Fat Cow - Fortitude Valley

Finding a spot to have my birthday dinner is always a challenge ever year. In the twilight zone between Christmas and New Years, lots of things are closed and the remaining ones are often booked out, leaving my choices somewhat limited. Anyway, wanting to end the year with a highlight, we made a reservation at Fatcow, probably the most premium steakhouse in Brisbane.

We were greeted at the door and seated promptly near the entrance where I had a stellar view of the oyster tank and lobster tank.

 

For a refined steakhouse, there was a wide variety on the menu when it came to pricing. For a more budget option there was a wagyu burger available as well as a large selection of steaks. The drinks menu was equally as extensive. However given how premium the restaurant was, it was surprisingly difficult to get the attention of waitstaff and we had to wait a fairly long time before we were able to put our orders in.

Readers may have noted my comment about Fatcow being the most premium steakhouse in Brisbane right now. I would consider it so as it has recently been the first and only restaurant in QLD to be certified to sell Kobe Beef. I wasn't able to reserve any but was lucky enough that they had stock on the day we visited. At $350 for a 200g steak it was a splurge but we ordered it anyway. After ordering, we were able to enjoy the trophy on our table for a while before our food and drinks showed up.

First round of cocktails, I had an espresso martini and Dr L had the Devil's Advocate. The espresso martini was definitely more premium than the usual, with a strong alcoholic taste, rich coffee and not overly sweet. The Devils Advocate was very festive with a heavy cherry hit and also strong in liqueur.

 

Knowing that our meal was going to be a heavy one, I opted for the lightest entrees on offer, being the scallops and kingfish. Both portions were on the smaller side but intricate. The scallops were very creamy with its corn miso puree, balancing out the charred caramelised flavours whilst the kingfish was crisp and acidic with its smoky ponzu.

Furthering my point about service being a bit shaky in such an upmarket restaurant, the bread was only served after our entrees arrived. As would be expected, it was crusty and served warm and lightly toasted. It was served with a rich salted butter and a lighter red wine jus which we kept for the impending steak.

Steak always goes well with red wine, so we had a glass of chilled pinot noir each to go with the main event. It was poured before it got to the table, which I also considered surprising when I had a more polished experience at Clarence where they poured it at the table and let me sample some before topping up the glass.

Our main event was of course the wagyu tasting platter. Originally it comes with 200g of Sirloin MB6+, 250g Rump Cap MB9+ and 150g Japanese Sirloin MB12+ however we swapped out the Japanese Sirloin for 200g of the Full Blood Kobe Sirloin. Each steak was cooked to perfection and we were really able to appreciate the difference in texture and meatiness between all three. The MB6 sirloin was meaty and tended towards the leaner side but had a much earthier and beefy flavour to the meat. It was definitely the chewiest of the options but still superior to anything I could make at home. We both enjoyed the rump cap that struck a nice balance between tasty meaty flavours whilst still being delightfully buttery soft, however of course our highlight was the Kobe Sirloin. This was cooked masterfully to allow for a significant amount of the fat to be rendered off so that it wasn't too greasy and intense for us to enjoy 100g each. The meat was pillowy soft and the flavours delicate. I didn't know whether one platter would have been too much food for the two of us, given how decadent we expected the steak to be, but it was just right and we were amply full. As such, if you come in a group of three or four, you might have to order more to supplement the meal. To go with this tasting platter, we ordered a peppercorn and garlic sauce for an extra $7. Readers know my position on paying for sauces in an upmarket restaurant by now but it has to be emphasised again. When we have paid in excess of $500 for this platter, it comes off as cheap to charge extra for a sauce. Anyway the sauce was also enjoyable, striking a good balance of creaminess and pepperiness.

The wagyu tasting platter came with three sides. We had the roasted pumpkin with blue cheese, garden salad and fatcow potatoes. I don't have too much to say about the pumpkin and the garden salad other than that they were executed well but didn't really stand out as unique. The fatcow potatoes though were really something special. The potatoes had just the right texture, smooth in the right places, lumpy in just the right amount and then deep fried to perfection. Other than the potatoes, I found the other two sides to be on the smaller side, which allowed us to finish everything comfortably.

Whilst we didn't opt for dessert as Dr L had made a cake for me at home, however, given it was a birthday celebration we were gifted a small slice of citrus cake with a sparkler. This was tart and refreshing after a luxurious meal.

Overall we had a pretty good time at Fatcow. Although there was room for improvement on the service front, it was undeniable that the food was spectacular. I will definitely make a point to come back for any special occasions we may have in the future if we are looking for premium steak.

Price Range: $300+pp

Taste: 9/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 6/10

Environment: 9/10

Jamns Kitchen - Annerley

Readers may now be aware that Thai food isn't necessarily one of my favourite cuisines. I don't mind it but I also don't go out of my way for it. It is with that mindset that I added Jamn's Kitchen to my list, more by virtue of the fact that it was close to home rather than anything else. Anyway what made me decide to finally pay them a visit was the fact that they had recently signed onto first table, therefore offering 50% off food, making it a very good deal. The reservation times were not un-reasonable and we paid them a visit as an early weeknight dinner.

The restaurant itself was fairly small with a handful of seats inside and outside. The menu wasn't brief but it also wasn't particularly long. All your standard Thai dishes were available including curries, rice dishes, noodle dishes and some mains and other appetizers. We ordered at the counter where we had a minor hiccup insofar as the restaurant claimed a number of items (sides and desserts) were excluded from the first table discount, without them having been explicitly listed on the website. This was later rectified by first table adding these exceptions to their site, however I think the restaurant really ought to have honoured the deal.

Anyway, it didn't take too long before our meals started arriving. First to arrive were crab net spring rolls. These were freshly fried and crispy but ultimately they didn't really deviate from the iterations I've had at other Thai restaurants and Vietnamese restaurants. I've seen frozen ones in the supermarket and imagine that they all source them from the same location.

 

In terms of larger dishes, the first two to arrive was the red duck curry and the beef steak with jamn's sauce. The duck curry was ample in portion size with a generous amount of duck and lychee. What really stood out to me though was how excessively sweet it was, even for Thai food. I definitely struggled to finish this one. The beef steak was more reasonably flavoured, although still tangy with lime and a strong dose of sugar. Although well charred, I found it to be unnecessarily chewy for my taste.

Our main event was the whole fried barramundi. It was huge and very impressive on the plate. Like the other dishes, it was very sweet. The sauce it was doused with was basically sweet chilli jam. I didn't mind the fish, it was crispy and not overly fishy, but again I would appreciate a less sweet sauce.

We ordered a serve of coconut rice to go with the curry. This was surprisingly bad coming from an asian restaurant. It was exceptionally wet, the rice was also clumpy and the grains were not distinct. 

We also had a serve of soft shell crab pad thai. The portion size was a bit lacking but the execution was good in comparison to the other dishes we had that night. The soft shell crab was freshly fried and crisp. Being served a whole crab was fairly generous. The noodles were tender and soft but retained a level of chewiness, however still was a tad sweeter than I would have liked. 

Despite the fact that their dessert was not on half price, I still ordered the milo roti to share because I was pretty keen on it. The roti was straight out of the fryer, fresh and crisp, whilst the milo ice cream was sweet without overwhelming the dish. This was probably my favourite part of the evening.

Although our evening was filled with hits and misses, I couldn't say that it was a bad deal by virtue of the first table discount. If Jamn's Kitchen was situated a bit further away, I could pretty confidently say I wouldn't be back but given the proximity, I may still come back due to sheer convenience.

Price Range: $25 - $35pp (post discount)

Taste: 6/10

Value: 8/10

Service: 6/10

Environment: 8/10

Corner Pizza and Grill - Sunnybank

I had been told about Corner Pizza and Grill earlier in the year by friends who had gone and enjoyed it. I added it to my list for the occasion when I wasn't in the mood to cook. We found ourselves in such a situation last week when we decided to finally strike it off the list and paid them a visit.

  

The shopfront was small and there was a modest counter. The takeaway menu provided for the standard menu whilst the specials menu was provided in chalk on the wall. Ordering was quick and simple at the counter. 

There were very few seats outside, most guests opted for take away but we wanted to eat whilst it was fresh. I wish I hadn't actually made that choice as there were quite a few mosquitoes I had to defend myself from whilst I was eating. Being a predominantly take away venue also meant that we had no serviettes to wipe our hands or face with that night, making it hard to drive home with greasy hands.

Our food arrived fairly quickly. Between the two of us we shared a Truffle Stracciatella and Prosciutto pizza and a 3 meat pizza

The three meat pizza comprised of ham, mild salami and bacon. Toppings were very generous and complimented the sauce well. I particularly liked the fact that this tomato sauce did not overpower the meats or cheese and that a balance was achieved between all elements. The base was also delicious and fluffy with just the right amount of char on the edges.

Our Truffle Stracciatella and Prosciutto was also excellent with generous amounts of prosciutto and stracciatella. Again the base was delicious and we found the refreshing cheese and salty prosciutto to contrast each other well. I only wish that there was a stronger truffle flavour.

Rounding off with dessert, this was a serve of tiramisu. It was just the right portion size to share. I really enjoyed its light creamy texture and heavy hit of coffee, making it the perfect finish to our delicious meal.

We really enjoyed our meal at Corner Pizza and Grill. I'll definitely be back but next time I'm getting takeaway for home instead.

Price Range: $30 - $40pp

Taste: 9/10

Value: 8/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 3/10 

Nekoland - West End

Nekoland has been open in West End for a little while. Specialising in Tsukemen (Japanese dipping noodle), it is fairly popular which is why I happily obliged when a friend suggested we go check it out. 

The setup was very unique and reminded me a little bit of malatang. At the front of the shop was a big fridge with an assortment of items like fish balls, fried cutlets and other toppings for your noodles, you gather them in a basket and make your order at the counter with your noodle and soup of choice..

 

There were also a number of other dishes available by way of QR code along with set meals that have pre set toppings for those who are indecisive. 

Despite the fairly small shopfront, there was ample seating behind the counter area. We were comfortably able to seat our large group.

There was a bit of a wait before our food arrived. Starting off with a serve of takoyaki, this was fairly expensive for $15, offering only six balls. Taste wise, it was no different from the frozen ones I can pick up at the grocery store. Overall they were fairly delicious but most definitely not worth the price.

Dr L and I shared two tsukemen. This was the Sakura shrimp bisque with ramen noodles. The noodles were served at room temperature. I wasn't overly impressed that the fried items were served on top of the noodles, meaning that they were at risk of losing they're crispiness. The soup had a bit of prawn taste and a bit of tomato flavour to it, I found the combination to be not particularly compatible and the soup was also served very lukewarm. The ramen noodles were just packet noodles you can get from the supermarket.

Our other tsukemen was creamy truffle served with udon. The soup was again served lukewarm which was not ideal. Truffle was a bit tastier than the prawn soup and the udon was superior to ramen. Toppings wise, the chicken cutlet tasted like the pre battered supermarket variety and was therefore nothing to write home about.

Overall, I didn't have a bad time at Nekoland, I found the concept to be little bit odd and the execution to also be a bit odd. Nevertheless, if friends asked to go in the future, it's not a place I would object to.

Price Range: $30 - $40pp

Taste: 7/10

Value: 6/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 7/10 

Noodle Craft - Graceville

When I have the occasional day off, I like to take the time to go to places I wouldn't ordinarily be able to get to when rushing around on a work day. Last week, I had such an opportunity, so decided to take mum out to lunch and try out Noodle Craft in Graceville, which I had on my radar since they had been listed on First Table. 

We found parking underground which was convenient as we didn't want to return to a burning hot car. Other than us, there was only one table dining at lunch, but it was a workday, so perhaps that's understandable.

Originally we were provided with an English menu but I noticed options were a bit different off the Chinese menu I read online, so I asked for a Chinese menu. Ordering was done at the counter. Staff were friendly and helpful

Drinks wise, I had a mango green tea and mum had the taro milk tea. Both were fine, they weren't up to the quality you would expect of a specialised bubble tea shop but by no means were they bad. My mango green tea was refreshing and not overly sweet.

Starting off with our smaller dishes, this was the pork and fennel dumplings. They were freshly fried with a small skirt around them. The ingredients were fresh and there was a bit of meat juice in it. I didn't mind it at all.

 

Mum wanted the cumin lamb chinese hamburger so we ordered that. Usually I'm not a huge fan of chinese hamburgers, but this one is definitely one I loved. The lamb was well seasoned and thinly sliced (notably other places use mince). The sliced lamb complimented the flaky pastry well and it was really delicious without being too spicy.

 

I had a recommendation from Brisvegustation to try out their oil splashed noodles. I opted for the two in one flavour bowl, comprising of tomato and egg as well as spicy pork mince. The bowl was deceptively big even though it didn't look that way. There was a generous portion of noodles and enough toppings to keep every mouthful flavoursome. I also really appreciated the texture of knife cut noodles, being thick on one side and thinner and wavier on the other. There was a distinct chewiness in them that you would also not be able to get from noodles that weren't freshly made. We ended up not being able to finish it all and took some home for dad who also really enjoyed it. 

Our other bowl was the beef noodle soup. This was a delightful rendition with a deep and umami soup, tender but chewy noodles and beef brisket pieces that were fall apart soft. If anything there could have been a little bit more beef on top, but it was fine for commercial standards. I would rate this as just as good as options you could get at Sunnybank.

We had an enjoyable meal at Noodle Craft. The food was well executed and the service was fantastic. If the location were a bit closer to home, I would definitely come back more often.

Price Range: $20 - $25pp (with the first table discount)

Taste: 8.5/10

Value: 8/10
Service: 9/10

Environment: 7/10