GU Tea - Sunnybank Hills

Checked out G.U Tea earlier in the year when it had recently opened. It is situated in a new dining complex down the road from Sonder, alongside Ramen Danbo and Yat Tiu Rice Noodle Rolls. 

The menu was more modern than traditional with quite a lot of fruity options along with cheese foam. They did a marvelous job with the advertising. Although the teas were quite standard fare, they were marketed to draw inspiration for martial arts novels that I had grown up on, raising a fair bit of nostalgia.

Ordering at the counter, there were a few seats inside with people enjoying their beverages. Drinks took surprisingly long to make despite the lack of queue.

He had the Milk Tea with Popping Red Beans whilst I had the Watermelon Crush with Cloud (i.e. cheese). Keen to try out the red bean, it turned out to be encased in a gelatinous coating that was chewy but didn't really pop when you bite into it. The tea lacked flavour and was definitely more milk than it was tea. My watermelon crush was extremely sweet but still quite fruity. I found the cheese on top to be quite decadent and enjoyable.

Price Range: $5 - $10pp

Taste: 5/10
Value: 5/10
Service: 5/10
Environment: 6/10

The Lamb Shop - Bowen Hills

Since the early days of King Street, I have long wanted to try out The Lamb Shop. Every time I walk past, I am always tempted by the wafting smell of char grilled lamb emanating from the store, but invariably, every time, I had made alternate dinner plans. Tasked with organising girl's night dinner, there was finally nothing standing in my way from trying it out and enjoying a feast of lamb over with great company.

The setup was relaxed and casual. Menus were provided on the high set tables and also on the wall. Other than ourselves, there was only another table for dine in, with a constant stream of take away orders as we ate.

We ordered at the counter, but food was brought out to us. I liked the open plan kitchen which allowed us to watch both the lamb and the chicken as it was slowly grilled on the spit.

 

Starting off, we had two small plates, the Lamb and the Chicken to share. Each came with 200g portions from the spit and were served with Pita Bread ant Tzatziki. Even though we knew the portions would be 200g, it still appeared a bit small on the plate, especially when shared around. I preferred the charred lamb over the chicken as it was quite moist and flavoursome but the chicken did have a bit more tangy lemon flavours to it.

Our other lamb dish was the Char Grilled Lamb Ribs. Again the portion wasn't that large, but the lamb was definitely very tasty. With meat that easily fell off the bone, it was well marinated and infused with Greek herbs and the strong tang of lemon juice. A definite crowd pleaser, I just wish there was more to go around.

For our sides, we opted for a simple Cabbage Slaw and some Hand Cut Chips with Feta. Both were fairly large in portion, the slaw was shredded very finely and drizzled with light dressing to balance out our very meat heavy meal. The chips were chunky and added feta ensured an element of creaminess to the side.

Price Range: $25 - $35pp

Taste:  8/10
Value: 6/10
Service: 8/10
Environment: 8/10

Betty's Burgers - Brisbane CBD

Grabbed some burgers when dine in was still available during a catch up with a friend. Opted for Betty's burgers, being the closest thing that you can really get to Charboys (the absolutely best burgers) within the vicinity of the CBD.

Despite being a counter service type of burger joint, hospitality is always super warm and friendly so even though you get given a buzzer after ordering, when your buzzer sounds, staff pick up and deliver your order to your table.

 

He had a chocolate milkshake whilst I had a coke zero. Trying some of the milk shake, it was fairly thick and fairly sweet with only a small hint of chocolate. I preferred my coke instead.

Didn't take too long for our food to be served. I like the classic diner setup with a half wrapped burger reminiscent of an old fashioned American burger.

My companion had the Betty's Classic. With angus beef, lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese and Betty’s special sauce, it was their signature burger. He really enjoyed the squishy milk bun and the crumbly beef patty glued together with cheese and special sauce. A little small for a meal on its own, he was grateful that we had a serve of fries to share.

Wanting something more substantial, I went for the Betty's double, with double beef, double cheese, bacon, pickles, onions, American mustard and tomato sauce it had a notable absence of salad. It was definitely meaty and I enjoyed the double crumbly beef sandwiched between two squishy buns but I did really miss having salad on my burger though. Next time I might have to just add a patty to the Betty's Classic instead.

As mentioned, we had a serve of fries to share. These were fresh and crisp, lightly seasoned with salt and served without any sauces. Simple and delicious although it didn't really stand out as being exceptional, but would definitely get again.

Price Range: $15 - $25pp

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

Yat Tiu Rice Noodle Rolls - Sunnybank Hills

It takes a certain amount of courage to open a restaurant during a pandemic lockdown, and for that my interest was definitely piqued at the establishment of Yat Tiu Rice Noodle Rolls at Sunnybank Hills next to Ramen Danbo. Having grown up in a household whereby rice noodles were always a crowd favourite, I was very excited to see a store devoted to it. Going a week after their opening, I ordered ahead of time over the phone and my order was ready for pickup as I walked through the door.

Service was extremely friendly, when they noted that I came alone, they offered to help me carry some of the food to my car, a small touch but always appreciated.

Ordering four combos to go, this meant we had four bowls of congee and four rice noodle rolls. My other family members had the Lai Wan style seafood congee, which came with an ample amount of seafood but the congee base was a little bland and another family member had the beef and egg congee which was far better seasoned with a semi cooked egg in the middle, with a perfectly gelatinous yolk.

Always a sucker for classics, I had the Century Egg and Pork congee. I found toppings to be generous, there was definitely a good amount of century egg in the dish. The pork was not too salty but enough to allow the congee to have a good amount of flavour. As for the texture, it was fluffy with the rice being broken down into the water and very similar to what mum makes.

The highlight of the meal of course was the rice noodles. Other than myself, my family members all had the prawn and beef rice noodle rolls. They enjoyed the fresh prawns which were fairly large and halved to fit into the rice noodle, and the ample amount of beef.

Opting for something different, I had the bbq pork rice noodle roll, a favourite of mine. First of all, the rice noodle was exceptionally thin, probably the thinnest and most delicate I've had in Brisbane as can be seen through it's translucent skin. It soaked up the sweet soy sauce and the flavours of the bbq pork and green onions. I definitely wish that I could have had this in store rather than take away as the rice noodle would have been all the more softer if eaten fresh.

Getting some drinks to go too, special mention to the HK milk tea which was the best I've had in Brisbane to date. With a sweet fragrance and a strong body that isn't bitter, it definitely had enough caffeine to keep me going all afternoon. Will definitely be dining in soon after lockdown is over.

Price Range: $15 - $25pp

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

Doolandella Bakehouse - Doolandella

First and only time I've gone for a lunch run during my work from home was to the ever popular Doolandella bakehouse, a 15 minute drive from home. Having heard of it's famous doughnuts, I was super keen to try it out.

With a limit of one customer at a time it took a little while for me to get into the store. There were a good selection of doughnuts, which of course immediately grabbed my attention, two varieties of banh mi and also some pies and sausage rolls. I picked up some banh mi and doughnuts to go.

This was the roast pork banh mi. I really liked the crispy crust to the baguette and the soft chewy interior. I suspect it would have been even more crisp if I had eaten it right after leaving the store instead. With only a few slices of bbq pork, there was a lot more salad to balance out the meatiness, I would have liked a bit more pork though.

By contrast, the beef banh mi was almost solely filled with a silky beef gravy mixture that was almost buttery. Although it didn't have the balance of pork and salad, it was soft, comforting and definitely hit the spot.

 

We also got three doughnuts to go, matcha, coffee (of course) and a thai milk tea. Am fairly certain that these doughnuts were baked and not fried, the outside and inside were extremely fluffy to the point of being almost cloud like. The cream in the thai milk tea was fairly strong tasting but the coffee and matcha were a bit lighter. Would definitely go back for round two.

Price Range: $5 - $15pp

Taste: 8/10
Value: 8/10
Service: 7/10
Environment: N/A

Haig Rd Bistro - Auchenflower

One of our final date nights before lockdown occurred was at the highly popular Haig Road Bistro at Auchenflower. Being situated a short while from nearby shopping complexes in the heart of suburbia, I was a little surprised at how popular it was, scoring one of the last tables of the evening as it filled up.

 

Service was very friendly and warm, albeit busy as there were only two staff for the whole restaurant. Menus were provided and comprised of classic french fare as you would expect. It reminded me a bit of my experience at the acclaimed montrachet. 

Drinks came right after we put down our order. I had the house merlot, a soft fruity blend which I liked, he had the sweet and refreshing pear cider.

 

Given how popular the bistro was, it was within expectation that food took a bit longer to arrive. Starting off with the Souffle au Chevre, this was served extremely hot, straight out of the oven. The texture was light and fluffy but the taste was rich and decadent with a strong savoury and creamy texture to the cheese. I liked the addition of chives on top for extra flavour.

Our other starter was the Saumon Tarte Flambee topped with salmon, spanish onion, capers and rocket. From reading the description, I was anticipating something along the lines of a pizza, however this turned out to be a lot lighter and less dough-y with the base more like a crisp biscuit than bread. I liked the freshness of the salmon which always goes well with sharp onions and capers, it was a good entree for our heavier mains.

First of our two mains was the Canard Roti, oven roasted duck with braised cabbage, spaetzle, cranberries and port wine jus. I enjoyed the heartiness of the duck, the meat was firm without being overly hard. It absorbed the wine jus well and. Balanced well with the spaetzle and cabbage, it was a very warming dish.

Not one to skip a good steak, this was the Eye Fillet with cafe de paris, red wine jus and bistro potatoes. Thick cut but perfectly lean, the meat was tender and cooked to leave a perfectly red centre. It was a little unusual to have cafe de paris and red wine jus served together but it made for a fairly tasty combination. The potatoes were baked quite thoroughly which made it a little dry, but this was easily alleviated with the addition of sauce.

Always ordering a side of green leaf salad, this was soft and fresh, doused in a light french vinaigrette, I liked how the addition of spanish onions gave it a spicy kick. 

Already extremely full but wanting to try out the desserts, we had the Orgy of Berries to share. Comprising of  Mascarpone, Seasonal Berries and Pavlova, it was reminiscent of the traditional Eton Mess, of which I am a huge fan. The tart berries contrasted the sweet pavlova whilst the marscapone added an element of creaminess which we thoroughly enjoyed. Definitely a wonderful date night and we will be pleased to come back soon after the lockdown is over.

Price Range: $70 - $80pp

Taste: 8.5/10
Value: 7/10
Service: 7/10
Environment: 7/10