Chef Jon Pizzeria - Kenmore

 

It was only a couple months ago that I declared Corner Pizzeria at Sunnybank to be my favourite pizza place. Since then, the openings have not stopped and I have continued on my gastronomical journey. We recently saw some posts about Chef Jon Pizzeria in Kenmore. Having developed an ability to gauge the quality of food by photos posted on google, it had me very interested and keen. We finally got to try it last Sunday night after a busy week.

Given the rain, we were seated inside close to the pizza oven. The seating inside was limited and booking is fairly essential as it filled up quickly after we showed up.

The menu largely comprised of pizzas, which is what we were there for. Prices are notably higher than competitors in the market, but allegedly the quality makes up for it, so we each picked one to share. There were also some appetizers, mains and desserts.

To start, we had the Calabrese Burrata, comprising of  nduja spreadable spicy salami, fresh burrata cheese, extra virgin olive oil, black sea salt. We were not expecting it to be served with bread, instead hoping for the cheese to be a good addition to the pizza crusts but it was. The cheese was light but creamy and contrast well with the tangy tomato whilst the nduja gave it an extra hot kick.

Our pizzas came very quickly after our entrees. This was the Pizza Con Affettati Misti, topped with  salami, pancetta, pork sausage, pepperoni, mozzarella, and smoky BBQ sauce. Toppings were very generous and I enjoyed every meaty element, particularly the pork sausage which was very umami and crumbly. The stand out for me though was undoubtedly the pizza crust with just the right amount of char and an unbelievably fluffy edge, possibly the fluffiest I've ever had.

Next up was the Diavola Pizza. topped with fior di latte mozzarella, spicy salami, olives, red onion on a tomato base, parmesan cheese and extra virgin olive oil. Although spicy pizza isn't usually something I would pick, the heat wasn't uncomfortable and  I liked the crunch of the red onions. 

My favourite of the night was the Salami and Truffle Pizza, topped with sopressa salami, truffle puree, fior di latte mozzarella, and pecorino romano on a white pizza base. The truffle was very intense and rich. I enjoyed this compared to the usual fungi due to the added meaty sopressa salami, adding a savoury meaty texture to the dish.

I was so curious to try the most expensive pizza on the menu, so for $47 we ordered the Wagyu Bresaola and Porcini Pizza. It was topped with dry aged Wagyu bresaola served with porcini mushrooms and gorgonzola and fior di latte mozzarella. Although definitely on the expensive side for pizza, the price was definitely warranted given the amount of wagyu bresaola on top of the pizza. We really enjoyed this and you definitely can't get this anywhere else in Brisbane (short of making it at home yourself).

Although we were already super full by the end of the meal, we shared a serve of tiramisu between the four of us. It was a fairly large slice for $20, even a quarter piece gave me two solid bites. The mascarpone was whipped to a light texture and the sponge had ample amounts of coffee liquor. It made for the perfect ending to a fairly faultless meal.

We had a stellar time at Chef Jon Pizzeria. I was very taken aback by the quality of their pizza. Although pricey, you definitely get value in what you pay and I cannot wait to be back to try some more.

Price Range: $45 - $55pp

Taste: 9.5/10

Value: 8/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 7/10 

Momoto - Upper Mt Gravatt

As a fairly keen sushi fan, I'm always on the look out for new options. I was quite interested when I first saw the opening of Momoto in Garden City, promising a more upmarket rendition of kaiten sushi with premium prices to match. However, I decided to sit it out a bit when I noted a slew of sponsored content, I decided to wait a bit to see some genuine reviews before going. So it languished on my list for a while until they made their way onto eatclub. With Dr L running an errand nearby, we finally tried it out.

It was fairly busy when we went and we grabbed a corner seat, just outside the kitchen. The train was fairly well stocked but we opted to order on the ipad. Per my usual reviews of kaiten sushi stores, my descriptions will be brief due to the number of dishes.

Starting off with the scallop, these were fairly ordinary. They were moderately fresh but not overly sweet. I wouldn't consider it particularly different to the offerings at other kaiten sushi. 

Ika was a bit better. With a generous thick cut that was sliced with a chewy and sticky texture, this was quite enjoyable

Lobster salad and salmon wasn't particularly outstanding. Lobster salad was of the variety you would get at an asian grocery store. I could probably recreate this at home without too much difficulty.

We had two salmon belly and avocado takosu. These are all the rage now, standing in for a more traditional temaki. Portions were small for the price ($8.60 each) and decidedly underwhelming. Quality of ingredients was fairly standard.

The anago was a more unique find on their menu. Each portion came with only one piece. Toppings were generous and the anago was fine, but it was considerably expensive for what was provided.

At least the unagi came with two pieces. This was also fairly standard and doesn't stand out from the competition when the prices are higher.

We had a serve of grilled wagyu. This was decidedly a let down, being overcooked and quite tough.

Not sure I was necessarily expecting anything different but we ordered the crab stick with avocado and it was exactly as we envisaged and nothing more.

Noting another unique piece, we ordered the jack mackerel. This was the stand out for me, thick cut, fresh and garnished with ginger and some spring onions it was a delicious mouthful. 

Salmon tobiko was also fine. Nothing wrong with it but nothing that stood out either. Salmon was adequately cut but not really thick.

Rounding out our meal we had the trusty avocado salmon. The portion of avocado was a bit less than I would have liked. Salmon was very standard and didn't impress.

Overall I would say I was glad to finally have tried out momoto to satisfy my curiosity. Having said that, our final bill for two was approx $100 even with a 25% eat club discount and no drinks so it was definitely not cheap. On average, I would say some dishes were better than sushi edo quality, but prices were nearly double. If you want particular unique pieces of fish that you couldn't get at sushi edo or sushi train then maybe come here, otherwise it's not worth the value propositoin at all. 

Price range: $45 - $55pp

Taste: 7.5/10

Value: 5/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 7/10

Udon Kompira - Brisbane CBD

Readers may be aware of my change of employment at the end of last year. With that comes a change of office and an opportunity to closely explore new venues. Being now located above post office square, that makes it the idea location to start. My commencement also coincided with the opening of Udon Kompira, so I went to try it out.

The setup was akin to Jiro Udon at Southport or Udonya at Sunnybank Plaza. You pick your udon/rice base, get a plate and pick up some tempura sides and pay at the counter. Being an udon specialty store, both times I went, I ordered udon.

The fried food on offer was neatly lined up and not dissimilar to the offerings at udonya with a few vegetable options, prawn, chicken and fish cake. I can't be sure but from memory it was a bit more expensive than Sunnybank.

Udon Kompira sets itself apart from its competition by making its noodles in house. When I asked how much a regular vs a large was, I expected to be told something akin one noodle or one and a half noodles but was instead given grams as the unit of description. Each noodle was cooked fresh to order.

On my first instance I ordered the large kake udon and had an assortment of sides. The udon was unlike udonya or jiro. Although thick and chewy, it lacked the squishy bite that you would find at those places and was instead a lot more firm, and hard to bite through, akin to shanghai la mian instead. Looking into this a bit further, it probably has to do with the protein content in the flour they used. The soup was light and fragrant and I liked the tempura egg with its runny interior. I found the zucchini to be a bit odd as it was so big and would have enjoyed a smaller piece with a bit more batter. 

On my second instance, I ordered the beef udon, this came topped with an onsen egg and wakame seaweed. The texture was the same as last time. Sides were also enjoyable, the prawn was a bit bigger this time than my first. 

Clearly, given my return visit, I didn't mind my meal at Udon Kompira. Service was fast and I was able to obtain my food and finish my meal within 20 minutes which is pretty admirable for a quick work lunch. Despite the noodles being hand made, I do prefer the noodles from udonya. Having said that, I will definitely be back because of the convenience factor.

Price Range: $20 - $30pp

Taste: 7/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 7/10
 

Uncle Don - West End

After trying out Uncle Don in Rosalie a little while ago, I was pretty impressed with their quality of food. What I was a bit less impressed with though was the price, which erred upon the more expensive side of the spectrum for Japanese set meals. I was however pleased to see that a few of their stores had signed up to first table and so I went with a colleague to try out their West End store.

Arriving after a not too short hike on a weekday we were thankful that the air conditioning was cool. Most tables were free but we sat in a fairly quiet corner, facing the kitchen.

The menu was the same as their other outposts with a focus on rice bowls with a few sides, entrees and mains. The drinks menu was concise.

As you all know by now, first table discounts often come with the condition of ordering one full priced beverage. I had a sake to go with my meal.

 

Kicking off with the starters we had some temaki and salmon sashimi to share. The temaki was a tad small but had a decent rice to topping ratio. The salmon sashimi was fairly standard, it wasn't exceptionally fresh but it also wasn't unfresh.

Clearly both my companion and I were keen for the salmon. We both ordered salmon dons, she had the aburi and I had it fresh. As with their rosalie store, the quality was on point. Salmon was delicious, thinly sliced and the presentation was fantastic. The only downside was that it was on the smaller side. Had it not been for my starters, I would definitely have still been hungry. Having said that, once you factor in the first table discount, it represents excellent value and we hope to be back soon.

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

Taste: 8/10

Value: 8/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 8/10

Two Peck - Toowong

Although I do love Korean Fried Chicken, my all time favourite iteration of fried chicken will always be Taiwanese Fried Chicken. Whilst not as popular as KFC, there have been a few openings in Brisbane over the last several years. Most recently, Two Peck opened in Toowong Village. Some people on red note have suggested that it is the best Taiwanese Fried Chicken in town, so we had to go try it out and see for ourselves.

 

The shopfront was small. There was probably only one or two staff working that evening and a sign was clearly placed asking us to order on the screen rather than at the counter. The menu was definitely small and pretty much every item was fried. Ordering was easy enough though.

Those who read reviews online may note that the complaints largely revolve around how long it takes for the food to be prepared. Indeed I was able to compare three bubble tea shops, order and collect and come back to a further 5 minute wait before our order from Two Peck was ready.

Without designated seating, we took our food to the nearby food court to enjoy our spread. Our dinner comprised of two chicken fillets and three sides to share between the two of us. At $55 for the lot, it was market value when you consider what the competitors are charging but on the other hand it was also a bit steep for a bunch of fried things of not particularly high value.

 

Starting off with the fried chicken fillet. what sets two peck apart from the other stores is that it gives you the option of chicken breast fillet with bone or chicken thigh fillet without bones. Dr L hates bones in his food so he had the thigh fillet whilst I had the breast fillet. We expected the pieces to be small but they were quite large. We speculated that perhaps they smashed two patties together to form one big fillet, but we weren't sure. The thigh fillet was as you would expect, moist and juicy. The breast fillet was also moist and juicy, much to my delight. The batter was probably corn starch or some other low protein flour that made it similar to a tempura batter. I much prefer the traditional potato start that is used in Sam's Chicken for the balls of puffed goodness on the outside. Either way, this was pretty delicious and had just the right amount of salt and pepper.

Our three sides were a hit and miss though. Starting with what went well, the oyster mushrooms were perfectly fried with the light tempura batter. Crisp and crunchy on the outside with just the right amount of seasoning, taste wise it was faultless. It was however small for the price paid.

On the other hand, the calamari tentacles left a lot to be desired. Even though they were fried, somehow they batter was falling off the tentacles and it came out like a hot mess. I'm really surprised that they thought it was ok to serve them like this. Taste wise it was good enough though but again the portion was small, particularly given we paid almost $10 for this serve.

Final side of the night was tofu. Portions were small but in this case it had next to no batter on it so it wasn't even crisp, but rather had a weird oily coating where it should have been fried. I love tofu so generally I'd eat it no matter what, but this was definitely not up to standard as a fried tofu.

Overall, we had a mixed experience at Two Peck. The chicken was enjoyable enough but not the best in Brisbane. The sides were disappointing except for the mushroom. Although I didn't hate the experience, next time I am definitely going to Sam's Chicken for my fix instead.

Price Range: $20 - $30pp

Taste: 7/10

Value: 6/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: N/A