Falalalah - South Brisbane

Last Friday had a girls night out and caught up over some fusion Italian Korean food at Falalalah at South Brisbane, near the main intersection of the entertainment district. 

We made a booking because we had expected a full house but it turns out that it was relatively empty on the night which was quite a surprise. I thought it would be quite popular.

 

With two pages of menus they were listed under headings of pizza and pasta but also had a selection of Korean Fried Chicken. In order to try out more, we had one dish from each section to try.

It took a while for us to get the attention of waitstaff but our food didn't take very long to come out. The Spaghetti Bolognese was first to arrive and it was quite underwhelming. The portions were small for one main and we had around one bite each when shared between three. The sauce was very sweet and a bit watery without containing all that much meat. The pasta tasted like the dried store bought variety and I didn't enjoy it much.

We had a full size serve of boneless snow chicken. Having tried it previously in other Korean chains I was expecting the standard type of boneless chicken with a dusting of cheese powder (hence snow). What arrived was far from. There was some boneless fried chicken, but there was more onion than chicken and it was slathered in a sour cream herb sauce. There was no powdered cheese in sight and portions were a bit lacking especially for a main. The chicken was adequately crunchy although not very flavoursome, but given the situation with the onions and sauce, I couldn't recommend this dish.

Our last dish was the Bulgogi beef pizza which was the most fusion of our selections. The pizza base was the thinnest and most crispy I've experienced and it was almost biscuit like. Obviously this didnt help much when we already found the other mains to be lacking in portion. The amount of bulgogi wasn't too generous as you can see it bunched in the middle of the pizza. Other toppings were also few and far between. As for the beef, it was a bit coarse and dry with an overly sweet soy marinade. Completing a three out of three underwhelming mains, I definitely won't be in a rush to come back.

Price Range: $15 - $25pp

Taste: 4/10

Value: 4/10

Service: 6/10

Environment: 7/10 

Maker - South Brisbane

Have long wanted to make time to explore the rest of the eateries along Fish Lane and with Queen V finishing up earlier than usual on a Friday we headed down for a quick drink and snack before our scheduled dinner plans.

Had long read reviews about Maker, a fairly popular cocktail bar which is situated fairly close to Julius at the entry of the laneway. It was fairly nondescript and took us a little while to find the entry.

The bar was very small and probably only fit around 10 people, we were lucky to be able to get a spot. Inside was very dark and moody.

 

They had an interesting drinks menu with quite a few specialty cocktails along with wines and beers. They also had a small selection of toasties for those who were hungry too.

She had the Aperitif with watermelon, yuzu, orange and sparkling. This was light and fruity without being overly sweet. I had the White Rum, blueberry, bee pollen, thyme and lime. I normally wouldn't have gone for this except for the honeycomb which was displayed on the bar which piqued my interest. It was quite rich and sweet with a creamy foamy top. I enjoyed it but would go for something lighter next time. 

Having skipped lunch, my friend was quite hungry and opted for the kimchi asago toastie. It was really warm and crunchy with a good amount of spice that was mellowed out with the melty cheese. She really liked it and next time I will definitely be going for a toastie.

Price Range: $20 - $50pp

Taste: 8/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 8/10  

Banh Mi Now - Brisbane CBD

Another week at work means another opportunity to try out another place in the CBD. This week I decided to venture a bit further and checked out Banh Mi Now, which has apparently recently been subject to a change of management. Getting there just before 12, there wasn't much of a line and service was friendly and super speedy.

Prices were fair for the city and there were quite a few delicious selections for their fillings.

Their display cabinet was quite bare, but they had a couple of drink options as well as some rice paper rolls. Being fairly over-caffeinated already I just had one rice paper roll to go.

Both arrived back to the office intact without anything spilling out which was great.

I had the lemongrass chicken banh mi. It was really fragrant and tender. Although they used thigh meat, I was quite appreciative that it wasn't riddled with tendons (which is why I have avoided chicken thighs). I liked the tangy flavours of the spices and the charred flavours complemented the salads well and I really enjoyed the crispy baguette which wasn't too chewy outside.

I also had a pork rice paper roll which came with a small tub of hoisin sauce. Compared to the Banh Mi it was nowhere near as good. Despite being fairly large, it had a considerable amount of salad which was coarsely chopped along with not too much pork. As there wasn't much, it didn't add much flavour to the roll but at least this was helped out by some additional sauce. I'd definitely be back for the banh mi but probably not the rice paper rolls.

Price Range: $5 - $15pp

Taste: 7/10

Value: 7/10 

Service: 8/10

Environment: 7/10

Clove n Honey - Stones Corner

Caught up with some friends last weekend and we decided to check out Clove n Honey along Logan Road at Stones Corner. With the numerous amount of cafes nearby, I have to say that I didn't really notice it much but was happy to go and try out the food.

Recently the hospitality industry has been booming and it was lucky that we booked ahead for our table of six because the cafe was almost full by the time we got there. Menus were provided we were to order at the counter. The menu had a few classic dishes but it was the fusion options which really stood out for me such as roti, teriyaki and kaarage. 

Our drinks didn't take long to arrive. I had my usual skinny cappuccino and he had an iced chocolate. Without asking for mine to be extra strong, it was still very strong and quite bitter whilst not that creamy, at least it wasn't very acidic. Dr L's iced chocolate though was also quite rich but milky and had a nice sprinkle of chocolate powder on the top too. 

Shaking things up for the morning, Dr L had the Honey French Toast which comprised of banana bread dipped in custard, fresh whipped cream, fairy floss, fruits and nuts with lemon curd and maple syrup. It was very colourful and whimsical, grabbing the attention of everyone on our table. We were expecting a fairly fluffy kind of honey toast but it was quite dense but not overly rich. The dish itself had quite a lot of components and was thankfully quite fruity without being overly sugary. He liked it and it was a nice change from the norm.

Not feeling too adventurous, I opted to have my standard eggs on toast with a side of avococado. The toast was fresh and well toasted, the eggs were poached to result in a runny yolk but was a little overcooked. The portion of avocado was small, especially given the price of the side. It was however fairly tasty and ripe. Next time I'll definitely have to try the breakfast roti dishes.

Price Range: $20 - $30pp

Taste: 7/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 7/10 

Phuc Deli Viet - South Brisbane

Friday night we ran a few errands with a friend which took a bit longer than expected and we ended up wandering around West End looking for a bite to eat at around 7.30pm which was a bit later than usual. With all our usual places completely booked out we decided to try Phuc Deli-Viet which was surprisingly empty despite everywhere else being packed.

We grabbed a seat inside and was provided with menus and water promptly.

Despite being a self proclaimed Vietnamese restaurant the menu was unforseeably diverse. Other than Vietnamese noodle and rice dishes, they also did other pan asian dishes like Pad Thai, Singapore Noodles, Hainan Chicken and Curry. 

Having eaten Pho every day for the last several weeks, Dr L opted for something different so he had the chicken curry. The curry came in a separate dish to the rice which was curiously served on a plate rather than a bowl. The portions were adequate and there was a bit more vegetables than there was chicken and it was quite sweet for a curry for him to have found it enjoyable.

Unlike him, I had the Pho. Rather than just containing rare beef, it also had slices of beef brisket which I enjoyed. The bowl wasn't too small and there was an ample amount of beef to go with the noodles which were fresh and soft. The let down for this dish was definitely the soup which was nowhere near as flavoursome as other places but it was sufficient in it's purpose. Given the other Vietnamese options nearby, I can't say that I would recommend this place.

 

Price Range: $15 - $25pp

Taste: 5/10

Value: 6/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 7/10

Little Maru - Brisbane CBD

As a big fan of Maru, I've been eating there for years and have particularly enjoyed their Korean BBQ. It is often nice to see places you enjoy doing well and I was pleased to see they opened an express lunch restaurant along Adelaide Street opposite Queens Plaza so I decided to give them a try for lunch.

The shop was very small as you would expect and there were a few seats for indoor dining only. The menu was limited to a few rice bowls in medium and large size and some options with chips. Without knowing what was good, I settled with the signature bowl. Food was super fast and I was in and out within three minutes of entering. 

 Ordering the medium sized bowl, the portion wasn't overly generous, but the topping to rice ratio certainly was. I chose the signature bowl because it contained little bits of everything including fried chicken, spicy pork and bulgogi along with potato noodles and konjac noodles. Despite being doused in sauce, the fried chicken retained some crunch and was quite juicy, the pork was definitely spicy but a little dry and the beef was quite sweet but also a bit dry but very tender. I enjoyed the konjac noodles which were crunchy and creamy at the same time. Also worth a mention that they serve their rice bowls with black rice which is healthier than regular white rice with hardly any difference to texture. Would definitely recommend this place for a quick and satisfying meal.

Price Range: $10 - $20pp

Taste: 8/10

Value: 9/10

Service: 8.5/10

Environment: 8/10
 

Banneton Bakery - Woolloongabba

Had a very disappointing brunch at a famous southside cafe last weekend. To make ourselves feel better, we opted for a light snack from a well established local to make up for it. So off we went to grab some baked goods at Banneton Bakery in Woolloongabba.

Arriving at 11am many of their baked goods had already been sold out. Dr L's much loved Pain au Chocolat was long gone. Nevertheless, we still picked up some to go.

Getting a Cappuccino, this was moderately strong but the milk could have been creamier. In a way it was lucky that it wasn't too strong as I already had a few coffees that morning and it didn't result in caffeine shakes, but I've had better coffees elsewhere.

I also had a plain croissant. This was buttery, light and flakey. I really enjoyed the crispy golden layers and would not hesitate to come back again for some more bread and pastries.

Price Range: Under $10pp

Taste: 8.5/10

Value: 8/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 7/10