Fat Dumpling - Fortitude Valley

Last week, on a dumpling craving, we went to Fat Dumpling in Fortitude Valley, a couple metres away from Harajuku Gyoza. Going in a large group of over ten people, I was slightly concerned about whether we would be able to get seating during the peak lunch hour. These concerns were unfounded, of course, with an associate having made a reservation in advance.

We had a large table set up and were quickly seated whilst a few seats were added.

Like a number of other places, the menu also doubles up as a placemat.

While the decor reminded me a bit of Little Red Dumpling, with its brick walls and similar style decorations.

After a lot of confusion during the ordering process, the food started to arrive, beginning with the Crystal Cucumber Salad.

Steamed Dumplings

Chicken Skewers (with very spicy sauce)

Lamb Skewers

The Pork Belly was a very popular dish. Too bad they only had one serving left that day. My associate was also very confused when it was not served with rice.

The Salt and Pepper Squid was nice. I got to try a piece, and found the batter to be light, but the squid to be a bit rubbery.

My order in a dumpling place never really varies from one serving of Xiao Long Bao, and one serving of pan fried pork dumplings. While the skin was not overcooked like Dumpling Republic, I felt it could have been more thin. Indeed, I felt maybe the pan fried dumplings had a thinner skin. The soup itself was present, but lacking in quantity, but the meat was nice. 

Whilst my pan fried pork dumplings came out significantly later than everything else, I thoroughly enjoyed them. The skin was thin, the bottom was really crispy, and surprisingly, there was piping hot soup inside of it. I almost got it onto the people around me by inadvertently biting into it without looking.

Overall, my experience at Fat Dumpling was largely positive, despite a couple hiccups during the ordering process, and the wait for the last dish which I would attribute to the owners not being used to such a large group. The food was quite nice, and the service was friendly.

Price Range: $15 - $25 per person

Taste: 6/10

Value: 6/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 7/10

Ichiban Yakitori - Brisbane CBD

In pursuing my quest to eat at all the places in Gresham Lane, my most recent target was Ichiban Yakitori which caught my attention after my dinner at Birds Nest Yakitori. 

I ordered the Gyoza, and the Yakitori Special. In terms of Gyoza, It quite good but not as good as Harajuku Gyoza. The skin was relatively thin, and the insides were nice and juicy, but the bottom could have been crispier. The sauce was also really enjoyable too.

For $7.90, the Yakitori Special was a good deal, the rice was of good quality, there could have been a bit more sauce for the quantity of rice, The three skewers provided were chicken, chicken and capsicum and minced chicken. I liked the minced chicken meatballs the best because of its unusual texture. The coleslaw on the side was fresh and yummy. I dont usually have salad and rice together, but in this instance it was a good combination.

Price Range: $7-$15 per person

Taste: 7/10

Value: 8/10

Service: 6/10

Environment: 5/10 (not enough seating provided in limited alleyway)

Little Hong Kong - Sunnybank

One evening we were hunting around Market Square for dinner. On a whim, we wandered into Little HongＫong.

Little Hong Kong is a run by the owners of Little Singapore and Little Nyonya. It is situated on the little traffic island in Market Square. 

Little Hong Kong specialises in Cantonese Style roasted meats like Golden BBQ. This includes things like Roast Pork, Roast Duck, BBQ Pork etc.

The restaurant itself was quite small, but there weren't many people there at that time. We were promptly seated. Cutlery is available on every table, and water is offered on a self serve basis.

My friend ordered the Roast Duck Rice, which I was lucky enough to try some of. The duck was not particularly fatty, and had quite a bit of flavour infused into the meat. The amount of duck looked very generous when they set it down, but later I found out that a lot of it was not really meaty sections, such as the side and back of the duck. Other than that, I liked how they put a lot of the duck sauces on the rice. 

On the other hand, my Roast Pork Noodles Soup was very generous in portion. The pork itself, however was very fatty, I didnt like it as much as the duck. I was surprised at how good the texture of the noodles itself were actually, it was springy and were the right width. 

Price Range: $8 - $15 per person

Taste: 7/10
Value: 7/10
Service: 5/10
Environment: 5/10

Melting Pot - Newstead

A while ago, a Malaysian friend of mine took me to eat authentic Malaysian food at Melting Pot. Melting Pot is situated inside the International City Church on Foster Street, had I not been taken there, it would never have occurred to me that there was a restaurant there.

The environment was pretty basic, keeping in line with the charitable nature of the place. (My friend explained to me that all profits from the restaurant go to charity, and even the waiters are volunteers. I was very impressed by this)

We were provided table water even before we had ordered. I found their service particularly attentive and efficient.

This is the Char Kway Teo, my friend explained that this is the signature dish of Malaysia. My friend explained that the essential ingredients in it include: Chinese Sausage, Fish Cake, Fish Ball, Egg, Bean Sprouts, Prawns and Egg. I tried a little bit of it, and was surprised that it wasnt spicy. I particularly liked the mix of flavours and how some of the noodles were slightly crispy.

This was the bermuda chicken, it had an interesting sort of batter and was served with salad and rice.

I ordered the Chicken Ho Fun Soup. I was a bit concerned when it was set down, when I saw that the soup looked really light, whether it would be enough to give flavour to the whole dish. Actually, the soup was very yummy. The quantity of Chicken was also very ample, and the flat rice noodles were not overdone (its often overdone in a lot of other places).

Overall, I really enjoyed my time at Melting Pot, I found it especially admirable that the place was charitable. I would definitely make an effort to go back to the place, despite it being northside, whilst I am based in southside.

Price Range: $10 - $15 per person

Taste: 7/10

Value: 8/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 6/10

The Bestaurant - Sunnybank

A while ago, a couple of friends and myself bought a groupon for The Bestaurant ($70 for 4 people). 

We had gone there previously on several occasions when it had first opened, but because hot pot is a seasonal kind of cuisine (we only eat it in the colder months), I hadn't been back for quite a while.

I wont go into much of the details in explaining each photo, but the Bestaurant operates on a DIY basis, where you collect food, and cook it on your table top, either as a hot pot or as a bbq (set on top of the hot pot). This time round, I found there to be a significant decrease in the variety of foods available, The beef and lamb available was also very very unfresh, as you can see in its shading. Other than that, I still enjoyed making my own sauces, and their provision of soft drinks. I did miss their previous bbq skewers, which were like those available in Little Lamb, and did not particularly like their bbq set on top of their hot pot.

For $17.50 per person, it was no doubt good value for a buffet, however whilst I could have found it acceptable to reduce the variety of foods available as a way to cut costs, serving food that was not fresh is definitely not acceptable. Their decline in quality makes me quite sad, as I did enjoy having a large range of choices in terms of Hot Pot venues in Brisbane.

Price Range: Usually $30 per person

Taste: 3/10

Value: 6/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 6/10

Pig n Whistle - Brisbane CBD (Eagle Street)

One evening a couple of friends and I ventured out to Pig n Whistle at Eagle Street, before attending a concert at the Brisbane Jazz Club ヾ(*ㅿ*๑)ﾂ.

The menu is affixed upon the entrance, so you can consider what you want to eat before entering.

We stood at the entrance for a while after entering, hoping someone would take us to a table, later to be told that you are to find your own table and sit down ヾ(*д*)ﾉ. 

The restaurant was very big, and so the first thing we did was to take a look around the place. We were very impressed with the amount of effort and attention to detail used to make this place look like a traditional British Pub.

Upon sitting down, we were provided with menus.

After ordering, we asked for water, and were pleasantly surprised when our water arrived with little wedges of lime in them. Its these little additions which really impress customers.

One of my associates ordered a Guinness Pie.  I got to try a bit of it, and found the pastry to as flaky as I would have liked it to be. However the beef was very chunky, and I could really taste the Guinness in the sauce. 

I liked the Shepherds Pie more than the Guinness Pie actually because I have a personal preference for minced meats within pies (if I had wanted chunky, I would have ordered steak). The mash on top was alright, and for a moment I didnt realise it was a lamb pie until my friend told me, because they managed to get rid of the gamey smell that often characterises lamb so much.

I ordered the Lincolnshire Sausages with Mashed Potatoes, which I really enjoyed. The sausages were nice and soft, and had quite a bit of herbs mixed in it. The gravy and mash was nice comfort food, while the onions were sweet and caramelized, adding more depth to the dish. 

We really enjoyed our time at Pig n Whistle. While it was a bit expensive for the type of food provided, it was very good quality and the environment was very nice ♪((└|o^▽^o|┐)).

Price Range: $25 - $40 per person

Taste: 8/10

Value: 5/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 8/10