Fat Tai - Mt Gravatt

Taiwanese food is without a doubt one of my favourite cuisines. With my impending trip at the end of the year, I was very excited to enjoy some authentic Taiwanese food before my trip. Coming back from an interstate business trip made for the perfect opportunity for us to have a dinner at Fat Tai located at Mt Gravatt which had been on my radar since Taiwan Fest. 

It was somewhat lucky that we went during the mid week, there were only half a dozen tables and almost all of them were full. I can definitely see there being significant queues over weekends. Menus were provided and there was a small selection of rice, noodles, sides and drinks. We ordered and paid at the counter.

 

First to arrive were our drinks and side of Taiwanese fried chicken. The drinks were fantastic with a smooth creamer and strong tea taste. I was also surprised that large was definitely significantly larger than medium, but unfortunately they missed the instruction for no ice in Dr L's drink. As for the Taiwanese fried chicken, it was as good as I remember the night markets in Taipei to be. For almost $12 the serve was a little bit small but the peppery flavour was delicious and intense. 

Our first main to share was the Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice. Despite the name of the dish, it had a surprisingly little amount of braised pork but did have a lot of other braised tofu variants, half a braised egg and some broccoli. I found the portion to be somewhat small for a main size and we would definitely be hungry without the extra drink and side. I did however really appreciate the mellow sweet soy herbal flavours that permeated through the toppings. The rice was also perfectly cooked with a smooth but chewy texture. I just wish that we had more pork and tofu.

Ordinarily I wouldn't have ordered the Signature Chinese Sausage Fried Rice, but reviews suggest that they make one of the best fried rice in Brisbane, so we had to order it. Whilst the portion was more generous than the braised pork rice and the texture of the rice was again spectacular but the toppings were somewhat lacking. We did enjoy the flavours and taste of the dish but would definitely liked it a lot more meat and veggies in the dish but it was undeniably authentic.

We had a good time at Fat Tai, I'm not sure that it's necessarily better than other stores like Yang Mama in Pinelands but a solid contender for wholesome Taiwanese food in Brisbane, but I would definitely be happy to come back for more any day.

Price Range: $20 - $30pp

Taste: 8/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 8/10 






 

Pantry San Don - Springwood

For an inexplicable reason, Springwood seems to have become a small foodie central for Korean and Japanese food. Recently, I've seen quite a few social media posts featuring The Pantry San Don. Foodies claim that it is the best sando that they've had, so I went to try it out after running some errands on a saturday morning.

Arriving mid morning, there was ample parking and only a couple other tables with customers. Staff were very warm and friendly.

  

When I had first noticed their food online, I remember reading that their sandos were available on a half serve basis and I was particularly interested in that so I could try a few more options. This was no longer available on their menu but the waitress was happy to accommodate my request for a half serve.

Opting for a matcha latte with an extra shot of coffee, this was delicious with both the green tea and coffee flavours balancing each other without overpowering. The size was a bit small for my liking though.

The main event was of course the sando. I had half a serve of tamago and half a serve of prawn katsu. These were served tightly wrapped and bursting with goodness. The tamago was creamy, containing egg salad, boiled egg as well as tobiko. I found it to be rich and wholesome but did leave me wanting some protein. The Prawn katsu was crunchy and freshly fried, served with a generous amount of fresh crispy salad. Although the fillings for both were quite good, I was surprised that the bread they used was seemingly basic wholemeal. It was toasted and crunchy however I thought that as a sando expert they would be serving thick cut shokupan or the alike. In any event, it was a solid sandwich, but not something that I couldn't just make at home. I'd come back with friends but wouldn't make plans on my own accord.

Price Range: $15 - $25pp

Taste: 8/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 9/10

Environment: 6/10 





 

Koto Sanpo - Brisbane CBD

Five years ago when Koto Sanpo opened in Elizabeth Arcade, it brought a flurry of customers, influencers and bloggers alike to dine in the popular new restaurant. With the hype dying down throughout covid, they eventually closed for a relocation around the corner to Charlotte Street. Although Hachi Yakiniku has been open for some time, Koto took a lot longer. I've been curious to go back and decided to go during their soft launch when Dr L had other arrangements.

Going on a weekend lunch, I was not expecting too many customers but there was a significant queue. It took about half an hour for me to get in. The restaurant was significantly more spacious and bright compared to their previous lodgings.

A significant improvement to me though was the addition of a sushi counter. I was lucky enough to be seated right in front of it.

  

Ordering was done by way of QR code but payment was at the counter after the meal. The food was notably expensive compared to last time I went but I guess inflation is unrelenting.

Dining alone that day, I was conscious of trying to order as much variety as possible without having too much food so I wouldn't be able to finish it all. I settled on the omakase set sushi, a side of beef katsu, served with a matcha latte. These arrived at record time.

My matcha latte came in a bowl just as I had remembered it. The matcha was a far darker brown kind of green and not as visually appealing as the offerings at Wuta downstairs. It was however very tasty, not overly powdery, not overly bitter and also lightly sweet. I would definitely be back for their other matcha options.

Wanting to try their new sushi options, this was their omakase sushi set. For $30, you get the chef's selection of 10 nigiri. It was a little bit expensive for what it. The quality was not bad though, the fish was fresh, I would have liked a piece or two of tuna and for the cuts to be a bit thicker. The rice had a good texture but could also be better seasoned. All round though it was decent for a shop that was not a sushi specialist.

I had a side of beef katsu as well as I couldn't finish another full sized main. This was freshly fried and crispy. I liked the additional tonkotsu sauce on the beef however found the meat texture itself to be fairly chewy and in need of tenderisation. For the price, the serving was adequate.

In my opinion, the food quality at Koto sanpo has remained largely consistent in spite of its extended closure. The downside to this though is that whilst it has remained the same and there are a number of competitors that could now offer a staunch challenge when it comes to quality or value. I didn't mind the meal at all and would have no hesitation returning but would also be in no rush.

Price Range: $30 - $50pp

Taste: 7/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 8/10
Environment: 8/10 

Sugee Ramen - Hamilton

Sugee Ramen isn't a very recent addition to Hamilton, but I believe they opened this year. It's a little out of the way but after having received a recommendation from a friend, I added it to my list. Returning from an interestate trip provided the perfect opportunity for Dr L and I to go try it out though as we had no food in the fridge that night. 

The restaurant itself is situated in Portside, parking was surprisingly difficult to find. The restaurant itself wasn't though, but I was surprised to be the only diners there at 7.15pm on a Thursday night.

  

Ordering could be done by way of tablet or via QR code on our phones. There was a good selection of ramen, a few rice dishes and some sides. 

Although we were the only diners that night, the food took a surprisingly long time to show up. We both ordered the sugee ramen to try our their signature dish. Visually speaking, it was fairly appealing however substance wise it was lacking. The noodles were unbelievably soft and soggy. I was really surprised by this as someone who enjoys a softer noodle but this was intolerably soft and broke up into mush in my mouth. The only saving grace was the sprouts (which I ordinarily don't particularly enjoy in noodles) giving them an extra crunch. The soup was also very thick but also clumpy for some reason and very sweet for my tastes and not served very hot. The only redeeming factor for me would have had to be the meat which was char grilled to perfection and the egg. For an expensive bowl by todays standards ($27) I would have expected a bigger portion though.

For an extra $1.50, we had an extra serve of noodles. This was also served unbearably soggy, demonstrating that the texture of our bowls was a feature not a bug. I found the portion for the price to also be somewhat lacking.

As a side, we also had a Menchi Katsu to share. I hadn't tried this before but it was surprisingly tasty, a beef mince patty crumbed and fried. For the price though, it was steep and I would have liked a bit more to share, otherwise it was well seasoned and served crisp without being oily.

Price Range: $20- $30pp

Taste: 5/10

Value: 4/10

Service: 7/10 

Environment: 7/10 

 

Super Six - Coopers Plains

Readers may remember that I am often disappointed by the quality of yumcha in Brisbane. Sometimes when I complain to foodie friends about this, they tell me to try out Super Six at Coopers Plains because it is considerably better than the other options available locally. With that in mind, I went with my family for a weekend lunch to try them out.

Going on a weekend lunch is always difficult, so I made sure to phone up and make a reservation. Our meal started off on a not so good note when the staff somehow managed to lose our reservation. As an act of saving grace though, there was one spare table which we had to commit to returning after one hour so they could serve other customers. We took what we could. Menus were soon provided, for a yumcha venue, all the usual suspects were available. We made our selections via the marker and quickly handed it to the waiter.

Although we put our food order in at 12.32pm, our first round of food didn't arrive until almost 1pm at which point we were fairly famished.

Whilst it was a long wait for our food, judging by the temperature, the food also waited a long time before it was served to us. The food itself was undeniably cool, with all dishes being lukewarm at best. Starting off with the beancurd pork and prawn rolls, these are always a must order for me at yumcha. I found thee taste to be good and the filling to be generous and fresh but the temperature was a letdown for me.

Next we had a dish of steamed beef balls with bean curd and vinegar. Again it was cool but the flavours were delicious, the beef was fresh and I enjoyed the sharpness of the sauce. The portion size was generous for what it was too.

This was the deep fried calamari, a favourite of my sister. The portion provided was fairly large, the tempura batter was light and the calamari wasn't too chewy. This is probably the best iteration I've had in Brisbane lately but again the temperature was a let down.

Ever since Haoke closed down, I have particularly missed a good beef offal. The iteration at Super six was adequate. There could have been a bigger portion but it was enough. There was a good selection of offal, including my favourite tripe with some fairly tender turnip that had absorbed the soup. 

The prawn dumpling was executed very well (other than being cold) the skin was thin and the prawns were fresh and plump. The whole table appreciated it.

The same can be said about the shiu mai, the pork was fresh and juicy whilst the skin was thin. Again, one of the best I've had in Brisbane but let down by the temperature.

One of the dishes that didn't stand out for the day would have been the turnip cake. It tasted fairly standard and not different at all from any of the others I've had at other yumcha places. It could definitely have been improved with more turnip.

At about 1.20pm, 10 minutes before our scheduled departure time, a small selection of our remaining dishes arrived. This was the bbq pork pastry. It was also not hot and was surprisingly dull instead of glazed. I don't consider this as a stand out compared to the other offerings in Brisbane.

The coconut jelly was largely the same as anywhere else so I don't have too much to say about it. 

Our final dish of the day was the BBQ pork rice noodle roll. I found this to be very delicious with a soft translucent noodle and generous serves of bbq pork, the execution was so good, I would probably return for this alone. 

Overall we had a very hit and miss experience at Super Six. From missing our reservation, slow but cold dishes, having to cancel a number of dishes because it wasn't served on time and then rushing off to return our table, the service was quite abhorrent. On the other hand, the food in theory was executed to a high standard and I found the bad service to have really reduced our enjoyment. I probably would go back again on a more quiet day to give them a second chance to see if this can be redeemed.

Price Range: $30 - $50pp

Taste: 7/10

Value: 7/10
Service: 4/10

Environment: 7/10 

888 Sizzling - Calamvale

Those of you who have been in Brisbane for more than a couple of years might remember David's Sizzling, specialising in Taiwanese hot plate steak. They started out in Little Taipei, later moving off to their own shopfront when that food court closed before eventually closing down, leaving a gigantic hot plate sized hole in my heart. Clearly there is still a demand for Taiwanese sizzling steak in Brisbane though, because when 888 Sizzling opened up in Calamvale, wait times for a seat were allegedly up to two hours. Not wanting to wait for that long, we headed there for lunch on a weekday when I last had a day off work.

Luckily for us, there was no queue and other than two tables, the place was empty. We were seated very promptly by the friendly waitress and provided menus. 

Although we were undeniably there for the sizzling dishes, there was also a variety of rice and noodle dishes. I was particularly interested in trying out the beef noodle soup which sounded spectacular. Something to come back for I guess. Having made our minds up, I ordered and paid at the counter. 

Perhaps it was due to the fact that the weren't many customers on the day but the restaurant was very speedy in preparing our meals and soon we had the familiar sizzle of a steak in front of us. 

Dr L opted for mushroom sauce, cooked medium. It came served with an egg, spaghetti and some veggies. The steak was allegedly 250g but it was sizeable and filling. Given it was roughly 1cm thick, I dont think that it really was cooked medium as there wasn't a hint of pink in the meat. Nevertheless it was not tough nor chewy but wonderfully tender. Before coming, we had read some reviews of the mushroom sauce being on the sweet side, this was not our experience and he said it reminded him a lot of home.

I went for the superior choice of pepper sauce, cooked rare. Again the steak was a bit too thin to tell but I think there was a hint of pinkness to my beef. It was tender and flavoursome, especially with the zing of peppercorns. The portion of spaghetti provided was also fairly generous and there was enough sauce to accompany it for flavour. I don't really have much to add about the veggies, the carrots and peas were of the frozen variety and broccoli was just boiled. All round it was a solid meal for $28 and as good as the night markets in Taiwan.

We also had a serve of Taiwanese fried chicken as a snack. For $12 the portion was a little bit smaller than I would have liked, but the chicken was well seasoned with salt and pepper and had a delicious coating of potato starch leaving it crispy but not oily. We deeply relished our meal at 888 Sizzling, I would say that it is one of the most authentic Taiwanese restaurants available in Brisbane right now and will definitely be back for some of their noodle options or maybe another sizzling dish.

Price Range: $25 - $35pp

Taste: 7.5/10

Value:  7/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 6/10