Remy's - Paddington

Another weekend means another brunch along Paddington, I swear that Adam and I always seem closer to having eaten at every cafe and another one pops up. Guess it will be a never ending quest. This week we went out to try the breakfast offering at the relatively unassuming Remys, along LaTrobe Terrace.

As a refurbished residential property, there were few seats indoors whilst most remained outdoors. Alas indoor seating was all filled up and we found a bar seat overlooking the street below. The breakfast menu was short and was as you would expect of a bar with a few basic options and standard coffees other than the BLT, other burgers were available after midday.

Always starting with coffee, he had a cold brew and I had my usual cappuccino because I am not a psychopath who still drinks cold things on winter mornings. His cold brew was served in a large glass, portions were generous. I liked my strong cappuccino especially for the delicious chocolate shavings on top.

Our food came out really quickly and I definitely had meal envy.

He ordered the BLT with added savoury mince and haloumi, it was a monster of a burger. The milk bun was unbelievably soft, toasty on the inside and soaked up all of the juices from the savoury mince. The portions of bacon and haloumi were also very generous and well caramelised. I snuck a bite and loved it.

I had the bacon and eggs with added savoury mince. It came with a hash brown on the side. The hash brown itself tasted store bought, but the eggs were poached wonderfully and the lashings of bacon were wonderfully fried and not overly fatty. I also really enjoyed the spicy mince on my toast. For the price it was definitely good value for money and we had a great time. 

Price Range: $20 - $30pp

Taste: 8/10
Value: 8.5/10
Service: 7/10
Environment: 7/10

YX Mini Hotpot - Sunnybank

Winter is the best time for Hot Pot. In fact I had 3 hot pots 3 days in a row last weekend and cold do with more. Some of you may remember the amazing time I had around six months ago at the highly popular YX Mini Hot Pot, atop High Fresh. Receiving an invitation from management to revisit really made my weekend, so after still recovering from another hot pot and BBQ the night before, Adam and I made our way there for lunch on Saturday just before the much anticipated Sunnybank Food Trail.

Although it only opens at 12 and we thought we were the first ones there, turns out quite a few other customers beat us to the goal by taking the elevators up whilst we were waiting to go up the stairs. 

The owner was very friendly and hospitable, showing us around the venue and highlighting the main dining area with a focus on high set booths to allow for maximum privacy. He also showed us both dining rooms, one for ten and the other for twelve guests which are especially great for private functions. 

I love the soup options they have here, offering a great variety of both spicy and non spicy. Last time we were conservative and only tried out the single flavoured soup base, this time we branched out of our comfort zone and tried a double flavour each. 

Menus were provided for reference, but our course was already set and we were definitely in for a treat. 

Making our way to the sauce station, We were thrilled by the abundance of choices. I made my usual garlic, sesame, spring onion and soy concoction whilst Adam who is now a sauce veteran had his double sesame and peanut with coriander. 

Those who might want some assistance can also be reassured that there are some popular dipping sauce suggestions available. 

Although licensed, it was still early in the day and we opted for watermelon juice. It was fresh, relatively strong and quite sweet. We enjoyed it chilled without ice.

As mentioned, we each had a double soup pot. He had the chicken and abalone on one side and the spicy soup on the other. Trying some of the chicken and abalone, it was rich, nourishing and wholesome. He also had spicy soup and he said it was quite numbing.

My choice of soup was of the non spicy variety. On the left is the oxtail and tomato. This was very fragrant and definitely very strong albeit creamy and tangy. This contrasted well with the delicate deep mushroom flavours of the mushroom soup.

Before long our table was set. We were definitely impressed and excited by the spread. 

First item we had was the shell scallops. One serve came with five, these were plum, juicy and very fresh. These were particularly tasty in the milder soups such as his chicken and abalone and my mushroom soup.

As with last time, we also had a serve of crab claw. These were soft and spongey, I found that they worked best with the stronger tasting soups like tomato or spicy.

We also had the crinkle cut sliced potato, which was new to us both. Allowing it to soak in our broths for a long time to cook, these still retained their texture.

We also had a serve of tofu. This was silky smooth and we enjoyed the porous texture after slow cooking for an extended period.

In terms of veggies we had buk choy and enoki. Both servings were very generous. I liked how crunchy the buk choy was and again how delicious the enoki was when infused with soup.

From the cooked snacks selection, I had the spring onion pancakes. These were crisp and flakey with a good amount of spring onion in each delightful wedge. If it were served hot, we'd have loved it even more.

The highlight of the meal was without a doubt the meat platter. Our beef option was the M9 Wagyu Boneless Short Rib Slices whereas our pork was the Rose Matsuzaki Pork. The beef was thick cut, a good change from our usual thin slices to allow for better appreciation of the meat flavours even after its baptism in hot soup. It resulted in a rather chewy texture that didn't disintegrate in my mouth like thin sliced beef does. As for the pork, we loved the spectacle of it melting into each pot. The jowl seems to be one of the most popular cuts recently with a crisp crunchy texture to the meat that we really enjoyed.

Without a doubt, prices at YX are on the premium side, but you definitely get what you pay for and I can't wait to come back again.

Espresso and Matcha were invited guests of YX Mini Hot Pot, however as always my opinions are solely my own.

Price Range: $50 - $70pp

Taste: 9.5/10
Value: 7/10
Service: 9/10
Environment: 9/10

Massimo - Brisbane CBD

Last week we had a team lunch at work. This time I was designated social organiser and was granted the great power (and responsibility) of choosing where we'd go for a colleague's farewell lunch. Bound by the restrictions of proximity and time, I opted to try the fairly newly opened Massimo, sister venture to George's Paragon, also situated along Eagle Street.

Compared to the old Groove Train that had previously been in this spot, it was definitely far more up market and refined. Staff were friendly and efficient.

Their lunch menu contained a selection of starters, pastas and mains. Wanting a quick lunch so that we could go back to work quickly after, we all decided to try their house made pasta.

Not wanting to impose on my colleague's meals, I only took a picture of mine. This was the Al Ragu which comprised of pappardelle, slow cooked beef, pork, red sauce and pecorino cheese. Although the portion appeared fairly small, it was in fact quite filling, largely because fresh pasta is far more dense and satisfying than the alternative. It was cooked wonderfully with an al dente finish. The ragu was also stringy and had good texture to it. Would definitely be keen to come back and try another meal.

Price Range: $20 - $30pp

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

iPong - MacGregor

Finishing off hot pot fairly early, we decided it was too soon to go home. Having read quite a few of the reviews of the fairly new iPong at Macgregor, we checked it out last Friday night. Situated along Kessels road, the venue is somewhat difficult to locate behind all the shops which face the main road if you weren't looking carefully. 

As expected on a Friday night it was really busy when we arrived. All the Pong Connect tables were occupied and a few people were playing darts. Dark and moody, we loved the flashy neon lights and took it all in as we grabbed a seat at the bar.

The menu was on Ipad, for ease of readability and changeability, but we couldn't select our orders on the menu, we still had to give our order to the bartender. As you would expect from a bar, there was an extensive selection of alcohol and a few selections of deep fried snacks, we noted some additional beef noodle and mixed fruit options for those with health in mind.

Trying out two of their cocktails, we had Sex on the Beach and Strawberry Sours. Sex on the Beach was very fruity and punchy, we enjoyed the slight variation of having some additional coconut cream on the top, but found the vodka content to be on the lower side. This was the same for the strawberry sour, which was sweet and refreshing. 

In terms of food, the first thing we tried was the popcorn chicken. It came with both fries and salad. Portions were generous, Both the fries and the chicken were freshly fried and very crispy. We enjoyed the shoestring fries, especially with sauce. The chicken had a bit more oil than we had anticipated and I liked the salt and pepper coating.

Something we hadn't seen on their menu before was the Big Mac Dippers. These tasted like deep fried mochi balls filled with beef mince and cheese. Adam mentioned that if there were only pickles too, it would have been all the more similar to a Big Mac. This dish came with a gigantic portion of fries and would make a wonderful party snack.

Espresso and Matcha were invited guests of iPong, however as always, our opinions are solely our own.

Price Range: $15 - $25pp

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