Fry Chicken Master - Sunnybank

Stuck at home whilst Brisbane has been in lockdown but still wanted to support some of my favourite businesses whilst being stuck at home, so we decided to pick up some take away from Fry Chicken Master from Market Square the other day. Making our order via the phone 10 minutes ahead of pickup, I was pleasantly surprised to see that my food was already prepared for pickup when I arrived.

Arriving home, our meals were still hot, but evidently quite steamed from the heat condensation, which was a concern for us because we wanted our fried goods to be crispy.

Normally, I really like to order noodle dishes at Taiwanese restaurants, however given the drive home, I didn't really want to risk any spillage or soggy noodles, so we opted for two bento boxes instead. 

 

Drinks for the night came from Excellent Cup, which is also owned by the same operator of Fry Chicken Master (and Mum's Wok, which I am also a fan of). As a hard line traditionalist when it comes to bubble tea, Excellent cup is definitely one of my favourites. Before the hype of cheese foam and frappes, they do exceptionally great quality pearl milk tea which is fragrant and mellow with soft chewy pearls. I also really like their fresh strawberry milk which isn't overly artificial and very refreshing.

Our first bento box was the deep fried pork chop one. It came with the namesake main, three sides and some minced pork with steamed rice. The topping to rice ratio was pretty fantastic. In terms of sides, I really liked the tomato and egg which tasted just like what mum makes at home. The veggies were wholesome and comforting too. The pork chop was freshly fried, but I was surprised that it wasn't battered. I would definitely have enjoyed it more with a flour or potato starch coating. The mince with rice was also really enjoyable and reminded me a lot of the meals that we had in Taiwan before.

Our second bento box was almost exactly the same, but instead of deep fried pork chop, we had some braised beef. This was unbelievably tender and melted in our mouth. Usually I have this with noodles, but it tasted just as good with rice. I really enjoyed how the carrots were infused with the delicious beefy soup.

I ordered two sides to go, first off was deep fried tofu. This retained a reasonable amount of crispiness despite the steam. Thankfully the sauce came in a separate package, but it did absorb quite a bit of moisture from the shredded veggies it was served on top of. The portion size was fairly large, but the price was definitely not cheap for essentially a side dish, though it was really light and silky smooth though. 

Our second side was the deep fried turnip cake. Unlike the tofu, the sauce was well mixed into the dish, so by the time we had it, there was almost no crunch to it. Having said that, the sauce was packed with soy and garlic flavours which we absolutely love, although the turnip cake itself had a lot more flour than turnip. Guess home made is always a bit better but this is a pretty good alternative.

Price Range: $15 - $25pp

Taste: 8.5/10
Value: 8/10
Service: 9/10
Environment: 8/10

Honto - Fortitude Valley

Ever since opening, I had been keen to check out Honto, the Japanese sibling restaurant of well established favourite Longtime, which has since relocated and rebranded as sAme sAme. A short while ago we decided to finally check it out at the end of the week just because we couldn't come up with an excuse and wanted to anyway. Extremely well hidden in the small alleyway that is Alden Street in the Valley, it is definitely easy to miss if you didn't know what you were looking for.

Turns out we made the extremely costly mistake of trying to get a table for two at 6.30pm without a reservation. We were told that at the earliest it would take us until 9.30pm for us to be seated, so we ended up walking back to the city and grabbing a bubble tea before walking back. Although we were a bit tempted to get a raincheck on Honto, turns out the wait only made us more determined to try it out for once and for all.

Returning at 9.30pm, our table was still not yet ready so we grabbed a seat at the bar and tried out two cocktails, the Codename:Cottonmouth with Beefeater 24 Gin, Sakura and Champagne Reduction as well as the Three Inch Punch with Roku Gin, Cold Brew Jasmine Tea, Sugar and Citric Solution. Both were beautiful, crisp and sweet I liked the Codename cottonmouth more as the flavours were a bit more complex.

When we finally got a table in the main dining area, we weren't overly surprised to see that it was still a full house. By that time we were completely famished so didn't take our time to peruse the menu too much. We settled on the chef's selection.

First to arrive was the signature Hôntô drumstick with tuna, avocado and kombu. Having seen so many photos online, we were super excited. With minced fresh tuna sashimi imbued with the delicate flavours of avocado and kombu. The crunch of the drumstick was an interesting contrast to our usual hand rolls. It made for a really tasty appetizer.

Our Wagyu tartare with preserved lime and kimchi crisps were also extremely crunchy with its puffed rice taco shell. The wagyu was well seasoned with a tinge of garlic and chilli which overpowered the taste of beef quite a bit, but I did enjoy the texture of the smooth wagyu tartare.

One of my favourite dishes of the night was the Seared tuna with fennel, daikon and yuzu kosho ponzu. The tuna had a nice contrast in texture between the cooked and uncooked sections, the fennel was tender but packed a crunch like noodles. Coupled with the popping tobiko, it was refreshing, delicate but still complex in taste and depth.

Another sashimi dish was the Yellowtail with avocado cream and yuzu nahm jim. The portion was quite small, comprising of two small pieces each and whatever freshness there was of yellowtail was completely overpowered by the sour and spicy yuzu nahm jim. I would definitely have preferred something lighter to go with sashimi.

Another signature dish, this was the Lobster katsu sando with salted cabbage and dill slaw. Thoroughly minced, the lobster had a texture akin to fish cake with a light springy and spongey feel to it. The bread was soft and de-crusted which is the best and the slaw creamy and zingy too.

After the light starter dishes, we began with the heavier meaty dishes. This was the Smoked chicken with soybean and cultured cream puree, burnt butter and black garlic. It was one of the most intense flavoured dishes of the night with a charred caramelilsed miso taste to the chicken which was lightly bitter. The cream puree softened the harshness of the dish whilst the added lime gave it some tang. I would have appreciated this dish with some rice.

Next up was the Pork & vegetable shumai dumplings, ramen broth, onion. Although they were called shumai, in actuality it tasted more like wanton with shredded dumpling skins outside, especially given the soothing ramen broth, and the strong egg flavours on the wrappers. Filling wise, the pork and vegetable were dense and mincey which was quite satisfying. I would have liked a bit more broth with the dish though.

Interluding with a lighter vegetable dish, this was the Corn tempura with salted ricotta and teriyaki mayo. The coarse texture of corn was tempered by the crispy coating and smooth ricotta. The flavours were rich and strong, but I would have liked it more if the corn were pureed or smoother.

Our main meat dish of the night was the Slow cooked beef short rib with soured onion and miso sauce. The rib was huge and unbelievably tender with meat that fell straight off the bone. Even though it was just one rib for the two of us to share, it was more than enough to satisfy us. I especially loved the sweet umami flavours of the miso sauce. Definitely a winner.

To go with the beef rib, we had a side serve of Goma-ae cabbage salad. This was almost identical to the slaw that we had in earlier dishes, crisp and light, it balanced out the heavy beef dish quite well.

Dessert for the night was Sushi rice gelato with ginger, mirin syrup and puffed wild rice. Compared to other gelato I've had, this tasted like a mix between creamy gelato and refreshing sorbet. The rice flavours were light and delicate but also comforting. The puffed rice added to the flavour and gave it some extra crunch. I really enjoyed it.

Price Range: $80 - $100pp

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

Corella - Woolloongabba

Valentines day last month we decided to get dinner at Corella, sister store of La Lune, which is also situated under an Aria property, the Drapery in Woolloongabba. With all the valentines day specials going on, Dr L and I both decided that we didn't really want to be cornered into ordering a set meal and wanted to be able to order a la carte instead, which is why we decided to try out Corella.

Having made a reservation early on, we arrived at 6. The place was completely booked out, even though we were the third table to arrive. The setup was quite similar to La Lune. 

 

We really liked the setup of the menu with larger options as well as a tasting menu for those who couldn't choose. Having tried out the tasting menu on several occasions at La Lune, we opted for a la carte this time.

Starting off with a glass of rose each, this was the Supernatural Summer Skins from Tasmania. Compared to the usual dry rose that I drink, this was fairly sweet and mellow.

Bread to start was fluffy and well toasted. Served with olive oil it made for a delicious and wholesome appetizer.

Our first entree to share was the Quail Ballotine with Sweetcorn Salsa, Almond and Corriander. I really enjoyed how smooth and silky the texture of the quail was and how it was roasted to a perfectly moist texture. This meaty goodness was contrasted well with the crunchy corn and almond.

Our second entree was the Crab with Brioche, Daikon and Seaweed. Although it was an entree, it was still very small, especially when shared between two people, we only had one bite each. Having said that, the crab meat was very fresh with delicate flavours that complimented the seaweed perfectly. The brioche was thin and crisp which we liked too.

Our mains arrived very quickly after, especially given the number of people who were dining in that day. This was the Pork Belly served with  Broccoli, Pear and Marjoram. As a main, I found the serving portion to be a little smaller than expected, but we did have two cubes of pork belly. The meat itself was soft and moist with a crisp crackling on top. 

Our other main was the Wagyu with Confit Potato, Radish and Warrigal Greens. This was my favourite savoury dish of the night. The beef had a perfect pink centre and melted in our mouth. The flavours were deep and rich which meant that it was soaked up well by the hearty confit potato. 

As both dishes were fairly saucy, we also had a side of Roasted Potatoes with Horseradish and Chives. Compared to your average roast potatoes, this was not only comforting but also had the added spice that horseradish offers. I really enjoyed it.

 

Simply speaking, desserts were phenomenal. We had the Chocolate Nemesis with Coffee and Blueberry and a Lychee with Vanilla Sponge, Gin Granita and Preserved Lime to share. The Chocolate was rich and bitter without excessive sweetness whilst the added blueberries added tartness to the dish for balance. By contrast the Lychee was light, sweet and delicate. I really enjoyed how the vanilla sponge soaked up the gin granita for a boozy touch. The desserts here are definitely some of the best I've had lately.

Price Range: $80 - $100pp

Taste: 9/10
Value: 8/10
Service: 9/10
Environment: 9/10

Chouquette - Brisbane CBD

I was quite devastated when I heard that Madder's Brothers in the CBD had closed down, having grown quite partial to their pastries and treats, it was hard to imagine where else I would go to get my fix of sweets. My prayers were finally answered when Chouquette, a famous New Farm Pattiserie took up the premises to ensure my continued supply of Pain au Chocolat.

Despite the change of ownership, there wasn't too much difference to the setup aside for the noticeable lack of purple apparel.

With a large selection of cakes, tasrts and pastries it was extremely hard to decide on what to order and I definitely wanted it all.

Kicking off with drinks, I had a skinny cappuccino whilst Iron Fist had a long black. Although they were served in super adorable cups, they were fairly standard by way of quality of coffee being bitter and strong but the milk could have been richer and creamier.

I had a ham and cheese baguette. I asked for it to be served toasted, this was really wholesome with a warm chewy crust and a dense filling. The cheese was melty and sharp, the ham was ample and it made for a super satisfying and comforting snack.

Iron Fist also got a ham and cheese quiche and a ham and cheese croissant. He found both to be flaky and decadent.

From the cake displays I ordered a slice of Shades of Chocolate to go. This was super sweet and super rich. The mousse was exceptionally smooth and decadent. I would definitely recommend trying this with a friend.

Also having a pain au chocolate of course, this was light, flakey and contained a good amount of rich bittersweet chocolate which I definitely recommend. Can't wait to come back for more soon.

Price Range:

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