Saturday 28 April 2018

7 Cup - Brisbane CBD


Belated post, but went to the relatively new 7 Cup in the Myer Centre when drinks were half price to try it out. Getting there at peak lunch hour, I was surprised to see that the line was quite minimal, which meant I was able to put my order through fairly quickly.


Compared to the standard tea places there was a much stronger focus on flavoured teas and smoothies. There was an evident lack of my standard plain green tea, so I tried to order strawberry soda with reduced sugar levels, to be told that the sugar was already set. Third preference was to get the strawberry alpine oolong, which I could thankfully customize sugar levels.


Of course, I got a loyalty card, and as the name suggests, you buy seven drinks and the next one is free. I note however that the drinks seem to be quite expensive and are edging closer and closer to the cost of a small meal.


The strawberry alpine oolong tea was cool and refreshing with slices of strawberry in it, but I found the strawberry syrup to be considerably artificial and overpowered the oolong tea to a point where I was unable to appreciate much of the tea flavours or fragrance. Compared to other friuty teas that I've had say at Orange Tea, this was definitely not comparable. Next time I'll probably try out the milk tea and see if it's any better.

Price Range: $5 - $7pp

Taste: 5/10
Value: 5/10
Service: 7/10
Environment: 5/10


7 Cup Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Tuesday 24 April 2018

Walter's Steakhouse - Brisbane CBD


Fridays, amongst all other things, is a good time to reflect upon the hard labours of the week and reward yourself for the undue suffering that week. Normally, this would involve a casual sit down lunch over a burger or sushi, but when lunch is with the ever bourgeois Iron Fist, it always ends up with us at a fancy restaurant, sharing in his perchance for luxury and extravagance. Which is why we found ourselves at the newly opened Walter's Steakhouse last Friday (thankfully before all the rain started). Being situated in the old lodgings of what used to be Restaurant II, it is opposite the nice leafy greenery of the botanical gardens. 



Taking a quick stroll down Eagle Street, we entered and found ourselves at the bar. Despite the fact that our reservation was at 12pm, our table wasn't yet ready, so we grabbed seats at the bar to for around 15 mins. We really liked the bar area, which had a really cool classical vintage set up.

 

The drinks menu was very comprehensive and covered a large variety of options.

 

As usual, Iron Fist ordered a red wine. Wanting to try something new, I tried the Mineral House Cocktail, containing Rittenhouse 100 Proof Rye, Walter's Salt and Pepper Vermouth, Bitters, and Apricot and Sweet Spices. It was surprisingly strong, and deliciously fruity and sweet, which was quite enjoyable.


After a while, our table was ready and we were shown in. The restaurant was set up much like the bar, and we liked the decor quite a bit.


Menus were provided upon being seated. It contained a selection of what you would expect at a traditional steakhouse, with appetisers suited to complement steak, a variety of steaks and other meaty mains, sides and dessert. Of course, there is no doubt that we would want to try the signature speciality porterhouse, which is what we ordered.


Complimentary bread was soon served. It came with some unsalted butter, and surprisingly steak sauce. The bread was wonderfully toasted and had a considerably dense but fluffy interior, with a chewy but not very crusty exterior. The butter melted wonderfully into the bread, and the steak sauce gave it a wonderfully sweet smokey taste.


My entree came before long. As expected by my dear readers, I ordered the steak tartare. It was served with cornichons, eshallot, mustard and cured egg yolk. I found the beef to be very fresh, with an almost crisp meaty flavour to it. The eshallot gave it a sharp bite whilst the egg yolk added a certain smoothness to the dish. Compared to other steak tartares I've had at other places, the beef had a much denser, heavier and substantial texture, which made it quite filling, and thoroughly enjoyable.


The rest of our meal came very promptly after we finished the tartare, and it was definitely a sight to behold.


 

The main event of course, was our speciality porterhouse for two. It was served sizzling on a 300 degree plate that was slanted to allow for the oils and meat jus to pool at the bottom. It was served with four different types of mustard, which we sampled and quite enjoyed, especially the tangy wholegrain mustard. The steak itself was done wonderfully well with perfectly rendered caramelised fat, an almost crisp exterior and a delightfully silky smooth, moist and perfectly rare interior. Iron fist liked it so much that he had the steak plain and unencumbered with condiments of any kind.   



First of our sides was Iron Fist's most beloved creamed spinach. It was wonderfully rich without being overpowering. Having enjoyed creamed spinach in NYC before, Iron Fist said it was quite similar to what he remembered. Having it for the first time, I liked how the smooth cream cheese absorbed into the spinach, making for quite a decadent dish. 


Wanting to try a novel potato side, we opted for the German Fried Potatoes. They came fried to a golden brown, tossed with bacon bits, onion bits and herbs. I liked the crisp skin of the potato, which was wonderfully seasoned. It provided a welcome change to the usual mash or chips that we would have had with our steak. 


Our last side was the Caesar salad. It was presented unusually, with the lettuce leaves being unchopped, and topped with copious amounts of Parmesan cheese and served with bread sticks. It was a simple yet elegant salad without the distraction of bacon or dressing, making for a refreshing but sophisticated side in which to complement the steak. 


Price Range: $70 - $130pp

Taste: 9/10
Value: 7/10
Service: 9/10
Environment: 8/10

Walter's Steakhouse Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Saturday 21 April 2018

Initial Tea - Sunnybank


It took a few tries, but finally I made my way to Initial Tea after an early dinner to get some post dinner drinks and hopefully a slice of the very popular watermelon cake, which I've seen so much of on  social media. Unfortunately for me. It turns out that this love affair was destined for failure. Despite arriving at 7pm, reasonably early on a Saturday night, we arrived to find that whilst the store was open, all the cakes were already completely sold out. Thus our plans were thwarted again and three girls had to go without dessert for the night.


Without dessert, at least there was tea (because if there wasn't, I wouldn't even be writing this). Drinks varied quite significantly from the usual options at Chatime and Gong Cha, to a focus on fruit tea and tea with milk foam, as is all the rage nowadays. There was also a noticeable lack of options for toppings.




Ordering at the counter, we got a seat and awaited our number. Decor was very beautiful, as can be seen on quite a few instagram feeds, and we appreciated the books available for browsing as we awaited our tea.


Our tea was made after only a short wait, my two companions ordering an Osmanthus Flower Oolong Tea with Milk Foam, and an Iced Lemon Tea. Both companions thoroughly enjoyed their tea. Trying out some of the milk foam oolong, I found it to be very rich and mildly sweet, which was very much to my taste. 


I had the Iced Lime Tea, which was very refreshing and cool. I liked the strong sharp tang of lime, and the fact that the tea wasn't overly sweet, but could have been more fragrant. Compared to other fruity teas I've had before though, it still wouldn't top my all time favourite orange tea, but it was still quite enjoyable.

Price Range: $5 - $7pp

Taste: 8/10
Value: 5/10
Service: 5/10
Environment: 8/10

Initial Tea Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Wednesday 18 April 2018

Little Loco - New Farm


Belated post, but met up with the ever delightful Mandy Bernadette and charismatic MB at Little Loco for a long overdue catch up brunch. Arriving at 10am, it was definitely packed, with customers, both inside and out. Lucky for me, I managed to grab the last empty table.

 

Menus were provided, with an all day breakfast selection, a lunch selection and some drinks. Ordering was done at the counter, as usual in cafes.




Our coffees came very quickly after. My skinny cappuccino was quite strong, and I really enjoyed the shaved chocolate on top, but found that the milk could have been a bit creamier for my liking. Nevertheless, the coffee was fruity and had a strong aroma to it, which was quite satisfying. 




Our food came quite quickly after our coffees. MB had the Breakfast Poke Bowl, and Mandy had the Eggs and Waffle Benedict whilst I had the Smashed Avocado with eggs and salmon. I really enjoyed my smashed avocado, which was ripe and well seasoned with dukkah and lemon to give it texture and tang. The eggs were done with a delightfully runny centre and the haloumi was wonderfully caramelised with a toasty exterior. The salmon was a little lacking in freshness though, and the colour wasn't as vibrant as usual, but the sourdough was still quite crusty on the outside with a soft but dense interior, which I found quite enjoyable regardless.


Price Range: $20 - $30pp

Taste: 7.5/10
Value: 7/10
Service: 7/10
Environment: 7/10

Little Loco Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Sunday 15 April 2018

Bread For You - Sunnybank


Had heard of the very popular Initial Tea, and took the chance to leave work earlier one Friday to try it out, but it turned out to be closed that day. Still hoping to indulge in some afternoon tea, I wandered around and found myself standing outside of Bread For You, so I went in to give it a try.


Like most Asian bakeries, the breads and cakes were available on a self serve basis. As usual, most of the varieties were sweet, with only a few savoury options. There were also a few individual sized cakes.


Paying at the counter, there were also a selection of cafe style drinks to be ordered, so in the absence of bubble tea, I settled on a matcha latte and a slice of honey chiffon instead.


Both were served up reasonably quickly. I was a little surprised that the honey chiffon was served still wrapped in plastic, despite my indications that I would be eating in the cafe.


The matcha latte came filled to the brim. The green had a little more yellow hue than other matcha latte's I've had in the past. Taste wise, it was surprisingly sweet for my palate, although very fragrant, it lacked the usual taste of matcha, making for a milky and rich, but somewhat flawed cup.


The honey chiffon, like the matcha, was also very sweet, but somewhat light on the honey flavour, rather being quite sugary instead. Having said that, it was sufficiently moist and fluffy with a good texture, which I did quite enjoy.


Price Range: Under $10pp

Taste: 6/10
Value: 7/10
Service: 7/10
Environment: 7/10

Bread for You Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato