Bosco - Newstead

From one new opening to another, we tried out Bosco at Newstead a few weeks ago as part of a long overdue catch up with some friends. I hadn't read too much about this place other than seeing a few instagram posts which appeared quite promising. Arriving on a Thursday evening, the place wasn't yet half way full and did not fill up for the duration we were there.

Menus were provided promptly and the service was friendly throughout the evening. Not wanting to sort through portion sizes to share, we opted for the chef's menu to share instead.

Starting with two glasses of rose, this was a fairly generous pour, refreshing and crisp.

Appetisers arrived fairly quickly. This was the duck rillettes ‘cannoli’ Armagnac, spice. It was my first experience with rillettes and this was a kind of confit duck packed in pastry. It turned out a bit like a rich and decadent spring roll, packed with flavour. This was my favourite of the appetisers.

This was the spanner crab, soffrito, como. I enjoyed the deliciously seasoned spanner crab soffrito on top but wished that there would have been a little bit more to go on top of the bread.

Last of the entrees was gilda, oven flat bread. This acme topped with capsicum and olives. The flavours were sharp but I didn't particularly appreciate being stuffed with two bread based dishes in the appetizers alone.

Entrees arrived shortly after and we had again three dishes to share. This was the calamari tagliatelle, Morcilla, baby peas. As a portion for five to share, we really only had a small bite each. The calamari was tender. I found the morcilla to be quite delicate in taste with a light umami to it. The peas were an interesting addition for the texture.

Next was the mussels, cider cream and sourdough. This was fairly decadent and the mussels were plump and juicy. I enjoyed the bread a great deal as it struck a good balance between being fluffy and crusty, however it was definitely awkward to share two pieces of bread between five people. 

Finally the last entree was the quail, boudin blanc, brunt apple jam. This was my most favourite of the entrees when it came to taste, I love quail and this was cooked to a juicy and tender finish. What I definitely did not appreciate though was the fact that the five of us had to share in one single quail. With the price point for the shared menu, I would have at least expected one quail between two people so that we could have enjoyed a little bit more than one bite each. 

Our mains came with two sides, this was the white asparagus, almond, golden breadcrumbs. My issues with the portion sizes continued through to the main course as this only comprised of seven pieces of asparagus between five people. I did like its charred flavours and crunchy breadcrumbs though. 

The main course was of course the half chicken with vadouvan jus. This was cooked well with a delicious caramelisation on the outside and a delicious herbal marinade. I liked it, but again the serving sizes were a real issue for a party of five. Some of our party only managed one piece whilst the most anyone had was two.

What was more generous was the bay bug clay pot rice, txistorra with rouille. Although I got not much more than a few slivers of bug, the rice was creamy and wholesome and we were able to fill up on this. The flavours were enjoyable, but I didn't think that filling up on rice would have been expected at a meal with this price point.

My side of preference was the bakers roasted potato, scalded cream, shallot. This was a particularly impressive rendition of potato akin to dauphinoise but with a crispy top that reminded me a lot of pork crackling. It was a very skilful display of the chef's skill and the highlight of my meal. 

Desserts came not long after and we started off with the tarta santiago. This was quite sweet for my tastes, very intense and with a strong raspberry hit. The texture was also quite coarse (by design I think), but not particularly to my liking. 

Rounding off the meal was a serve of triple cream gelato and strawberries. I enjoyed this a lot more, the gelato was definitely rich and decadent, not too sweet (after the cake). The addition of freeze dried strawberries were particularly enjoyable, but I would have liked it more if the gelato was served more promptly rather than having started to melt.

Overall, the food was enjoyable at Bosco. My main issue with it as highlighted above was the quality/quantity for the price point. Whilst executed well, I am firmly of the opinion that the food we were served was not worth the $90pp, especially given how small the portion sizes were for the proteins. I could easily have found a superior meal elsewhere for the same or less. 

Price Range: $90pp

Taste: 7/10

Value: 3/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 7/10 

Mini French - Fortitude Valley

Regular readers may have noticed that it's been a little while since I've been excited for a restaurant opening. With inflation unrelenting, it's become harder and harder to find a place that offers good quality food with a reasonable value proposition. As such, it was a rare excitement that I felt when I read about the opening of Mini French, by the Votan Brothers who have also owned Green Glass, a restaurant I was very fond of. So of course, we made a reservation to go as soon as we could.

The bistro was roughly half full when we arrived but it filled up shortly after. With a full house on a Wednesday night, bookings would definitely be essential on Fridays and weekends.

 

The menu was short but it contained more than enough options. I definitely had a hard time deciding what I wanted to try and was already making plans to come back for other dishes as I put my order down.

We started off with two glasses of orange wine, this was more dry and textured than what we usually enjoy. It was a unique experience for us both.

 

Our entrees arrived surprisingly quickly, within five minutes of us having placed our order. First to show up was the beef tartare. There was a good amount to share and we liked the well seasoned beef, sour capers and creamy egg  yolk. The only thing I would have liked is a little more bread to enjoy the tartate.

Next up was the Onion Tarte Tartin. This was essentially a decadent carmelised onion croissant. Rich and buttery, it was good to be served with a side of cream fraiche to balance out the dish. We both liked this dish but agreed that the tartare was more enjoyable.

It took a little while after our first course for our mains to arrive, but it was definitely worth the wait. 

This was the Duck L'Orange. It comprised of one side of duck breast. The duck was cooked to a light pink which was just perfect. The sauce had a more subtle orange taste rather than being overpowering and we found that it went wonderfully with the chips. The only improvement I could suggest is that this dish would have been better if served with some veggies on the side to balance it out or at least provide a garnish.

As you would know, I find it hard to go to a French restaurant and not order the steak frites, so of course we had a serve of the bavette with cafe de paris butter. This was cooked rare and packed full of flavour. The sauce was a definite win for me and a dish I would come back for.

All mains come served with chips and these were so good they deserve special mention of their own. Fried to perfection they were crisp without being oily and had just the right amount of skin on them. The chips were generously seasoned with a blend of spices that elevated them to a whole new level.  This concoction provided a complex, yet perfectly balanced flavor profile. Each chip was a burst of savory, slightly tangy, and mildly spicy goodness that made it nearly impossible to stop at just one. I can't wait to come back for more.

Price Range: $70 - $90pp

Taste: 8.5/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 8/10

Katsu Co - Toowong

 

Readers may recall my last visit to Katsu Co at Sherwood and the considerable wait it took for a table but did really enjoy the food. It was a joyous occasion for me then when I had heard that they opened a new and far larger branch out in Toowong. Going as soon as I could, we went to check it out on a weeknight for dinner.

The place was only half empty when we arrived so we were easily seated. 

The menu was exactly the same as I had remembered from last time with the only exception being the prices which had gone up slightly. We placed our order with the waitress. The food too a surprisingly longer period of time than we had expected given the restaurant was nowhere near capacity.

What did arrive was very impressive though. The tomahawk was sizeable and came with quite a few condiments to accompany. The pork chop was cooked through without being overdone, the panko was crunchy without being overly thick. I particularly enjoyed the extra truffle olive oil which was very fragrant. 

I also shared some prawns from Dr L's dinner. These were also cooked well but the size was not comparable to the tomahawk. Although it looked substantial on a plate, a significant part of the prawn was it's inedible head. The side of tartare sauce was enjoyable however and we also liked the wholesome miso soup to wash the meal down with. 

 

Even though I can and often do make my own katsu at home, I still enjoy going to Katsu Co because of the quality of food they offer (without having to expend an excessive amount of effort on my part), the prices aren't cheap but given what you are served, I consider it fair. I will be finding time to come back in the not too distant future.

Price Range: $25 - $35pp

Taste: 8/10

Value: 7.5/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 8/10

Phat Boyz Smokehouse - Walloon

As a huge meat lover, I had been craving American style BBQ for a while. I had seen a post a couple months ago for Phat Boyz Smokehouse out west in Walloon. Despite how far away from Brisbane it was located, it was also surprisingly difficult to book and we only made it there on our third attempt at a weekend lunch.

With a generous amount of seats inside and outside, I was very surprised to see that it was entirely filled up. We were of course, very excited to see if it lived up to the hype. The only downside to the open dining area was the significant number of flies and being seated outside meant that we were exposed to a bit of rain when it was windy as well.

The menu was as you would expect at a smokehouse, the menu had a very carnivorous theme to it with things you would expect like brisket, ribs and pulled pork. There were also some burgers, steaks and sides. We ordered via tablet at the table. Service was also available via tablet. 

Even though we arrived earlier than our reservation, and it didn't take too long for us to order our food, it still took over 40 minutes for our two platters to arrive at our table, which wasn't too convenient as we had an hour and a half limit to our reservation. We definitely had food envy watching the people around us but in the end the wait was worth it because the spread was spectacular. 

Between the four of us, we had two platters for two. Dr L and I shared one. It comprised of 300g beef brisket, 300g pulled pork, pork belly bites, four sticky wings, fries, mac n cheese, slaw, pickles and tortillas. This was definitely more than enough food for the two of us. All of the meats were wonderfully juicy and moist, bursting with flavour, but our favourite was without a doubt the beef brisket which had been cooked to perfection. Special mention also goes to the chips which were delightfully crispy without being oily. I found the mac and cheese to be very rich and decadent, needing to go with the slaw or pickles. It was expensive for what it was, but undeniably satisfying. A generous box of takeaway for the day after didn't hurt either. I'll definitely be back again for more.

Price Range: $40 - $60pp

Taste: 9/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 6/10

Gusu Restaurant - Sunnybank

It was only last year that we had tried out the fairly new Metro Kitchen and thoroughly enjoyed their food. Unfortunately they didn't survive long and in it's place is the newly relocated Gusu Restaurant, with a focus on SuZhouese cuisine. Having heard a fairly positive recommendation from a friend who said their noodles were very authentic, we went to check it out on a Saturday morning for an early lunch. 

Arriving around 11.30, the place was already packed when its neighbours were still largely vacant. All the tables had been taken up and there was a significant queue to order. We queued up without having secured a table and asked if we could just get a number first and take it to a table when one had become free. The cashier was very reluctant to do this and she told us to just wait outside instead. I was then very surprised when the two groups after me did exactly what I had asked and put their orders down and grabbed tables when they became free, essentially meaning that we had been pushed to the back of the queue for no reason. 

Anyway, the menu was as expected, heavily focused on noodles, however there were also some rice dishes, buns as well as sides. We were cautioned against the buns so we stuck to the noodles as recommended.

Given the nature of the food, a table cleared up very soon and our noodles came shortly after. They were definitely a sight to behold. 

We shared both, which was largely redundant because the noodles and soup were the same across both bowls and only the toppings varied. This was the stewed pork chop noodles soup. The pork chop appeared to have been deep fried and then braised, it was very flavoursome and tender, but I would have liked there to be a little bit more than one pork chop in a bowl of noodles. The noodles were done very well, soft without being overcooked and the broth was hearty and clear. It was also a bit of a surprise that there was not even a piece of veggies in the noodles soup too. 

Our other dish was the braised beef noodle soup. Again it was literally just braised beef on noodles without anything else. The portion of noodles was generous and the soup was wholesome but I would have liked it if there was the usual carrot or greens to go with the bowl.

Overall Gusu is one of the better noodle soups in Sunnybank, service was a bit lacking and it can be hard to get served during peak hour, but I wouldn't mind coming back at a time when it's less busy to try out their other dishes.

Price Range: $15 - $25pp

Taste: 7.5/10

Value: 7.5/10

Service: 4/10

Environment: 8/10