Broken Hearts Burger Club - West End

With the constant rain of late, we've been fairly lazy to go out which means that I have to cook almost every meal in. As much as I enjoy the creative outlet, I do get bored and so last week we made the effort to go out for dinner, even though there wasn't anything we particularly wanted, just to stretch our legs and walk around a bit. It just so happened that we ended up at West End. Not having had burgers for a little while now, we grabbed a quick bite at Broken Hearts Burger Club at the Montague Markets.

We really enjoyed their first store at Morningside and were pleased to see the menu carried over to their West End store without too much change. Service was friendly and our food came out relatively quickly.

Before we knew it, our food had arrived and just in time as we were famished.

 

He had the Oklahoma double and I had the Fancy Double. The bun was soft but not as light and fluffy as I had remembered from the Morningside store and the patties were not as thin and crisp. Having said that, the salads were fresh in my fancy burger and his onions were well caramelised. The patties were also of a good size and well seasoned. All up, not a bad burger but not as good as my recent favourite at Barbecue Mafia.

We also had a share portion of cheesy fries. They were exactly as ordered, shoestring and crispy. They were doused with a generous amount of American Cheese. Although the portion was large, I think they would have been all the more enjoyable if they were a bit more seasoned but still they were very delicious. Would come back if I was in the area but otherwise I wouldn't go out of my way for it.

Price Range: $15 - $25pp

Taste: 8/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 7/10

Papas Pancakes - Sunnybank

Was going on a grocery run around Sunnybank the other day and decided to pick up some snacks to take home to feed Dr L. Decided to check out Papa's Pancakes this time rather than always getting it at Hot Cake House. Service was friendly but took a little while to be served. 

Not wanting to limit myself to hot cakes, I ordered a small selection to go. Thankfully they made it home without being crushed, nor steamed. They also reheated easily at home.

 

The highlight of afternoon tea for me was without a doubt the croissant stick. As its namesake, it was light and flakey, with a light dusting of sugar and cinnamon, it was a bit chewy on the inside and crisp on the outside. Definitely something to come back for.

 

I've lately bought some frozen custard taiyaki for home and we often make a small batch to enjoy whilst watching tv. I thought this would make for a good comparison but the pastry was a little bit soggy and not crisp, although there wasn't too much by way of custard inside. 

 

Their signature hotcakes were a bit of a hit and miss. For some reason the chocolate one had a very thick pastry but very little filling on the inside. This was quite inconsistent when compared to the matcha custard which had a thinner shell but a substantial amount of custard inside. Needless to say, I liked the matcha a lot more. Whilst not quite consistent in quality, the price and convenience of Papas Pancakes makes it one to go back for.

Price Range: Under $10pp

Taste: 7/10

Value: 8/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 7/10

Coco - Calamvale

Ran some errands late on Wednesday night. Decided to go get some bubble tea and explore the new Calamvale Laneway whilst I was there. With three bubble tea places in a moderately small shopping centre, it will be interesting to see how they all develop. Anyway, I've already tried Wushiland outside, so it was time to go to one of my favourites, Coco.

Whilst still considering what to order, I noticed their special for the day which was enough to convince me to try their Passionfruit Green Tea and Panda Milk Tea.

Both came with plastic bags and plastic straws, which Dr L really appreciated. We held of drinking them till we got home. Mine was surprisingly really good. Although I asked for no sugar, it was still very fragrant and fruity, so I was able to enjoy the sweetness of the passionfruit without any extra added sugar. It was very refreshing and would make a delicious summer drink. Dr L didn't like his drink as much as I did. Although milk teas are his usual, panda milk tea was touted to come with both sago and pearls, which it did but in very small quantities. He barely had any pearls and wishes there was a bit more. Other than that the tea itself was fairly standard. I wouldn't mind coming back, Coco always holds a special place in my heart after my travels in Taiwan, but I have no urgency to return.

Price Range: $5 - $10pp

Taste: 7.5/10
Value: 8/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 8/10

 

O Brasileiro - Brisbane CBD

Friday night hangout with some friends before board games. Our host decided that tonight's dinner would be at one of his favourites, O'Brasileiro. Truth be told, I've been recommended this place for quite a while now, and being located so close to my work, I really didn't have much of an excuse, so I was glad to finally go and check it out.

 

Despite it being dinner time, the lunch menu was available. Dishes mainly consisted of one protein and several sides. Other than individual plates, there were a couple of share platters. Portions seemed very big on the menus so we made sure not to over order with sides. We ordered and paid at the counter.

Our food came out extremely quickly and we were very impressed. This was the rump cap with four cheese sauce. The steak was more well done than I would have liked it, but it wasn't overly chewy which was great. Although the steak itself wasn't huge, the portion of sides provided were very generous. There was beans, rice and cassava which is meant to be eaten together along with a hearty portion of chips and salad. The cheesy sauce on the steak was delicious and also complimented the chips really well. 

Although it didn't have creamy sauce, my garlic rump cap was also fantastic. I really liked the sharp garlic taste to the beef which contrasted the wholesome and comforting beans, rice, cassava mix. Whilst the protein to side ratio wasn't great, the meal was excellent value for money and I really indulged in the overload of carbs. Would definitely come back to try their other options.

Price Range: $20 - $30pp

Taste: 7/10

Value: 8/10

Service: 9/10

Environment: 8/10

Oche - Fortitude Valley

Sunday night out with some friends and we checked out Oche, a darts bar which had opened up in the valley in 2020. I've seen quite a few reviews and had been curious to try it for some time now. With an invite having been extended to our friend, we were very fortunate to be able to tag along for the experience last week.

Arriving at our pre arranged time, our table was set with a complementary bucket of popcorn. Fresh and fragrant, it was appetising and fun.

 

There was a food and drink menu provided. The food was largely finger food so that you could eat and play at the same time. There was a large assortment of cocktails and other drinks. We ordered via the friendly waitress.

 

Amusing ourselves with a few rounds of darts first, it wasn't long before our drinks started to arrive.

 

I had an espresso martini whilst Dr L had a pornstar martini. Mine was strong and rich whilst his was cheerful and fruity, served with a side of prosecco. Both were very potent and next time I would definitely be keen to have his drink. I found it pleasantly surprising to have such a strong drink in a games venue where other places usually serve very weak drinks.

 

It didn't take all that long for our food to come. 

Our pizza was the Cubano, topped with orange and coriander marinated pork mince, mortadella, mozzarella, pickles and mustard. The flavours were definitely not our usual with the unique toppings but they complemented each other really well. The crust was a bit thick but it wasn't tough or too dense and I really enjoyed the tangy twist of the pork mince.

This was the Oche popcorn chicken with Korean sticky sauce. Given the size of the chicken, I initially thought that it was actually karaage chicken instead of popcorn. The chicken was crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside and the sauce was very spicy too. It was definitely a stand out for the meal.

This was the Bacon & Mozzarella Croquettes with smoky tomato salsa, it wasn't as exciting as the chicken but potato croquettes were always fluffy and comforting. I didn't get much of a mozzarella and bacon taste from them, but they were crisp and comforting nonetheless.

Next to arrive were the Vietnamese pork and lemongrass skewers. These were meaty but a little dry. I enjoyed the lemongrass taste and appreciate the dipping sauce which added a bit of moisture to the dish.

Our last savoury dish was the Mexican style fried cheese with guava dipping sauce. I was expecting something akin to deep fried mozzarella with a stringy pull but it was more like cottage cheese with a crumble instead.

Our second round drinks came at this point. I had the Manhattan, again it was strong and very smooth. The additional cherry garnish on top was also great.

 

Our dessert, the Smoked Jaffa Ice Cream was very theatrical. It came encased in a glass case with smoke inside it. Each cone was small but it was packed with smokey vanilla ice cream and topped with diced strawberries. Super delicious and a wonderful way to end the night out. Will be back with some friends to try their other snacks and other games later!

Price Range: $35 - $50pp

Taste: 8/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 9/10

Chacs Lang Nuong - Inala

It's been a while since I've been to a BBQ which I can honestly say is both good quality whilst maintaining value for money. In these trying times, it shouldn't surprise you that it took me having to trek out to Inala to find it. When I first heard about the opening of Chac's Lang Nuong, I was very curious about the food, being the only Vietnamese tabletop BBQ in Brisbane that I'm aware of. It took a while but we organised a group to go check it out for an early lunch on a Saturday.

I made a reservation ahead of time and we arrived just before 11.30am, being the second table only. They open early for breakfast too, if you want to have bbq for the first meal of the day. I was a little surprised at how empty it was given how packed the other places in the shopping complex was, but it filled up really quickly by 12 and soon enough there was a queue outside.

 

 

Although it was a BBQ restaurant, they also do the standard noodle and rice dishes along with meats for BBQ and hotpot, definitely an all rounder restaurant.

The stove was set up and our table (and the next table) was full within 10 minutes of us putting our order down. It was quite a sight to behold and I couldn't fit it all in one shot.

First up is the signature Chac's set. It comes with ox tongue, marinated lamb chops, pork belly, marinated wagyu topside and banana prawns. As a side, it came with a huge veggie platter, three sauces, four bowls of rice and four bowls of soup. Previously it would have come with marinated thin skirt but instead they substituted in marinated chicken which made for good variety. All the meats were wonderfully fresh (which is no surprise given the abundance of local butchers), I liked that none of the meat was overly chewy and the seasoning was distinctively Vietnamese with strong fish sauce and lemongrass flavours. This set alone could definitely have fed four hungry people. My favourite of the set would have to be the lean but tender marinated topside.

These were the marinated beef wrapped in betel leaves and Vietnamese beef skewers. The wrapped beef was seasoned and mincey, it was a unique flavour to be wrapped in leaves and we cooked them to a wonderful charred texture. I did prefer the beef skewers more as I loved the fragrant onion flavours of each bite. For $12 a serve, this was probably not as good value as the rest of the meal.

This was the serve of wagyu short ribs. Although it wasn't awfully marbled, the meat was very tender and the portion was generous. Paired with the dipping sauces, these were delicious to eat medium rare.

My favourite of the day was actually the special which was not on the menu, these were freshly tumbled octopuses which had just come in. Lightly seasoned and sashimi grade, we were told not to overcook them to make sure they were tender. We did just that and they were amazing. I liked the sweet and spicy taste with hints of sour. The texture was also perfect.

Complimentary scallops also came from the kitchen and we enjoyed them on the bbq with onion oil. Fresh and tasty, they weren't too dry when cooked in their own juices in the shell. Also a dish that I highly recommend.

We didn't know what a large rice vermicelli squares entailed, so we ordered that too. At this point we realised that we had drastically overordered but soldiered on anyway. The set comprised of sausage, bbq pork, spring rolls and rice vermicelli squares to be wrapped with salad in rice paper rolls. This would have been a delicious meal for two easily, but we combined it all with our bbq for a really over the top Vietnamese feast. I particularly liked how fresh the sausage and spring rolls were. 

Overall we had an amazing time at Chac's Lang Nuong. Dr L liked it so much he said that it's probably not worth him going anywhere else for BBQ from now on. Whilst I couldn't go that far, I did absolutely love the meal. I can't wait to try some more options like their goat hot pot as well as some more restaurants in the area.

Price Range: $25 - $35pp

Taste: 8.5/10

Value: 9.5/10

Service: 8.5/10

Environment: 7/10