Elios - Carina

Red tablecloths and the smell of sugo. Probably the spawning point of everyone's favourite orange feline, Garfield. But instead of Indiana, it's located in the heart of Carina. I found Elios outside of the standard social media bubble of instagram, ironically on the Chinese social media app, Red Note, which I have been relying on more and more to get intel on new openings and good deals, free of biased or sponsored advertising. I had read about their Wednesday nights couples deal which appeared almost too good to be true, so we grabbed another couple of friends, put on our investigative journalist hats and went off to try it out for ourselves. 

Given their deal only happens on a Wednesday, the place was absolutely packed. If you attempt to go on a Wednesday, definitely book. There were less than a dozen tables inside and some out the back. There was air conditioning but it wasn't too strong. 

 

The standard menu was fairly extensive with a lot of options for pizza and pasta at around the $20 - $30 price point as well as a selection of mains and sides. As alluded to, we were there for the couples menu which conveniently allowed for customisation and upgrades to our mains (of which small sizes were included). 

It's also notable that there are size references up on the wall of the restaurant which saves you from having to ask the staff what size the items are. Wanting to make sure we were full, we opted to upgrade our mains from regular sized to main size for an extra cost of $6 per person.

 

It didn't take long for our entrees to come out. Each couple had one dish to share and I tried both the olives as well as the arancini. Although called an entree, the portions were very generous. Our truffle arancini had five pieces, each fairly large and infused with delicious mushrooms inside. It is lucky we had friends to share it with because five of these would have been exceptionally filling for the two of us. The olives were likewise generous in portion and served with three pieces of herbed crispbread. The olives struck me as surprisingly salty and definitely needed crispbread to wash it down.

As aforementioned, we decided to upsize our mains because we weren't sure how small they would be, but after spying on our dining neighbour's food come out, small was actually the perfect portion to be enjoying with the set menu. The full sized mains were far too much for us and we ended up taking home half a pizza. The pizza we ordered was the Quatro Carne, topped with beef, bacon, ham, pepperoni and bbq sauce. The pizza was far larger than what you would get at dominoes these days with probably double the amount of toppings. The base wasn't too thin but it also retained a fair bit of crunch and we particularly enjoyed the spicy pepperoni on top. This is definitely not comparable to Julius, but for the price, there are definitely no complaints from me.

Our pasta was the Fettucini chicken pesto. Again the portions were huge compared to what you could reasonably get at Vapianos. I found their pasta to be a bit less impressive compared to their pizza. The pasta was a little bit overcooked and on the softer side whilst the amount of chicken and pesto could have been a bit more generous. The quality reminded me fondly of the long gone fasta pasta. Nonetheless, it was tasty and I would be keen to try another pasta later down the track. For reference, our companions had the lamb pasta, which was topped with many slices of lamb.

We already couldn't finish our mains, and was therefore shocked by how big the dessert portions were. I ordered the tiramisu and it came in a fairly large bowl. Their tiramisu is described as saviordi biscuit, coffee, mascarpone, marsala and chocolate sauce. It was fairly different from what I make at home, with their mascarpone being thoroughly whipped to a foamy consistency. I appreciated the rich coffee flavours and delicious chocolate sauce and chocolate nibs on top. 

Dr L had the Zeppole, ricotta filled doughnuts, cinnamon, maple syrup with caramel sauce. It was served with a side of vanilla gelato. I really enjoyed this dessert even though I was stuffed. The doughnuts were fresh out of the fryer, the ricotta ensured that it wasn't overly decadent and the gelato offered a contrast to the temperature. I really recommend this and would order it again next time I'm back.

Although the set meal said that one coffee or tea was included, the majority of our table asked to swap our drink with a coke zero, given how hot it was. This request was graciously accommodated which meant that only one of our party had a latte. This was enjoyed with no complaints and given how serious their coffee setup was in store, I have no doubts that it was good. I will make a point to come back when it's cooler and enjoy the coffee then. 

For a price of $25pp ($31 with the upgraded mains), our dinner at Elios represents unparalleled value in this day and age. I also really like the fact that they are able to get substantial foot traffic without reliance on the perpetual social media machine. Needless to say, I highly recommend it and will be back soon to try out more of their food.

Price Range: $25 - $35pp

Taste: 7/10

Value: 9.5/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 6/10 

Goukai - Sunnybank

One thing I've noticed with the recent restaurant closures in Brisbane is that no one seems to be spared. Usually I can foresee closures by assessing a business's popularity and the quality of their product, but I was completely taken aback when one of my long time favourites, Oishii Sushi on Pinelands closed a couple months ago. Since then, I have been left with a sushi sized hole in my heart, yearning to be filled. We noticed the opening of Goukai on Level 2 of Market Square for some time now, but with prices on the expensive side and not too many glowing recommendations, we left it on our list for a rainy day. 

We arrived at 6.15pm on a weekday after a busy day at work. It was surprisingly empty when we showed up, contrasting with Seoul Garden nearby which was packed as usual. Having said this, the place did fill up fairly quickly as we dined.

The addition of a fishtank in the corner assured us that if we ordered a live lobster, it would definitely be fresh. Perhaps for next time.

Unlike other restaurants with their QR code, each table was given a tablet in which to order and request service. I found it to be a bit more customer friendly and enjoyable for there to be a designated device for this specific purpose. 

Dr L had already eaten a very substancial lunch that day, so we didn't go all out when we ordered. We started our meal with a serve of Chirashi Don. It was a feast for both the eyes and the palate, this sashimi donburi is a meticulously crafted bowl of culinary artistry topped with two pieces each of salmon, tuna, yellowtail, scallop and prawn, nestled atop a very generous bed of plain rice. The yellowtail on the left boasts a buttery texture and delicate marbling, while the tuna and salmon slices exude boldness and richness. The tobiko adds a pop of briny sweetness, complemented by the crisp cucumber ribbons and zesty wasabi. Although there were only two of each portion of fish, they were large and generously sliced. I only wish that there was more fish and less rice to balance out the rice to topping ratio.

Next up we had the soft shell crab roll. It was served with quite an attention to detail, plated with an artistic flair. I found the roll itself to be somewhat disappointing. The rice was not seasoned to the best of what I could discern and the roll was fairly small for what was charged. I did like the focus on crunchiness though, the crab, cucumber and tobiko all complimenting to it, but it is definitely not as good as sushi rolls you could get from other nearby Japanese restaurants.

The aburi salmon roll was slightly better in terms of taste, given it was doused in both mayonnaise as well as a sweet katsu sauce, however that came at a cost of the rice to topping ratio. Compared to the chirashi don, the salmon here was surprisingly thin sliced. Again the rice could be better seasoned.

Given the calibre of competition nearby, I was a little surprised at the quality at Goukai. They are a little bit more on the expensive side but with their regular 20% discount on eatclub, it is worth trying out. Having said that, there are definitely better options nearby and I'm in no huge rush to go back.

Price Range: $25 - $35pp

Taste: 7/10

Value: 6/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 8/10

David's Masterpot - Brisbane CBD

 

For some reason nothing hits as hard as a hot pot craving. Even though traditionally it was more of a winter meal, I find myself craving it all year round (and cranking up the air con to the max). As a meal that ordinarily takes a couple of hours to slowly savour, it's hard to enjoy it thoroughly when you're pressed for time. Luckily Malatang was invented in the sichuan regions of China back in the 2010s, allowing those who are rushed to be able to experience the joys of hotpot whilst not spending huge amounts of time. With that in mind, I am a huge fan of Malatang, having sampled quite a few of the major chains in Brisbane. David's Masterpot, heralding from Melbourne, is top of my list, so it was with much joy that I got to tag along with Brisvegustation to celebrate the opening of their Brisbane City branch on Elizabeth Street. 

Their shop itself was fairly small, long and narrow. By the time we arrived on Sunday evening, it was entirely packed to the brim. 

 

By now, you should know the drill. Pick up a pot, a pair of tongs and grab whatever food you want. There was a huge assortment of ingredients, I am told over 100. We focused on proteins, mainly seafood and meats with some veggies and tofu.

Compared to their early days, David's has really expanded their soup options. Now there's four soups and two dry options. We opted for types we had previously not tried before.

Prices are pretty straight forward. $4.28 per 100g. Weighed up at the counter.

Sauces were provided as usual on a DIY basis, as was cutlery. 

It didn't take long at all for our table to be completely filled to the brim. 

As part of the opening celebrations, David's had asked that we sample a few of their snacks. I was really glad that I did. Between the three of us, we shared the crispy prawn spring rolls, sichuan style spicy beef and the salted egg yolk chinese donuts. These were surprisingly impressive. Even though I was completely stuffed by the end of the meal, the salted egg yolk donuts were fresh, chewy and crisp with the umami contrasting well with the delicious condensed milk it was served with. I also really liked the prawn spring rolls which were freshly fried. The sichuan beef was a bit superfluous to our meal though as we already had a considerable amount of beef in our malatang, but if you were having non spicy soup options, I could definitely see the appeal. 

Dr L had the golden pickled soup whilst I had the red soup. The malatang arrived steaming hot, an inviting bowl of red-tinged broth with a layer of chili oil that hinted at the spice to come. Packed with a mix of my favorite ingredients—silky tofu, crunchy chickpeas, tender beef slices, and the ever-satisfying seafood —it was a feast for the senses. At two chillis, the broth had just the right amount of heat, delivering a pleasant kick without overwhelming the flavors of the fresh vegetables and proteins. Each bite was deliciously comforting, with the numbing spice gradually building to a warm, tingly sensation that paired perfectly with the fragrant, savory undertones. Generous in portion and bold in flavor, it was everything I hoped for in a bowl of malatang—hearty, vibrant, and thoroughly satisfying. 

Topping off our meal, we had some ice jelly and plum juice. These were refreshing and icy cold but a little on the sweet side for my preferences. Nevertheless they complimented our meals well.

I always have a good time at David's Masterpot and this time was no different. Looking forward to coming back soon for more malatang, especially now they're so close to work!

Espresso and Matcha dined as guests of Brisvegustation and David's Masterpot but as always, our opinions are our own.

Price Range: $4.28/100g

Taste: 9/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 8/10

Mistaboo - Bowen Hills

 

I've noticed a rise in buffet restaurants since the economic downturn, likely driven by the psychological appeal of knowing the cost upfront before a meal. More eateries are introducing buffet options, and new buffet spots are popping up. One chain that caught my eye is Mistaboo. I’d been curious to try it for a while and finally got the chance when I scored an invite to the grand opening of their Bowen Hills store.

We arrived at 6pm for the social media launch and the place was packed full of influencers, most of which were already enjoying the food. Staff were very friendly and helpful throughout the evening.

  

Ordering was done via QR code. There was a huge variety of food including various types of sushi rolls, nigiri, miniature main dishes, fried foods and other sides. Their liquor license wasn't yet ready, so BYO is free until March and lemonade is also on discount.

I had a strawberry lemonade and Dr L had a lychee lemonade. Both were generously sized with not too much ice and subtle flavours that didn't taste too artificial.

Although it was a soft launch, the staff and chefs ran the restaurant like a well oiled machine, no doubt from their previous experience at other branches. Our food arrived extremely quickly after ordering, which is always a good sign when you're on a time limited buffet. Given how many dishes we tried, I will just give a brief commentary of each.

Starting off with the tempura prawn udon, this was the perfect size with only one generous mouthful of udon with a freshly fried tempura prawn, allowing a sample of the flavour without filling you up too much.

Going onto the sushi rolls this was the cheese lion king roll and the yellow tiger roll. Compared to the prawn udon, they were surprisingly large in portion. I would have been content to sample a half roll if this was an option. The rice to topping ratio could be a bit better and I was quite overwhelmed with the sauces on top. The fillings were fresh though.

We had two more sushi rolls the cheese dragon roll and the red dragon roll. I would repeat my comments from above about these.

A definite highlight for our meal was the sushi and sashimi combo, offering the only nigiri on the menu. These were served with two slices of salmon and tuna respectively. Overall this was a solid effort and the rice to topping ratio wasn't too bad. I could probably have eaten five of these dishes alone.

Deep fried haloumi was great, crispy without being oily with a nice dipping sauce to cut through the richness.

Deep fried shiitake was also lightly battered and juicy on the inside.

Likewise, the takoyaki came straight out of the fryer and was crisp. Sauce was again very generous.

Wanting an encore of the udon, we ordered the kaarage udon. It came with three pieces of chicken in the clean broth along with just the right amount of udon. Very wholesome and I could also want more.

Our second round of food came just as quickly as the first one. Of note was the chicken skewer which was probably the let-down of the night. Everything else was doused with sauce but this came out dry and was in much need of moisture.

Not strictly Japanese, but we really enjoyed the deep fried mozzarella sticks with their stretchy centre.

Balancing out all the fried items, we had a salad. Again the portions were on point. The salad was fresh, crispy and had just the right amount of sauce. I particularly liked how it also had fried shallots on top for extra flavour.

Having had chip cravings for some time now, I ordered it when spying it on the menu. This also came out fresh and crisp. I particularly like the novelty of adding furikake.

Rounding off our meal with the ice cream mochi, they were chewy and creamy, making for a sweet ending to our meal. 

Even though our meal was complimentary from Mistaboo, I can wholeheartedly say that in today's current climate, it would be hard to find a better deal for $39.90pp than what Mistaboo offers. I am particularly impressed by the speed and quality of their food and will definitely be back to try some more.

Espresso and Matcha dined as invited guests of Mistaboo, however as always, our opinions are solely our own.

Price Range: $39.90pp

Taste: 7.5/10

Value: 8.5/10

Service: 9/10

Environment: 8/10