Kintoto - Sunnybank Hills

2021 seems to be the year that Omakase started becoming popular in Brisbane. From the opening of my friend Takashi's namesake restaurant in Southbank to Sono and now the newly opened Kintoto at Sunnybank Hills, there seems to be a good variety of choices for those who are keen to leave their dinner up to the chef. Kintoto has just opened a couple of months ago in the Shauna Downs shopping centre on Beenleigh road near one of my favourite Korean restaurants, Go Bull. The restaurant is very small, with a maximum capacity of 12 and has two dinner seatings at 5.30pm and 7.30pm. Being recently opened, I had read a couple reviews of teething issues and was keen to wait a month or two, but after being notified that they were going to put their prices up in November, Dr L and I decided that we better go there for our anniversary dinner.

Arriving just before 7.30, we were the first ones there. As with all omakases that we've been to, we had a counter seat, providing a front row view of the chef performing his art. In this case, the chefs are Korean but the food they make is Japanese but sometimes with some strong Korean influences. Stepping into the restaurant, it was very cute and homey. Unlike Takashiya which is extremely refined and leans towards the decadent, this was rustic and had a decidedly wooden theme that reminded me of Muji or Sasaki. I actually love this setup and had always thought that if I ever had a kitchen of my own, it would look somewhat similar to this.

 

Starting off with drinks, the menu was quite short and mainly had beer or sake. We opted for a chilled sake to share. It was served with two adorable Mount Fuji cups. The sake was smooth and complimented our sushi well.

 

Throughout the evening, we were very well looked after by the two chefs. Both were constantly smiling through the whole night and we could definitely feel their joy and passion for their craft. 

 

First course was of course Chawanmushi. This was very delicate and silky smooth. The flavours of egg were balanced with the fresh sweet shrimp and spring onion, neither of the three overpowering each other. It tasted delicious and reminded me of steamed egg that my mother would make me when I was young.

Next course was the slow cooked abalone with konbu. This was fresh on their menu as they had recently come into some very fresh wild caught live abalone. As is the spirit of omakase, the chef serves what is seasonal. I was very keen for this. It was exceptionally tender and the additional flavours of konbu really complemented the dish well, bringing out the flavours of the sea without being fishy. 

Agemono, which literally translates to deep fried food, came next. As a passionate fan of Japanese food, I am keenly aware of the proper order of courses and note that agemono should come at the end of the course, just before the heavy rice dish as fried foods are always relatively filling. I was surprised and a little concerned that the fried course was served so early.  Anyway, it was made with two components, prawn and potato. Although the ingredients are fairly basic they were executed quite masterfully. The prawn looked quite big but the batter was thin and the actual meat was fresh and crunchy. It was actually a huge and very fresh prawn. The dipping sauce was a bit runny and wasn't your traditional tempura sauce. The potato was very thinly sliced, rolled up and then deep fried. This was crispy and indulgent, especially with the dipping sauce. I only wish they had put this course closer to the end of the meal.

Having dined in a few omakase experiences now, I know to get super excited when an empty long plate is put in front of me. 

 

First two pieces was the Salmon and Tsubugai. The salmon was aged for seven days before serving to give it a firmer texture. It was a generous thick cut and lightly painted with soy before serving so we didn't need to add soy sauce. I quite enjoyed the texture, it was a nice change from the usually soft salmon. Tsubugai isn't something that I have all that often as I'm not a huge fan of whelk, but this was quite crunchy, not fishy at all and had a generous amount of roe on top. 

Next up was the kingfish. It was not served as a nigiri, but rather one fairly large piece of sashimi. It came with a generous serve of spicy chilli sauce, (probably gochujang) and topped with spring onions. The fish was fresh but I found the flavours to have been overpowered by the chilli. Perhaps it would have gone better with the fried course instead.

 

Our remaining two nigiris were the aburi scami and conger eel. I love scampi and this one was delicious. It was only lightly seared and the majority remained raw and tender. There was almost no additions other than a slight dab of wasabi under the scampi and I could fully appreciate the sweet flavours of its meat. Definitely one of my favourite dishes of the evening. The last nigiri was conger eel. I haven't had this since I was last in Tokyo and this really took me back. The portion was generous. For those who don't know, conger eel is from the sea and has a far more delicate flavour profile compared to unagi which comes from the river. Without a strong taste, it is often grilled without too much seasoning and then offered a light glaze of bbq sauce, which is what we had that night. It was very delicious and Dr L said that this was his favourite of the evening.

For the keen eyed readers, the scampi head didn't go to waste at all and ended up in our mussel soup. With a dashi base and a generous amount of mussels as well as a scampi head, it was very flavoursome and sweet with a melody of seafood flavours, making for a nice interlude after our sushi.

 

Our ceviche course was made with some salmon tartare. Artfully placed within some thinly sliced cucumber, it was served with crispbread. This was a new dish to me, especially with a creamy but light dressing. It reminded me a little of coleslaw. With an abundance of spanish onion and cucumber, it was very refreshing. The crispbread though was a little oily for my tastes.

Our final savoury course of the night was a bento box. Inside the bento box contained a huge block of tamagoyaki topped with salmon pearls, a very big piece of unagi and an (also) very big piece of sushi. The tamagoyaki wasn't as layered as I would have thought, but I liked how it wasn't too sweet. The unagi was delicious and the portion generious, I can only imagine that it came from a giant eel. The sushi was also filling and had elements of salmon and kingfish along with cucumber, making for an abundantly filled roll, a perfect way to round off our meal.

After such a filling dinner, dessert was fairly light. We had a cannelloni filled with salted maple cream, a quarter of a green tea mochi and some seasonal fruits, all served with a cute miniature samurai sword for us to stab it with. The cannelloni was a new creation by the chef, it was not too sweet but the light saltiness did accentuate the sweet maple. I liked the crisp outer shell and the addition of popping candy on top. The mochi was soft but I had thought it would have a bit more green tea taste to it. The fruits were delicious. 

Overall, I had a really great time at Kintoto. It was not as luxurious as Takashi by any stretch of the imagination, but for the price, it represents excellent quality food for very good value. If anything, it is a happy medium between Sasaki and Butterfly. I can't wait to go back at a later date to see what chef creates.

Price Range: $85pp ($110pp from November onwards)

Taste: 8.5/10

Value: 9/10

Service: 9/10

Environment: 8/10

Mrs Luus - Brisbane CBD

It's been a long time coming but I finally had the opportunity to try out highly popular Vietnamese Banh Mi chain Mrs Luu's last week after a hearing at the Federal Court. I was pleased to see that there wasn't a huge line up and service was very fast.

As with most Vietnamese places which offer take away in the city, their menu focused on banh mi, rice bowls, noodle salads and rice paper rolls. Not content to settle on one option, I had two. I was pleased to see that my banh mi was made to order.

I would have liked to order each rice paper roll individually by flavour but they all came in two packs already packaged up. I had a chicken one to go with my three little piggies banh mi.

The banh mi was really good. I liked how the bread was crispy but not hard and soft but not completely without substance. It encased three different types of pork (Vietnamese porchetta, barbecue pork, and Vietnamese ham), each with their own textures and flavours. My favourite would have had to be the Vietnamese ham with its unique sweet flavours. These flavours complemented each other well. I only wish there was a bit more salad to go in my bread roll. Having said that though, I think the price is quite steep when compared to other places outside of the city.

Not wanting to get pork again, I had a serve of the chicken rice paper rolls. One serve comprised of two rolls and was accompanied by a generous bottle of hoi sin sauce for dipping. The skin was thin and fresh, also one of the most elastic I've seen in a long time, as I as able to pry the two of them apart without breaking it. Although it appears that there was a generous amount of meat filling, biting it in half proved otherwise. Having said that, there was in fact a generous amount of vermicelli noodles and lettuce in the rice paper roll, both were fresh and crisp. The chicken was a little bland though and had to be supplemented by dipping sauce. All round not a band place for lunch, but doesn't particularly stand out among the other nearby options.

Price Range: $15 - $20pp

Taste: 7.5/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 7.5/10
 

Le Boulangerie Amour Fou - Salisbury

Last week, Dr L decided that he would finally learn to drive. Not wanting to miss any opportunities to try out nearby places that are not easily accessible by public transport, we made a quick pit stop at one of my favourite bakeries, Le Boulangerie Amour Fou, which had opened a new branch in Salisbury. 

There were a few people in the bakery when we arrived, but nowhere near near the queues of Agnes or Lune. There was a huge variety of baked goodies, vastly more than either of their Sunnybank stores. It appears that they also sold coffee, I almost got some but saw that it was from an instant coffee machine behind the counter so decided otherwise.

In the end, we got four different pieces to share between the two of us.

This was the Garlic Rosson, the only savoury pick of the day. It was fairly large and extremely fragrant. It was light and fluffy on the inside whilst covered with a cheesy garlic crust on the outside. For the price, it was a very big portion and I was glad to have someone share it with me otherwise I wouldn't have been able to finish it.

Next up was the Croissant Grande which was a plain croissant with maple glaze. The size was quite small especially when compared to the likes of Lune or Superthing, but it was a fraction of the price. The croissant was a little dry and not too buttery, but had a decent amount of layers as well as a sweet maple glaze which I really enjoyed and would definitely order again.

I can't ever go to Le Boulangerie Amour Fou without getting one of their Mochi Q Balls to go. This is my favourite chocolate chip ball. It is deliciously chewy and elastic on the inside with a light crunch to the exterior and sprinkled generously with chocolate chips. Definitely one of my favourites in baked goods.

Our last piece was the decadent Dark Coco. It had a rich dark chocolate and cream cheese filling encased in a fluffy chocolate bun. This was delicious and not overly sweet but a little small for the price. I probably wouldn't get this one again next time but would be keen to try the other bread.

Price Range: $5 - $15pp

Taste: 8.5/10

Value: 8/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 8/10

Malolo Poke - Brisbane CBD

Having enjoyed a super delicious poke bowl recently, I decided that this week would be a good opportunity to try out another place in town. This week's poke bowl comes from Malolo Poke, conveniently situated in Gresham lane. Like last week, I ordered ahead of time and the food was waiting for me the moment I arrived.

Like last time, the poke bowl came back to the office with me unscathed. Unlike Aqua, there were a lot less Japanese type ingredients. My bowl comprised of a brown rice and cabbage base topped with tuna and salmon. It also had cucumber, onion, shallots, kale, citrus ponzu, shallots and tobiko.

Compared to last time, the flavours were definitely more intense. The salmon and tuna were unfortunately not as fresh though, but there was an ample amount of sauce to cover up the fishiness. The rice was fairly firm and coarse as is expected of brown rice, but this was also complimented by the citrus ponzu. Portion wise this wasn't too generous and although I was full after it, I became hungry pretty soon after. I think next time I'll stick with either Cheeky or Aqua poke.

Price Range: $15 - $25

Taste: 6/10

Value: 6/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: N/A

Frankie's Smokehouse - Woolloongabba

Grabbed a quick end of week lunch with a friend last week for a long overdue catch up. Not wanting to stray too far from home, we went to Frankie's Smokehouse in Woolloongabba, a fairly popular American BBQ joint that I've heard a number of good reviews about.

A booking is recommended because the place is quite busy. Parking is also very hard to find.

 

As expected at a bbq place, the menu had all the essentials, ribs, brisket and pulled pork in various combinations along with some salads and sides. 

We ordered at the counter and were given a buzzer for our food. Luckily for us, the food didn't take too long to come out.

This was the platter for two. It came with beef brisket, hot links, pulled pork, slaw and pickles along with some fries and bread rolls. We added a serve of brisket since we were dining as a group of three. Of the meats, the brisket was my favourite of the evening, moist and tender, it was a little bland in flavour but went well with the bbq sauce. I didn't particularly like the pulled pork as it was quite dry and stringy, but again the sauce rectified this. The salads were ample but didn't stand out in particular, although I did enjoy the sour crunchy pickles. The side of chips was very generous and crispy, fresh out of the fryer. The bread rolls were fairly average though.

As we had a third person, we also added a serve of loaded fries. This was topped with pulled pork, brisket and sauce. Again portions were huge and the fries were fresh. My earlier misgivings about how dry the pulled pork was was alleviated by the ample amount of sauce. 

For three people, there was definitely too much food and we had to get some take away. Overall, I would say that there are better options elsewhere for American BBQ. It wasn't too bad but I would be in no rush to return any time soon.

Price Range: $30 - $40pp

Taste: 6/10

Value: 6/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 7/10