Yo Chi - Brisbane CBD

So those of you who have followed this blog for some time may have noticed that I'm not much of a frozen yoghurt fan. Often when given the choice, I'll just avoid fake virtue and just indulge in ice cream. So when Yo Chi opened, I too note but left it for a friend gathering or a promotion. The second option did eventuate a few weeks ago with free frozen yoghurt to the price of $10 for the cost of a share on social media. Arriving just after lunch hour, the place was reasonably full, but the crowds seemed to move fast.

Despite the crowd, there was ample seating in the store. Hot tip there is also free flowing sparkling water on tap, so I've definitely got to come back for that alone.

Frozen yoghurts were available by way of self serve, you pick your yoghurt and then add toppings. I think the flavours are on rotation.

I went for half and half, with strawberry and cookies and cream. Didn't get too much so that I could leave room for the toppings.

There were a huge selection of toppings which basically nullified any health benefits that yoghurt purports to have. There was a huge variety though, from fruits to lollies to biscuits and then Asian toppings like popping pearls and mochi. It took a fair bit of self control to not overdo it.

This was my bowl at the end, it came to just over $9 if I had had to pay, making it fairly good value for money given the price of ice cream these days. The yoghurt was fairly melty by the time I got to the checkout, and it was a little sweeter than I had imagined, albeit not as sweet as ice cream. The fruit was fresh and sweet, the popping pearls were as I expected and a surprising highlight for me was the mochi, which was chewy and elastic with a delicious fruity flavour. 

Although I can't say that I'm a fro yo convert yet, this was definitely a nice start and I would be happy to come back later for dessert.

Price Range: $5 - $15pp

Taste: 8/10

Value:  8/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 8/10  

Lemak - Brisbane CBD

Was thrilled to see that Lemak had opened recently in the city because of the promise of good food for good value. Tried it out with Brisvegustation just before his trip overseas last year. We were lucky enough also to have gone when McArthur Central decided to do some lunch vouchers, so we ordered with those.

Arriving early, there wasn't too much of a wait for food. Staff were friendly and efficient, we even got to meet the owner who graciously shouted us some peach tea and mango tea.

We ended up with two dishes with the same main but different carbs. Just goes to show what the star of the show is I guess. We shared the carbs for variety though. This was the fried chicken with dry noodles that Brisvegustation ordered. The noodles were done fairly well, not too soft and not too firm and the curry sauce provided ample hydration and flavour.

I opted for the rice option and had a nasi goreng with signature fried chicken. Compared to my last instance with their rice being too soft, this iteration was done quite well and the rice was quite flavoursome and a little bit spicy. The chicken was of course the highlight, being crispy on the outside, not oily and also very moist, in the words of Dr L, it's like the hot and spicy variant of KFC without the spice. It was nice to have the half egg and cucumber for variance, but a bit more greens would have made the dish more balanced. Having said that, for the price, there were no complaints from me, and it made for a fast and cheap meal for days I forget my lunch. Will no doubt be back.

Price Range: $5 - $15pp

Taste: 8/10

Value: 9/10

Service: 9/10

Environment: 7/10

Tea Station - Eight Mile Plains

I always love a good bubble tea, but these days there doesn't seem to be much other than the usual chain stores, in the city. When you go out to the suburbs, there is a bit more choice and I was excited to see the offerings at Tea Station, which had taken the old Sakuraya spot at Warrigal Square.

We arrived shortly after lunch, the menu comprised of a few more unique options for bubble tea, I understand that Tea Station is Korean influenced rather than Taiwanese. They also had croffle and waffle options too, which were freshly made in house.

Ordering one waffle to share and two drinks, these were made quickly.

Dr L ordered a Taichi Milk Tea. Presumably it came with one white and one black topping, but the menu didn't really provide a description. He couldn't tell what it was but said it was a fairly delicious drink. I had the coffee milk tea, which doesn't often show up on menus. This one was done quite well, the coffee and tea didn't overpower each other. This was little sugar and it was definitely little sugar even by Asian standards, which is always a plus in my books. 

I got the Chocolate waffle. It was filled with syrup and chocolate cream. The waffle was crunchy and freshly made which I really liked. Like the tea, the filling wasn't too sweet. It was a really perfect afternoon snack and I can't wait to come back and try the croffle.

Price Range: $5 - $15pp

Taste: 8/10

Value: 8/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 8/10 
 

Chop Chop Steakhouse - Eight Mile Plains

With the continued decline of the economy, coupled with inflation running rampant, it is quite difficult to find restaurants which really represent good value for money. Steak houses are often a minimum of $50 per person for a base steak (perhaps not even a side or a sauce), which is why I was quite thrilled to hear that Cha Kee revamped to become Chop Chop Steakhouse in Warrigal Square, offering not only steak at reasonable prices, but also bottomless fries. We made a reservation with some friends last weekend to check it out.

 

We were seated very quickly after arriving. Menus were provided but the most important elements were also written on the wall. As expected at a steakhouse, most mains were steak but they also had chicken, pork and duck for those not beef-inclined. The steak came in a wide variety, from the basic new york cut to a wagyu new york cut and everything in between. Wanting to go for a value meal, we had the basic new york cut.

We were given two dishes of salad to share between seven, which was not too sufficient, having said that, they were sufficiently crunchy and the vinaigrette was nice and tarte. Between the seven of us, we had six dishes of chips until we were all completely stuffed. These were probably the frozen supermarket variety, but they were crispy and freshly fried each time they came out and all round delightful. Condiments were available on the table.

My New York cut was cooked rare and served with pepper sauce. It was done as I requested with a juicy red centre. I really enjoyed this steak, whilst not overly tender, it had a bold beef flavour and a firm but not too chewy texture. The pepper sauce was fairly mild and tasted more akin to gravy than pepper, but for the price, it wasn't a bad steak all round and for the price, it was well worth the visit. 

Price Range: $35 - $45pp

Taste: 7/10

Value: 8/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 7/10 

Exhibition - Brisbane CBD

 

Having gone to the acclaimed restaurant Joy a few years ago for my birthday, I was thrilled when I heard that Chef Tim had opened a new venture in the city. With its focus on an omakase style menu that centres on the freshest produce, I was down to try it. We would have gone immediately had it not been for the fact that we needed an excuse to splurge on such a fancy dinner. As such, we patiently waited until our anniversary to justify the meal. I made the reservation two months early, and it was lucky that I did as they go fast. Although the sign to the restaurant is easy to spot, the door wasn't easy to find. Turns out you have to go into the gallery next door and turn in after to go down the stairs.

 

Being seated immediately after our arrival, we were greeted with a Tengumai sake to celebrate our anniversary. This was crisp and cool with a nutty and earthy aftertaste, a fantastic start to our meal. Exhibition Gin and Apple Cocktail. These were deliciously floral and fruity respectively and the clear ice was also a great touch to the drink.

Having seen it numerous times on social media, I knew what to expect, but seeing the selection of snacks on the table in front of me still managed to take my breath away. 

Hokkaido island scallops with Yarra valley smoked salmon caviar and mandarin tsuyu was unbelievably fresh and the scallops were very sweet. I loved the tang of mandarin that complemented the smokey caviar. 

Chutoro, ginger and daikon. The daikon posed as a dumpling wrapper and the dumpling itself was filled with chutoro and ginger. It was a little salty but packed a zing. The crunchy dumpling 'skin' was very unique and stood out.

The sashimi yellowfin tuna, shiso and horseradish was my most anticipated dish given my love for sashimi. From memory, when they first opened this dish was made from toro, but since toro isn't in season right now it was simply yellowfin tuna. With its stronger meaty flavours, it went well with the horseradish.

Amaebi, Calamansi Kosho, Shiro Shoyu. Amaebi is by far my favourite breed of prawn because of how tender the flesh is, it can be forgiven for how small it is. Dipped in the tangy calamansi and umami shoyu, it was a delight to eat.

Saison smallgoods, duck leg 'lap cheong'. This came with the premium menu. I hadn't had duck lap cheong before and this was surprisingly gamey and waxy with a fragrant smokey scent. If I wasn't told it was duck, I would easily have mistaken it for regular pork.

Saison smallgoods pork, pepperberry salami was a good contrast to the duck lap cheong. This was definitely less sweet and the berries gave it a very sharp heat that I really enjoyed, but between the two, I do prefer the duck more.

Pork Lincoln oyster, lemongrass, jicama was a surprising hit for us. I am not usually a fan of oysters but these were delectable. With the added crunch of jicama, it provided a smorgasbord of textures which was only elevated further by the lemongrass oil.

Abalone liver parfait, shokupan was my favourite of all the snacks and also allegedly Chef Tim's favourite. The abalone liver was light but buttery with a rich umami flavour to it. The shokupan was crisp and spongey, providing the perfect vessel to enjoy the liver parfait. I could have eaten ten of these.

Sashimi scampi, xian you tiao and polanco oscietra sturgeon caviar was Dr L's favourite of the snacks. The you tiao was crisp without being oily and the scampi was quite sweet. We liked the addition of polanco oscietra caviar which was delicate and buttery.  

9+ Wagyu, Quinoa, Hikari Miso was served in a light crispy tart base. The wagyu was raw and seasoned with a rich umami miso, and the quinoa gave it an added texture that doesn't ordinarily go with tartare.

Cucumber, spring herbs, vegetables was a celebration of local veggies and produce. It was refreshing and delightful with its multitude of crispy crunchy textures and I loved the vibrant colours too!

Duck dashi master stock rounded off the snacks for us. Deep and mellow, it was unbelievably rich and sweet with star anise flavours, making for an ideal interlude before the full sized courses.

King prawns, yuzu, sugar snap peas was the start of our larger dishes. The peas were crunchy and the yuzu was very tart, I just wish there was a bit more of the meaty king prawns in the dish to balance out the veggies. 

Roasted duck crown, beetroot and juniper was without a doubt the highlight of the meal for both of us. This was by far the best duck we have had in Brisbane. The skin was perfectly crispy with the fat underneath rendered off. The meat was well seasoned, complemented well with the sweet beetroot sauce. I will definitely be back, if anything for this duck dish.

9+ Wagyu Yakiniku, white asparagus, beurre noisette was our second main. Whilst delicious, it didn't stand out as well as the duck. Perhaps because we had recently enjoyed 11+ wagyu the week before, this was not as soft but it had a very strong meaty taste to it. It was cooked to a perfect rare pink which I really liked, although it wasn't dripping in blood, which was great. The asparagus was roasted with a light caramelized exterior  whilst retaining its crunch too, an all round delicious main.

Interluding with a Red Shiso Liqueur, this had a warm peppery taste with grassy elements to it. It was a nice gap between our mains and dessert.

Vu Sua, pink pepper yukari. It was sweet, smooth and soft with a coconut like flavour. Added with the spice of yukari, it was a unique and delightful fruit.

 

There were two dessert courses that evening. The mango, cucumber, sesame, yoghurt was a very surprising combination. I had never enjoyed cucumber in a dessert context before but it was very invigorating and served as a quasi palate cleanser. The mango wasn't too sweet and the sesame provided a fragrance to it. Our second dessert was the brown butter, macadamia, vincotto. Much richer and sweeter, I loved the caramelised burnt flavours with the macadamia crunch. It was a perfect way to round off the meal.

Despite being full to the brim, we were surprised with two parting gifts when we were presented with the bill, a mandarin marmalade and blackberry tart, which was citrusy and not too sweet with a crumbly base and a smoked milk chocolate truffle, rich and decadent. 

Overall we had a splendid time at Exhibition. Despite the sheer number of diners eating with them every day, they managed to make each and every one of us feel welcome and special. I can't wait to come back again! 

Price Range: $150pp for basic $210pp for premium

Taste: 9.5/10

Value: 8/10

Service: 9.5/10

Environment: 8/10