Wellington Road Bistro - East Brisbane

In light of the current state of the economy and cost of living crisis it is always a green flag for me when I see that restaurants try to combat rising prices for the benefit of customers. It is with this in mind that Dr L and I headed off for our weeknight date at Wellington Road Bistro at East Brisbane, after they caught my eye with their war cry of being on a mission to bring back affordable dining.

 

In spite of the fact it was a weeknight, the place was fully booked and I noted that several walk ins were turned away at the door. If you want to go, a reservation is highly recommended.

I really liked the vibe. It had a very rustic european vibe crossed with some fairly traditional australian vibes too. The place was cozy and warm, but service was on the slower side. 

The menu was brief but contained quite a few items I was keen to try. Notably though they had just removed the confit duck the week prior and I missed out.

We started off with two glasses of pinot noir. These were fine but the pour was notably uneven.

Starting off with entrees, this was the lamb ribs. I didn't really know what to expect but they were phenomenal. The lamb was meaty and fell off the bone. The meat was crisp but still moist and tender. Seasoning was on point and the greens were light and crunchy. It was just the right portion for both of us to share.

 

Tartare was next. It came with an interesting twist of what appeared to be traditional Australian damper. The seasoning for the tartare was on the lighter side but I enjoyed the garlic chips. The damper was interesting and unique, but a lighter crisp would have been more enjoyable in my opinion.

Mains actually took quite a long time to arrive after our entrees, which provided quite a bit of stress because we were told we had to return the table by 7.30 to ensure the next group could be seated. First main to arrive was the tenderloin. This was a bit small, even for the cut of meat but cooked to a perfectly rare pink colour. It was served with a side of chips and red wine jus. We both swear that the chips did not taste like they were deep fried and were either baked or air fried. They were still crispy but lacked the crunch of the deep fryer. 

Our other main was the scallop risotto. This was rich and creamy without being overly heavy. Like the eye fillet, I found it on the lighter side for a main course. Three scallops alone for a main course also left a bit to be desired in terms of portions, but the flavours were good. I probably wouldn't order this again on a return visit though.

We also had a side of leafy greens to share. This was generous, and the lettuce was significantly fresher than usual, with a delightfully tart vinaigrette. I would have liked some sort of other toppings to give it some variations though, like fried shallots or even onions or tomatoes.

Squeezing in time for dessert, this was the chocolate fondant. It was a good portion to share between two and had a decadent runny centre. The pistachio ice cream was on the lighter side and I would have liked a stronger richer taste to contrast the chocolate, but it was a good enough finish.

Overall the meal was good but not exceptional. The bill for the two of us still came to over $200, which was fairly steep for a casual weeknight meal, and didn't really hit the affordable mark it was aiming for. I wouldn't mind a return visit though but would preference other places first.

Price Range: $90 - $110pp

Taste: 7.5/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 6/10

Environment: 8/10 

Chippers - Greenslopes

Given the crazy amount of life admin I've got going on right now, it was inevitable that my cooking schedule would get disrupted in one way or another, which is how Dr L and I found ourselves after a quick feed at Chippers at Greenslopes last week. 

Recommended to us by a foodie friend as the best fish and chips ever, it's been on my list for a little while, but as Dr L's favourite food, I took the opportunity to indulge him a bit for how hectic our week had been. The shop itself was big but frontage was small. We managed to score the only table inside the restaurant, which was pretty essential as I wanted to enjoy our food whilst it was hot (and not steamed) but also wanted to sit in an air conditioned environment.

 

The menu was fairly concise. Arguably shorter than regular fish and chip shops even, with a noticeable lack in salad options. Otherwise there were your standard fish and chips packs, burgers and a couple of deep fried sides. Notably, sauces didn't come with any of the packs and were a paid add on.

Between the two of us, we shared a dinner for two and I added two seafood sticks. It was quite a spread, filling our little table up entirely.

Originally the set came with crumbed cod, but I upgraded it to battered snapper, as a superior option. This was huge, freshly fried, without an overly thick batter that was also remarkably crisp without being greasy.

The chips were actually a serious highlight for us. Seasoned with a generous dusting of chicken salt, Dr L and I both don't think we've had better chips anywhere else lately. Chips are one of those things that are easy enough to cook but hard to perfect. These had the best type of crunch that was firm but not too hard. The best thing about it was that the crispiness was long lasting and maintained throughout our entire meal. The portion was generous and it wasn't oily, leaving us satisfied but not feeling gross.

Other components of the dinner for two included calamari rings and potato scallops. These were also fine and crispy. The added seafood sticks were the weakest element. For some reason these were very soggy, leaking through to the batter which made that go soft. Also I didn't take a picture of the sauce but a large portion was barely enough for the two of us to share. It was however fresh and definitely tasted home made more than commercial.

Other than the one table inside, there were a number of tables behind the shop. These were semi outdoors and dimly lit. I wouldn't mind sitting there if the weather was good and it was the daytime but probably not at night.

Anyway we had a really enjoyable dinner at Chippers. I don't eat a lot of fish and chips but this is definitely one of the best I've had in recent years, although the prices are comparably steep, you get the quality you pay for.

Price Range: $25 - $35pp

Taste: 9/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 6/10 

Pavilion Dining - Brisbane CBD

Ever since Queens Wharf opened last year, I had observed their restaurant openings and closures from afar. Perhaps I am biased but restaurants located in casinos or hotels have never stood out to me in Australia (in contrast to Asia where a lot of premier restaurants are located in casinos or hotels). To me, there appears to be a lack of genuine effort on those venues here, where a lot of their clientele dine there by necessity more than by choice. As such, I hadn't really made too much of an effort to dine at those establishments. Hua was no exception. With it's weak reviews and dubious offerings, I wasn't shocked to see it close so soon. In its place, opened Pavilion, apparently run by the group responsible for LongTime and Yum Cha cuisine.

From the offset, I wasn't all that excited to try it out, noting the logistical challenges to find parking in the city, but after seeing the below promotion on the Chinese newspaper, citing ALL dimsim were to be $8.80 for the month of September for lunch, and complimentary parking was available, I made plans to visit after seeing how much variety was on offer online, as reflected in the menu above.

Unfortunately, upon arrival, it turned out that Pavilion Dining's definition of "all" was incompatible with that of the general understanding of the word and there were only less than twenty dishes available at the $8.80, most of which were low value items.

As I was walking in, I also spied on the counter that there was a 10% weekend surcharge, conveniently also omitted in the ad.

Given how popular it was, perhaps a lot of people had seen the ad and wanted to take advantage of the deal while it lasted. Walking in, I noted that there was essentially no change to the layout compared to when it was Hua, and the dining area was more spacious than expected, but decidedly fusion. Service was friendly and fast. Upon being seated, we were offered still or sparkling water. As a curiosity I asked why whether they had Chinese Tea and I was then told that it was $7 per head. For that price, I would rather go to get bubble tea for a little bit more. So of course, we all drank tap water that lunch.

Anyway, as you would expect from a well run yumcha chain like yum cha cuisine, the food came out very quickly. We tried to keep to the $8.80 menu but still ventured to regular retail price for a couple items, including the prawn dumplings. These were very expensive but fairly well executed with a thin skin and plump fresh prawns inside. Our sesame balls were also fresh and had a generous amount of smooth black sesame paste inside. Both were good but not outstanding.

The siu mai was also served hot, but was fairly middle of the road in terms of taste.

 

Even though they were on the $8.80, the satay chicken came in two skewers which was a bit disappointing for portion sizes and if it was at full price, I would be outraged. The mala dumplings were a bit odd and not on the main menu. They were a bit like the chilli oil wantons you'd get at shanghai restaurants but not quite. The skin was fairly thick and the fillings weren't overly generous. It basically tastes like a worse version of supermarket dumplings but topped with copious amounts of chilli oil.

Steamed bean curd wraps were the highlight of my day. These weren't on the specials, so we paid full price, making them approximately $5 a piece which is fairly steep. They were delicious though, with a plump and generous filling, rich with prawn meat. I loved the seasoned tofu skin and thick gelatinous sauce.

 

Beef balls were an odd one. They are usually filled with crunchy water chestnut. I actually hate that weird crunchy texture in my beef balls but cannot deny that it is the traditional way. Much to my surprise, this iteration had no water chestnut in it, which lead to a fair bit of disappointment from the rest of the table but I liked it a lot more. We also had a serve of deep fried crab claws. These were the same as you would get frozen from supermarkets and I've had it many times across Chinese and Japanese restaurants.

Glutinous rice balls were also fairly average, a bit small and had your usual pork and veggie mince. I didn't love it but didn't hate it.

Of the discounted menu, the bbq pork rice paper rolls were a stand out. The skin was moderately thin and translucent with succulent honey sweet barbecue pork inside. It would be a bit of a rip off at regular retail price of more than $20 though.

Rounding off our meal, we had a serve of stir fried noodles. Portions were small and after picking around for a bit, I was able to ascertain that there was in fact no protein in the dish. For $8.80, it wasn't good value and even less so for full price.

Overall, no regrets in trying out Pavilion Dining. I was glad to satisfy my curiosity while it was on sale, but the value proposition was poor, the misleading advertising was deceptive and the quality was no better than landmark or parklands. I will stick with Ruyi in the future.

Price Range: $35 - $45pp

Taste: 6/10

Value: 5/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 8/10 

FEU - Byron Bay

As someone who indulges in fine dining at least a couple times a year, it was a surprisingly hard decision for me to choose what to do for my hens. As something that you theoretically do once only in your life, it's more special than a birthday, so the experience had to reflect that level of uniqueness. After a bit of thought, I finally decided to hit up FEU, which had opened in Byron Bay, not long ago. It caught my radar after the flurry of stellar reviews from Brisbane foodies who I trust, along with one review from Chris Hemsworth who dubbed it the best restaurant in the world. 

Anyway, the five of us ended up making the two and a half hour way down to Byron, stopping several times to enjoy lunch and the sights. We arrived early for our 5.30pm dinner, and even got to experience the super exclusive, invites only blind tiger bar, which was a very memorable event.

  

After walking through the wine cellar and the dry aging fridges, we eventually got to our table.

Given the size of our group, we weren't able to sit at the bar counter, but still had a pretty good view of the kitchen.

 

Upon being seated, we were presented with a small menu that asked how many courses we wanted.

As we were deciding, quite a few welcome snacks were already presented. First to arrive was the XO sauce pipi and the butter poached oyster. Both were very fresh and appetizing with contrasting flavours that I enjoyed.

Next up was caviar, cream and a small but thick pancake. It was very decadent and luxurious for a complimentary starter and the amount of caviar was very generous.

Next up was a dried root chip with a burnt eggplant dip which was smokey and creamy. The root had a unique waxy texture to it, very different to potato chips and very memorable.

 

Bringing the smokiness to a peak, we were then treated to charcoal seared wagyu, cooked at our table. It was an absolute delight to our senses and roundly enjoyed by all parties. 

It was only at this point that our hostess brought out a tray of white porcelain icons and introduced the tray that were placed in front of us. Essentially it was an interactive menu that allowed us to pick the ingredients we wanted, and for them to be served in any order we liked. This could mean that in theory, someone who enjoys desserts could have up to four dessert courses, and those who do not like dessert could skip and just have another savoury course. 

Ultimately this was what I decided on, it was a really enjoyable process to pick out our courses.

First to arrive was the spanner crab. This came in a light broth with jackfruit, giving it a light and sweet texture. It was served with some crisps, adding an extra textural element to it. It was very interesting but I would have preferred a more savoury dish to highlight the flavours of the spanner crab.

Next up was my lobster, served raw. It came in a bowl that was made of ice, topped with shaved ice, berries and ice plant. This was obviously very cold, far more than the usual sashimi I would have had, ensuring that the lobster was fresh and almost crisp. The berries gave it some sweetness and the ice plant added crunch. Again a unique dish that challenged a lot of my preconceptions on lobster.

The duck egg came next, it was served atop a bed of cooked steak tartare that had a distinctive asian five spice taste to it. The egg was jammy and creamy but overall this was probably the weakest of the courses as I didn't think the flavours worked well together, particularly the minced cooked beef, it reminded me of a more casual chinese dish, which was a tad out of place in this location.

Moving onto the proteins, my next dish was the pork which was a far more enjoyable course for me. We were given two cuts, I believe a loin and a jowl. These were also charcoal grilled and had a delectable honey glaze. We liked the contrast in textures between the two cuts.

 

My favourite course of the night was without a doubt, the duck. It was roasted to perfection and served with a crispy puffy bread also topped with duck mince. The duck skin was perfectly crisp with a lot of the fat rendered off. The meat was tender and even succulent, going well with the glaze. The bread mopped it all up and the greens added crunch and freshness.

My last savoury course of the evening was wagyu. This was served with a deep umami glaze and raspberries. Again, we were offered two cuts of beef and could appreciate the difference in texture between the two. Notably though, my beef was ordered to be served with a truffle garnish, and disappointingly, it was nowhere to be seen.

Just before dessert arrived, we interluded with the art display at FEU. This was very memorable and made the experience all the more special. Anyway, our assortment of desserts came out not long after.

Wanting a lighter touch, I had the mango which was served as a creme brulee. This was burnt at the table with a hot charcoal in front of you, resulting in a crispy caramelised shell and a fragrant, fruity mango brulee that was light but creamy. It made for a perfect ending to a very delicious night that I will remember forever.

On top of the fantastic meal, we were also gifted a goodie bag to go, comprising of eggs, brioche, granola and tea for us to have for breakfast the next day. We were told that if we lived nearby, we could bring it back to the kiosk and they would cook it for us. I particularly enjoyed the thoughtful gesture to round off the experience. I liked it so much that I've already made a reservation to come back next year with Dr L for his birthday.

Price Range: Approx $400pp

Taste: 9.0/10

Value: 8/10

Service: 9.5/10

Environment: 9.5/10