The Charming Squire - Southbank

After watching a movie at Southbank a few weeks ago, we noticed that The Charming Squire had opened at Southbank. With its large shopfront and bustling customers, I put it up high on my list of places to go toヾ(@°▽°@)ノ.

Following our attendance at the lighting of the Christmas Tree, I grabbed a couple of friends, and we went☆*･゜ﾟ･*(^O^)/*･゜ﾟ･*☆. A note of interest was that despite having called in earlier the day before to book a table, we were told that the place was booked full. Again, we arrived and were seated without waiting. Is this a new trend in restaurants? We dont know.

One of the things which I found very captivating about the restaurant is its open kitchen. As we were going to the entrance, we could see a lot of the food that was being prepared. 

The interior was a is a very nicely decorated, with a high ceiling and a very rustic decor. Very fitting for a beer brewery.

The first thing that struck us when we sat down, was that the chairs were three legged. How did I realize this, you ask? The friend who went with me fell down not once, but twice after trying to sit down. I also fell down⁽͑˙˚̀བ̇˚́˙⁾̉. Apparently the trick with sitting on a three legged chair, is to lean back. However that night I was wearing a backpack so that took up half the chair, which caused a bit of a complication. Considering The Charming Squire is a beer brewery, and the likelihood of people being intoxicated, I found it surprising that not more people were falling down (ू˃̣̣̣̣̣̣︿˂̣̣̣̣̣̣ ू). 

Anyway, after a rough start, we got to ordering our drinks. Being someone who loves to research a venue beforehand, I asked around my friends and colleagues about James Squire beers. The consensus was to order One Hundred and Fifty Lashes. Having never finished a whole cup of beer before, I took their word on it and ordered away!

Dear reader, I was so keen on trying this out and giving you a thorough critique of what I thought of the beer. But as I don't actually drink, I realised at the end of it that I have not enough information to form an opinion. So, you'll have to make your mind up about it\\٩(๑`ȏ´๑)۶//. 

My friend also ordered the Apple Cider, but what she got was the Pear Cider. As a non drinker, she found it a bit strong, compared to the beer.

My first associate ordered the Pappardelle with Goat Ragu, we had expected something with a really gamey taste to it (like lamb, but a lot stronger). It actually tasted a lot more like beef. Other than that, the portion size was a bit small compared to mains that my other friend and I ordered. The sauce was tasty, but the pasta wasn't as filling as the freshly made pasta you'd find in Vaipanos or Jamie Oliver.

I ordered the 500g Wood Fired Flank. Needless to say, it looked quite spectacular. However, when ordering, it struck me as singular that I wasn't asked how I'd like my steak done. As someone who prefers their steak rare, it was very well done for my liking (((p(>o<)q))). Additionally, I found the meat to be quite toasted and bitter on the outside. But the garlic herb butter was yummy, and the meat wasn't very fatty at all.

With my main, I could pick two sides. I ordered the Mac and Cheese, and Chips with Aioli. Compared with the steak, I really enjoyed the sides. The Mac and Cheese was very cheesy (* >ω<)  and comforting. The chips were very crispy, but the aioli needed a bit more garlic flavour. I was really impressed with the quantity of the sides, it was very generous.

My other associate ordered the Berkshire Pork with Apple Jus. The meat was yummy and tender, but the crackling skin was rather hard and tough. In the end, she left the skin.

In terms of her sides, she picked the Tomato, Goats Cheese, Olive and Shallot Salad. While she really enjoyed it, I found the tastes really strong. She also ordered the Duck Fat Potatoes, which I was really keen on. 

We were really expecting quite a really nice duck flavour with the potatoes, but it ended up tasting just like baked potatoes, so we were a bit disappointed with that.

The last to come was our Seared Scallops, which were quite large and yummy. We really enjoyed these.

Having ordered one share plate and three mains, we could barely finish everything!

Afterwards, one friend ordered a hot chocolate to finish off (the rest of us couldn't fit anything in ). She said it was not too sweet and had a nice dark chocolate taste to it. 

Overall, I have really mixed feelings about The Charming Squire. On one hand, they really know how to present themselves, but on the other hand, what use is presentation when your substance isnt that great? There were a number of things which they did really well, but their service could improve a bit. (Referring to the above incident where my friend fell over twice, I could hear a couple of the staff laughing at her quite insincerely). In relation to other reviewers comments on the wait time, I do also agree it needs to be improved. We arrived at 7.30pm, but weren't provided food until around 8.15. Luckily we weren't in a hurry that day.

Price Range: $30 - $50 per person

Taste: 5/10

Value: 3/10

Service: 3/10

Environment: 8/10

Sweet Treats - Runcorn

I am a firm believer that the best way to end a night out is with dessert (before going home to play computer games into the early hours of the morning). 

I went there on a Saturday night, after going to Eat Street, and found the place packed. There was literally only one spare table when we arrived.

Sweet Treats offers a rather diverse range of desserts, including western cakes, waffles and Chinese soy custards not to mention quite a large assortment of drinks.

After ordering, we were given a number for the food to be brought out to us.

The first to come out was my 'Tiramisu in a Jar' which had a scoop of ice cream on the side. 

The mascarpone was smooth and light, whilst the biscuits were nice and soft. I would have liked it a bit better if it had stronger coffee. Nevertheless, it was one of the better commercial tiramisus which I have tasted. The ice cream though, was probably a bit too sweet for my liking, and I would have liked it better if it was indicated on the menu that tiramisu was served with accompanying ice cream.

This is the traditional soy custard, served cold with syrup. It was light and smooth, very enjoyable on a hot summers night. My friend who ordered it claims it is the best soy custard in Brisbane.

The one desert we did not enjoy that night was the Cookies and Cream Cheesecake. Coming from an Asian background, the one thing which completely destroys a dessert is being too sweet. In this case, the cake was exceptionally sweet, not to mention quite hard.

The Coffee Slice was a much better alternative, being sweetened to a much more reasonable level, it was coated in chocolate, and had layers much like an Opera Cake. In fact, I would definitely consider it an opera cake in substance, even if not in name. I really enjoyed it.

In terms of drinks, the Matcha Latte served at Sweet Treats was one of the best I have ever tried. The fallacy with many local Matchas, is that due to the lack of demand, many shops serve drinks made from premix. This usually means that there can be no adjustments to the level of sweetness. I was particularly impressed with the Matcha at Sweet Treats, because it was served unsweetened, and the end user could add sugar to their own liking. Other than that, it had a very strong matcha taste, whilst being very creamy and milky.

With the standard of the Matcha Latte, one couldnt blame me for having high expectations for my Matcha Affogato. However, impressed I was not. The matcha ice cream (which substituted the regular vanilla ice cream in affogato) was really underwhelming and bland in comparison to the Matcha Latte. The coffee was nice and strong though. 

Overall, I have very mixed feelings about Sweet Treats, it could be very very good, or very disappointing. Having said that, since I have experienced what is good and what's not, I wouldnt mind going back another day to try out other dishes with a cup of their Matcha Latte.

Price Range: $5 - $15 per person

Taste: 6/10

Value: 6/10

Service: 6/10

Environment: 7/10

The Bench - Brisbane CBD

A while ago, I was at the Federal Court for business. The trial was long and arduous, and we were relieved when we had a temporary adjournment for lunch. Not wanting to go very far, we went across the road to a little cafe called 'The Bench', which I take to be a pun on the judicial bench.

It was relatively busy that day with a number of people lining up to order food.

The coffee and food came out quickly. For $3.50 it was a good deal, but could have been a bit stronger.

Lunch of the day was Quiche, it was served with Caesar Salad and chips.

Our associate had a chicken burger, it was the same as my beef burger (below), in all aspects, aside from the shredded chicken inside. I was a bit impressed by this, because I was expecting a chicken patty in it.

This was my beef burger, which was also served with Chips and Salad. The beef itself reminded me strongly of my high school canteen burgers. Other than that I enjoyed the bun, and the salads were fresh, although I would have preferred it to be served with sauce. The chips were hot as well.

I suppose that the bench has found a niche market for those attending court and needing food during the brief adjournments, it was definitely speedy, efficient and good value, although it is definitely not gourmet. But given the circumstances, it was definitely a good option.

Price Range: $10 - $15 per person

Taste: 5/10

Value: 6/10

Service: 7/10 (I really appreciate speedy service)

Environment: 5/10