Uncle Don - Woolloongabba

Ever since covid, Dr L and I really haven't gone to the cinemas anywhere near as much as we used to. Movie ticket prices have gone up considerably but the experience and environment really hasn't improved. Three hour parking definitely doesn't help either. With that in mind, we were still keen on going to the cinema for a new release lately and a friend recommended that we try out Angelika Cinemas at South City Square. Without going into it too much, the cinema was new, clean and fantastic value for money. Before the movie though, we decided to quickly grab dinner nearby and hit up Uncle Don, just downstairs.

 

Booking wasn't necessary, the restaurant itself was huge and there were only a couple tables occupied. Ordering and payment was done via QR code. The menu of course comprised of quite a few rice bowl options and some sides. The dishes were definitely on the higher end of the price scale.

We were however pleasantly surprised by the inclusion of complimentary sparkling water. The waitress was also gracious enough to accommodate our mixed preferences for still and sparkling separately.

 

Our food didn't take long to arrive which was great as we were running on a tight schedule to see the movie after.

Our starter to share was the parmesan karaage chicken. This had evidently come straight out of the deep fryer and was crisp and hot. I found the batter to be a bit thicker and harder than I would have liked, but the chicken was nevertheless juicy and the added cheese and mayo added creaminess to the dish.

We had two rice bowls to share, this was the Wagyu Steak don with MB 7-8 grade marbling. I found the steak to rice ratio to be a little bit disappointing, but the wagyu itself was very fatty and marbled. I liked it but Dr L found it to be on the greasier end and would have preferred it to be rendered a bit more before serving. Overall though the portion size was fine, largely due to the generous portion of rice, but I wouldn't say that it represented good value for money. For a place that specialised in rice dishes, I was also surprised that the rice was fairly clumpy rather than fluffy.

Our other dish was the Kaisendon. Like the wagyu steak don, it was plated beautifully. Again, it had a bit less of a topping to rice ratio than I would have liked. For a kaisendon it also had a noticeably small variety of seafood, being just salmon, scallop and kingfish. The fish itself was fresh but the quantity was just not really enough to go with the rice and definitely not enough to justify the price tag. Again the rice was also clumpy rather than fluffy which left us fairly unimpressed. 

Overall we found our experience at Uncle Don to be underwhelming and definitely not value for money given we paid $100 without even ordering drinks. If we came back we would opt for the cheaper meals but unless a friend asked to come, we would much rather try out the other local restaurants.

Price Range: $45 - $55pp

Taste: 7/10

Value: 5/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 8/10 

Mama Malaya - Underwood

How far would you go to try the best Malaysian food in Brisbane? For me, the answer appears to be whatever it takes. I have been told by a number of reliable friends that Mama Malaya is second to none for Malaysian food in Brisbane. For months now, I have made attempts to have a meal there but despite double checking their opening hours on google, they were always closed when we showed up. Finally a couple weeks ago we got lucky. I happened to have a day off to run some errands and called ahead to check. Finally we could go.

For a restaurant with such wildly inconsistent opening hours it was surprisingly packed on a Friday lunch hour with almost all seats filled up. I suppose if you have such an enthusiastic customer base, you can have more lenience to be open whenever you want. 

The menu was only one page with some specials on the board. For 2024, prices were extremely reasonable. Although they had quite a few options that were not strictly Malaysian, we focused on ordering malaysian food.

Our drinks arrived fairly quickly after ordering. Dr L had the iced Teh Tarik and I had the hot. The fact mine came in a porcelain mug gave it a very homely taste. Both were very intense when it came to tea flavour but erred on the side of being very sweet. 

It didn't take long for our food to come out. Portions were massive. 

Starting with the signature malaysian dish Char Kway Teow, this was a generous serve. They didn't let you select protein on the menu but it was full of chicken pork and prawns. The topping to noodle ratio was definitely great but we also think that it could have had a stronger wok hei. 

Our other noodle dish was the egg gravy stir fried rice noodle. Again the portions were great and even the photo captured the generous amounts of plump juicy prawns. This was well received and I found the noodles to have more wok hei than the char kuay teo to have had. I would definitely come back for this and for the price, it was an absolute steal.

Ordinarily we wouldn't have ordered anything else but reviews I had read suggested that the handmade tofu was a must try, so we had a serve on the side. It was again a huge portion. I really liked the silky smooth but dense tofu that had a slight egg taste to it. The light tempura coating also gave it much needed texture. The veggies also were doused in a light oyster sauce that would have made the dish a perfect accompaniment for rice. 

Given how hard it was for us to go to Mama Malaya, I doubt we will be back for some time but I do really recommend their food and will make attempts to call up to check if they're open next time I'm in the area.

Price Range: $25 - $35

Taste: 8/10

Value: 9/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 6/10 

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