Wagyu Hub - Fortitude Valley

Wagyu hub is a little spin off restaurant by the owners of Magnolia Modern Chinese. On days they are not using the space  for Chinese fine dining courses, they host sukiyaki and shabu shabu. Notably with MB9+ wagyu for $46.80 per person. I have been keen to try for quite a while but had seen a bit of controversy online so waited a little bit for the reviews to settle before making a reservation to go.

Although their instagram profile says that they welcome walk ins, it was a full house on the Thursday evening that we went so bookings are definitely recommended if you want a guaranteed seat.

  

All ordering was done by way of QR code and service was exceptionally fast which was fantastic for a buffet. At the offset you decide if you want to have sukiyaki or shabu shabu and pay for the selection, then you could order unlimited serves of beef, chicken, veggies, sides and rice. 

As mentioned, food came out extremely quickly and our table was soon set for us to start.

Whilst all our neighbours opted for sukiyaki, I am not a fan of the overly sweet soy broth, and preferred the more mellow umami broth of shabu shabu. I also appreciated not having to keep an eye on the stove for the water drying out regularly either too.

Despite the controversy I had read online, the meat was of a substantially high quality. It was thinly sliced, well marbled and wonderfully tender. We went through quite a few plates.

There was a small selection of veggies to go with our meat, this included carrots, wombok, enoki tofu and vermicelli noodles. These were fairly standard, the enoki could have been a bit more fresh but everything was of a standard I would have expected.

Not wanting to only be having beef, I had a serve of the organic free range chicken breast. This was moderately thinly sliced to roughly half a centimetre thickness and was tender and flavoursome with our shabu shabu.

Rather than have a completely raw egg, we had onsen eggs to go with our meat, this was cooked well with the yolk forming a delicious gelatinous consistency whilst the white was still fairly runny. It went well with our wagyu beef.

Other than food to cook with shabu shabu, they also had a small selection of fried entrees. I had a small portion of karaage chicken and takoyaki. These were probably the let down of the meal, the batter for both were very thick and they were not served particularly hot. It satisfied my curiosity but when I come back next time, I probably wouldn't order this. 

Rounding off the review, I have to take the time to mention that every dish of subsequent beef that we ordered was of an equally high standard as our first dish. The plating may not have been as neat but the meat was just as delicious. Overall we had an amazing time at Wagyu Hub. It is probably the best value hot pot buffet in Brisbane right now based purely on the quality of meat offered, although the menu could definitely be expanded a little more. Dr L has already said that we need to go back very soon.

Price Range: $46.80pp

Taste: 8.5/10

Value: 9/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 7/10

Eight Ounce Cafe - Springwood

Very recently, I've seen a series of Japanese cafes open in Brisbane with a wide assortment of Matcha themed food and drink. One that really stood out to me was Eight Ounce Cafe, located out in Springwood. With a reputation of hours long waits and menus that sell out if you dared show up later in the morning, I was intrigued. So we set out from home at 7.30am in the morning on a Saturday to ensure we got there at opening time to try it out.

The cafe itself wasn't too big and all seats were undercover but not indoors. This would probably be an issue later in the summer and I am glad I came before it was very hot. The menu was very unique by Brisbane standards, with a variety of Japanese style pastries and sandos as well as their signature chazuke. Prices were very steep and I sincerely hoped they were worth what we paid.

I had a matcha latte with a shot of coffee. My companion had a hojicha shake. Both were delicious. My matcha was particularly high quality and the intensity reminded me strongly of cafe creasion in Sydney. With the added shot of coffee, it was the perfect drink in the morning. 

My companion had the toriniku chazuke. I managed to sample some and found it delightful. The chazuke came with soup already poured over. The soup itself was creamy and wholesome without being too heavy. The chicken was probably cooked with a sous vide machine because it was so tender and moist without drying out. 

Opting for the (most expensive) signature dish, I had the Unagi Chazuke. Having seen pictures of it online, I was afraid it would be small, however it was actually as filling as you would expect for a main meal. The rice was seasoned with crunchy furikake and topped with a whole grilled eel, garnished with tempura perilla and enoki. The whole eel was generous in size and made the $32 price tag worthwhile. I think it erred on the side of being a bit undercooked as the skin was still a little bit too chewy rather than crispy, but the flavours were very wholesome and complementary. The soup was clear and umami. 

Overall we had a fantastic time at eight ounce cafe. The prices were high but we were given value for what we paid. I am very keen to come back for another matcha latte and perhaps a sando.

Price Range: $35 - $45pp

Taste: 8.5/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 6/10 

Houbi Ichigo - Mt Gravatt

I have been meaning to go to Houbi Ichigo for a long time. Ever since the instagram reels started coming out, I've had it at the top of my list. Unfortunately for me, their opening hours were not particularly friendly to those who had to work a 9 to 5 job and half of Brisbane probably did have them at the top of their list too, so during weekends when I made two prior attempts to go, the queue was lined up outside onto the car park and allegedly the wait times were crazy. I only managed to go on a quiet Monday morning after taking a day off work, and even then there was a short queue to order.

 

The menu was fairly short with a large focus on drinks. Prices were steep, especially for the strawberry matcha drinks.

Food wise, there was a selection of mochi, shortcake and sushi burgers. These were also fairly pricey.

 

With a lunch appointment afterwards, I did not opt for a sushi burger. Wanting to try something unique, I had the matcha shortcake. It basically comprised of a thin slab of castella cake topped with matcha whipped cream and strawberries. I found the cream to cake ratio to be quite skewed and there was a lot more cream than I would have liked and not enough cake. Taste wise it was quite good with a distinct matcha bitterness without being overly sweet. The strawberries were also fresh and sweet. 

Drinks wise, I had to go with the signature strawberry matcha bonbon. This was the medium size as I didn't want to fill up prior to lunch. Like the shortcake, there was way too much cream than I would have enjoyed, with roughly one third of the drink being cream. Another third was ice and the remaining third was strawberry milk, strawberry jam and matcha. For $13.80 it was definitely expensive and probably not worth the price, but I did really enjoy the taste though. The matcha was rich and bold, tempered by sweet tart strawberries, making it a fantastic combination. I especially like the fact that they were able to find sweet fresh strawberries to top off the drink, but for the price, this will be relegated to the treats list rather than a regular beverage for me.

Price Range: $15 - $25pp

Taste:  8/10

Value: 4/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 6/10 

Kanpai Izakaya - Sunnybank Hills

 

Sushi and BBQ are without a doubt two of my favourite foods of all time, so how could I say no when I heard that Tokyo Chubo took over the old shopfront by Akaichi Yakiniku, opening Kanpai Izakaya, selling both sushi and BBQ. Having been recommended this place by the owner of Sunnybank Fish Market, I made plans to head out with friends for a dinner as soon as possible. 

I had never been to Akaichi Yakiniku due to poor reviews, but per my friends who had gone, their has been minimal changes to the setup which was still fairly new. 

  

 

The menu was available per a QR code on the table and we could all log in and add to the same table to order. As alluded to, there was a selection of BBQ meats as well as sushi.

Once we put our order down, the charcoal arrived. At this point, I have to give a special mention to Kanpai Izakaya for having the self ventilating BBQs which meant that none of our clothes were infused with BBQ smell and we also didn't have the distracting ventilator hanging in front of our faces to distract conversation. 

First to show up was the beef tataki, a signature from Tokyo Chubo across the street. It was a tasty appetizer with delicious thin slices of eye fillet doused with a delicious ponzu sauce, topped with onion, spring onion and radish. This dish was executed well and left me wanting more. 

Nigiri was on the menu in portions of two each, so we ordered three of the otoro and uni nigiri. I think the cut of tuna used was probably closer to chutoro than otoro given the fat content, but the tuna and uni were undeniably fresh. I could have had many more of these. 

Between the five of us, we also shared a wagyu and pork combo, we had three cuts of wagyu and pork, that came without label. The pork I could identify as jowl, belly and loin whereas the wagyu we had oyster blade and two more undefined cuts. 

 

The meat quality itself was of a high standard and we were all fairly satisfied with what we got. The beef was all very tender and buttery, whilst the jowl as always captivated my interest with its delicious crunchy texture. Coupled with the delicious bbq sauce and fluffy white rice we ordered, it went down a treat.

We also had a dish of assorted vege tempura to share. This was expertly done with a crispy coating that was crunchy without being oily, the assortment was also quite vast with only one or two types of vegies being duplicated, so that alone would be reason for me to go back and order another dish to sample the others I didn't get.

Wanting more sushi options, we also had two futomaki to share, these were thick delicious rolls with ample salmon, tuna and scallop. What made it stand out from other sushi was the thin sliced radish that encased the nori sheets, providing additional crunch for the roll. These were also well received by the group but on the expensive side when you consider that each piece equated to almost $6 each.

Overall we had a pleasant experience at Kanpai Izakaya. It wasn't the best value for money, but we got quality for what we paid for and on that basis, I would come back for more of their food.  

Price Range: $70 - $80pp

Taste: 8/10

Value: 6/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 8/10

Lulu Ramen - Paddington

 

I wasn't too keen on having ramen as my most recent experience has been quite disappointing. However I was keen to still go to Lulu Ramen whilst they were still in their soft opening period and I had a promo that was expiring soon, so Dr L and I decided to go for a friday night date after work.

I hadn't been to the Nash street hub for a little while but it was extremely packed for a Friday night and we were lucky to find parking. The restaurant is located in the complex with Uncle Don. It was surprisingly large for a ramen restaurant and there were plenty of seats.

 

Paper menus were provided, we had the option of ordering via the QR code on the table or at the counter. I understand that the menu will change once they officially open. Special mention ought to go to their unlimited free extra noodles.

Unlike other ramen restaurants, each table was pre-set with a number of condiments as well as a small box of hair ties, which was a very thoughtful gesture for those with long hair. 

It didn't take long for our gyoza to come out. These were filled with a meaty prawn filling and fairly juicy. The skin was crispy and they had some skirt on them but the skin was a bit thicker than I would have liked. Otherwise, it was a solid gyoza, albeit a little bit expensive at $15 for a serve of five. 

 

Our ramen arrived perfectly timed as we finished off our gyoza. We had two to share so that we could both try and compare.

First up was the Special Chicken and Bonito Chitan Ramen. It comprised of clear chicken and fish broth, dried bamboo shoots, king oyster mushrooms, duck breast char siu, chicken breast char siu, soft boiled egg, black truffle sauce, black pepper, shredded green onions and snow peas. My first impression of the bowl was that it was surprisingly small in portion, being roughly half the volume of our other bowl. Having said that, the bowl was very delicious, I liked the umami but not too salty chicken and fish broth, the duck char siu was melt in mouth buttery whilst the chicken char siu was tender. The egg was also perfectly cooked with a runny yolk, the noodles had a deliciously al dente texture and the truffle sauce elevated the experience to a whole new level. Overall a very satisfying bowl, but considerably steep in retrospect when considering it is only a few dollars off from Taro's annual truffle special.

Our other bowl was the Spicy Chicken Paitan Ramen.  It contained chicken white broth, chilli oil, fried minces garlic, king oyster mushrooms, chicken char siu and shredded green onions. Although the bowl appeared larger, this was not as exciting as the special. The chicken and noodles were again very enjoyable but the soup, although creamy and rich, lacked the depth of the other clear broth and we also found it to be a tad sweet. Having said that, this was still a solid ramen, with Lulu managing to pull off a delicious creamy soup despite being chicken based. I can't wait to come back and try their new menu.

Price Range: $25 - $35pp

Taste: 8.5/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 8/10