Northshore Riverside Cafe - Hamilton

At the picturesque City Cat terminal of Northshore Hamilton, a brisk walk away from the Eat Street Markets, is the Northshore Hamilton Cafe. We were pleasantly surprised to receive an invite to try out their new summer menu, right after the new year.

We arrived at the cafe at 12 for their VIP lunch.

We were warmly greeted and given seats on the VIP table where we met a number of bloggers and instagrammers.

We were hosted by Liz from Riverlife, who introduced us to their new chef, Daniel Stewart who had created the new summer menu with a focus on fresh produce.

The menu consisted of a breakfast section and a lunch section. When we asked about dinner, we were told that the evenings were mainly used for weddings and other functions, which was very fitting, with the lovely views of the scenery.

Other than the set menus, we also had a look at the daily specials, which we ordered our food from for lunch.

Before our food came though, we started with two jugs of sangria, the red one contained blueberry and thai basil, and a white one which had grapefuit and lychee. Whilst they red sangria was strong and fruity, I preferred the white one which was crisp and refreshing.

Dips For starters we had the Dips which was Turkish bread paired with basil pesto and baba ganoush. I liked the flavours of the basil pesto as the strong presence of garlic is always a positive in my books.  Whilst the taste of the baba ganoush was captivating, the texture didn't work for me. What stood out for me though was the simple yet well done Turkish bread, which was surprisingly soft on the inside, despite being thin and toasted until crispy.

For our mains we began with a Duck Burger with Cornoa. Whilst I found the concept of a duck burger to be quite novel, it was interesting to note the burger contained a grilled shredded duck breast and a beef patty. The patty itself was well flavoured and the bun was soft and nicely toasted, but we fond the duck breast to be slighly on the dry side. The choice of greens paired with Hoi Sin sauce gave it a distinctly Oriental theme to it (it reminded my companion strongly of the Vietnamese Banh Mi). I found the beer battered fries to be well done, and crispy.

The market fish of the day – Reef Shark was our second main. We are normally not a big fan of fish and chips, the reef shark caught my interest. Having tried shark in other establishments, I found this to be a lot smoother and more tender than others I've had before. What also struck me was the generosity of the portions provided, which appeared a lot larger than the mains that our other companions on the table had tried, although I would have liked more fish, given the amount of chips provided. The salad was lgiht and fresh, mixed with a light vinegarette, which added a good balance to the dish. 

 Iced Coffee Having sighted iced coffee on the menu, my companion could not resist the itch and promptly ordered one when the opportunity arose. The coffee was served in a jar with cream and a scoop of ice cream. Needless to say my companion found the coffee a satisfying addition to a hot mid summer’s day.

Espresso and Matcha were invited guests of Riverlife and Northshore Riverside Cafe, but as always, our opinions are solely our own.

Price Range: $20 - $25pp

Taste: 7.5/10
Value: 7.5/10
Service: 8/10
Environment: 9/10

Max Brenner - Southbank

Without a doubt, one of the most iconic landmarks in Southbank is the Max Brenner store, situated on Little Stanley Street, after dinner, one can often see a line out the door with customers looking for dessert. On this specific evening, we decided to join the line.

We ordered at the counter and were given a number. 

As a drink, I ordered the cappuccino. It was different from the other ones that I had previously tried before as it came topped with delicious molten chocolate. The coffee was not weak, but the chocolate definitely stole the show. 

Our desserts arrived before long. Between the three of us, we had the chocolate mess to share, a fruity waffle and strawberry crepes.

I really enjoyed the chocolate mess to share, as it was very much chocolaty, but not too sweet. The cream mixed well with the ice cream, which was quite melty at the time of arrival though. This then mixed with the chocolate sauce which soaked deep into the cake.

The waffles, I consider to be the weakest of the desserts. It was cool and hard, and very sugary. Compared to this, I much prefer the waffles at Gelare nearby. Other than this, the strawberries were fresh and the bananas were quite ripe and delicious.

Despite the disappointment with the waffle, we really enjoyed the strawberry and cream crepes, which were thin but elastic, and held quite generous amounts of fresh strawberries and cream. The combination was a classical one, but always appreciated. Together with the coffee, it made for quite the dessert.

Price Range: $15 - $25 pp

Taste: 6.5/10

Value: 6/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 7/10

Wara Barbecue 250 - Sunnybank

New years eve, my friends and I were looking for somewhere nice to have dinner before parking at Sunnybank and heading to Southbank for fireworks. Having previously heard of Wara Barbecue 250, opened by the same people who opened Warawara Izakaya on Elizabeth Street.

We arrived at approximately 6pm to find several tables already grilling their meats happily. The buffet menu was separated into two options, being the just meat option and the meat and seafood option. Most of my companions for the day were not fans of seafood, so we settled for the meat option.

Unlike other Korean BBQ places where the grill is embedded into the table, at Wara Barbecue, they bring you a pot of hot coals and put a wire rack on top. There were two negatives to this, firstly the wire rack was at risk of constantly shifting, and secondly as it was only coal based, we had significant trouble getting the food cooked once the initial heat had died down.

There was quite a large selection of beef, including my usual favourite, bulgogi, oyster blade, beef belly, rib fillets and ox tongue. Normally I would have enjoyed it very much, as the meat was quite fresh, but due to the slow fire, it took a very long time to get the fire going, which dampened the whole experience very much.

Other than beef, they had a wide selection of pork we tried the marinated pork, pork belly as well as pork loin. There were also many spicy options which we did not investigate. Compared to others that I've had, it was very much more thick cut than other stores. Due to the slowness of the fire, we had to cut up the pork chops into long strips to ensure it was able to be cooked through.

Other than meats, they also had a selection of salad, cooked foods and shaved ice for dessert. The salad was refreshing and a good way to balance out the meats, but the cooked food was cold and tasted a bit stale but the shaved ice was a cool way to end the meal.

Price Range: $25 - $28 per person

Taste: 5/10
Value: 6/10
Service: 6/10
Environment: 7/10

Wagyu Ya - Chevron Island

Several weeks ago, we met a new Japanese friend at a restaurant opening. With my devotion to Japanese food, I was keen to ask them where they considered to be the best Japanese restaurant. As they also lived in Brisbane, I expected somewhere not too far, but unsurprisingly they advised that I'd have to trek down to the Gold Coast to get my fix at Wagyu ya. Having browsed their menu, it would be safe to say that it is a venue that needs to be saved for a special event. With the coming of my long awaited birthday, my companion went all out and took me 

Whilst the shopfront is a takeaway store, the restaurant is situated behind, which you have to get through by a dingy little alleyway. I think that added to the ambiance of the restaurant though.

Having seen the front of the stall, one would definitely not expect the wonderful setting we found ourselves in at the back. It was quiet, shaded by foliage on the roof and had calm relaxing music to top it off. We were really lucky to have a friend advise us to make a reservation as all walk ins that we saw got turned down that evening.

Each place was given their own set of dipping sauces at the offset. Normally I wouldn't go into too much trouble to mention dipping sauces, but in this instance the bbq sauce and the sesame garlic combination was unbelievably delicious that it is well worth the note.

Lemon water was provided, but I also had to try their Lemonade Chu Hiチューハイ, which was a combination of lemonade and shochu 焼酎 which is a traditional Japanese Liquor distilled from rice, buckwheat, barley, sweet potato and brown sugar. Having it with lemonade made it quite enjoyable for me, as I could see how it would have been very strong if drunk straight.

We started the meal off with Gyoza, which was very delectable. It had thin skin, a crispy bottom and flavoursome fillings. needless to say I enjoyed it very much.

We also shared a dish of salmon sashimi, which was large and generously thick cut and fresh. Normally, I would have been very excited over this dish, but it was my next dish that definitely what captured my attention like no other.

The highlight of the meal was without a doubt the premium wagyu beef combination. It contained three types of meat, Wagyu Karubi, Wagyu Ro So and Wagyu Harami sourced from the award winning Jack's Creek, which has most recently won the title for Best Steak in the World. Having previously enjoyed the wagyu at Nonbei we expected something similar or slightly better. What we got absolutely blew our minds. I don't think I've ever tasted such tender wagyu that literally melts in your mouth. Of the three, my favourite was definitely the Wagyu Harami, which was served marinated. This seasoning was soaked well into the flesh and gave it a very distinctive flavour.

We also ordered an extra dish of the Black Angus Karubi (rib). Comparing it to the wagyu, we could definitely tell the difference. Whilst being reasonably marbled it was nowhere near as tender as the wagyu. Nevertheless, it was still more delicious than many other cuts of meat I have had before.

Other than the beef, we also tried the Bangalow Buta Bara, which was pork belly. It came topped with spring onions. The pork grilled nicely and was perfectly crunchy. It served as a good contrast to the beef, but whilst it wasn't marbled as such, the fat did render very well in the hotplate. We enjoyed it very much.

Price Range: $50 - $70 per person

Taste: 9.5/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 9/10

Beccofino - Teneriffe

Having spoken to my colleagues about my experience at Julius Pizzeria, they advised me that I ought to go to Beccofino at Teneriffe, which is apparently the original store whereas Julius is the branch. They advised me that any faults that I found in Julius would most certainly not be found in Beccofino. With such strong assurances from them, I didn't wait very long to go there for a late night dinner.

Our large group arrived at approximately 9.15 on a Saturday night and were lucky enough to still be served. I note that they also have a no reservation policy, but as it was so late at night, we didn't have any issues finding seating anyway.

The menu consisted of pizza, pasta, mains, sides and desserts. Most of the elements were identical to the ones served at Julius, but I could see some slight variances.

We started off with a cappuccino, which had a firm thick foam that stood well. The coffee was strong and picked me up after the late night out.

With the recommendation from my colleague, he also told me that the best pizza they serve there is the Patate e Pancetta which is now off the menu, but they still serve it upon request. It contained mozzarella, potato, pancetta, provolone and rosemary. Compared to the Tartufo that I had last time, it was definitely milder. The pancetta, whilst quite fatty, was sliced very thinly which meant it was much more palatable without being overly salty. The mixture of mozzarella and provolone was a very stringy but mild, which made it quite the comfort food. 

The other pizza we shared was the Marinara Deluxe, which consisted of tomato, oregano, garlic and buffalo mozzarella. This was also a rather light dish, being quite simplistic with tomato and cheesy elements. Being a big fan of buffalo mozzarella, I really appreciated its stringy but elastic texture. The tomato paste added a lot of needed moisture to the freshly baked base, and was very light on the palate, which made the dish very enjoyable.

Price Range: $24 - $30 per person

Taste: 9/10
Value: 8/10
Service: 7/10
Environment: 8/10