Sweet Treats - Runcorn

I am a firm believer that the best way to end a night out is with dessert (before going home to play computer games into the early hours of the morning). 

I went there on a Saturday night, after going to Eat Street, and found the place packed. There was literally only one spare table when we arrived.

Sweet Treats offers a rather diverse range of desserts, including western cakes, waffles and Chinese soy custards not to mention quite a large assortment of drinks.

After ordering, we were given a number for the food to be brought out to us.

The first to come out was my 'Tiramisu in a Jar' which had a scoop of ice cream on the side. 

The mascarpone was smooth and light, whilst the biscuits were nice and soft. I would have liked it a bit better if it had stronger coffee. Nevertheless, it was one of the better commercial tiramisus which I have tasted. The ice cream though, was probably a bit too sweet for my liking, and I would have liked it better if it was indicated on the menu that tiramisu was served with accompanying ice cream.

This is the traditional soy custard, served cold with syrup. It was light and smooth, very enjoyable on a hot summers night. My friend who ordered it claims it is the best soy custard in Brisbane.

The one desert we did not enjoy that night was the Cookies and Cream Cheesecake. Coming from an Asian background, the one thing which completely destroys a dessert is being too sweet. In this case, the cake was exceptionally sweet, not to mention quite hard.

The Coffee Slice was a much better alternative, being sweetened to a much more reasonable level, it was coated in chocolate, and had layers much like an Opera Cake. In fact, I would definitely consider it an opera cake in substance, even if not in name. I really enjoyed it.

In terms of drinks, the Matcha Latte served at Sweet Treats was one of the best I have ever tried. The fallacy with many local Matchas, is that due to the lack of demand, many shops serve drinks made from premix. This usually means that there can be no adjustments to the level of sweetness. I was particularly impressed with the Matcha at Sweet Treats, because it was served unsweetened, and the end user could add sugar to their own liking. Other than that, it had a very strong matcha taste, whilst being very creamy and milky.

With the standard of the Matcha Latte, one couldnt blame me for having high expectations for my Matcha Affogato. However, impressed I was not. The matcha ice cream (which substituted the regular vanilla ice cream in affogato) was really underwhelming and bland in comparison to the Matcha Latte. The coffee was nice and strong though. 

Overall, I have very mixed feelings about Sweet Treats, it could be very very good, or very disappointing. Having said that, since I have experienced what is good and what's not, I wouldnt mind going back another day to try out other dishes with a cup of their Matcha Latte.

Price Range: $5 - $15 per person

Taste: 6/10

Value: 6/10

Service: 6/10

Environment: 7/10

The Bench - Brisbane CBD

A while ago, I was at the Federal Court for business. The trial was long and arduous, and we were relieved when we had a temporary adjournment for lunch. Not wanting to go very far, we went across the road to a little cafe called 'The Bench', which I take to be a pun on the judicial bench.

It was relatively busy that day with a number of people lining up to order food.

The coffee and food came out quickly. For $3.50 it was a good deal, but could have been a bit stronger.

Lunch of the day was Quiche, it was served with Caesar Salad and chips.

Our associate had a chicken burger, it was the same as my beef burger (below), in all aspects, aside from the shredded chicken inside. I was a bit impressed by this, because I was expecting a chicken patty in it.

This was my beef burger, which was also served with Chips and Salad. The beef itself reminded me strongly of my high school canteen burgers. Other than that I enjoyed the bun, and the salads were fresh, although I would have preferred it to be served with sauce. The chips were hot as well.

I suppose that the bench has found a niche market for those attending court and needing food during the brief adjournments, it was definitely speedy, efficient and good value, although it is definitely not gourmet. But given the circumstances, it was definitely a good option.

Price Range: $10 - $15 per person

Taste: 5/10

Value: 6/10

Service: 7/10 (I really appreciate speedy service)

Environment: 5/10

Jamies Italian - Brisbane CBD

After going to Sydney last year, I had been waiting with anticipation for MONTHS upon hearing that Jamie's Italian would be opening in Brisbane. It was all hush hush, and the opening date wasnt widely advertised. Imagine my excitement today when I read that it had opened yesterdayヾ(＠^▽^＠)ﾉ! I knew that I had a responsibility to report back to my devoted readers about it, so despite all the storms and hail warnings, I grabbed a couple of friends and went immediately (((o(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)o)))!

Initially, my first thought was to book a table to ensure that we'd have a table. Unfortunately they were completely booked out on their website. Nevertheless, given the storms, we tried our luck in walking in with the hope that we'd be able to wait and score a table. When we arrived, we found a small line at the door, luckily it moved fast. I noted that a number of individual people tried to get a table for friends who had not yet arrived, and were turned down. Imagine my delight when we were given a table without waiting!☆*･゜ﾟ･*(^O^)/*･゜ﾟ･*☆

Despite the small shopfront, the restaurant was very large, and even had another level below. We were allocated a table in the lower level, which was decorated in a very homey rustic kind of way.

It was interesting that instead of serviettes, they had tea towels for each customer, which might be fine for the opening, but maybe not as a long term option.

Right after sitting down, our friendly waitress brought us water. I found their amicable efficiency refreshing.

After we ordered, another friend called to say that he would like to join, the waitresses set up another spot really quickly, and put an express order on the latecomer's meal as well. I was very very impressed.

This is the pasta I ordered, the Sausage Pappardelle. It was very yummy, the pasta was an interesting texture. The thing about freshly made pasta (such as in Jamies, and in Vapiano), as compared to the ones you buy in the supermarket, is that even a small amount of fresh pasta is able to keep you very full for a very long time٩(^ᴗ^)۶. When I saw the plate, I was a bit worried that it wouldn't be enough, but that was completely unfounded. The sauce was nice and herb-y, the sausage mince was full of flavour, and I really enjoyed the crunchy breadcrumbs, which added another dimension to the dish.

One friend ordered the Truffle Tagliatelle. I looked at his dish and thought it looked quite bland, so I asked to try some. It was surprisingly light but strongly flavorsome. I particularly liked the truffle flavours infused in the pasta sauce.

The third friend ordered a small portion of Tagliatelle Bolognese, it had the same yummy bread crumbs as my dish, however it didn't really have as much meat as expected.

Last year when I went to Sydney, I got to try the Famous Polenta Chips. As a principle, I always order what the shop is famous for, because that is theoretically what they should do best. It was really nice, but what I actually would have liked to order were the Posh Chips. I got my opportunity tonight. The chips were crispy, not overly oily, and sufficiently cheesy without being over the top. Thoroughly enjoyable.

I also ordered a flat white. It was a bit smaller than I would have liked, and could be a bit stronger, but the milk was really creamy. A really nice ending to a very enjoyable meal!

Overall, I am very very happy that Jamies Italian finally opened in Brisbane, I am also glad that it is able to maintain the same level as the long established Sydney branch. The service was warm and friendly, the food was homey and comforting. I will definitely be back(๑>ᴗ<๑).

Price Range: $20 - $30 per person

Taste: 8.5/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 9/10

Environment: 8.5/10

Soho Restaurant - Runcorn

Being the impatient person that I am, when I read that a new Hong Kong Style Char Chaan Teng (茶餐廳) was opening in Runcorn, I went on the opening date to try it out. (With all the bad experiences I have had being the 'white mouse' for new stores, I really should have known better than to go on the first day something happens)

Despite the small crowd gathering outside, there was a lot of confusion with the waiters not knowing whether the people were just browsing or waiting for a table. As a result of this, we were able to get a table really quickly actually.

The menu itself was very long, and offered a large variety of options in terms of food and drinks. We ordered four mains, and with the opening special, each main came with a free drink. It was noteworthy that when our orders were taken the waiters all spoke Mandarin (i.e. they weren't Hong Kongers), when this was pointed out to me, of course, this doesn't matter, as long as the chef was a HongKonger, and the food was authentic.

After a short wait, our drinks came out first, the lemon tea was quite bland and watered down, whilst the Coffee Milk Tea was lukewarm for a hot drink. It was a bit concerning for us that the waitress had walked around to every single table asking whether they had ordered the drinks rather than checking the table number on the order.

Due to the large variety of foods available, I tried my luck with the Unagi Rice. It took a very very long time for the food to arrive. The Soho version of Unagi Rice was unlike any that I had previously eaten (including home cooked versions). The amount of unagi provided was really quite insufficient for the portion of rice, and the sauce was really quite lacking as well. Even for a HK style Unagi Rice, I definitely prefer the Coffee Square version.

When trying out a Hong Kong restaurant, I make sure to try their Wanton Noodles Soup. While the offering at Soho definitely wasn't the best that I've had, it was the highlight of the meal. The soup itself was very tasty, the Wanton had meat (but no prawns) and the skin was a bit thick, and the noodles were also a bit on the thick side.

After those two dishes came out, we had another very long wait before the third dish arrived. My friend who ordered the Yang Chow Fried rice complained that the rice itself wasnt fried enough. It was still a bit wet and clumped together. It did have a nice amount of toppings though.

My other friend ordered the Hainan Chicken Rice. As he orders the same dish at every establishment, I have come to familiarize myself with what the basic elements in it, being Chicken, Chicken flavoured rice, Ginger Sauce, and soup. In this instance, only two of the four essential elements were there, being Ginger Sauce and Chicken. The rice itself had almost no flavour, and the soup was completely absent. The addition of a chili sauce was also confusing.

Whilst the decor and appearance of Soho was nice enough, I was really quite surprised at the level of service and food. The waiters were friendly enough, but none of them seemed to have experience in how to be a waiter. Whilst the place is new, they should really have hired more experienced staff. For a place that calls itself a Hong Kong Style Cafe, I would definitely prefer Coffee Square, or Ho Lin Wah.

Price Range: $10 - $15 per person

Taste: 4/10

Value: 4/10

Service: 3/10

Environment: 7/10

Ramen Champion - Sunnybank

Of the new eateries that opened along the outside wall of Sunny Park, there is no question that my main interest was always going to be Ramen Champion (because I LOVE Japanese food (in case anyone missed that)).

I really liked its decor, being a fusion of modern and traditional Japanese Styles.

Ramen Champion is a bit different from a lot of the other restaurants in Sunnybank, it operates under an 'order and pay at the counter first' system. After ordering, we were given a number, and waited for our food with anticipation.

This is the Miso Ramen, which my friend ordered, it looks similar to the Champion Ramen which I ordered, but with slightly darker soup, but it tastes substancially different. The soup had a very very strong miso taste, and was very thick and creamy.

I really enjoyed my Champion Ramen. The soup was creamy, without being overly heavy and fatty, the egg was the right consistency, and the pork was in strip form (as opposed to circular form). I did find the portion a bit small though, as the meal wasn't enough to sustain me until dinner. Next time I go, I'll probably order a side dish with it.

Price Range: $10 - $15 per person

Taste: 8.5/10

Value: 8/10

Service: 6/10 (everything was mostly DIY)

Environment: 7/10