Ant Bowl - Brisbane CBD

Buying lunch on days in the office has always been a bit of a pain for me. With the ongoing cost of living crisis not only affecting consumers but also cafes and restaurants alike. This has meant that it's getting harder and harder for me to find meals that are good value for money (judged by quantity and carb content), which has been highly irritating and difficult for me to order out when I could bring a more nutritious meal from home. Having said that, I make an effort when coworkers encourage me to join them for meals, which is how we ended up at Ant Bowl a couple weeks ago.

 

Ant Bowl is the sister store of Ant Cafe in Underwood Marketplace. I've been meaning to try them for a while but never had the chance. Ant Bowl is situated on Adelaide Street, down from city hall. It offers food on a take away basis only with no dine in option.

The menu was fairly concise with an assortment of bap bowls, noodles, toasties and drinks. Notably the menu had an option to allow you to SWAP the rice option to a salad which is what I settled on for health.

They also had a small selection of rice balls for sale at the counter.

Anyway we ordered and it took about 10 minutes for our meals to be put together. We packed it all up and hiked back to the office. First thing I noticed when we opened our bowls is how small mine was compared to my colleague.

My colleague ordered the salmon bap bowl with no alterations. It came with an assortment of salads and a small portion of Korean purple rice at the bottom. She enjoyed the meal.

I ordered the bulgogi bap bowl with a SWAP to salad and added some tteokgalbi. Sadly, Ant Bowl didn't seem to understand that to swap something means to replace one item with another. In my case, I had almost the exact same bowl as my coworker, without the rice. This resulted in the sad depleted bowl you see in the picture. Although the flavours were good, I was definitely still quite hungry after finishing. The amount of protein in the bowl was also very lacking, especially considering I paid extra for tteokgalbi.

I ordered an extra bulgogi beef rice ball on the side as I suspected that portions would be small (but not THIS small). The rice ball was pricey and I had expected there to have been some kind of filling like you would get at ichiba. Unfortunately there was not and it was largely comprised of minute pieces of bulgogi and furikake throughout. 

Overall it was definitely a disappointing experience at Ant Bowl. The flavours were fine but for almost $30, I really expected a more fulsome meal. The problem with the rice being "swapped" for nothing was also not addressed by them when I attempted to reach out. As such, I most definitely won't be back, nor can I recommend them as a good place for take away lunch in the city.

Price Range: $15 - $30pp

Taste: 7/10

Value: 4/10

Service: 4/10

Environment: N/A 

 

Thick Buns - Annerley

Thick Buns have been open in Annerley for a little while. They took up the space originally occupied by Blue Reef Fish and Chips, of which Dr L was a fan. I really hadn't paid much attention to Thick Buns since their opening however, as we either make burgers at home or buy from McDonalds when we're lazy. However my interest was piqued when I started seeing quite a few positive reviews of this place on Red Note. Incidentally some friends also tried and said it was good, so Dr L and I grabbed some for dinner recently.

The store was surprisingly crowded for a weekday evening. The menu was extensive with a selection of chicken and beef burgers along with variations of loaded chips. It took in excess of 35 mins from when I placed my order to when I got my food.

It didn't take long to get home and the spread was pretty photogenic and impressive.

 

I had the Big Fella and Dr L had the Meat Boy with added bacon. Both were generous in size and well wrapped to a point where they didn't fall apart on the trip home. I liked how the burger buns and the burger patties were the same size. As for the bun, it was a slight let down with both of them being served cold and untoasted. Given the time spent putting them together, they definitely ought to have been served warmed. Otherwise the patties were juicy and cooked well done, the cheese was melty and the salad was fresh. Whilst all elements were fine, I don't think that it necessarily stands out as superior to a burger that I can just make at home.

Whilst the burgers were alright, the chips are definitely better than what I can make at home (with an oven/air fryer) on the basis that they were more crunchy, however for deep fried chips, they weren't that crispy. This is particularly so as they were advertising that they were selling extra crunchy chips now. There was however a generous amount of cheese and chicken on top which I enjoyed. The portion was not bad value at $14.

Overall it was good to go to Thick Buns at Annerley to satisfy my curiosity about the venue, however I could probably make a better burger at home and if I wanted deep fried fries, I'd probably get crispier at McDonalds. It wasn't bad, but I've got no huge desire to return.

Price Range: $15 - $25pp

Taste: 7/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 6/10

Environment: N/A 

Attimi - Paddington

Another week, another date night. This time I had originally no fixed plans on what to do but received a notification on Monday that Attimi, an Italian fine dining restaurant had just been added to first table and therefore we could enjoy their course meals for half price. We made a reservation immediately.

 

Attimi is located on Given Terrace in Paddington, at the shopfront which used to house Nota, where Dr L and I had our first date many years ago. We had noted it down when it had opened but at that price point, there were quite a few more places that sat above it on the list, so it stayed there until now. Under the terms of first table, we could only pick from the short or long degustation menu, which suited us perfectly. Thus we ventured off on the travel Italy with us degustation, ordinarily retailing for $198pp.

Starting off with our drinks of the evening, I had the Cinzao Sour and Dr L had the Miele Messicano. I enjoyed the tangy citrus of the sour whilst he enjoyed the honey (and honeycomb) in his messicano. Both drinks were enjoyable and unique although not particularly strong. Notably we were queried by the waitress at every course throughout the evening whether we wanted to order a second drink, a point which stood out as going a bit over the top when we had declined so many times.

Although it would have been fair for the chef to have known that we were definitely going to order the degustation, I was also a little surprised that the first course didn't show up until around 40 minutes after we had been seated.

Starting off with snacks inspired by Sardegna, we had the Rosemary Carasau, Smoked Stracciatella, Olasagasti Anchovies and Green Tomatoes. Although it didn't look as outstanding as the rest of the snacks in this course, it was the crowd favourite. The carasau was light and crispy whilst the stracciatella was rich and creamy with the anchovies providing just the right amount of umami kick that you would want in a dish like this.

Also part of the first round of snacks was the  Romagna Fish Crisp, Ricotta & Tarama, White Sardines, Lemon zest and Fresh Oregano, inspired by Emilia. It is probably one of the most iconic dishes at Attimi with its eye catching fish bone crisp which was buttery and crumbly, defying my expectations. The ricotta with sardines infused the dish with scents of the ocean without being overly fishy.

We also had an Ultimate Arancino, Carnaroli Rice, Porcini Mushrooms, Truffle Mayo, Lemon Thyme inspired by Sicilia. Although it looked like a mushroom cross section, it was actually a rice ball shaped like a mushroom. Served fresh and warm but not scalding hot, it was complimented by the delightful truffle mayo that was strong but not overpowering.

The wait for our next set of snacks wasn't as long as our first one, but it did take a little while before they landed on our table.

Of all the courses we enjoyed that night, Dr L and I both enjoyed the Cecina Waffle, Miso Salsa Verde, Smoked Labneh,  Stone Axe 8/9 Wagyu Tongue, Pickles from Toscana the most. The wagyu tongue was sliced paper thin but was still cooked in a way where it retained its moisture whilst having absorbed a lot of seasoning. The waffle was crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.

This was the Confit Garlic Filo Tart, Whipped Coral Trout & Jerusalem Artichoke and Roe, hailing from Veneto. It was a bite sized morsel of goodness. The tart was light and crumbly and we really liked the decadent cream cheese with roe on top. 

The Crispy Saffron Risotto, 24 months Galloni Prosciutto, Stracciatella with EQ Caviar from Lombardia was a little bit like deja vu, since we just had the ultimate arancini in the last course. Again, it was served warm and crispy, but I liked it more than the arancini with the savoury prosciutto and umami from the caviar. 

Bread is always a contentious topic for me when it comes to fine dining but the Homemade Sourdough Focaccia with Prosciutto Infused Cultured Butter from Liguria was an absolute delight. Served with a crusty exterior and toasty hot enough that it was able to melt the butter, I loved it.

Accompanying the bread was the Handmade Agnolotti, Oxtail Vaccinara Ragu’, Confit Celeriac, Gorgonzola with Oxalis from Lazio. The pasta skin wasn't too thick and we really enjoyed the meaty morsels of beef. I just wish that there could have been a little bit more sauce to mop up with my bread.

Next up was the Cured Coral Trout, Prosciutto & Cardamom Sauce, Grapefruit, Chilli Oil and Barley from Abruzzo. I like that the portion of trout wasn't too small, allowing me a few bites to appreciate the savoury flavours of prosciutto and cardamom. The trout was lightly fried and the skin was dry and a bit crispy. 

 

 Our meal reached a crescendo at the Full Blood Stone Axe Wagyu Sirloin, MBS 8/9, Peppercorn Sauce, Pear, Celery, Parsnip Puree with Red Wine Jus from Trentino-Alto Adige. At this point we were quite full but the steak was still spectacular. Perfectly cooked with a pink interior, it was seared with a light crisp crust. The pear offered a unique sweet twist to it. I also like that the portion was served to allow for us to have more than two bites to enjoy the course. 

Cleansing our palate with the Limoncello and Mint Oil from Sicily, it was a sharp and tangy granita type course, but the mint oil was quite tame and I wish it was able to shine through a bit more. 

 

The second highlight of our meal was Attimi’s “Ferrero” Rocher inspired by Piemonte. I was initially a little worried that the dessert would be way too sweet for my liking, but this turned out to be fairly unfounded. Although it was very rich and decadent with its creamy hazelnut chocolate and delicious hazelnut chunks, it was thankfully not excessively sugary. I was glad to have shared this with Dr L as I wouldn't have been able to finish this on my own.

Washing down the ferrero rocher was a small glass of hazelnut milk. This was served perfectly warmed up with a rich nutty taste without being too sweet at all. It provided a wonderful accompaniment to our dessert, making for a fantastic finale to our three and a half hour dinner.

Topping off our meal, we were each given a home made madeline to take away. This sweet gesture really set Attimi apart from other fine dining places I've been at lately, it ensured that we were thinking about the meal long after we had left the premises. Reheating it the morning after to go with my coffee, it was quite sweet but had a clear citrus-y zing from the zest infused into the little cake. 

In my estimation, there were a lot of things that Attimi could improve on, such as not plying customers for drinks so many times and by speeding up the gaps between courses, however when it comes to the quality of  each course we had, I found them to be largely faultless. I would probably not be as much of a fan if I had paid full price for the meal, since a few of the courses were very carb heavy and relied on chef craftsmanship rather than sheer value of ingredients, however at the discounted price, we were very impressed with what we had and would gladly return for another long dinner.

Price Range: $200 - $250pp (without discount)

Taste: 8.5/10

Value: 9/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 8/10 
 

Mr Bills - Belmont

Banh mi is one of those things that everyone loves but everyone has their own favourite store. One of our good friends Mr A had tried to convince me for a while to try out his favourite, Mr Bills for some time now. Unfortunately, they had closed for a brief stint when their premises in Tingalpa closed for redevelopment and it's only recently that they re-opened, in a bowls club of all places. Keen as ever to evangelise Mr Bills, Mr A held his birthday party at the bowls club and we were finally able to try it out for ourselves.

Despite being run out of the kitchen of a bowls club, the menu was surprisingly large and encompassed almost everything you'd find at a Vietnamese restaurant in Inala such as rice, noodles, banh mi and other snacks. I was pretty tempted by the pho, but stayed on track. The owner was especially warm and friendly, making a genuine effort to greet customers and remember their names.

It didn't take too long for our food to arrive. I was unable to choose two banh mi to sample, so Dr L and I ended up with three, conveniently cut up in half so we could try everything.

Starting off with the best of three, this was the Roast Pork banh mi. Although it didn't have as much meat content as the most recent one I've had at Banh Mi Station, I'd say each aspect of this was fairly close to perfection. The bun was extremely fresh with a crispy exterior that we loved and a super light and fluffy interior. There was a generous amount of pate and butter in the bun, offering rich creaminess to the mix. The pork belly was exceptionally tasty, crisp and warm. If I had to critique this I would have said there was a little bit too much chilli and coriander for my liking, but it really added a kick to the bun and didn't overpower the pork.

Our least favourite of the three was the Crispy Chicken. In saying that, it was by no means bad. The salad and bun were still delicious and the chicken was undoubtedly crispy as described but the meat itself wasn't as well seasoned as the pork. When I come back I probably won't order this but try something else instead.

Three little piggies was our last banh mi and it contained a selection of three pork cold cuts to go with their bun and salad. I was expecting to enjoy this one the least but it was really delicious, particularly because the bun itself was warmed up to provide a contrast in temperatures. I would order this again next time I'm back.

We also tried the drinks including an iced coffee and a lychee milk tea. Both were alright given the location but not particularly good. We found both to be too sweet and the coffee could have been a little stronger.

Overall, we had a really enjoyable time at Mr Bills. They're not "the best" in Brisbane but well within the top ten I'd say. I was very surprised at the quality of the banh mi and will definitely be back to try more very soon.

Price Range: $15 - $25pp

Taste: 9/10

Value: 8/10

Service: 9/10

Environment: 6/10