Archive for April 2013

The Buffet | Bellagio, The Strip, Las Vegas NEVADA USA

Having weekend brunch in Vegas is not for the faint hearted, I mean you've gotta be prepared for it. We thought that it was totally necessary to dine at the ever so popular The Buffet at Bellagio, so I got up extra early that morning after having watched a late session of The Peep Show starring Coco Austin.

Staying at a suite in the Bellagio meant that we had the privilege of queue skipping and I basically started eating before I even had the chance to sit down.

The selection was good, but perhaps not as good as I had imagined. I was hoping for mountains of desserts but at $28 per person, we all know that that would be slightly unreasonable. We had a really good waitress and she made sure that the juice and coffee on our table kept on coming.

And with a stomach full of food, we continued on our adventure in Vegas.

Total Bunnie Dollars Spent: $56 (excluding tips).

View Larger Map

Sugar Factory | The Strip, Las Vegas NEVADA USA

So where does Willy Wonker take all the Oompa-Loompas after a long day at the Chocolate factory while living it up in Vegas... well, the same place that I took the other travel bunnie after dinner at Mix – The Sugar Factory. To say that the original outlet of this famous US chain is over-the-top is an understatement. The décor, the enthusiastic waiters, and oh-so-large portions all lead to one conclusion – fantastic way to end the night! We ordered the The Sugar Factory's signature triple chocolate sundae and washed it all down with a giant red velvet milkshake. Now, granted we had already been out to what was a pretty fabulous dinner beforehand it might be a logical that we wouldn't have been able to eat much but, I have to admit this is one time that even these crazy bunnies couldn't finish their dessert.

Total Bunnie Dollars Spent: $30 (including tips)

View Larger Map

Pancake Manor | 18 Charlotte Street, BRISBANE CBD QLD 4000

Another Saturday night with nowhere in particular to go. The other travel bunnie had been a model hubby and watched a whole season of of Sex and the City with me. We were too relaxed to dress up and go anywhere fancy but we had two empty stomachs to feed. So we thought, why not go to Pancake Manor? It's an oldie but a goodie.

Pancake Manor is located in the former St. Luke's Anglican Church on Charlotte Street and it offers stacks after stacks of pancakes (pun intended!)

I had my all-time favourite, Strawberry Patch ($14.50) – two buttermilk pancakes with fresh strawberries, strawberry coulis, cream and vanilla ice cream. At the recommendation of our waitress, the other travel bunnie had the Hot 'n troppo ($12.95) – two buttermilk pancakes with roasted walnuts, grilled bananas, cream, chocolate ice cream and chocolate sauce.

There is something about being served freshly made buttermilk pancakes at the hour of your choosing (this places is open 24hours) without having to lift a finger.

Total Bunnie Dollars Spent: $27.45

Eros Cafe | 76 Boundary Street, WEST END QLD 4101

In an attempt to sweeten our stomachs after a rather disappointing dinner at Ouzeri, we made a quick stop at Eros. Despite being small, this cafe is located on busy Boundary Street in West End and it offers an abundance of cakes and traditional Greek desserts.

On that particular night, we had a baklava and a macadamia nut cheesecake with an iced frappé on the side. My obsession with iced frappé started on a heated summer day in Athens, but that's a story for another day.

The desserts were quite nice, although I can't say that the baklava was the best I've had. Eros certainly added a sweet touch to our Greek feast.

Total Bunnie Dollars Spent: $11.50.

Ouzeri | 120 Boundary Street, WEST END QLD 4101

Feeling in the mood to reminisce, the other travel bunnie and I went to Ouzeri, where it all began for the two of us. Long story short, I was taken by the Greek food offered by the restaurant, but even more so by the Greek man sitting next to me.

Needless to say, Ouzeri has also held a special place in my heart.

We have since then devoured more food, traveled to many places and got hitched. Unfortunately, Ouzeri's sparkle that I once remembered has since faded away.

The Meze Platter ($49.95) was nothing like it used to be. The octopus tentacles were rubbery and the whitebait tasted like it hadn't been fresh for a few days. To its credit, the haloumi, pita bread and dips were really nice and authentic.

I absolutely love Greek food and with Little Greek Taverna and Lefkas located close by, I can't see myself going back to Ouzeri anytime soon.

Total Bunnie Dollars Spent: $49.95.

Mix | The Strip, Las Vegas NEVADA USA

Choosing somewhere to dine in Las Vegas is like sending me to Toys 'R' Us and saying “just get something fun”. Sure, it sounds easy but with so many options and so little time, where should we go?

After hours of research, Alain Ducasse's Mix located at Mandalay Bay was amongst a number of dining choices during our stay in Vegas.

The elegantly designed restaurant is accessed by a private elevator from the casino which after a quick checkin shoots you to the top level of the tower which instantly opens out to an exquisite view of the Vegas strip. The restaurant oozes class (well – it oozes Vegas class which is more playful and extravagant) and our table was set underneath the restaurant’s magnificent blown-glass chandelier and next to its floor-to-ceiling windows.

Our waiter was informative and extremely efficient (as one would expect from a celebrity chef restaurant) but what really left a lasting impression was the quality of the food. Now, I should let you know that we went into dinner at Mix knowing that we had expectations of ending our night with yet more food in the form of desserts at The Sugar Factory so we went for quantity and not quantity when ordering. I ordered the signature dish, Roasted Maine Lobster “AU Curry” ($49) which comes with a side of coconut basmati rice while the other bunnie when for a juicy piece of boneless ribeye prime steak ($46) with a side of miX Macaroni and cheese with ham ($9). So, where to start... The Lobster was sweet, moist and perfectly paired with the light curry sauce which in no way overpowered the beautiful flavour of the seafood. The steak was cooked perfectly medium-rare and the mac and cheese was the surprise of the night which surprisingly I and the other travel bunnie fought over finishing (seriously – there must be something a little more addictive than cheese in that stuff). All in all, the food was fantastic and the restaurant’s setting set us in the mood for speeding the rest of the night exploring the strip.

Total Bunnie Dollars Spend: $135 (including tips).

View Larger Map