Charley's Tea - Brisbane CBD

Most of you would have already heard of my bubble tea index as a rough guide to the health of the local economy. At one point, I believe there were half a dozen bubble tea shops within one block of the intersection at Elizabeth and Albert Street. Recently this has died down a bit, especially with the uprising of the new competitor Mixue, but one store that has managed to stand strong despite the competition is Charley's Tea. 

Although I've noticed them for a while, I didn't manage to go until their first year anniversary because their prices are fairly daunting, with plain tea going for $6.50 and their most expensive specials going for $12.80. They ran a promo during their anniversary for a buy one get one free (select) drink, so we went with some other foodies after dinner.

Ordering at the counter, seating was fairly limited but most customers had takeaway so it wasn't hard for us to find a spot.

On the first night we went, the anniversary promo drink was the ceylon glory, being a ceylon black tea with cream and pecans on top. When we ordered, there was a friendly warning that drinks here are less sweet than the usual, so order less sweet with caution. With this in mind, I had mine with half sugar. The drinks were very aesthetic lined up, although I would have preferred a see through cup instead. The drink itself was definitely well above the Brisbane average, with a fragrant but creamy ceylon tea, decadent light cream and crunchy pecans on top, making it one of the better bubble tea places in town (after milksha and machi machi). 

Not wanting to limit my review to one drink only, Dr L and I returned soon after to try their other menu items. This time he had the seasonal special, Ultra Taro for $12.80, being the most expensive bubble tea either of us have had, whilst I had the Super Matcha. Again both drinks were delicious, he particularly liked the generous amount of fresh taro in his drink, the fragrant tea and chewy taro balls. My matcha was really enjoyable with a good balance between the bitterness of matcha and the fragrance of jasmine tea, neither overpowering the other. 

In summing up, I'd have to say you get what you pay for at Charleys. The drinks are expensive but you do get quality for what you pay. I'll definitely be back, but only when I'm in the mood for treating myself. 

Price Range: Under $15 pp

Taste: 8/10

Value: 6/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 7/10  

Wuta Brewer - Brisbane CBD

There is hardly anything I love more in this world than Matcha (maybe coffee;), which is why I was extremely excited to hear of the opening of Wuta Brewer on Elizabeth Arcade. Even though my office is now a good 15 minute walk from the area, I had made several attempts to go for an afternoon pick me up. Each time there was a queue and I wanted to sit down and enjoy my drink without rushing off back to work and not savouring it. I was finally lucky enough to have the opportunity to do so a couple weeks ago after a stroll with a colleague. 

The menu was as you would expect, very refined and limited to coffee, matcha and hojicha. The only non drink they had was a matcha soft serve, which I definitely ordered. Prices were on the higher end, but I'm always happy to pay for quality.

Between my colleague and I, we had one beverage each and one matcha soft serve. It was such a joy seeing them brought to our table.

 

I had the matcha whilst my coworker had the hojicha. We opted for both without added sugar so we could enjoy the tea. I tried a sip of the hojicha and this was deliciously toasted whilst the matcha was a lot sharper and fragrant. These were served at the ideal temperature in an adorable hug mug that I wish I had at home. As for the soft serve, this is by far the best matcha soft serve I've had in Brisbane, it was rich without being too sweet and also creamy without being too heavy, striking balance in all things. I can't wait to be able to come back for more!

Price Range: $5 - $15pp

Taste: 9/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 7/10
 

Pneuma - Brisbane CBD

 

 

I had wanted to check out Pneuma, by Dan Arnold and Matt Blackwell (probably two of the most famous chefs in Brisbane) for some time now, however as a more refined and higher end experience, I wanted to save it for a celebration of sorts. Luckily for me, that circumstance came faster than expected with a change of jobs. To celebrate this milestone, we made a reservation for a Friday night dinner.

As they only open for two evenings a week (and more during lunch hours), it was inevitable that it would be packed. We managed to score one of the last tables of the night at the bar rather than the dining area.

I believe that during lunch service, you can order individual plates, however during dinner there was only a choice of the short or extended menu with a few optional add ons. We opted for the extended menu.

Although sitting at the bar was ultimately not as comfortable as in the dining room, we were able to enjoy the spectacle of our drinks being prepared by the bartender. We opted for two mocktails, these were fruity and delicate with a refreshing aftertaste. 

First to arrive was the Royal Miyagi oyster, bonito, brown rice miso and parsley. Oyster with parsley seems to be a very mainstream combination with flavours that deeply complement each other. It was no different in this instance. I really liked the fresh oyster that was neither too small nor too big for my enjoyment, with the added herbal scent of parsley and the earthy flavours of miso.

Our only addition to the course was the oyster emulsion, bonito, brown rice miso and parsley. It was like a creamier iteration of the first course and went down in one bite. I only wish it was larger so that I could have enjoyed it a little bit more.

 

Next up we had the smoked eel cream, black apple & prune, crispy potato and the aged cheddar and comte custard tart, malted onion, burnt leek. The eel dish was very interesting, I slowly ate it expecting to come across a more substantial piece of eel, but it was entirely a rich cream infused with eel, topped with crispy potato strips that were crunchy without a hint of oiliness. The cheddar tart reminded me of the wagyu tart I had at exhibition, except this time it was richer and sharper with the cheddar cheese. I really enjoyed this course. 

Next was the rosemary sourdough with a cultured miso butter. A good friend of mine in the foodie circles raves about this bread and how it is the best bread in Brisbane. Whilst it probably isn't number one in my books, I could definitely appreciate the appeal. The bread was perfectly warm with a crusty exterior and a fluffy interior that was just right to melt the butter. I just wish I could have had another piece.

This was the heirloom beetroot, aged apple vinegar, garlic almond cream, pickled walnut. It looked and tasted like a work of art. I enjoyed the delicious beetroot, crunchy walnuts that came with a distinct smokey smell as well as the additional zing of garlic almond. An absolute sensory delight. 

 

Our "large" plate of the night consisted of slow cooked wagyu, cipollini onion, bone marrow with black truffle served with salt and vinegar baby potatoes glazed in preserved truffle and honey. Although this was probably our main course, the wagyu beef was small and was at most three mouthfuls. The crispy cipollini onion was delicious and reminded me of deep fried garlic flakes. The bone marrow was also rich and creamy whilst the beef was melt in your mouth tender. My only issue with this dish is that the black truffle flavours did not come out at all which was a bit disappointing. As for the potatoes, I also didn't get much of a truffle taste from them, but they were lightly crispy and fluffy inside.

 

There were two dessert courses to round off the extended menu, a citrus leaf custard, roasted white chocolate, feijoa and a gianduya chocolate, banana miso caramel, roasted vanilla cream, crystalised cocoa nib. Although they had different elements to them, both desserts were actually fairly similar in terms of tastes and textures, offering a rich chocolate taste and crumbly biscuit textures. The only main difference was the sharp zing of the citrus leaf custard in the first dessert. Both were delicious but didn't really stand out to me as particularly outstanding. 

Overall we had a solid time at Pneuma. I was glad to be able to satisfy my curiosity once and for all, and could definitely appreciate the effort and craftsmanship that went into making quite a few of those courses to earn it two chefs hats. Having said that, it was definitely a let down for me to have paid in excess of $130 per person for dinner and to have left not feeling full. I could not imagine how hungry I would have been if I had ordered the short course instead, so I don't think I will be back anytime soon.

 

Price Range: $130 - $140pp

Taste: 8.5/10

Value: 4/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 8/10

Embraised Food - Sunnybank

Embraised is one of those restaurants that has been on my list for some time, but never comes to mind when I am looking for a place to eat. It finally did come into my head when I was considering lunch with Queen V to plan for our impending trip to Japan and Taiwan at the end of the year, reminding me of my fantastic experiences with braised food last time I was in the country. We stopped by at lunch time on a saturday and there was a small queue of customers ordering their food.

The setup was in itself much like malatang. You pick what you want to eat and then pay for it by weight. The toppings varied from malatang with a larger focus on offal and tofu products and the prices were a little bit more expensive at $5.50 per 100g. 

Although more expensive per gram than malatang, I had a bit more restraint and ordered a noodle for a fixed price of $2 to go with my braised food.

Our food took just over 10 minutes to cook. For those who don't want the authentic experience of eating standing up on the street, machi machi next door kindly allowed for their dining space to be shared with patrons of Embraised, so we grabbed seats (and drinks) next door. 

Queen V had her braised meal served with a side of braised pork rice on the side for an extra $2. I tried some of the rice and it was done really well with a smooth but lightly chewy mouthfeel, the pork was also deep and rich without being overly oily.

My serve came with an extra instant noodle as alluded to. The ingredients were cooked very well and the braised sauce was very salty with a touch of sweetness. It was also very fragrant just as I had remembered in Taiwan. My favourite addition to the bowl would definitely have to be the beef trip and tofu skins. I would have enjoyed it with a bit more by way of meat options. Otherwise, it was a fantastic meal and I will have to make sure to come back with Dr L soon.

Price Range: $5.50/100g

Taste: 8/10

Value: 8/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 8/10 

David's Master Pot - Underwood

Colder weather (actually any weather) has me craving for hot pot. Lucky for me, I won a giveaway for a cash voucher to celebrate the new opening of David's Master Pot, with their relatively new store in Underwood Marketplace. We went out for a Saturday night dinner. Given how much development has been happening in the area, it was actually very difficult for us to find parking. Also we may not have gotten a table had it not been for making a reservation earlier.

As with their Sunnybank store, David's Master Pot has a strong focus on decorating their store with a variety of eye catching neon lights as well as traditional themed tables and chairs. 

There was a very large assortment of ingredients to choose from. Notably more than other competitors along with high value options such as sand crab, prawns, pipis and mussels. All the usual suspects like noodles, fresh meat, marinated meat, vegies and mushrooms were also available. 

As usual, we took our selection and paid at the counter. It went for $3.95 per 100g. We probably over ordered, with my order being 900g and Dr L getting 1.1kg. 

After weighing, we had the option to choose from a variety of soups and dry pots. Always in the mood for hot pot, we opted for a signature red and a bone broth. Every time I go, I always want to try the golden pickled soup, but that will have to be one for next time. Each bowl also came with one complimentary rice, but we declined because we had probably already over ordered.

We made our own sauces after ordering. I found the sauce variety to be somewhat lacking compared to other places, with a clear absence in coriander and spring onion as well as sesame oil. I opted for garlic, soy and chilli.

An assortment of drinks were also available. We opted for asian drinks suited for hot pot rather than soft drink.

It didn't take long for our meals to come out, despite the full house and it was a sight to behold.

Dr L's 1.1kg order was impressive and well organised in the bowl. With a bone broth that was rich and umami, it was comforting to the soul. His favourite elements were without a doubt the beef and lamb slices, cooked to a perfect tenderness without being overdone. He also liked the mussels and tofu which had absorbed a generous amount of the tasty soup. Although he ordered a lot, he was definitely able to finish his meal, testament to how delicious it was.

If he hadn't ordered bone broth, I would have, but I had the signature red for some variation to dishes. Essentially it was no different to the bone broth except for addition of some red chilli oil. I opted for one chilli worth of spice and this was definitely enjoyable without being overwhelming. My favourite elements were the milk tofu which were soft parcels of tofu that reminded me a bit of burrata as well as the tripe and beef slices. It was a very enjoyable meal that we both found filling and delectable as well as being a faster and cheaper alternative to eating hot pot out. We will be back before winter is out.

Price Range: $3.95 per 100g 

Taste: 8.5/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 7/10