Zuo Yan - Rochedale

I had been craving Sichuan food for some time now. Having heard that the chef from Chuan (Market Square) had moved off to Zuo Yan at Rochedale, I've made a point of wanting to go check it out for some time, but had to save it for a time when we had a big enough group.

We made a reservation to go on a weekend. Although it wasn't entirely full, I do recommend making a booking as the place is fairly small. There were half a dozen tables inside and even less outside.

  

Ordering was done via the QR codes. There wasn't too many options available on the menu, but there were quite a few things we wanted to try. We put our orders in fairly quickly. In spite of this, our food took quite a long time to come out. Based on my observations, they seem to have done batch cooking, so they saved up until a few tables had ordered the same thing (since the menu wasn't huge) before doing several serves in one go.

First to arrive was the "get rich" spicy chicken. This was clearly their signature dish as almost every table ordered it. On the plate, it looked like a huge portion, but in actual fact most of it was dried chillies which were unedible. Although the morsels of chicken and fried intestine were delicious, it was surprisingly high effort to dig around to extract our food.

 

This theme seemed to translate across our next two dishes, being the Sichuan Boiled Beef Slices with Tofu and the Premium Mao Xue Wang. Both looked a lot more spicy than they actually were. I liked the fragrant numbing spice of the Sichuan peppercorn. The beef and tofu dish had ample amounts of tofu but not too much by way of beef. The Mao Xue Wang had a wider range of ingredients such as all forms of offal, spam, veggies and beef slices. It burned but it was also comforting.

Onto the non spicy dishes, we had a serve of seafood tofu pot and sweet and sour pork. I really enjoyed the sauce that the tofu pot was served in, it was a wholesome oyster sauce concoction. I also really liked how much tofu the dish comprised off, but my companions did point out that there was hardly any seafood in it, other than a few pieces of octopus and prawn that looked like it came out of a seafood mix from the supermarket. Although not a fan of sweet and sour pork, I can't deny that it was well cooked with a balanced sauce, tender and crispy pork pieces and just the right amount of sweet fruits.

I was really looking forward to the salty egg pork ribs, these were also freshly fried and crispy. However for some reason the pork was so tender that the meat was falling off the bones even when you picked it up. This level of tenderness is quite unexpected for a dish like this and the meat reminded me of what you would get after cooking a soup, so the texture could definitely improve.

Last dish was the boiled beef slices with enoki and pickled veggies. I was expecting a non spicy dish, but this had quite a bit of heat to it. Beef slices were more or less what you would get for a hot pot. Again the bowl was huge but the actual food we could eat was quite little. We fished around for not too many bunches of enoki, but the soup itself was fairly addictive. 

Overall, Zuo Yan definitely addressed my craving for Sichuan food. Not sure if it's the recent surge in cost of ingredients, but actual portion sizes could be bigger, although prices are reasonable. For a significant hike from home, I would have wanted something more memorable, so for now I will just stick to the Sunnybank options instead.

Price Range: $30 - $40pp

Taste: 7.5/10 

Value:  6.5/10

Service: 6/10

Environment: 7/10 





















 

Penelope - Fortitude Valley

These days with the cost of living spiralling out of control, Dr L and I try to save more refined (expensive) dining experiences for special occasions. Penelope has been on my radar for some time and we were keen to go but wanted the right reason which is why we waited for our anniversary to make a booking.

Arriving for a late weekday dinner, the bistro was still reasonably full and we were promptly seated. Service was very good that evening, our waitress was friendly and had a very high level of attention to detail.

The menu wasn't very long but contained a significant number of items that I wanted to try. I might have gone a bit overboard but I ordered with no regrets. 

Starting with the appetisers, we had the Oysters Penelope, Champagne and Strawberry Mignonette. The oysters were definintely on the smaller side but we really enjoyed the sweet tang of strawberries and champagne.

We also had a bite of Scallop, Potato Scallop, Oscietra Caviar and Chives each. These were also consumed in one mouthful but very decadent and indulgent with the rich mayonnaise and caviar atop the scallop and freshly fried potato scallop.

 

Next to arrive were my two picks of raw dishes, being the Kingfish Ceviche, Pickled Fennel, Citrus Vinaigrette and Lime Pearls and the Wagyu Beef Tartare, Pecorino, Horseradish with Pickles. Both were executed well with respective proteins. Between the two, I definitely preferred the rich creamy tartare more but Dr L liked the sharp tang of Kingfish.

 

During our dinner we also had a couple rounds of cocktails. I had the sidecar and the martini. Both were reasonably strong and I liked that the sidecar wasn't particularly overloaded with syrup. They were expertly crafted and well enjoyed.

In spite of protests from Dr L, I couldn't help myself from ordering a serve of Chicken Tenders, Hot Honey with Buttermilk Ranch. The downside of tenders is that they're often served fairly dry. This was definitely not the case. They had a light crisp batter and a juicy meaty interior. The added honey and ranch made it a bit more unique compared to the usual tenders you might get elsewhere.

Earlier on, we had forgotten to order the Barbecue Lamb Skewers, Sumac, Green Sauce with Yoghurt. I only remembered this when I was halfway through my tartare. The waitress put the order in immediately and it was served with the tenders without much delay at all. I liked the lamb skewers, they were fairly were well charred albeit a bit dry. This was made up by the tangy sharp yoghurt it was served atop.

I was most interested in the Steak Frites, being the crescendo of our meal. The steak was a tad chewy but I really liked their peppercorn sauce and the generous amount of fries on the side. Perhaps it was because we had already eaten quite a few dishes but this was a good portion to share. My opinion may differ if I had had this on an empty stomach.

We ordered a Waldorf Salad to accompany the steak and expected a reasonably small portion but instead we had a huge plate that was almost the size of the plate the steak came on. I don't usually enjoy my salad with walnuts and grapes so this was quite a new combination for us, one that we didn't mind at all.

Not wanting to leave without dessert, I ordered the Cafe Noir whilst Dr L had the S'mores soft serve. As with the previous cocktails, the cafe noir was a delight to consume. The soft serve was a minor let down though with the texture being fairly coarse which was far from ideal. Dr L didn't mind it though, but for the price, it was probably worth going to Messina around the corner instead.

Although there were a few minor hiccups in our meal, we still had a fantastic anniversary dinner at Penelope. It was a meal well worth waiting for and would gladly return to for another occasion.

Price Range: $125 - $175pp

Taste: 8/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 9/10

Environment: 8/10 

Miel Container - Runcorn

When it comes to burgers, Miel Container has a special place in my heart. From the shipping container I used to frequent when I started out my career, they quietly moved off to their lodgings on William Street. Only recently did I learn that they had a second store off in Runcorn, when I noticed they went on First Table. Keen to find out whether the quality is just as I remembered, we went to try it on a Sunday night.

The restaurant was fairly small. Arriving at 7pm on Sunday, there was only one table other than ours. Service was friendly and hospitable.

I couldn't remember the burger menu from back in the day but the dozen options available all seemed fairly appealing. Most of the options were fairly generic but the bulgogi burger and tandoori chicken burger was definitely more unique.

Being a first table offer, we each ordered a can of coke zero to start our meal.

 

Dr L had the Mozzarella Burger with an extra patty. Unlike the picture in their menu which showed the burger with a number of crumbed mozzarella sticks, it actually came with a solid slab of mozzarella patty instead that made for quite an epic shot when he cut it open. He really enjoyed the burger and commented that it was not greasy in spite of its decadence.

I had the Bulgogi Burger also with an extra patty. Notably, neither Dr L's burger of mine came with fries. When queried, the staff said that First Table offers do not come with complimentary fries. The special conditions did say that the deal was for burgers only, but this was fairly confusing when the menu said that all burgers come with fries. I took the condition to mean that stand alone order fries were not eligible for the discount. Anyway, my burger originally came with a huge amount of bulgogi but no extra patty. When I pointed this out to staff, they said they had understood my order to be for extra meat not specially a beef patty and they offered to fix it up. We both expected that I would just be given a stand alone patty, perhaps with a slice of cheese, but instead they re-did the whole burger, so Dr L got an extra that night. Burger wise, it was exactly as I had remembered it, the milk bun was glossy and fluffy. The bulgogi was sharp, tangy but also had a good amount of fat content to ensure a smooth mouthfeel. The salads added balance and the burger itself was generous in size, exactly as I remember from all those years ago.

We didn't know how big the burgers would be so we ordered some boneless chicken to share. Thankfully these also came with fries and the portion was actually very big so most of this was taken away. The chicken was crisp without being oily although the fries were a tad underdone.

Overall, aside from the minor hiccups, we had a fantastic time at Miel Burger. It was a nostalgic blast from the past. Prices are reasonable and they have not shrinkflated the product. I will be keen to take the hike up to William St for a work lunch sometime.

Price Range: $10 - $20pp

Taste: 8/10

Value: 9/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 7/10

Komeyui - Brisbane CBD

 

Komeyui is a Japanese restaurant that had been on my radar since its opening in 2023. Since then, I've had quite a few readers ask me for a review, but given the pricing and mixed reviews I've had from a few friends, I've held out from going in favour of other omakase restaurants in Brisbane. Anyway, after all these years, I was invited to a social event at Komeyui and finally managed to experience it for myself.

Located in the former AFP premises, even though it was slightly refurbished as a restaurant, it couldn't help but give off a bit of corporate foyer vibes rather than a refined Japanese restaurant.

As we were attending a function, we were seated in a private dining area. We shared the Omakase at Table, comprising of five courses. For an extra charge, you could also get four courses of sake pairing. The meal started with a glass of complimentary umeshu. It was fruity and sweet but not a particularly smooth drop. I had asked the staff for the bottle but although they nodded, they walked away with it and I didn't manage to see what it was.

The first course was the Sashimi of the day. As with all of our courses, they were put down without much by way of introduction, luckily I was able to identify the elements of the plate, being scallop, kingfish, otoro, salmon and uni. It was paired with a glass of Kubota Junmai Daiginjo. The sake was floral and crisp with a smooth finish, pairing well with the first course. I found the sashimi to be of good quality. The salmon, kingfish and scallop were fairly standard. The uni was a tad on the watery side but the toro was melty and buttery rich. What did surprise me though was that it was served at room temperature rather than lightly chilled as you would in other restaurants.

 

Our next course was the Foie Gras Chawanmushi and Nori Crunch which was served with a glass of Izumibashi Junmai. The chawanmushi was silky smooth and the added foie gras on top made it particularly decadent and buttery. The nori crunch added some contrasting texture and was particularly delightful with the tuna on top of the crisp. Our drink was dry, had a refined scent and very umami, pairing well with the course.

Third course was far more meaty, comprising of the Australian Wagyu Imperial Blossom MB 9+. It came with a glass of Kenbishi Kuromatsu. I enjoyed the steak which was served rare but also found it odd that no one was asked how they liked their steak cooked and everyone was served steak to the same level of rarity. The steak itself was tender and buttery. I could have enjoyed far more than the four pieces served. The Kuromatsu had an interesting scent with a delicate nutty flavour to it, making it a very unique drop.

Our final savoury course was the Premium Nigiri, served with a glass of Dewazakura Seijo. Again the course was placed in front of me with no introduction. From left to right, it comprised of aburi kingfish, aburi salmon, tuna, scami and scallop with foie gras. I'm not a huge fan of aburi sushi but they were done well, providing a bit of contrast to our earlier sashimi courses. Each had a good topping to rice ratio and the fish was generously sliced. The Seijo was delicate and didn't overpower the fish.

Dessert comprised of an Ice Cream Sandwich Monaka served with a complimentary beverage. I opted for the green tea whilst Dr L had a matcha latte. Again I had to ask to be told that this was in fact a white chocolate and blueberry ice cream topped with vegemite caramel sauce. The white chocolate was quite overpowering and I couldn't get much of the blueberry taste. Vegemite provided more than a touch of savoury to the dessert and I'm not sure I enjoyed it. The monaka was crisp and light. I enjoyed my genmaicha whereas Dr L's matcha was also rich and strong.

Overall we had an enjoyable night at Komeyui. There were a few hiccups with the food as highlighted above but all in all it wasn't bad. We left the meal feeling not hungry but also not entirely full. The service and environment were definitely lacking compared to other omakase restaurants in Brisbane. I have no regrets in going to finally satisfy my curiosity, but would not be going back on my own initiative.

Price Range: $180 - $230pp

Taste: 7.5/10

Value: 5/10 

Service: 5/10
Environment: 5/10