Hokkaido Cheese Tart - Upper Mt Gravatt

While at Garden City, I opted to get some tarts home to feed Dr L who was completely wasted after some work drinks with colleagues. Had tried some from myer before and quite liked them while he hadn't tried it before. 

Ordinarily I wouldn't have gotten a box to go, but due to the fact I was carrying a large amount of items, it was either that or eat demolished tarts, so I opted to pay the extra amount for a box.

Thankfully all three came home with me in pristine form.

This was the strawberry tart, my favourite of the selection. With a fragrant fruity scent and a sweetness that balanced the savoury cheese. With ample strawberries on top and the jam mixed through, it was a delicious treat.

By comparison, the blueberry tart did not have any of the blueberry tart mixed through which meant that there were distinctive sweet and savory elements to the tart. I did enjoy the tartness of the blueberry but wonder whether or not it would have been more tasty if combined thoroughly with the cheese like the strawberry tart.

Finally our last tart was the original, with its creamy savory cheesy filling, thick crumbly biscuit base, it was enjoyable, but definitely not as much as I had liked the other two. Next time, will definitely stick with the flavoured tarts only.

Price Range: Under $5 per tart

Taste: 7/10
Value: 7/10
Service: 7/10
Environment: N/A

Bar Alba - Brisbane CBD

Have been to Death and Taxes a fair few times since its opening, but every time I go, I always wonder about Bar Alba next door. Last friday after quite a busy week we finally decided it was time to go check it out.

It was really busy on a Friday afternoon as you would expect. We got the last two seats of the house and were lucky enough to be right in front of the bar and able to watch the action.

We were also strategically seated right in front of the menu where we could leave our order with the friendly bartender and ask for some recommendations too.

 

Starting with a rose and a cocktail from their new menu, both were prepared extremely quickly and perfectly chilled for our refreshment. 

Ordering a snack to go with our drinks, this was the Mortadella and Egg. It took a very long time to come out but was well worth our wait. With a well toasted but crispy baguette, a wonderfully fried sunny side up egg with a crispy edge, chives and a generous portion of chips, it was a great snack to go with our drinks. The portion was also fair for the price. Will definitely be back again for some after work drinks at a later date. 

Price Range: $30 - $50pp

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

Pancake Manor - Upper Mt Gravatt

For those who have been in Brisbane for a significant time, most would have heard of the long established Pancake Manor, which is quite an institution in the CBD area with its 24 hour service. Running some errands at Garden City the other day, it was too late for me to get home and make dinner, so I decided to try out their Mt Gravatt outpost for once. 

Not having made a reservation earlier, I was seated outside. The menu and ordering system was done via ipad. The selection included mains such as burgers and steaks, sides and of course the namesake pancake. Despite the fact that there weren't too many customers, food still took quite a while after ordering before I received it.

Not wanting to have a purely sweet dinner, I chose a lighter option and went for a main size Caesar Salad to start off with. It was very generous even for a main size portion. I could barely finish it as is. In terms of its composition, there was a bit of lettuce, a very large amount of bacon, chicken as well as Parmesan. There were also two very large pieces of bread on the side. As big as it was, the taste was fairly average, the salad itself wasn't too crisp or fresh and the proportion of lettuce to meat was definitely far skewed to the meat. 

Not one to go to Pancake Manor and not order pancakes, I had a serve of Devonshire pancakes as dessert. They were cute and fluffy but erred on the dryer side. Not too elastic or squishy, they broke as I tried to pick it up with a fork. Sadly the ones I make at home are superior to this.

Price Range: $15 - $25pp

Taste: 4/10
Value: 5/10
Service: 6/10
Environment: 6/10

Panda - Brisbane CBD

 

Another opportunity to try out some Korean Food, I took the opportunity of the re-opening special to try out Panda, along Elizabeth Street.

Situated along Elizabeth Street, some would remember it as the old lodgings of highly popular Korean Dessert store, Passion Tree. Having been closed down for reconstruction, I was quite surprised that the building itself hadn't been taken down but instead taken over by Panda. With its ample seating inside, it was fairly easy for us to get a table without booking.

The menu was fairly standard for a Korean restaurant and very similar to the offerings of its neighbour Madtongsan and Maru. Ordering with the staff, they brought out banchan, limited only to kimchi, which was somewhat disappointing. It was however lightly spicy and crispy.

Our first dish to arrive was the hot stone bowl with deep fried mayo chicken. Even though the bowl itself was quite large, there wasn't too much by way of rice, and there was definitely a lot more chicken than rice. The stone bowl was served super hot and as such we were able to have some really delicious crispy rice. The chicken itself was very delicious with its crunchy batter, moist flesh meat and creamy mayonnaise. Definitely a dish to come back for.

Our other main was the spicy sausage soup. Also appearing in an earthenware pot, it appeared to be quite large in portion, but most of it was soup rather than meat or vegetables. There was just enough material to go with the bowl of mixed grain rice that it was served with. There wasn't too much by way of sausage and a little bit of spam along with enoki and shallots, nor was it too spicy.

We wanted a side so ordered the egg drop soup. Expecting soup, I was surprised when presented with steamed egg. Despite the fact that it was not in fact a soup, it was quite appetizing, well seasoned with a dash of sesame oil and had a comforting porous texture akin to tofu. It went well with rice. 

Price Range: $15 - $20pp

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

Nonbei - Upper Mt Gravatt

There was hardly a cuisine I missed more in during lockdown than BBQ. Whilst I've learned to recreate most things that I've had cravings for, BBQ is the one thing that I couldn't properly (read as safely) recreate without proper ventilation at home. Was really pleased when Nonbei reopened and we were able to check out the Mt Gravatt branch.

Making a reservation early definitely helped in ensuring we got a table before. It was noteworthy that all utensils and crockery were now disposable. 

 

Not sure if it was due to dining restrictions or not but the menu had changed a bit compared to the Valley and there was now a two tier buffet with the premium one priced at $65pp to encompass premium wagyu, salmon sashimi, prawn and unagi. We got the premium of course. 

As usual, cold dishes were the first to come out, including lobster salad, seaweed salad and octopus wasabi. All of these were fairly standard store bought varieties that you could get at most asian supermarkets. 

 

The main event was obviously the meat. First platter to arrive comprised of Wagyu of the day and some pork belly and pork jowl. The wagyu was fairly lean and the marbling wasn't too apparent but it was very tender, which I really enjoyed. The pork jowl was quite fatty for my tastes and on the parchment paper, it wasn't able to caramelise to a crisp like I usually get at other BBQ places.

The salmon sashimi and salmon capaccio though were just as good as I had remembered. Fresh and delicious, they were cut to a generous thickness and really hit the spot.

It's hardly a trip to Nonbei without a selection of their fried goods, this was the takoyaki, octopus and eggplant. All were freshly friend and wonderfully crisp. I really liked it but they filled me up a bit too easy, so I wasn't able to indulge much.

Also a big fan of their gyoza, we had a dozen to share. With a thin skin, crispy bottom and juicy centre, they were a joy to eat.

Part of the premium menu, we had some prawns and ox tongue. The prawn came out frozen, as did the ox tongue. As such, the prawn didn't have too much by way of freshness to it, but the ox tongue was fairly tender and is often served frozen so it didn't make too much of a difference. 

The highlight of our night was undoubtedly the premium wagyu oyster blade. Even though it was a buffet, we were limited to one serve per person. Contrasted with the daily wagyu the veins of fat that marbled each piece was undoubtedly significant. Thick cut and tender, we made sure that each piece was served perfectly rare so as to fully enjoy every bite.

Another thing that really piqued my interest was the Unagi which was previously not on their buffet menu but now on their premium menu. Ordering by the piece, I was surprised that this was packet unagi that was freshly microwaved before being served. Chewy and rubbery, I would prefer to grill my own at home.

Price Range: $65pp

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

Izakaya Kotobuki - Brisbane CBD

On the occasional day that I do go to work, I made a point to get lunch out and support some local businesses. Having heard that Izakaya Kotobuki relocated for the imminent construction of the cross river rail, I was surprised to see that they had taken the premises previously held by Noritor, which I had wanted to try but am now obviously not able to.

I was able to order at the counter and the options were vast, comprising rice dishes, noodle dishes, sushi and sides. Prices were always very reasonable. Getting a number, I awaited my food.

Being one of the first to arrive meant that my food came very promptly.

My main dish was obviously the Chirashi don. Portions were generous and there was a good selection of salmon, tuna, scallops, prawns, egg and avocado. The cuts of fish were fresh and went well with soy sauce, although the tuna was a little dry for my tastes, the salmon was very soft and tender. What really stood out for me for the chirashi don though was the fact that the rice was served warm, offering a bit of comfort on a cold winter's day. Definitely highly recommend this dish.

Not one to miss any opportunities to try out their sushi, I had a Salmon and Avo hand roll on the side. Again the rice was pleasantly warmed and the nori was crisp. I did find the topping to rice ratio a little bit deficient, nevertheless satisfying.

Price Range: $15 - $25

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