Mr 7 - Sunnybank Hills

Chinese BBQ is really not something that I have all that frequently, preferring Korean and Japanese usually, however most recently one opened up near my home and I am often tempted by the fragrant smell of garlic and cumin as I pass by daily. I was interested in going, however the place looked really shady and there were no menus and a string of fairly disastrous reviews online. Wanting to try for a safer alternative, we headed over to Mr 7 at Sunnybank Hills, which has long been a local favourite for some quality skewers.

The restaurant was nearly empty when we arrived for a mid week dinner. The waiter was therefore able to be very attentive to our table throughout our meal. Ordering was interesting because we were given a menu but also told to scan to order via QR code. This however also followed with paying at the counter at the end.

  

I'm not particularly familiar with North Eastern Chinese Cuisine, so I just ordered a random assortment of their skewers, main dishes and sides. Prices were not as cheap as I had initially envisaged though, but not unreasonable.

It's not really north eastern BBQ without beer, right? Tsingtao was the perfect pairing for our grilled meats.

Our meats were served individually as they were ready to our table. 

First to arrive was the Taiwanese Sausages. I'm not sure that this is North Eastern fare, but it was delicious, with a lightly crisp skin, a firm texture and a sweet garlicky filling. Having said that, these were undoubtedly store bought and of the same variety as the ones in my freezer, and therefore not worth the $3.80 price tag each.

Next to arrive was the pork belly. This was fairly fatty, and surprisingly quite thinly sliced. It was doused in peppercorn, cumin and fennel though, making it addictively more-ish. Although somewhat expensive at $3 each, I did really enjoy this.

Our larger bundles of skewers came all at once. The darker ones were the lamb skewers and these were a delight to eat. Fatty and tender, they were infused with just the right amount of spices to be very strong but not overwhelmingly so. These were definitely addictive and I could have had more than ten of these alone.

Although the beef was given the same seasoning, it wasn't as tender as the lamb. Although fatty, it had quite a few parts that were fairly chewy. We still liked the beef, but next time will probably rather more of the lamb instead.

To temper the heat of the bbq, we had a side serve of cold spicy noodles. As you can see, it was drenched in soy and chilli. This was also intensely flavored but still cooling, despite the chilli. I really enjoyed its soft slippery texture and would come back for this.

I also opted for a dish of stir fried beef and pork tripe. As with the other dishes, it had copious amounts of peppercorns, cumin, soy and chilli. The flavour profile really worked well with the chewy offal texture and it would compliment a bowl of rice or noodles perfectly.

Detracting from the numbing spicy flavours, we had a bowl of Wanton Soup for variety. This came in a light chicken broth with seaweed. The wanton tasted fairly average, more or less like the frozen variety you get in the supermarket, but coupled with the chicken broth and sesame oil, it really hit the spot for us. 

Rounding off our meal were the grilled scallops. I love a good north eastern scallop because it always comes covered in garlic and vermicelli to soak up all the garlicky flavours. These were executed well and the scallops were large and plump. Overall we had an enjoyable meal at Mr 7. It made for a nice foray into north eastern BBQ, and I would be keen to try other restaurants of similar nature soon.

Price Range: $30 - $40pp

Taste: 7/10

Value: 6.5/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 6/10

Barra Boys - East Brisbane

On the rare occasion I am too busy to cook for a weeknight dinner, we get takeaway. I've actually wanted to go check out Barra Boys for ages, and when some errands ran overtime, I knew it was the perfect opportunity for me to grab some to feed the Dr who loves fish and chips.

Ordering online, I arrived just at the organised pick up time but it took a further 10 minutes or so after that for my order to be ready. In the meantime, I was able to peer longingly at the other fish they had on display while my tummy grumbled away.

The drive home was a quick 10 mins and we ate it immediately for optimal taste.

To share, we had a Tacklebox for two. It comprised of 2 cod, 4 calamari, 2 prawn cutlets, 2 sea scallop, chips, lemon and tartare. We added two pieces of potato scallop for good measure (because we missed out the recent McDonald's promo). Starting with the cod, we had it with a tempura batter, this was surprisingly disappointing as the batter had been steamed quite badly by the time we got home. The fish was also not as big as I would have imagined. It was surprising how steamed it was, given everything else retained its' crispiness. The calamari was a highlight for me, given how tender it was and the prawns were quite plump and juicy too. We really liked the crisp crunchy chips with chicken salt too. Next time we might have to try the crumbed cod rather than tempura, but there's no doubt I'll be back soon.

Price Range: $20 - $30pp

Taste: 7.5/10

Value: 6/10

Service: 6/10

Environment: 7/10

Love Malatang - Calamvale

We were helping a friend move house a short while ago and opted for a quick dinner before continuing with the packing. We decided to stop at Love Malatang for food because it's my favourite malatang chain in Brisbane and has served consistently good food very quickly. We had to wait briefly for a table because it was so popular, but were seated fairly quickly.

Grabbing a bowl, we set about gathering ingredients, there was a good selection of vegies, meat, noodles and seafood but nothing particularly unique that I hadn't seen before. 

This is the haul I ended up with for Dr L and myself. He didn't want noodles, so he had some enoki instead.

 

The price was fairly standard at $3.80 per 100g, however I believe that their scales are probably more reliable. Our two bowls came to just over $40 and there was a decent amount. When I went to David's hotpot, I paid over $30 alone for far less food, although the price per 100g was the same. Sauces are also available on a DIY basis.

After ordering, we each had a number and waited for our food.

As usual, our sauces comprised of soy, garlic, sesame oil and spring onion, the perfect combination.

Dr L's came with a mild spiciness. All ingredients were largely cooked to perfection, the veggies weren't overdone and retained their crunch, the tofu absorbed a delicious amount of broth and the meat wasn't overcooked. I tried some of his soup and found it to have a good amount of spice without detracting from the enjoyment of the ingredients.

I had mine without any spice, so that I could add it on my own if I wanted it. Again each element was cooked to perfection, I particularly liked the bounce that my potato noodle retained. The tofu puffs were also a highlight for me as were the crunchy veggies. I would only have enjoyed it more if the meat were less fatty, otherwise it was a delicious meal, which is why I love going to love malatang.

Price Range: $3.80/100g, roughly $20 - $30pp

Taste: 8.5/10

Value: 9/10

Service: 8.5/10

Environment: 7/10

Goto - Southport

Readers my know by now, every time I go to the Gold Coast, it is inevitable that I try to hit up my two favourite Japanese restaurants down there, Amimoto and Wagyu Ya. This has often meant that on daytrips, I am unable to fit in much else or try new things because my preferences are so well defined. Well, last weekend I finally made an effort to try something else and we drove down to Goto for a quick weekend lunch, after hearing so many good reviews.

It was lucky we booked ahead, the restaurant was very small and walk ins weren't necessarily able to secure seating. We were most fortunately given seats at the bar, and were able to watch the chefs in action. Menus were provided quickly by the friendly waitress. There was a selection of starters, mains and sushi. Prices were on the higher end of the spectrum.

 

First to arrive were our sushi rolls, the Premium Wagyu Roll and the Crunchy Chicken Roll. Starting with the wagyu roll, it came in six pieces, the wagyu was very very thinly sliced and draped around the roll, which was filled with avocado, cucumber, carrots and snow pea sprouts. I would have preferred the beef to have been a bit more thicker cut so that we could appreciate its flavour and marbling. Otherwise the veggies in the roll were crunchy and fresh. The chicken roll had a bit more protein to it, being filled with fried chicken, avocado and cucumber. 

Our final sushi roll was the Goto House Roll. Inside was some cooked prawn, tamago, cucumber, avocado and topped with fresh salmon, kingfish and tuna. This was the best of the three sushi rolls. The fish was fresh, although it could have been thicker sliced, the fillings were also quite delicious, especially the creamy ripe avocado. I only wish there was more to the dish.

The highlight of our meal was undoubtedly the Premium Kaisen Don. I was told by our waitress that this is far far superior to the standard kaisen don. This was as delicious as it was beautiful, with two cuts to every type of fish, we were able to both try some of everything. Our favourite pieces in the bowl were the chutoro and the rich and fatty salmon belly. The rice was also well done with a smooth exterior and a soft chewy interior. It also came with a delicious steaming hot bowl of miso soup, which went down a treat. Although I don't really rate the sushi rolls at Goto, the Kaisen don made the visit worthwhile. If we come back, next time I'll be trying their Tempura Udon as well, which was extremely popular.

Price Range: $40 - $60pp

Taste: 8/10

Value: 6/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 7/10

Maru Grillhouse - Brisbane CBD

It seems that the influx of new Korean BBQs in Brisbane still hasn't ceased and I'm not complaining. Recently Maru opened it's third store in the city with their specialised Grill House on Mary St, positioned right next to my long term favourite lunch spot, Kadoya. Recently, I made a booking to have lunch with a coworker and coincidentally, Brisvegustation also had an invitation which we arranged to have dinner on the same day, resulting in my having both of my meals that day at Maru Grill House.

With two levels of dining, I enjoyed my lunch on the ground floor whilst having my dinner on first floor. I love the light wooden aesthetic. Service was friendly. It was easier to get attention of staff downstairs during the lunch rush, but during dinner service, not having a bell on the table to get service made it more difficult, especially upstairs.

 

The menu contained quite a bit of variety, from set meals to bbqs, snacks and drinks.

On my first lunch there, I had the LA Galbi served with cold noodles. It came with some sauces and bottomless sides. The beef ribs were well seasoned and a sweet soy glaze and well caramelised, but I have to say that after taking the bones into account, there wasn't too much meat left. I did really enjoy the noodles though, these were served icy cold in a lightly sweet broth, the noodles were unbelievably chewy and it was useful to have scissors there to help cut it up. Although there wasn't much meat to accompany the noodles, the abundance of unlimited sides made up for this and for the price, it still represents good value for money.

I happened to go to Maru Grillhouse again the week after for another coworker's farewell. Wanting to try something different, I had the beef rib stew. It came served with purple rice. Compared to my earlier lunch, there was a lot more meat in the beef stew. This was soft, tender and wholesome. I really enjoyed the depth of the broth too. The rice was also cooked well and when added into the broth, made for a delicious and filling lunch.

Anyway, back to our dinner with Brisvegustation. I had originally been curious as to whether the ban chan came with set meals only or would still be available a la carte. This question was answered by our waitress when she showed up with the sides while we were still perusing the menu. There was a lot more sides than was available at lunchtime, our favourites were the kelp noodle, kimchi and salad. I also really enjoyed the fact that they had wasabi as a condiment for grilled meats.

It's hardly a KBBQ without drinks, we had two soju and a milkis to share. They had a good variety of flavours for soju, which I liked.

Our meat came out very quickly after and it was a sight to behold.

 The top row from left to right is the marinated rib finger, tri tip and chuck flap. Bottom row from left to right was the pork jowl, oyster blade and tender. The meat quality was amazing. Tender and fresh, each cut was delicious, but of course we had our favourites. Of these six, I have to say I enjoyed the oyster blade the most for its smooth texture and fat that rendered off with the bbq. Pork jowl was of course, crunchy as usual. The tender was the most expensive cut on our table, this was less fatty than the others and thick cut, it was more like a mini steak than thinly sliced for KBBQ, it was however very soft and we enjoyed it thoroughly.

We also ordered a serve of flap meat as part of our first order. It came late but was still delicious. Beautifully marbled it was buttery soft and melted in our mouth. It wasn't as good as the oyster blade but definitely one of the better cuts.

We also had a serve of bulgogi which was on special for that day of the week. Despite having a fairly strong marinade, it was fresh and we could appreciate the taste of fresh meat under the sweet soy sauces. The portion was good to share between the three of us and for $20, represented good value for money.

We also had a serve of steamed egg to share, this was fluffy despite deflating a little bit. The egg was light and souffle-like with a light savoury taste to it, making for a good compliment to the heavy meat we enjoyed. 

Overall, we had a wonderful time at Maru, I am very appreciative of their generosity and for Brisvegustation for bringing us along for his invite, no doubt we will be back later for some more food.

Price Range: $20 - $30pp (lunch) $80 - $120pp (dinner)

Taste: 8.5/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 8/10