Nekoland - West End

Nekoland has been open in West End for a little while. Specialising in Tsukemen (Japanese dipping noodle), it is fairly popular which is why I happily obliged when a friend suggested we go check it out. 

The setup was very unique and reminded me a little bit of malatang. At the front of the shop was a big fridge with an assortment of items like fish balls, fried cutlets and other toppings for your noodles, you gather them in a basket and make your order at the counter with your noodle and soup of choice..

 

There were also a number of other dishes available by way of QR code along with set meals that have pre set toppings for those who are indecisive. 

Despite the fairly small shopfront, there was ample seating behind the counter area. We were comfortably able to seat our large group.

There was a bit of a wait before our food arrived. Starting off with a serve of takoyaki, this was fairly expensive for $15, offering only six balls. Taste wise, it was no different from the frozen ones I can pick up at the grocery store. Overall they were fairly delicious but most definitely not worth the price.

Dr L and I shared two tsukemen. This was the Sakura shrimp bisque with ramen noodles. The noodles were served at room temperature. I wasn't overly impressed that the fried items were served on top of the noodles, meaning that they were at risk of losing they're crispiness. The soup had a bit of prawn taste and a bit of tomato flavour to it, I found the combination to be not particularly compatible and the soup was also served very lukewarm. The ramen noodles were just packet noodles you can get from the supermarket.

Our other tsukemen was creamy truffle served with udon. The soup was again served lukewarm which was not ideal. Truffle was a bit tastier than the prawn soup and the udon was superior to ramen. Toppings wise, the chicken cutlet tasted like the pre battered supermarket variety and was therefore nothing to write home about.

Overall, I didn't have a bad time at Nekoland, I found the concept to be little bit odd and the execution to also be a bit odd. Nevertheless, if friends asked to go in the future, it's not a place I would object to.

Price Range: $30 - $40pp

Taste: 7/10

Value: 6/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 7/10 

Noodle Craft - Graceville

When I have the occasional day off, I like to take the time to go to places I wouldn't ordinarily be able to get to when rushing around on a work day. Last week, I had such an opportunity, so decided to take mum out to lunch and try out Noodle Craft in Graceville, which I had on my radar since they had been listed on First Table. 

We found parking underground which was convenient as we didn't want to return to a burning hot car. Other than us, there was only one table dining at lunch, but it was a workday, so perhaps that's understandable.

Originally we were provided with an English menu but I noticed options were a bit different off the Chinese menu I read online, so I asked for a Chinese menu. Ordering was done at the counter. Staff were friendly and helpful

Drinks wise, I had a mango green tea and mum had the taro milk tea. Both were fine, they weren't up to the quality you would expect of a specialised bubble tea shop but by no means were they bad. My mango green tea was refreshing and not overly sweet.

Starting off with our smaller dishes, this was the pork and fennel dumplings. They were freshly fried with a small skirt around them. The ingredients were fresh and there was a bit of meat juice in it. I didn't mind it at all.

 

Mum wanted the cumin lamb chinese hamburger so we ordered that. Usually I'm not a huge fan of chinese hamburgers, but this one is definitely one I loved. The lamb was well seasoned and thinly sliced (notably other places use mince). The sliced lamb complimented the flaky pastry well and it was really delicious without being too spicy.

 

I had a recommendation from Brisvegustation to try out their oil splashed noodles. I opted for the two in one flavour bowl, comprising of tomato and egg as well as spicy pork mince. The bowl was deceptively big even though it didn't look that way. There was a generous portion of noodles and enough toppings to keep every mouthful flavoursome. I also really appreciated the texture of knife cut noodles, being thick on one side and thinner and wavier on the other. There was a distinct chewiness in them that you would also not be able to get from noodles that weren't freshly made. We ended up not being able to finish it all and took some home for dad who also really enjoyed it. 

Our other bowl was the beef noodle soup. This was a delightful rendition with a deep and umami soup, tender but chewy noodles and beef brisket pieces that were fall apart soft. If anything there could have been a little bit more beef on top, but it was fine for commercial standards. I would rate this as just as good as options you could get at Sunnybank.

We had an enjoyable meal at Noodle Craft. The food was well executed and the service was fantastic. If the location were a bit closer to home, I would definitely come back more often.

Price Range: $20 - $25pp (with the first table discount)

Taste: 8.5/10

Value: 8/10
Service: 9/10

Environment: 7/10 

Marlowe - South Brisbane

"How many hats does this restaurant have" was Dr L's remark as he started on the mains at Marlowe Restaurant, newly opened on Fish Lane at South Brisbane. The answer (for now), is none on account of the fact that the venue is still fairly new, having recently opened in September. It is however, exceptionally popular and we were only able to get a table for 8.45pm on a Saturday night, even though we tried to book a week and a half early. 

 

Our companion that evening had arrived a tad earlier than us and was already seated in the second storey of the restaurant. Service was impeccable throughout the night. Our waitress was friendly and knowledgeable about the menu and most importantly very attentive. On the menu, I had not really noticed when I was making a booking but the focus of the restaurant was on local produce, executed well, so everything from food to drinks (except champagne) was sourced locally where possible.

Our companion had a glass of prosecco, whilst I had the Eucalypt & Mando Highball Dr L had the Salt Bush & Bees Wax Highball. Sampling both of the cocktails, the flavour profile was distinctive to anything else I've had in the past, sweet, tangy and a little bit spicy with heavy hints of eucalyptus. Trying Dr L's drink, this was also as refreshing as the sea breeze with the sweet beeswax and a salty touch. Starting off our meal, we had a complimentary palate cleanser, this was a sharp tangy citrus concoction in a little shot glass.

Between the three of us, we had three entrees to share. First up was the Truffled Mushroom Cannelloni served with Sweet Corn Velouté and Salsa Verde. Even though it was a singular cannelloni, it was big enough for the three of us to share. We each had one generous mouthful of cannelloni and it was delightful. The mushroom was rich and flavoursome, the cannelloni was tender and just the right thickness. It really set the tone of the meal for the rest of our night.

Next up was the Signature Duck Pie with Jus and Radicchio Jam. The size of this was comparable to a hand pie, making it good enough to share between three but probably not four. The pie pastry was delightfully buttery and crumbly and the insides were filled generously with duck. I found the radicchio jam to be on the sweeter side but it worked well with the duck, reminding me a bit of plum sauce that compliments roast duck.

Our third and final entree was the Strawberry Clam with Saffron Risotto and Crispy Breadcrumbs. Like the other two, this was a generous portion for an entree and allowed all of us to sample it. I found this dish to be outstanding. The clams were fresh and delightfully rich and had a good seafood taste without being fishy. The risotto was well seasoned, creamy whilst maintaining structural integrity. I could definitely have had the entire dish to myself. 

After a short while, our main courses arrived. First up was the signature Coral Trout Wellington served with Chive Butter Sauce and Caviar. As someone who is a huge fan of beef wellington, I was keen to try this out. The pastry was buttery and flaky. The fish was also cooked well, light and flaky. I couldn't really taste much of the caviar but the dish was pared well with the chive butter sauce and it was well received between all of us.

Although the wellington was delicious, it was nothing compared to the Sir Harry Chauvel Bone in Sirloin which was absolutely spectacular. Although rich and buttery, it wasn't overly oily and the fat had rendered significantly. There was a crisp crust on the steak and a perfectly pink interior. We all absolutely loved this dish.

To share with our mains we had some Skin On Fries and a Mixed Leaf Salad. The fries were pretty much perfect. Crisp without being oily, with a crunch that lasted the whole evening. What I was a bit disappointed with though was the mixed leaf salad that was exceptionally salty for some reason, making it the let down of the evening. 

Other than the minor mishap at the end, we had a largely wonderful dining experience at Marlowe. The food was wonderful, service was on point and we would definitely return for a special occasion as the price point is a bit high for casual date nights.

Price Range: $140 - 160pp

Taste: 9/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 9/10

Environment: 8/10 

Top Up - Inala

These days with the prevalence of all you can eat restaurants, it is becoming easier and easier for me to gauge value for money. I find that as a general point, once you pass the $40 point, you can have a reasonable expectations of a meal that doesn't require you to eat carbs. It was with this in mind which made me pretty keen to try it out and test the value proposition.

For those who are keen to go, Top Up doesn't take reservations so people are served on a walk in basis. Arriving at 6.30pm on a weekday, we grabbed the last open table and a few people who came after us had to queue outside (but the wait wasn't too long).

Taking a walk around to scope out what was on offer for dinner, the first bain marie contained an assortment of bancha.

There was also an assortment of other hot food such as chips, spring rolls, fried prawns, japchae and toppoki.

A main focus for us was the Korean fried chicken. There were five varieties on offer. Notably these were boneless pieces not chicken wings.

Four types of soup were also available. I was very excited about this and made a point to try all of them. 

What drew my attention also was the bibimbap station with a wide assortment of bases and toppings.

  

Starting off with two soups, the left hand side is the Pork Offal Soup, it was light with a touch of pepperiness and a generous amount of pork offal. It wasn't to everyone's taste but I enjoyed the light chewiness of the pork stomach. To the right was the Beef Seaweed Soup, rich in umami, beef and seaweed was an unusual combination which I enjoyed quite a bit. In fact it was probably my favourite of the soups of the night.

We also had a bowl of ox bone soup. I've had a number of variations of this from a few Korean restaurants in Brisbane. Some of them are very bland in taste whereas others are very deep and rich. I found this iteration to be right in the middle, neither standing out as particularly good, nor bad.

This was the kimchi tofu soup. Having recently enjoyed the Yido variant, I can definitely say I enjoy the meaty version at yido more. This one was far lighter version. I couldn't say for sure if it was vegetarian but I was unable to locate any meat in the bowl.

Turning my mind to more substantive elements of the meal, we had a Bibimbap (or in my case Bibim) as I had intentionally removed the Bap. We liked it so much we made a second bowl. With a base of shredded cabbage, topped with a few sides of sprouts, cucumbers and carrots, we topped the first bowl with the designated ground beef but the second bowl with bulgogi from the other bain maries. This was a refreshing, wholesome and nutritious meal that I would love to have on a regular basis if it was open in the city. 

Between the two of us, we also had a couple dishes of assorted fried items and sides to share. First up the chicken pieces were definitely not as enjoyable as designated korean wing stores, but it was excellent quality when you consider all the other food items on offer for the price of a wing buffet. A caveat on the chicken is that it was far better when fresh out of the fryer than if it was sitting out in the open for a while. I have to give special mention for the crumbed prawns, it's nothing special per se but I found it to be a relatively high value item at an inexpensive buffet. The taste was identical to the ones I get from ichiba junction to fry up at home though. I don't have much to add about the kimchi, japchae or bulgogi. All were fairly standard quality and nothing to write home about.

Although I would say the quality of the food on its own was fairly average, when you consider the value proposition at $26.90 and the fact that you could eat an unlimited meal comprising of pure protein for that price, it makes Top Up a very attractive proposition and one that I would gladly return to in the near future. If they open one of these in the city, I would most definitely be a regular.

Price Range: $26.90pp

Taste: 7.5/10

Value: 9/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 8/10

Fatty Patty - Underwood

These days it takes a bit of creativity to find new places to eat at without being drawn into the social media hype. Other than relying on Chinese social media which is slowly starting to be contaminated by influencer culture, I have recently started to explore google lists as a viable alternative to find out what is trending in town. It was courtesy of this list and a couple of recommendations from friends that Dr L and I ended up at Fatty Patty in Underwood on a Saturday morning.

The burger joint shares a small venue with a pizza place. It was lucky we arrived at 11am because we grabbed one of the last available tables. The menu at Fatty Patty was concise but contained quite a few things I would have liked to try. Diversifying our options, I picked one burger and one sandwich to share.

We were given a buzzer but for some reason it did not work. Staff were very friendly and walked our food out to us.

Starting with our pick of sandwich, this was the Fatz Signature, comprising of house pastrami, american cheese, swiss cheese, honey mustard, pickles, fp sauce and shokupan bread. In Dr L's words, if he were ever to make a sandwich, this is the type of sandwich he would make. There was a generous amount of fillings to bread ratio. We particularly found the thinly sliced house pastrami to be rich and decadent, especially with the addition of thick cheese slices. On this point it was particularly good to have honey and pickles to cut through the decadence. The shokupan was light and fluffy with a crispy exterior. Even though it was a fairly small sandwich as a whole and I only ate half, it was very satisfying.

 

Always starting with the signatures, we had the Fatty Patty Deluxe burger with two smash patties, double cheese, beef bacon, house bbq sauce and aioli. This was a very good burger. The patties were smashed thin, it was wholesome and well seasoned. I liked it but broken hearts is still a tad better with its crispy edges. The cheese was also very rich like the sandwich and I was thankful to have only eaten half of the burger. Notably I found the beef bacon to be fairly delicious and quite similar to regular bacon.

I was weighing up ordering the loaded chips when queuing at the counter but was definitely glad that I took the lighter choice and only had one serve of chips. This was fresh out of the fryer and very crisp. Although I prefer shoestring fries, I could not fault these and enjoyed the light dusting of chicken salt.

Dr L also had a chocolate milkshake. This contributed to the richness of the meal to the point where he was not able to have dinner that evening. The milkshake was heavy and smooth, chocolatey with strong hints of vanilla and thankfully not too sweet. Stealing a sip, I really enjoyed it.

Whilst some reviews online suggest that portion sizes at Fatty Patty are small, this is definitely countered by how indulgent the meal is and we both left feeling extremely full. With a few more things on the menu that I am keen to try, I have no doubt I will be back.

Price Range: $25 - $35pp

Taste: 8/10

Value: 8/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 7/10