Sinjeon - Sunnybank Hills

Every now and again, I get back into the swing of watching dramas. Most recently, I've been watching a drama which has a strong focus on kimbap. I'm sure a lot of you know which one I'm talking about. So anyway, I've had a lot of kimbap on my mind and have dabbled in buying some from hanaro when at work, but thought it would be good to try some freshly made ones from the recently arrived popular street food chain, Sinjeon, which opened at Sunnybank Hills recently. The restaurant is small and doesn't take bookings. For our big group of eight, it took over 40 minutes for us to get a table. Lucky we had good company.

 

The ordering was both convenient as it was also confusing. Each table had a QR code where you could order online. Paying was done after the meal. However every time someone at your table ordered, your selection would also get wiped off your phone. That was the confusing part. The convenient part is that every order that is put in has a new invoice code, meaning that splitting the bill becomes drastically easier at the end. Anyway, the menu comprised of topokki, kimbap, fried dishes, rice and noodles as well as drinks. We ordered a selection to share.

We ordered some of the Korean drinks to try. There was peach, grape and also pineapple. The grape drink was delicious and had pieces of grape in it, but the peach and pineapple drink was definitely too sweet.

 

Smaller dishes we had included the fish cake and the cheesy hotdog. The fish cake was a little bland, but wholesome in a light soy broth. The hotdog was definitely a crowd favourite with stringy mozzarella, bread and sausage inside. 

This was the crispy chicken jabchae. Portions were decent for the price and there was an abundance of fried chicken among the chewy potato noodles and cuts of tofu, seaweed and corn. The chicken was freshly fried however the batter definitely does not compare to proper fried chicken places. The noodles were bouncy though and well seasoned. 

Of course we also had a serve of original topokki with mozzarella cheese. This was quite spicy, and generous in portion with a stringy cheese pull. There was a decent amount of rice cake which made the dish quite filling but there wasn't much else by way of topping. I also found the original soup to be very sweet and very spicy.

The rose topokki appeared to be a far better version of the dish with a fair amount of chopped sausages and sliced cheese on top. The sauce was far creamier and had a savoury umami flavour to it. I would definitely come back for this. 

Of course, the main reason for us going to Sinjeon was for their kimbap and we ordered quite a few to try among the table. 

This was the spam kimbap. Obviously it contained spam along with some tofu strips and assorted pickles. I liked that it didn't have a lot of rice but it had a lot of fillings. The rice was adequately seasoned with sesame oil and sprinkled with sesame. Although spam is quite strongly flavoured the pickles balanced it out very nicely.

 

We also had the tuna and the cheese kimbap. Truth be told, I was really looking forward to the cheese kimbap but that was a bit of a miss because the cheese was cold and not particularly stringy whilst the rice wasn't very well seasoned, making for quite a bland roll. My favourite for the night was in fact the tuna kimbap, striking the perfect balance between creamy tuna, crispy carrots and cucumber as well as the seasoned pickles. Again there wasn't too much rice and a generous amount of filling. I will definitely be back to try their other dishes. 

Price Range: $15 - $25pp

Taste: 8/10

Value: 8/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 8/10

Butler Wine Bar - South Brisbane

Had been interested to try out Lune's new venture, Butler Wine Bar for some time now. Located at the base of the Standard, opposite the croissanterie, it made for a nice stroll over after work for some friday afternoon drinks with some girlfriends to herald the weekend. Being known for their high standards, I came in with high expectations for their wine bar. 

Arriving at opening time, there were a few people waiting outside, but ample space for us all to get seated. The ambience inside was cool and moody, definitely a nice date spot for later on.

As expected there was an extensive wine list and staff were very helpful and knowledgeable. There was also a snack menu with savoury and sweet dishes to accompany the wine. Of course we ordered a selection. 

Between the three of us we had rose, skin contact white and just white. All were thoroughly enjoyed, crisp and perfectly chilled for our food. We particularly liked the commentary that the sommeliers provided.

Our snacks came out quickly after. First up was the mushroom tart with basil and mayo. The tart tasted like a very crisp oven oven dried filo pastry. It was crisp without being oily. The mushroom was also fragrant but tender. I really enjoyed the complementary earthy flavours and could definitely eat a few more of these.

 

Our next dish was far more sharper in taste, being the kingfish crudo with citrus and lemongrass. The fish was fresh and had a firm texture to it, the sauces were also very strong and had the tang of lemongrass that reminded us of Thai cuisine. The portion was a bit small, but the quality was fantastic though.

Our last dish was the sweet spiced madeleine with brandy caramel. These also were strongly flavoured, buttery and rich with a more-ish chewy texture to them. The cream on the side was also rich and cinnamon-y. Fresh out of the oven, they were warm and a delight to eat. The spongey texture also meant that it was able to absorb some of that wine too!

We had a really great time at Butler, will definitely be back to try the other dishes and more wines as well.

Price Range: $25 - $35pp

Taste: 8.5/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 9/10

Sweetfin Poke - Brisbane CBD

Went to work and forgot to pack lunch last week. Decided to grab something relatively more healthy for lunch rather than the usual junk food from food courts. Exploring my options at Queens Plaza, I opted for some poke at Sweetfin Poke. 

My deluxe sashimi bowl wasn't as deluxe as the name suggested, it was supposed to contain scallops, aburi salmon, fresh salmon as well as tuna. They had apparently run out of tuna even though I went at opening time and no one asked if I had wanted any substitutions but just gave me more salmon instead. Although that probably would have been my choice, it would have been nice to ask first. The scallops were also very small and the fish wasn't particularly fresh. For the price, it wasn't much of a good deal and I think next time I'll stick with cheeky poke instead.

Price Range: $20 - $30pp

Taste: 6/10

Value: 5/10

Service: 4/10

Environment: 6/10

Amins Butcher & Grill - West End

We caught up with a friend the other week right after they got out from isolation. Took the opportunity to tick another place off our list and we headed over to Amin's Butcher and Grill for a casual weekend lunch before some board games in the evening. 

I had seen a bit about this place for a while now and was very interested because it was attached to a butcher. For those who cannot find something for them on the menu, they could go next door, buy a piece of meat and pay for the restaurant to cook it for them and serve it with sides. Next time I'll definitely try this, but for now we found quite a few things we wanted to try first.

Dr L had the Lamb Ribs with chips and salad. The dish was a bit less meaty than we had thought, but the flavours were amazing and the meat had been grilled to a delicious crisp on the outside. The rub was a little spicy and very strong with garlic and pepper flavours, I also like the generous portion of chips. We would be keen to come back next time for the lamb cutlets too.

Wanting to try something different for the day, I went with the Kofta Shish Grill. It came with some rice, bread, two sauces and salad. The kofta was meaty and charred but the highlight for me was definitely the refreshing garlic sauce. The meat was well seasoned too but I wish that there was more meat to go with the abundance of rice and bread. The rice was fairly bland but had a good texture and I found the bread to be very fluffy. Overall the lunch represented excellent value for money given the state of the economy and I'd be keen to come back to try their other offerings.

Price Range: $20 - $30pp

Taste: 8.5/10

Value: 8/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 8/10

Italian Street Kitchen - West End

Mid week date night with Dr L and we opted for a cozy dinner at Italian Street Kitchen. I've previously been to their original store at Newstead and was impressed with their quality and value, so was quite pleased to see they had opened one closer to home and work.

Despite it being mid week, it was really important to book because the place was very full, which seems to be a recurring theme everywhere these days. Anyway, we were seated inside and very close to the kitchen, which is always very exciting for me. 

 

Menus were provided and service was fast. Despite how high inflation is, the prices at ISK were still very reasonable and their set lunches were an especially good deal that I'll have to come back for later. The menu wasn't surprising for an Italian restaurant, comprising of antipasti, pasta, pizza and desserts, which was exactly what we were craving.

Drinks came quickly, I had a glass of pinot grigio whilst he had a coke zero. Mine was crisp and chilled, making for a wonderful start to our meal.

Our shared entree was the Panzerotto. I've never seen or heard of this before but it had me at deep fried pizza dough. It was filled with mortadella, buffalo mozzarella and Sardinian pecorino cheese. Despite the fanfare, the fillings were fairly ordinary and the flavours didn't stand out to me as something especially exciting and the pecorino wasn't as sharp as expected. Having said that the dough was freshly fried and very fluffy which is always a wonderful way to start the meal.

Truffle pizza wasn't on the menu, despite it being truffle season, so we went with the mushroom & cheese pizza. The flavours were harmonious but like the panzerotto, they didn't really jump out to me. Nevertheless, there was an abundance of earthy mushrooms and the base was done quite well. I wouldn't mind coming back to try their other pizzas.

Keen to try some gnocchi before I attempt some at home, this was the gnocchi alla bolognese. The portions were generous but there was also not too much by way of meat. The flavours were rich and tart though, while the gnocchi struck a good balance between mushy and chewy. If there was a bit more meat to go with it then it would have been a fairly faultless dish. 

Overall, good food for decent prices in a good location. We will be back to try the other dishes when we are in the area.

Price Range: $25 - $35pp

Taste: 8/10

Value: 8/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 8/10