Julius Pizzeria - South Brisbane

One of the places I had long wanted to try has been Julius Pizzeria, but with parking being an issue, and apparently quite a long wait for a table (as my friends had previously told me), it only slid further and further down the list. With their rule of no bookings after 5.45pm, we made a reservation to go at 5.45pm on a date that we were sure to finish work on time.

Upon arriving on time, we were given one of the last free tables. The restaurant was bustling and staff were really busy.

I was lucky enough to be given a seat where I could appreciate the chefs making the yummy pizza. 

The menu was provided to us, and it consisted of two sides of A3 paper, covering pizza, pasta, mains, sides and desserts. Our order was taken not long after by a rather grumpy and snappy waitress. My companion was a bit concerned with this as he is always conscious to not offend staff (and other people who may handle his food), but he later noted that this appeared to be the same across tables. Perhaps staff were particularly busy that day.

Between the two of us, we had two pizzas to share. This was the Prosciutto Pizza, which had a tomato base, mozzarella and oregano. Having had pretty good pizzas at Sugo Mi and Alfredos, I was expecting similar fare, but what we got was on a different level completely. The prosciutto was sliced perfectly thin, generously layered on top, with a slight dressing of olive oil that complemented the mozzarella and oregano. The base was also one of the most delicious that I have ever had, being fresh and soft in the middle, whilst crusty but not too hard on the edges. 

We were surprised to be even more impressed by the Tartufo, which contained Mozzarella, Smoked Bacon, Portobello Mushrooms, Stracchino and Truffle Sauce. The flavours of the stracchino and truffle was a match made in heaven, and the mozzarella added a stringy delicious texture to the pizza, whilst the bacon added depth and meatiness to the dish. 

As a side, we had the hand cut potato chips, which were served piping hot, and were possibly the thinnest hand cut chips I've ever had. They came lightly salted, and we were able to appreciate the texture of fresh chips without any other distractions. The price was a bit steep though.

Whilst the food was spectacular, I couldn't help but feel disappointed on how much better the whole experience would have been if staff had been friendlier even in the busy environment.

Price Range: $24 - $30 per person

Taste: 9/10

Value: 8/10

Service: 5/10

Environment: 8/10

Motion Bar & Grill (Marriott Hotel) - Brisbane CBD

With not many days until Christmas, Espresso and Matcha are looking forward to their long awaited holiday soon! Having said that, it was also time for my annual company Christmas lunch. This year we had it at Motion Bar & Grill, situated in the Marriott hotel on Queen Street, which was a step up from Jade Budda last year.

Being part of the organisation social committee this year, we arrived early and helped with the setup by putting decorations and bonbons on each table.

One drink per person was provided as part of the lunch package. I followed recommendations of my colleagues and settled for a glass of champagne, which was a cheery start to the meal.

Entrees started coming soon after we sat down. As it was a set menu with alternate drop, I was lucky to have a companion who was willing to share their meal with me "for research purposes". This is their entree, being the Mushroom, Green Olive and Parmesan Tart with Roasted Garlic and Seeded Aioli. Whilst she didn't enjoy the mushroom paste on top of the tart, we did find the pastry itself to be flaky and delicious. The rocket was a nice addition, which complemented the seeded aioli well.

As for myself, I had the Chicken Currant Roulade with Chestnut Puree, Chorizo and Herb. Having done some prior research on the dish, I was looking forward to trying this. Roulade is apparently a traditional European dish, which is made from rolled up meats filled with cheeses and veges. I was very surprised that at the lack of "rolling" in the meats, although it was ovular in shape and filled with some currants, it was vastly different from what I expected. The chicken had a very processed texture to it, and reminded me a bit of the old chicken burgers that highschool canteens would sell. The chorizos though, were nicely grilled and made for quite the appetizer. 

After a not insignificant wait (which was reasonable, as they had to cater for 80 people), our mains arrived. My colleague had the Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder with Honey Roasted Carrots, Spiced Labna, Mint and Pistachio. The general consensus between all of us was that it was overcooked to the point where the meat was tough but stringy, and there was insufficient sauce for the portion provided. The carrots though were roasted quite tender, and turned out to be quite popular.

Whilst my companions had lamb, I had the Traditional Christmas Turkey and Glazed Ham with Pistachio Stuffing, Roasted Root Vegetables and Cranberry Jus. To start with, the portion was significantly bigger than the lamb (despite it not being as obvious on the photo). Unfortunately though, the ham tasted quite ordinary, and the turkey also lacked a bit of texture. The roasted potato and parsnip made up for this though, and I really enjoyed the lashing of gravy on the side. I only wish there was a bit more.

Desserts were served not long after that. This was the Raspberry and Lemon Mousse with Vanilla Sponge and Elderflower Jelly. It turned out to be quite light and mild. A friend who had not seen the menu summed it up quite well in saying it tasted like "cream and cupcakes with berries". What I found confusing though, was the piece of printed paper that it was served with. Whilst the dish would have been a bit plain without it, it may have been less confusing if it had been decorated with chocolate swirls or something else that is edible.

My dessert was the Mini Christmas Pudding with Brandied French Creme and Roasted Cinnamon Ice Cream. The Christmas pudding had a texture similar to a brownie, with added fruitiness. As always, I love brandied cream, which always adds a bit of joy to every dessert, but the highlight for me was the cinnamon ice cream, which was an interesting addition as it was both cold and a little spicy at the same time. 

Complimentary coffee and chocolates were served soon after that, which rounded off the meal quite delightfully.

Price Range: $50 - $70pp

Taste: 6/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 8/10

1

Gelare - Southbank

Having gone to an early dinner with some friends one night, I found myself still hungry. After enjoying the riverside walkway, we found ourselves wanting something sweet. Faced with multiple options, we settled on Gelare on Grey Street.

The display was very captivating, with sundaes, waffles and pancakes as well as drinks. 

We ordered via counter service, and were given a number.

Between my friend and I, we shared the super treat, which consisted of a large waffle with two scoops of ice cream, in this instance, we had mocha and matcha. I really enjoyed the mocha ice cream, the chocolate chips were crunchy and ample, whilst the ice cream was smooth and rich. I couldn't say the same for the matcha one though, which was apparently vegan. It was very watery and sweet, which made me quite put off. On the other hand, the reason why I always opt for waffles at gelare is because they are freshly made and delicious, particularly because they are soft and warm, whilst not being coated with sugar.

I also had a cappuccino, which turned out a bit burnt and acidic for my liking, which ruined the coffee, despite the fact that  the milk was creamy and the coffee was strong.

Price Range: $10 - $15pp

Taste: 6/10
Value: 7/10
Service: 7/10
Environment: 7/10

Guang Zhou Lou (Big Gun) - Underwood

Last Thursday was my mothers birthday. Being the traditional that she is, she asked for a proper Chinese dinner. With this in mind, we took her to Big Gun in Underwood in effort to try somewhere outside of Sunnybank.

We arrived to find the restaurant with a couple of tables, but far from full. Menus were provided and we ordered promptly.

Soup of the day was a light pork and carrot broth, which was appetizing, but not very flavoursome. Despite the soup being disappointing, this was really the start of our concerns for that evening. 

After we finished the soup, it was one hour before our food arrived. It didn't help that all of the waitstaff except one waitress seemed confused and disorientated, and there was a very very loud argument emanating from the kitchen. Needless to say, we were very concerned, and almost left because the food took so long.

The first to come out for that evening was the XO sauce, tofu and oyster hot pot. I was quite surprised at the way it was presented, with only tofu and oysters, nothing else. Even the oysters seemed to be tipped onto the side as an afterthought and not really stirred into the dish. Whilst it had a lot of XO sauce, and the oysters were relatively large, I really felt the dish was lacking in basic veges and garnishing which normally hot pots come with.

Our second hot pot of the night was a bit better, being the combination hot pot. Half the pot consisted of tofu, but at least there were other things such as bbq pork, chicken, prawns, cucumber and shallots. Whilst it had some sauce, for a hot pot, it was considerably less than what we usually get.

The highlight of our night was definitely the steamed perch. It was freshly steamed, and the flesh was firm but smooth, and the fish was significantly bigger than the average.

After the very fresh fish, we had the very unfresh salt and pepper prawns. They were unfresh to the extent where the heads had fallen off for the majority (but not all) of the prawns. Whilst they were salty and topped with copious amounts of onion, it was definitely not peppery enough, and whilst most of the flavour was on the shell, very little was able to soak into the flesh.

Our last dish was my most anticipated, but sadly disappointing garlic fried pork chops consisted mainly of bones than they did meat, so much in fact, that once we finished the plate and piled the bones back on, the plate it was almost 70% of the original portion size. My father joked that they probably given the meat to another dish. Whilst it was strong in garlic, it was also quite fatty, which made made me quite disappointed. 

Our meal was concluded with a plate of oranges, which was conveniently placed in front of me, with the waitstaff forgetting to clear our table at all. Needless to say, we left quite unimpressed.

Price Range: $20 - $30 per person

Taste: 4/10
Value: 4/10
Service: 3/10
Environment: 5/10

Cafe Mi - Sunnybank

Cafe Mi is one of the more established Hong Kong Cha Chaan Teng in Brisbane, it is situated in the corner of Sunnybank Plaza, next to the cinemas, which is why I always forget it's there.

We arrived just before twelve last Saturday and were given a seat at the end of the restaurant. 

The menu was very extensive, and there was an additional picture menu of the more popular dishes.

My companion and I both ordered Hong Kong style drinks, consisting of a milk tea, and a coffee with milk tea. Like all Hong Kong style drinks, they were quite strong, and in keeping with tradition served with condensed milk as opposed to fresh milk to make it all the more creamy, and to counter the super strong tea and coffee.

We enjoyed them immensely, and it was quite a kick start to our morning.

My companion ordered the Sizzling Black Pepper Steak with Crispy Egg Noodle. It was more like beef strips than steak. My companion was a little disappointed at the serving size which was a bit small. Nevertheless, the beef was very tender, and the sauce was spicy with its strong peppery taste, which made it quite delicious. The noodles were very crispy but unfortunately not freshly fried, he softened them up in the sauce before he ate them.

I ordered the Twin Bowl Deluxe, which consisted of  crumbed pork cutlet udon, and unagi rice. As usual, I asked for the pork to be served separate from the noodles to ensure that it isnt soggy. This was done without complication, which is always appreciated. The noodles were warm and nourishing, and the cabbage was soaked in the delicious soup. The unagi was tender and soft, but there was insufficient sauce for the amount of rice provided. Additionally, I would definitely have preferred short grain rice to the long grain that was provided. 

Price Range:

Taste: 7/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 7/10