Kotobuki Izakaya - Brisbane CBD

Sushi Kotobuki at South Brisbane was one of the first places that I reviewed after starting my Blog, last year. That was the reason why I decided to go right after Kotobuki Izakaya opened on Albert Street.

Upon entering, the lanterns on the wall immediately catch your eye. I found them very captivating indeed.

You order and pay at the counter. The menu consists of two sides, covering a wide range of things such as rice, noodles sides, salads and sashimi.

 

We got a number after ordering, water was also provided upon request.

I liked the interior decor, particularly the Japanese movie posters on the walls.

My companion ordered the Wagyu beef Teishouku, which came as a set with rare beef slices, rice, edamame, miso and a salad. The beef was quite tender, and juicy. I considered it to be quite good value for the price.

This was the Vege Tempura set, which I found quite large for a side.

My other friend ordered the Karaage Chicken Don. The chicken to rice ratio was quite generous and he liked the texture of the rice.

I ordered the Salmon Avocado Hand Roll and Prawn Tempura Udon.

The seaweed was nice and crispy, whilst the salmon was fresh and tender. The rice could have been seasoned more, and the avocado slice was a bit too small for my liking. As you can see, by half way through the toppings were pretty much depleted.

The udon reminded me fondly of what I had at Mappen, especially the broth, which was light but flavoursome, I would have liked it to have a bit more soup though. The prawns were slightly soggy for my taste, but I guess it counts as being moist.  The spring onion added a lot of needed flavour to the udon, and I found it to be very comforting and enjoyable. 

Price Range: $10 - $25 per person

Taste: 6.5/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 7.5/10

Little Lamb - Runcorn

With the cold snap coming through, what better way to warm yourself after excessive overtime at work than with hot pot. Even more better when you have delightful company to join you. 

We went to little lamb on a cold Thursday night for my confidant's birthday. It is situated at Runcorn Plaza, opposite the ever more popular Warrigal Square.

Being one of the earliest hot pot buffets in Brisbane, I believe what sets it apart from all the other competition is accompaniment of BBQ skewers.

There was two types of soup within the pot, the pork soup and spicy soup, which cater for most people's tastes. My personal preference is the comforting and nourishing pork soup, which I find really calming after a busy day.

All food and drinks (inc soft drinks) are available on a DIY basis. 

I got the usual selection of hot pot fare, tofu, fish cakes, beef tripe and sausages. I liked how the tripe was particularly tender.

Plates of freshly shaved meats are available from the fridge, but beef and lamb are the only available options so there's no pork or chicken. Whilst I love how the meat is thinly cut, I definitely feel that it is a bit on the fatty side.

The left hand plate was the beef, and the right hand side was the lamb with the distinctive swirls of fat (as opposed to strips in the beef).

Skewers are also DIY, and included things like pork intestines, chicken hearts, chicken, pork, lamb, and prawns.

You stick them in the little notch where the cogs rotate the skewers automatically while you wait for them to cook. 

Drinks and sauces are also obtained on a DIY basis. I note they had a selection of cooked foods and dessert which I did not have enough space to fit in.

 

Whilst little lamb doesn't offer top quality food, I always find that its good value for the price ($29.90 per person). I've had some friends express their concerns about the cleanliness of the place, but for what it's worth, I have yet to be food poisoned here. Without a doubt, I always enjoy my dinners here.

Price Range: $29.90 per person

Taste: 8/10

Value: 8/10

Service: 5/10 (minimal staff, mostly self service)

Environment: 6/10 (could be cleaner)

Alfredo's Pizzeria - Fortitude Valley

Last time when I tried out Doughnut Time, I could hardly miss the large sign next door for Alfredo's Pizzeria. I made a mental note to try it out next time I had urges for pizza. Thankfully, that was quite soon.

We arrived rather late in the afternoon to find that there were still several tables munching happily on pizza. I noted the wood fire oven immediately upon grabbing a table.

The checkered table cloth reminds me fondly of traditional Italian restaurants. Although the openness of the restaurant meant that there were quite a few flies and bugs around.

My lemon and lime bitters arrived shortly, and was refreshing, but perhaps not as bitter as I would have liked it.

Our pizza stands came out in the meantime.

Without further ado, our pizzas arrived!

The first pizza that I tried was the American Idiot, had beef ribs, gorgonzola, pancetta and copious amounts of rocket. I really liked how the pizza base was made fresh to order. It was warm and crispy on the outside, but not to hard to the point where it injures your mouth. The beef ribs were a bit fatty, but was really well flavoured. The Pancetta also added to the oiliness of the pizza, but the large amount of rocket on top balanced it out nicely though.

After that, I tried the Pizza formerly known as Prince. It looks awfully similar to the American Idiot, but there were a number of differences. Namely the meat was Prosciutto instead of beef ribs. We found it to be not as oily as the previous pizza, but it was definitely on the salty side.

Whilst I am definitely more of a meat eater, I was surprised to like "Wild Things" the most. It contains Wood Mushrooms, Truffle, Thyme and Parmesan, which means there was no meat. I was really blown away by how the cheese and mushrooms complemented each other. The added truffle also really made a difference. It definitely was something new and exciting for me.

 Price Range: $20 - $30 per person

Taste: 8.5/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 6/10