South Austin - Mt Gravatt

Had a girls night out and we decided it would be nice to tick off some more venues from my list. This week we decided to check out South Austin, a Tex-Mex pop up run by BBQ Mafia, held at Cenzos on weekend evenings at Mt Gravatt.

 

The place was packed and it was lucky that we had a reservation beforehand. The menu was short, it had only a handful of taco options as well as a few snacks and sides. There was a far more abundant drink menu.

Despite the table number, we ordered at the counter and were provided with a buzzer to notify us when the food was ready.

The wait was roughly half an hour, but it was definitely worth it.

My companions ordered the lamb taco as well as the brisket taco. These were far bigger than others we had enjoyed at different tex mex places and the fillings were of substantially higher quality and my friends really enjoyed it.

My pick for the night was the signature Birria Tacos. Whilst Birria is traditionally made with goat, this was made with a stewed smokey beef shin, cheese, onion, chilli and coriander, served with some beef broth. Probably the most unhealthy of the three, all concerns I had over breaking the diet were thrown out the window upon first bite. The meat was tender, not too fatty and perfectly mixed with melty cheese. Dipped in the broth, it was like an explosion of beefy goodness. 

Other than tacos, we also had a serve of Nachos to share, this came topped with more brisket, cheese, guacamole, bbq sauce and sour cream. There was definitely an abundant amount of toppings and like the tacos, they were in no lack of flavour. I particularly liked the addition of the meaty brisket with he tacos, making for a really hearty and filling snack. We had an amazing time at South Austin and will definitely be back for more and look forward to trying out the OG at BBQ Mafia sometime.

Price Range: $15 - $25pp

Taste: 9/10

Value: 9/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 6/10

Katsu Co - Sherwood

Had read quite a few reviews about a fairly popular new Japanese Restaurant in Sherwood, specialising in Katsu, aptly named Katsu Co. It was a little bit out of the way, but well worth the trip. Arriving just before 7pm, there was a considerable queue outside the restaurant. We put our names down and waited just over half an hour to be seated. Apparently they don't take bookings and only do walk ins.

As alluded to, the menu was very much focused on katsu, with quite a few options as well as some mainstream curry and udon varieties. We definitely stuck with the signature katsu sets.

Dr L and I had two dishes to share, this was the Tomahawk Katsu. It was 350g of panko dusted deep fried goodness, served with rice, salad, katsu sauce, truffle oil and a side of miso soup. The pork was thick cut, meaty and tender, however it was a bit fatty. I really enjoyed the truffle olive oil that it came with, that was extremely fragrant and not something that I often enjoy with katsu. The salad was fresh and crunchy but didn't come with dressing. I liked how we could grind our own sesame to add to the tonkatsu sauce, freshly ground sesame is far more fragrant than pre ground. We also really enjoyed the miso soup, which tasted distinctly different from instant varieties.

Our other set was the Ebi Katsu, crumbed tiger prawns. Again the sides were delicious and the prawns were served with a side of tartare sauce. The main was generous in portion with five very large prawns each. They were expertly cooked through without being overcooked and the delicious tartare complemented it well. I really enjoyed the meal at Katsu Co and would be very keen to go back if it was open in a more accessible location.

Price Range: $25 - $35pp

Taste: 8/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 7/10
 

Sushi On - Brisbane CBD

As mentioned in my previous post, there has been considerable turnover of restaurants and cafes in the city, to this point I thought it would be good to take a walk around Gresham lane to see what was new in the area. What really caught my attention was the novel collaboration between PJs Steaks and Sushi On, which has taken up the shopfront previously held by Melt Brothers quite a while ago. It was a very clever move for both stores to reduce overhead costs as well as sharing staffing costs. I had to go check it out.

Half the overhead menus were devoted to Sushi On and the other half to PJs Steaks. I was more interested in the Sushi On options and there was options including sushi, rice bowls and fried chicken, making quite a wide variety, especially for a shared shop front. I was tempted to go for a rice bowl with a side of potato gems from PJs Steaks but will probably try it next time instead.

I had the Salmon Avocado Don. This was executed to a very high standard, much to my surprise. The salmon was fresh, soft and fatty, extending the whole way around the bowl and covering the full portion of rice. The avocado was ripe and mellow whilst the two types of salad were very crispy and lightly seasoned. The tobiko, always a favourite of mine, also added a lot of crunch to the dish. I was really impressed by the quality of this dish and the value that it provided. I will definitely be back soon for more.

Price Range: $15 - $25pp

Taste: 9/10

Value: 9/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 7/10
 

Power Puff Boys

With the high level of retail turnover that is being experienced (mainly) in Brisbane CBD, it offers me a constant stream of options for places to try. With the inevitable demise of Doughnut Time, Power Puff Boys have taken up the shopfront, selling choux pastries with an assortment of Asian style fillings.

There wasn't too many flavours for me to choose from when I visited, but there were definitely enough to satisfy my cravings. The puff pastries weren't that big, especially when compared to Juno Bakery downstairs, but the price was fair at $4 each.

Not being able to stick to one flavour, I bought two. Each was packaged in an adorable box which meant that the cream on top of my milk tea puff was not damaged in transit.

 

As alluded to, I had the Brown Sugar Milk Tea and of course Matcha.

Although they travelled well, they did not fare well being cut in half, with the Milk Tea one having completely collapsed into a puddle of mess, the Matcha one held up a bit better. Taste wise, the choux pastry wasn't as crisp as it could have been, probably from the filling having sat in the pastry for a while. I found the filling to be quite sweet with not as much tea flavour as I would have liked. Overall it wasn't bad, but there are better options elsewhere.

Price Range: $4 each

Taste: 6/10

Value: 6/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: N/A
 

Niyas Kitchen - Sunnybank

Have been gradually scoping out the new restaurants in Market Square. I've been interested in trying out Niya's Kitchen for a little while but been a little bit dissuaded by the overly enthusiastic staff standing out front and a general lack of menus online. Nevertheless, we decided to go check it out for a quick weekday family dinner and were pleasantly surprised with the experience.

Whilst the name gives no hints, the menu was decidedly Northern Chinese/Shanghainese in nature with mains, sides as well as rice and noodle dishes. We ordered quite a selection to try as much as we could.

Our appetizer was the tofu salad with preserved egg. Light and refreshing the tofu was silky smooth and didn't fall apart as we grabbed it. The century egg was deeply umami and went well with the soy sauce to give the tofu flavour.

Another snack we had was the Pan Fried Bun rather than being wrapped at the top, the folds were concealed at the bottom. I really enjoyed these pan fried buns actually. The bun pastry was quite thin but elastic enough that it wasn't brittle, there was an ample amount of soup inside each bun and the filling was well seasoned. Would recommend getting this dish for sure.

Of the rice dishes we ordered the Kung Pao Chicken Rice. The portion size was immense and the chicken to rice ratio was very generous. The dish was quite spicy for me and I noted that there were more peppers and cashews than chicken, but the tastes and flavours were pretty good.

Next up was one of my favourites, the Shepherd Purse Pork Stir Fried Rice Cake. In terms of Shanghai food, I love a good stir fried rice cake. With its chewy glutinous texture, it soaks up the porky meat sauces infused with shepherd purse. There wasn't too much meat in this dish and I would have preferred a bit more pork, but there was an abundance of shepherd purse and the portions were very generous.

We also had two noodle dishes, the first one was Beef in Spicy Sour Soup with Noodles. This was notably more expensive than the other dishes but was also about double the size. It came in what I would call a small basin and was topped with some very fatty beef and spicy oil atop the spicy sour broth. The dish was far spicier than I had anticipated and it really pushed the limits of my tolerance, the noodles were firm, but I wish there was more given the size of the dish. Again the soup was quite fatty and so was the beef, I would definitely have been less guilty if they used leaner cuts.

Our last dish of the night was the Shanghai Stir Fried Noodles. The portion size was alright but small compared to the other options they had here. I really liked the savoury flavours of dark soy which was absorbed deep into each strand of noodle. Again though, they didn't have much meat at all in the dish, but an abundance of veggies. If they had more pork strips, it would have been far more balanced. 

Overall, we had a pretty good time at Niya's kitchen, it gives the nearby Taste Gallery a good run for their money, and I'd be keen to come back and have more of their pan fried pork dumplings soon.

Price Range: $20 - $25pp

Taste: 7/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 7/10
 

Sprout - Fortitude Valley

Have had a couple of readers query what I meant about bread lines outside of lockdown. So this post hopefully demonstrates it. I went to Sprout Artisan Bakery on a whim the weekend before lockdown, whilst Dr L was at work and I was free to do some window shopping in the valley before grabbing a quick bite for lunch. I had thought that it would be quiet at Sprout given that it was already 11.30 in the morning, after the early morning bread rush, but to my surprise there was still a considerable line to get in.

I managed to get in after about 20 minutes and it was abundantly clear why they were so popular. The display alone was a feast for my eyes. It was very unfortunate that I only had one stomach and a dinner to eat, otherwise I would have ordered a lot more than I did.

 

Despite having inside seating, these were unavailable due to current restrictions, so I had to settle with sitting outside. I went with the Croissant Toastie, which I hadn't seen in any other bakery in town. It was a delicious flaky triangle of goodness, toasted and filled with bocconcini and prosciutto. The prosciutto was definitely salty and thankfully they didn't have too many slices in the toastie, but it balanced out with the lighter cheese and pastry. It was a tad oily but not too dry on the outside and I really enjoyed the layered textures. I'll definitely be back to try more of their selection. 

Price Range: $10 -$20pp

Taste: 8/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 5/10

 

Lune Croissanterie - South Brisbane

From my observations, there seems to be a general obsession with Brisbane residents and lining up for bread. I had supposed it was from the boredom of lockdown last year but after considerable observation it seems like people are determined to line up for bread with or without lockdowns and despite lockdowns. I'm not usually one to join the hype, preferring my warm blankets and bed, but once in a while there is an opening which captures my interest to the point of waking up at 5.30am in the middle of winter to lining up for bread. Lune Croissanterie was definitely one of these openings. Opening under The Standard in the middle of lockdown certainly caused a lot of drama for the staff, but so long as we were all within the rules and regulations, we should be free to line up for bread.

Arriving at 6.30am meant that I was first in line (but the line grew exceptionally quickly after I got there before snaking down several blocks). Being first also meant that they were fully stocked and all fresh out of the oven. I was hoping for their Queensland Strawberry specials but they didn't have any when I went (I guess that's an excuse to go back soon!)

After an hour and a half in line, we got a selection of baked goodies and went home to enjoy them.

Special mention to the packaging which is one of the most firm and sturdy I've ever had for bread.

With such good protection, all my baked goodies came home completely unharmed. It was such a relief. What was even better was that because it was such a short trip home, the croissants were still warm when we ate them.

As is his favourite, I ordered Dr L a Pain au Chocolat. It was flakey without being too firm and had fluffy light layers inside without being oily. Rather than one piece of chocolate inside, it had two. Trying some myself, it was considerably better than any I've had recently.

My first one was the Ham and Gruyere, a favourite for Iron Fist. Also warm with the cheese not yet set, it was wonderful. I especially enjoyed how the ham and cheese had not exuded oil and made the pastry too greasy. Price wise it was a little bit more expensive than other places locally, but the quality more than makes up for it.

 

Dr L's second pastry was the Lemon Curd Cruffin. I had picked this just to try a bit of it myself. The layers were delicious but the dusting of sugar was quite sweet and the lemon curd was quite sour, making for quite intense flavours when we would have liked something a bit more subdued. Nevertheless, we are glad we tried it and would be keen to try out other flavoured cruffins in later months.

Being the basic girl that I am, I had to get the Traditional Croissant. This was delicate and flakey with distinct buttery layers that were fragrant but not greasy. The plain croissant allows for a pure appreciation of the pastry in it's originally intended form without any distraction and this was definitely one that really satisfied. I'll be back very soon.

Price Range: $10 - $15pp

Taste: 9/10

Value: 8/10

Service: 9/10

Environment: 9/10