Boba Chicken - Upper Mt Gravatt

As controversial a topic as it may be, I actually like Taiwanese Fried Chicken a lot more than Korean Fried Chicken. Having said that, Taiwanese Fried Chicken is nowhere near as prevalent in Brisbane as Korean Chicken, which is why Boba Chicken has long held its place fairly high on my list. Passing by Garden City last week, I was super keen to try it out and was glad to have the opportunity. 

Despite the fact that Hot Star was right around the corner on the other side of 8 Street, I was really excited when I saw the broad variety of fried goods on their menu. I also really liked their fairly wide variety of drinks available to order, and the special for $4.50 drinks when fried goods are purchased.

Ordering at the counter, it took a fair amount of time for our food to be prepared. Seating was, as you would expect, limited to the foot court of Garden City. 

First up we shared the not overly photogenic, but extremely delicious Vermicelli with chicken and mushroom. Although the type I had in Taipei came with pork intestines, and this came with the far more flour than expected from others I've tasted previously and the noodles were a bit clumpier for my liking.

We had the Strawberry Blush for our shared drink. It was sweet and refreshing, I liked that it had some real strawberry chunks in it, but the tea itself tasted a little artificial.

We shared a serve of deep fried turnip cake. This was very crisp and well seasoned on the outside, but inside the turnip didn't have too much by way of taste and flavour, rather also being largely consistent of flour.

The main event was of course the large fried chicken. Rather than having an assortment of flavours, the choices were between spicy and non spicy. The chicken was not as large as I would have expected from Hot Star. The batter was a bit thicker than expected and the chicken was lighter on taste than I would have preferred, but still quite satisfying.

Price Range: $10 - $20pp

Taste: 6/10
Value: 7/10
Service: 7/10
Environment: 6/10

Na Bangkok - Brisbane CBD

 

One of the final touches in Fudo Dori, Na Bangkok opened a couple of months ago, and I had heard from a few friends that the food there was as close as you could get to Thailand without getting on a plane yourself. With that kind of testimonial, I knew I had to go and try it out as soon as I could. 

Arriving at 6pm mid week, it wasn't too hard for us to get a table, and the restaurant appeared to be the largest in Fudo Dori. I found the setup to be very authentic and the whole experience very immersive. 

Whilst we didn't get any drinks that night, the water cups were really cute, so here's a token photo of them ;).

Pineapple Fried Rice with prawns, carrot, onion, cashew nuts and shallots served in a whole pineapple shell. The rice was fragrant and toppings were very generous. I did really enjoy the tangy pineapple flavours with rice and the giant prawns with their almost crunchy texture. Having said that, for the price point, the pineapple wasn't very deep and so there wasn't too much fried rice to go around.

This was the Pad Thai with meat, the world famous stir fried thin rice noodles with meat, bean sprouts, egg, garlic, chives and tofu garnished with ground peanut and dried shrimp. Again we found the portion to be very small for the price point. The noodles were very tender and we loved the spicy sauces and but wish there was a bit more meat in the dish.

We also shared a snack of Spicy Salmon comprising of Fresh Tasmanian Salmon rolled with mint and ginger served with green chilli, garlic and lemon juice salad dressing. Again the portion was small but I really enjoyed how fresh the salmon was and the strong tangy dressing highlighted the spicy ginger and mint elements of the dish.

It's often hard to go to a Thai place without getting a curry, so we ordered a red duck curry to share. It comprised of BBQ duck cooked in red curry with mixed vegetables, Thai eggplant, tomato and pineapple. We had to order a side serve of rice to go with the dish too. I found the curry to be fairly thick and quite sweet. There wasn't too much by way of duck meat in the curry but it still had a far greater ratio of vegetables.

Last of our savoury dishes was the Crispy Pork Belly. With a very crunchy skin, moist juicy meat, it was a very satisfying morsel. Coupled with the spicy dipping sauce, it went well with rice.

We had two desserts to share, the first one was Sticky Rice and Mango. Topped with sweet coconut milk, it was creamy and rich with a sticky glutinous texture reminiscing me of mochi, added with the sweet ripe mango, it was 

Rounding off the meal, we shared the highly recommended Ka Nom Pung Pingg, grilled brioche with pandan custard dip. The bread was crispy outside, soft and porous on the inside. It tasted more to me like cake than bread, which I didn't mind too much, and the pandan custard was fragrant and creamy.

Price Range: $30 - $40pp

Taste: 6/10
Value: 5/10
Service: 7/10
Environment: 7/10

Milky Lane - Newstead

A bit late to the party, but a couple of weeks ago I finally managed to make my way to Milky Lane which had opened at Newstead earlier in the year. Having avoided the crazy launch crowds, I went there for a quick Saturday lunch with a good friend before an afternoon of board games. 

 

The menu consisted of a large variety of burgers and sides, but the drinks menu was definitely a highlight with a good selection of cocktails and milkshakes that we were keen to try.

 

Despite being a burger joint, they had table service, which I really appreciated. Our drinks came soon after ordering, my companion ordered the  Strawberry Thickshake in small size, which was a good choice given how decadent and sweet it was. Wanting to try something new, I had the The Red Bull Cocktail consisting of 42 below vodka, vanilla, lemon and red bull foam, I found this to be fairly sweet and not as caffeinated or strong as I would have expected.

Our burgers came fairly quickly given the lunch crowd had started to arrive.

My companion ordered the Lil Weezy. It contained a Wagyu Beef Pattie, Double American Cheese, Diced Onions, Pickles, Homestyle Mayo, American Mustard, ML Ketchup and ML Cheese Gravy served on a Milk Bun which he said was quite enjoyable.

Always one to go for the signature, I had the Milky Lane. It contained a Wagyu Beef Pattie, Double American Cheese, Butter Lettuce, Pickles, Diced Onions, Sliced Tomato, ML Sauce and ML Ketchup between a Milk Bun. Compared to the other milk buns I've had around town, these were less fluffy and soft, but I do like the smooth shiny aesthetic. The patty was sufficiently thick, but the texture could have been meatier and more seasoned. I did however enjoy the melty cheese, but not so much the spicy ML Sauce.

Price Range: $20 - $30pp

Taste: 6/10
Value: 6/10
Service: 7/10
Environment: 7/10

Superfly Pizza - Woolloongabba

Always keen for a mid week dinner out, this week we were lucky enough to be invited to try out the Pizza at Superfly, along the secluded, lush green Eden Lane in Woolloongabba. 

Arriving at 6pm, there already were a couple tables there, but the whole place was full by the time we left. Seating was available inside and outside, but that afternoon we decided to get a table outside amongst the leafy greenery.

The menu was fairly simple, comprising of a selection of balls, salads along with red or white pizza. There was a good variety of drinks as well on the reverse side with a selection of wines, cocktails and beer.

Kicking off with Aperol Spritz to share, this was crisp and sweet. My companion really enjoyed it.

Food came quick, which was great since we had so much food envy from watching the neighbouring tables munch on pizza. The spread was definitely impressive.

First up we had the Beef and Pork Meatballs with tomato sauce, parmesan and fresh herbs. This was wholesome and homey. Being big meat eaters ourselves, this definitely hit the spot. The mince-y meat was sharply contrasted by the tomato and parmesan for a strong flavour hit. We just wish there was more.

Our second set of balls was the 3 Cheese Arancini Balls with mozzarella, bocconcini and parmesan. We both agreed this was our favourite, with its tender rice, crispy crumbed exterior and melty bocconcini heart, it was the epitome of comfort foods. Next time, we're definitely getting a second serve  (and not sharing ;).

 

As my companion is aware, every time we go out for pizza, we always get a red and a white option for variety. Today's choice for red was without a doubt the Meatlovers with smoked ham, pork sausage, sopressa, mortadella, pepperoni and provolone. We really liked the fresh tangy tomato sauce. A highlight for us was definitely the salty mortadella and spicy pepperoni. We couldn't help but wonder how much better the pizza would have been with added meatballs though.

Normally we would have chosen the Mushroom Pizza for our white option, but when we saw the special for the week -Salmon Says, we knew we had to get it. Topped with Dill and Ricotta, Red Onion, Smoked Salmon, Cream Cheese, Capers and Rocket, it was a definite winning combination. There was a very generous portion of salmon, the cheese was rich and creamy too. The only thing we would have liked would have been a bit more capers for the flavour punch.

 

Another highlight for us was the addition of ranch sauce for the crust. A really innovative and enjoyable way for us to finish our pizzas :)

Rounding off our dinner with some negronis, it was definitely a memorable night for us and we will be back soon.

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

Price Range: $25 - $35pp

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