhere.

I travelled there by train from Grasse for only a few euros and it took me directly to Nice's main station, Gare Nice Ville in less than an hour. The station was really busy and you do have to watch out for pick-pocketers. To get to old town from the station, you can walk along Av Jean Médecin. I went there in the middle of summer and the beach was full of tourists and beach-bums getting ~~sun burned~~ the perfect Mediterranean tan.

The pebble beach in Nice stretches for miles along the French coastline, so don't hope for beautiful golden sand on the beach. You can however, go to private beaches and rent a sun lounger for about €15 a day.

Going up to Parc du Chateau will give you a bird's-eye view of the old town and the beachfront. If you don't want to take the stairs, then a cliffside lift is available for €1 to get you up there.

Don't quote me on the prices above, after all it has been two years since I've been there but you are more than welcome to look at the beautiful photos below:

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