Frankie & George Coffee Bar - Brisbane CBD

Rounding off my days at on the other side of town, my companion, Iron Fist, decided that the second cafe that we should try was at Frankie and George, along George Street, not far from Iconic. Being quite a minimalist, he was drawn in by their simplistic yet bright setup.

Ordering at the counter, the options were much the same as any regular cafe. Like Iconic, the cafe also featured seating out the back, but today we didn't have time to appreciate the setting.

Ordering at the counter, we sat up front and waited for our coffees to be made.

I found it to be quite a moderate brew, with quite a sharp taste to it. The milk was surprisingly one of the richer and smoother ones I've had in Brisbane, which is as always, much appreciated. Iron fist also really enjoyed his flat white and the strong caffeine hit that it gave for us to continue on with the long day.

Price Range: $5 - $10pp

Taste: 7.5/10
Value: 7/10
Service: 7/10
Environment: 7/10

Hot Star - Upper Mt Gravatt

There are few greater joys in life than fried chicken, and despite the hype for Korean Chicken, early readers will remember that there is nothing I love more than Taiwanese Fried Chicken, which has and will always be my one and only favourite fried chicken. Having heard that they opened a store in Garden City, I made immediate and plans to go.

Their menu had quite a selection of items, but of course, they were all fried, but included chicken, and vege options, with larger items being separated from sides. 

Ordering three combos, we were quite pleased to see a selection of Asian drinks rather than the usual soft drink options. So of course, we settled on getting them rather than a generic coke. I opted for a milk tea, whilst my companions had a guava tea and a peach tea.

Like in their Sunnybank store, we were given some plastic bags for us to collect and hold our order when it came out after around 15 mins. 

 

As usual, I ordered a piece of fried chicken fillet with seaweed powder. The fillet was huge (as usual), and freshly fried. It was so hot that I was unable to hold the paper bag directly and rather had to hold it between napkins. It was super crunchy and deliciously seasoned with seaweed, salt and pepper, whilst maintaining a fresh juicy interior. It was really satisfying.

Another companion ordered the chicken bites which were also freshly fried. Sneaking a bite, they weren't as crispy as the chicken fillet, but just as moist and juicy. The seasoning was similar, but on the positive side, it was boneless, which is why my companion ordered it. 

Despite the variety of options, my pick of the sides was as per usual, curly fries. The fries were very crunchy and tasted as if it was double fried. The inside could be fluffier, but the curly novelty never wears off for me, and I really enjoyed it. 

Price Range: $10 - $15pp

Taste: 9/10
Value: 9/10
Service: 9/10
Environment: 7/10

Greenglass - Brisbane CBD

With our rare opportunity to be working on the other end of town for a couple of days, I definitely took advantage of the situation and headed to Greenglass, which has long been on my list, but my extreme laziness had prevented me from walking across the city during the lunch hour. Going with Iron Fist, he was temporarily confused when I mentioned where I had intended to have our lunch, thinking that I had actually wanted to go the establishment next door instead ∑(O_O;). This misunderstanding was quickly addressed when I lead him up the dark stairs leading up to Greenglass.

In spite of the bustling exterior, the restaurant was relatively tranquil. I loved the difference in environment and the peaceful respite it provided.

 

We were presented very quickly with a drinks menu. I was slightly confused at the lack of a food menu to begin with, but this was clarified when the waiter came around with a chalkboard menu. Perhaps they change their food menu often. There were only a handful of options, but quite a few were captivating, and I liked the fact that they had a variety of light and heavier options.

Despite the variety of options, our decision was quick and unanimous. After a short wait, our food was soon delivered to our table.

My companion had the rib fillet steak frites, which he quite enjoyed, but also felt it wasn't rested well enough, seeing as he had ordered it medium rare, but ended up with a plate somewhat soaked with blood.

Mine was the smaller version of the Steak Frites, being the Sirloin cut. As usual, I ordered it rare, and it was done just as requested, with a deep pink centre. The steak was a little fatty for my liking, but at least it was all situated along one strip to the side, allowing me to remove it with ease. The steak itself was harder in texture than expected, but not overly chewy. I really enjoyed the pepper sauce, which was very sharp and had bite. The salad was fresh and could have done with a bit more vinegarette, and I really enjoyed the large portion of shoestring fries which were very crispy and tasted well with pepper sauce.

Price Range: $15 - $30pp

Taste: 8/10
Value: 7/10
Service: 7/10
Environment:8/10

Iconic - Brisbane CBD

Was down on the other side of Brisbane for some serious business last week, but decided to grab a coffee with my colleague before starting on our gruelling two day session. Having done his research beforehand (of which I am very proud), my colleague suggested that Iconic was definitely the cafe that we needed to try, seeing as it had a secret garden at the back (despite the fact that we actually had no time to enjoy the garden).

Having been in quite the rush to leave home earlier in the morning, I was relieved to see their selection of sandwiches and pastries on display and promptly ordered one.

Despite the small shopfront, there was quite a spacious seating area out back, where I savoured my chocolate croissant whilst waiting for our coffees.

For an unheated croissant (I didn't have enough time to ask for it to be heated), it was still quite tasty. The pastry was still quite flaky but not as crisp as it would have been if heated though. I also enjoyed the bitter sweet dark chocolate, though wished there could have been a bit more.

Before long, our coffees were done and we had to be on our way. My companion, the self proclaimed Flat White Connoisseur who shall temporarily be known as The Immortal Iron Fist, opted for his flat white, and I my regular cappuccino. The coffee was very hot (almost scaldingly so), and very strong, but not sour or overly acidic, which I appreciated. The milk could have been richer, but it was a good cup and gave me a much needed wake up call.

Price Range: $5 - $10pp

Taste: 7.5/10
Value: 7.5/10
Service: 7.5/10
Environment: 7.5/10

The Apo - Fortitude Valley

Having recently gone to Gerards to enjoy quite a delightful (and last) breakfast, I had made a note to go and try out The APO which is run by the same owners as Gerards and conveniently also situated at fortitude valley. 

Making a lunch reservation for the 12, we were the first ones there. Faced with the option for indoors and outdoors at the back, I naturally took the inside option. Despite the abundance of natural light from outside, it was still a little dim for my liking. 

 

The food menu was contained on one page and the drinks menu on another. There was a lack of subheadings in the food menu, but we were easily able to identify the entrees, mains and desserts. I liked the innovative menu which contained quite a few dishes I hadn’t heard of. 

First to arrive was the Puffed tendon Aleppo and sumac spice. Not knowing what to expect, I can only describe it as a lighter version of prawn crackers, less the seafood taste but with additional sumac, it definitely did not taste like the tendon that I’m used to, and made for quite a tasty appetizer. 

Also from the entree selection was the Smoked tartare, pickled artichoke, potato crisp. I really enjoyed the freshness of the smoked salmon, which was contrasted by the potato crisp. The seasoning also added quite a bit of depth to this delicious morsel, which quite similar to the salmon taco I had at Nobu recently. 

For our mains, my companion and I both ordered the highly captivating Steak frites with cafe de paris. I enjoyed the steak, which was cooked perfectly rare, very tender without being overly fatty. The cafe de Paris could have been a bit more seasoned though, as the butter and herbs were extremely mild in taste. The fries were also only fried very lightly, and could stand to have been browned a bit more. 

Our dessert consisted of my companions favourite Profiteroles, mushroom custard, olive caramel, cocoa. Despite the strange combinations, it was actually quite tasty to have the unique scent of mushrooms and olives in a dessert context. I note the puffs were deliciously crispy and the custard wasn’t overly sweet. My companion quite enjoyed this dessert.

Price Range: $30 - $40pp

Taste: 7.5/10
Value: 7.5/10
Service: 7.5/10
Environment: 7.5/10

Johnny Rockets - Fortitude Valley

Whilst some of my readers have heard me make mention of my travels in Asia, my travels across America and Canada have been less documented. Without giving too much away, I can say that it was an exercise of eating a week of fast food, which wasn't too enjoyable at the end. Having said that, what was really memorable for us was the burgers at Johnny Rockets. So when I heard that they decided to open one in Brisbane, it made its way to the top of my "eat list" and I went twice in quick succession.

Like all fast food joints, we ordered at the counter. Like the big sign outside indicated, they had a variety of burgers, sides and shakes for us to choose from.

We ordered, got a number and made our way to a table. Even at 4.30pm, it was half full, and customers were still happily munching away at their meals.

Since it was so late in the afternoon, I didn't have a burger on the first instance, opting for a coffee shake instead (I had a buffet in two hours and really didn't want to ruin my appetite too much).

My companion though, had the Rocket Single, containing a patty with melted cheese, lettuce, tomato and pickles. She really enjoyed it, considering it to be a well balanced burger that wasn't overly heavy.

My companion opted for a strawberry shake and I a coffee one. I tried a sip of hers and really enjoyed the fresh strawberry puree which was blended into the creamy blend of milky soft serve. My coffee one was incredibly smooth and rich, even without mixing the cream in. I really enjoyed it, but could have liked the shake to be less sweet but stronger in coffee. 

The second time I went I found some DIY tap water before sitting down with our number.

This time I opted for a Milo Milkshake. I really enjoyed the delicious melty milo in the milkshake, which was just as creamy as the coffee one I had the week before. 

My companion opted for the peanut butter milkshake in the large size. It came in the same glass that I had, but with considerably more in a steel milkshake cup. She also said that the milkshake was super smooth, but not very strong in peanut butter taste though.

My companion ordered the Southern Crispy Chicken burger, without tomatoes, so it just contained chicken, lettuce and mayonnaise with a side of chips. Despite the relative simplicity of the burger, she remarked that the chicken was extremely fresh, crunchy whilst maintaining its juiciness on the inside. 

I opted for the Bacon Cheddar, and resisted the temptation to get an extra patty. The burger was wonderfully delicious, with a tasty bun that was soft but denser than the Charboys milk bun. The patty was also cooked through, but still deliciously seasoned and crumbly, but what I enjoyed the best was the melted cheese on the patty, which formed a sort of glue with the crumbly patty. Both the tomato and the lettuce was fresh as well. As for my side of chips, the portion was quite generous, and whilst they weren't my preferred shoestring cut, they were extremely crunchy. 

Price Range: $15 - $25pp

Taste: 8.5/10
Value: 8.5/10
Service: 7/10
Environment: 8.5/10