Sushi Hub - Brisbane City (Myer Centre)

With my new job having a much higher requirement to work from the office, I am given more opportunities to explore the city for new places to dine out at, sometimes though, there is nothing better than to have some comfort food, especially when work gets tough. For that I am grateful that my second favourite take away sushi chain opened another branch at the Myer Centre. 

Although the shop front is quite big, their sushi selection was more or less the same as their Albert Street store. They had a lot more staff though and I guess stock turnover would be a lot higher. Speaking of higher, the prices were also a bit higher than I remember from last time.

I got a small selection of their sushi to go. Service was very fast and efficient. It was interesting to see that they had moved away from plastic containers to cardboard ones. The box was relatively sturdy and my food made it back to the office without damage. Being made out of paper did mean that I wasn't able to pour soy sauce onto the lid to dip my sushi in though, so I had to improvise and add it directly to each piece. Starting with the sushi rolls, the size was fairly average and the fillings were fresh, but portion wise the filling was a bit less than it used to be. Perhaps a sign of shrinkflation. The flavours were still just as good though.

I also had three nigiri, this was the prawn nigiri. It was doused in sauce and not all that crispy, but I do really enjoy teriyaki sauce and mayonnaise. Compared to the sushi rolls, the piece of rice was very small compared to the prawn and this created a bit of imbalance in the sushi in my opinion.

A more balanced piece was the aburi scallop sushi. Also doused copiously in sauce, it was just larger than the piece of rice. I liked the tender thick cut scallop and wish there could have been more.

My final piece was the deep fried crab fillet. Like the prawn, it was huge and not very crispy on account of all the sauce. I liked the stringy texture of crab meat though and this is the only shop that deep fries their crab sticks. Compared to the last time I've been to sushi hub, prices have gone up and portions are a bit less generous, having said that they are still considerably better than the majority of sushi shops in the city, so I'll still definitely be back.

Price Range: $15 - $20pp

Taste: 7.5/10

Value: 6/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: NA

Naga Thai - Brisbane CBD

Had a group gathering for a friend's birthday a few weeks back and we all decided to check out Naga Thai for dinner. Not being a huge fan of Thai food myself, it hadn't occurred to me to go try it out, but I was pleasantly surprised and glad that we did. With a fairly big group booking, we were seated outside where we had some delightful river views.

The menu comprised of mainly rice and noodle dishes along with quite a few types of curry, as you would expect from a Thai restaurant. Service was friendly but our food did take quite a while to come out. 

Between Dr L and I, we shared two mains. His was the Gang Dang Ped Jasmine Tea Smoked Duck with Red Curry. It didn't come with a designated carb so we had to add a serve of jasmine rice. Given the price, I was a bit disappointed that it didn't already come with complimentary rice. As for the curry, we opted for mild spice but this was quite spicy for our tolerance levels. We definitely had to pace ourselves so as not to overheat. As for the duck, it was well seasoned and I enjoyed the tender meat texture. If it were a bit less spicy, it's a curry that I'd be happy to have again.

Our other dish was the Kao Pad Boo Blue Swimmer Crab Fried Jasmine Rice. This was not spicy and the portions were huge. There was a great deal of veggies and seasoning in the dish and there was no lack of flavour, however there really didn't appear to have been too much by way of crab in the dish. In terms of taste, we both liked it a lot more than the duck red curry, but for the price, we could easily have ordered two dishes of fried rice at other restaurants. Unless someone else was organising a meal, I wouldn't be too inclined to go back again.

Price Range: $35 - $45pp

Taste: 7.5/10

Value: 5/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 8/10
 

Wushiland Boba - Brisbane CBD

Readers may recall that I had previously tried Wushiland Boba at Calamvale central and wasn't overly impressed. Despite my previous experience, I was still pleased to see that they had opened a second store along Adelaide St last year. Being a bit further from the competition of the Elizabeth St crowd, there were quite a few customers when I went. Service was friendly but the wait was moderately long.

 

Dr L tried a black tea latte with mini pearls. It came topped with a considerable amount of milk foam and a generous amount of pearls. He said the pearls were a bit soft but they were still quite enjoyable. The foam was dense and rich, adding to the strong black tea. Opting for something different, I had the grapefruit green tea. It was quite sour as I wanted and I liked the addition of dried plums at the bottom, giving it a sweet aftertaste. Will definitely be back to try some of their other drinks.

Price: $5 - $10pp

Taste: 7/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 7/10 

Espresso and Matcha's Seventh Anniversary

Dear Readers,

September the 23rd marks yet another anniversary, this time the seventh of it's kind and one I didn't think I'd ever reach.

This time last year, I had thought that the global pandemic would surely be over by now and we could go back to travelling interstate and overseas. Unfortunately as I write this, half the country is still locked down and the rest of us are still at the whims of the state. It has been a fairly challenging year for all of us, local businesses have had to learn to cope with random closures, staff have had to learn work within these parameters and everyone else knows that any bookings or plans they make could be cancelled at any point. 

Through this, I guess the theme of the year has to be resilience. I believe I have grown considerably in the last year, coming to terms with what is within my control and what is outside of it. From cancelled trips to changing careers after eight years at my last work, change is inevitable and the most we can do is smile graciously despite what life throws at us and try to do our best. 

On that note, I too will continue to do what I can and hope that you can continue with me on the journey.

-by Hsiaofu

Oiian Tea - Brisbane CBD

Was somewhat saddened by the closure of Oiian Tea in Myer Centre, which I guess was an indication of peak saturation of bubble tea stores per square kilometre. Having been working from home a majority of the time meant that I was unable to visit before it's demise. Making up for it, I made the trek up to visit their Brisbane Quarter store.

The drinks were largely similar to their original store. Of note, egg waffle wasn't available when I went and they also had an array of sandwiches. I was the only customer for the whole time I was there, so I'd wonder how long this store will last too. Staff were friendly and gracious.

Unfortunately my Coffee Milk Tea was definitely underwhelming. Despite two theoretically strong elements, the drink was weak and watery, tasting more like watery milk with hints of tea and even less of a hint of coffee, I had to actually get another coffee just to get the required amount of caffeine. This was very disappointing and I won't be back anytime soon.

Price Range: $5 - $10pp

Taste: 4/10

Value: 4/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 7/10

Teaology Lab - South Brisbane

Despite the vast array of apartments in West End, it never seems to have enough bubble tea, but this seems to slowly be rectifying itself. After the opening of Heeretea at West Village, Teaology Lab opened along Melbourne St to satisfy more locals with bubble tea cravings.

A couple of friends and I checked it out a few weeks ago for a quick beverage before dinner. I liked the natural beige hues and relaxing ambiance. The menu was a bit different from the usual with a stronger focus on tea and a few options I had never encountered before. 

Trying something a bit different, I had the Hojicha latte with sago. I had initially wanted it with milk foam but that had sold out. The sago was pretty good with it's firm centre, but the tea was quite weak. It didn't have as much of the burnt caramelised flavours I would have liked and it was quite watery. I was definitely expecting something stronger and creamier, given the options across the river, I don't think I'll be back anytime soon.

Price Range: $5 - $10pp

Taste: 5/10

Value: 6/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 8/10

9 Seafood - Sunnybank Hills

New Chinese restaurant opened along Farne St, next to one of my favourite KBBQ places, Midam. What used to be a Sichuan restaurant is now a Cantonese style seafood and bbq place. Always a fan of roast meats, I went with a few friends to try it out after work.

Walking in, it was like taking a time travel machine back to an 80s Chinese restaurant. It even came with the disposable plastic hand wipes kids used to pop. Service was friendly but it did take a lot of time to wave down staff members because of how busy they were.

Our first dish and the highlight of our meal was of course the lobster and stir fried e-fu noodles. The portion was very generous for the price and there were quite a few pieces of meat. The lobster itself was very fresh with a fairly crunchy texture. The seasoning was spot on with salt and pepper and a generous amount of ginger, we really liked how the juices were mopped up with the noodles.

A dish that I really love, but you don't get to see very often is Pigeon. I had quite a discussion with Iron Fist lately about why pigeon isn't more prevalent in Brisbane, despite quail being even smaller and arguably more cuter, but he was of the opinion that they may come with some stigma for being scavenger animals. Nevertheless, it was absolutely delicious. The texture (and size) was about halfway between a chicken and a quail, with a smooth tender meat that was just a little bit gamey. I liked how it had a delicious crispy skin.

For our carb of the night, we had a serve of special fried rice to share. This was generous, had a good amount of toppings, I especially enjoyed the sweet caramelised Chinese sausage which infused its fragrance on the rice. It was a bit oily but really hit the spot.

Ordering from the specials of the day, this was the braised tofu and fish pot. Am always a huge fan of these dishes because they are so wholesome and filling. The prices were higher than usual but the portion was roughly double what other stores usually provide. The warm oyster sauce base with ginger and shallots meant that the dish went really well with rice.

Our last main was the black pepper beef with rice. This was fairly standard. The beef could have been a bit more tender as it was quite chewy. The onions were crisp and the sauce was definitely spicy. Compared to the other dishes though, I'd probably give it a miss and try some other things next time.

Price Range: $20 - $25pp

Taste: 8.5/10

Value: 8/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 7/10

Bettys Burgers - West End

Went to check out some more of the offerings at West Village. This time we decided to try out Betty's Burgers after seeing some theatre at QPAC nearby. Despite arriving later in the evening than we normally would have, I found there to be a decent amount of customers for the hour.

Like the other Betty's joints, we ordered at the counter and received a buzzer to await our food. Service was warm and friendly.

Drinks came first. There really isn't much to say about coke, but the portions were quite large and good value.

Our food was prepared fresh and hot. It was a sight to behold.

Queen V had the Betty's Classic whilst I had the Betty's Double. These were freshly made to order and very delicious. As mentioned previously, my favourite burgers in town are definitely from Charboys, but these come very close their style of thicker juicy patties without my having to take the trip all the way out to Bulimba. The milk buns were fluffy and soft, the patties were thick and juicy without being overdone or too pink on the inside. It had a good amount of melty cheese and there were generous lashings of bacon. It was a solid burger and there isn't much to fault. 

We had both the shoestring fries as well as the thick cut chips to share and compare. These weren't freshly fried unfortunately and lacked the initial heat you'd get straight out of the fryer. The thick cut chips cost a bit more than shoestring, but they were fairly average and didn't justify the extra price. As a fan of shoestring fries, these were definitely superior with more surface area to filling. Having said that, I'll definitely be back, one of the best things about Betty's is their consistency and quality and that's reason enough to come again.

Price Range: $15 - $25pp

Taste: 8/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 8/10

Mui G Kitchen - Sunnybank

Have had some good friends recommend that I check out Mui G Kitchen at Sunnypark for some time now. I was a little hesitant to try it as there had been recent alterations in menu, so I let it settle for a bit before checking it out finally.

 

Previously they did an assortment of HK style main dishes to go with rice, but they have since simplified their menu to focus on two things only, onsen chicken rice and a customisable noodle soup.

Between the two of us, we shared one of each. This was the signature Hainan Chicken Rice. It's named onsen chicken to draw similarities to the hot springs of Japan, but I think that it means the chicken is made sous vide rather than being boiled on high heat. It was as expected, very smooth and silky. The portion was really large and covered a whole chicken maryland, I liked the mild homely seasoning and the fact it had no bones. The rice was also really well seasoned, probably one of the best seasoned rice bowls I've had in a while.

The other main dish we shared was the noodles soup, I had it with vermicelli noodles, clear soup and a side of pork chop, which was thankfully served on the side. The portion was a little small for the price tag but the flavours were light and delicate. The clear soup wasn't exactly clear but rich and wholesome. The noodles were also deliciously tender. It was a bit basic, and probably something I could have replicated at home, but still delicious.

We also had a serve of deep fried salt and pepper squid tentacles. These were freshly fried and almost tasted the same as the variety you would get at yum cha. The portion was generous and the squid wasn't overly chewy. We quite liked the dish.

Price Range: $15 - $20pp

Taste: 8/10

Value: 6/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 7/10
 

PJs Steaks - Brisbane CBD

Readers may remember the fairly pleasant experience I had with Sushi On at Gresham Lane, I made a point to go back and check it out again for the other half of the store, PJs Steaks. Having tried their Fortitude Valley branch last time and not being overly impressed, I was keen to see how this would stack up.

Being tied up with work meant that I arrived at 12, being peak time, the store was quite full and definitely the most popular in the laneway. I got in the line and thankfully it moved quite fast.

I got the classic cheese steak with a side of fries. This was better than the one I had in the Valley in all respects. The bun was super soft and fluffy with a lightly buttered interior. The steak they used was thinly sliced and not overly fatty, I love the caramelised onion and peppery steak. The melty cheese really glued the beef together to make for an indulgent meal that didn't make me feel gross after. The chips were also executed well, crisp and fresh with a light dusting of salt. Definitely a meal that I'd come back for again.

Price Range: $10 - $20pp

Taste: 8.5/10

Value: 9/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 6/10