2Forks - Milton

Last weekend Espresso and Matcha was invited to try Milton’s 2Forks, which had opened a mere two months ago. Having had a trying work week and enduring the gloomy weather, we were looking forward to 2Fork’s offerings of wings, ribs and burgers served with their signature pulled meats. Having taken a stroll around Park Road we found 2Forks tucked away on Railway Terrace, not too far away from main thoroughfare, but in a nice quiet corner. 

 

We were promptly seated with rather large menus provided. There was a system for making your own meal with choices including burgers, rice and burritos. On offer was Beef, Pork and Lamb, we considered it a sign of confidence by 2Forks that they were offering a variety of ways to serve the pulled meats. Having been invited to quite a few restaurants now, I am always more impressed with places which let you have your own pick of their menu (as opposed to serving up a set menu), because it shows a certain confidence when they know that you could be reviewing any item that we so chose to order.

We found the décor simple and very practical with a bit of a rustic twist to it. The setting was clean and very open. What I found reassuring about 2Forks was the transparency and visibility of what was on offer. The setting had quite an orderly style to it, where you could order your food, see it put together an then collect it at the collection counter. 

Before we ordered at the counter, we took some time to appreciate their banner which detailed their inspirations and motivations for creating this restaurant, which is always a good thing to be aware of when ordering.

On the point of transparency, the selection of pulled meats and veges were clearly visible from the counter, which ensured we could see what we were ordering (always a good thing).

For those like us who ordered a burger, their selection of breads were also available for us to view. 

We made our order at the counter and on our way back we noticed there was a spice cabinet. It was a welcome change from the usual condiments on offer and with the additional explanation guide, I think it is an excellent feature of 2Forks. As an improvement I would like to see additional herbs and sauces on offer. Whilst we appreciated the cabinet we naturally chose onion and garlic salts, because you can never have too much garlic. 

With our order being made and drinks on hand, we made or way back to the table to wait patiently for our food.

Despite the pick up counter, our meals were served directly by our friendly waitress, who also brought out sharing plates for us.

Our first main was the USA Style Pork Ribs served with chips (half portion). The massive ribs were very homey and reminded us of ribs that our mums would make. At first we were in awe at the size of the ribs, but slowly but surely we got through the ribs. The meat was firm, as opposed to the super tender fall off the bone style, we had to work a little to get our meaty reward off these bones. The chips were crispy and quite delicious when covered in all the meat juices. We found the combination of the sauce and the ribs a little on the sweet side but overall very yummy. We would definitely like to see more meats offered as the portion of chips seemed a bit too much. The chips were lightly seasoned allowing us to try the garlic and onion salts we had acquired from the herb cabinet, but next time we would definitely opt for the side of coleslaw instead to give the dish a bit more balance.

As a side we ordered some spicy wings that were served with blue cheese mayo. The chicken was tender and easy to eat off the bone. The sauce was reasonably spicy and did not overwhelm the chicken. Further I found the batter a little thick but consistent that did not overwhelm the chicken. I found the portion generous but not overwhelming. My friend believes the sauces should always be kept separate from the chicken but I was happy to just munch on some very crunchy fried chicken. The blue cheese mayo also served to cool us down if it became a little too spicy. Overall the wings were a very delicious side that really gave our tastebuds a serious workout. 

Our other main was the pulled Mexican beef burger. The burger was served with lettuce, cheese, spicy Mexican chipotle chilli sauce and avocado and lime salsa. My friend and I both agreed the brioche bun was wonderful but wished it had been toasted. The pulled beef was a little resilient, but otherwise was not too oily and did not turn the burger soggy. Whist the beef was a little firm but tender, we really enjoyed the spicy flavours that definitely added punch to the burger. I think that sides to the burger would have made it a more holistic meal and the option for customising your own burger would also be a great option in the future. 

Overall we enjoyed our meal very much and found 2Forks service friendly and accommodating. With the unique offerings of pulled meats in a variety of meals in generous portions, Milton’s 2Forks is no doubt a welcome addition to Brisbane’s food scene. 

Espresso and Matcha were invited guests of 2Forks, as always, our opinions are solely our own.

Price Range: $15 - $25pp

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

  

Ren Sushi - Underwood

What I like about the Ren franchise is its ability to vary its restaurants with every new opening. From its original sit down restaurant in Runcorn Plaza, to its little express joint in Little Taipei, I've been pretty happy with their food, which is why I decided to try out their take at revolving sushi, at their Underwood branch.

From the outside, you can already see their massive $3.50 sign, indicating that all plates are $3.50, which immediately makes me think of comparing it to Sushi Edo.

We headed off inside and were soon given a bar seat. I noted the place was still quite sparsely populated, despite the captivating price tag. Perhaps it was the somewhat obscure location (opposite Big Gun, which is itself quite isolated).

As indicated outside, all standard plates of sushi were $3.50, they also had a selection of noodles, cup sushi and party plates which were priced separately.

We started our meal with a few orders of sashimi. Each standard plate comes with three slices, so we ordered two plates of each variety (salmon, tuna and kingfish), and it came served on a wooden platter. The fish was reasonably fresh and for the price, they were considerably thick cut. I particularly liked the chef's attention to detail in slicing one portion of kingfish in half to create the rose formation on the side. 

My companions and I are always big fans of the salmon avocado nigiri and the unagi nigiri, so we each ordered a plate, and again it was served on a wooden platter for us. Compared with Sushi Edo, I'd have to say the toppings were a little less generous (especially the avocado), but the quality was still good, and I could see that the chef had made them fresh for us. 

Following the nigiri, I still hadn't had my complete fix of salmon and avocado yet, so we followed up with a hand roll each. The seaweed was super crispy and I liked the extra sauce and onions on top, which gave it a slight spiciness. 

Another dish I tried was the Tobiko, which was quite generous in being completely topped with flying fish roe, instead of only half (some places put half cucumber half roe). 

The fried prawn nigiri unfortunately wasn't warm by the time I picked it off the train, and the prawn had somewhat absorbed the moisture from the rice, making it a little soggy for my tastes.

The aburi wagyu nigiri was served fresh and hot though. With its mayonnaise and teriyaki sauce, coupled with onions and spring onions, it was really quite the flavour hit. I found the beef a little on the cooked side, but still very tender and moist, which is was great. 

Wanting to also try something unique here, I settled on a salmon avocado salad cup. The cup was quite worn out with use, but the salad was crispy and dressed with a light vinegarette. It contained salmon, avocado, onions, lettuce and tomato, a rather conservative and safe bet on flavour compatibility.

Price Range: $3.50 per plate

Taste: 7/10
Value: 8/10
Service: 7.5/10
Environment: 6/10

Reef Seafood and Sushi - Newstead

Continuing on my extensive quest to eat all the Japanese food of Brisbane, I found myself at Newstead after work last Friday, with a super strong craving for sashimi, after having received quite a stunning recommendation from a close friend.

We arrived to find the store separated into a raw seafood area, and a Japanese/cooked food area. The line for ordering was quite substantial, so we made sure to take a look at what was on offer before lining up. 

Without being given a menu by any of the super busy waitstaff, we had to awkwardly ask the guy in front of us to have a look at the menu 

We got a number after ordering...

...and hunted down a table.

To begin, we shared a ship of assorted sashimi. Containing Salmon, Tuna, Cod and Kingfish, they weren't overly thin slices, and the fish was definitely very fresh, which we really enjoyed. but I would have thought that high quality fish would have been better suited to freshly ground wasabi as opposed to the the processed wasabi that we were provided.

My companion ordered the deluxe bento box, which came in a paper box, with a plastic frame on the inside. 

In line with our recommendation, the spread was very impressive. Containing a selection of tempura seafood and veges, sashimi, sushi and some other assorted cooked seafood, I don't believe I've ever had such a generous bento box. It was served with miso soup and some dipping sauce for the selection of tempura, but I was surprised in the obvious lack of rice to go with the bento. On the topic of rice, the rice in the sushi was quite clumpy and moist to a point where the individual rice granules were quite indistinguishable, which was slightly disappointing.

I ordered the salmon and tuna chirashi, which was came with some salad, miso and pickles. 

Like the bento box, my rice was also very soft and clumpy, so I didn't really like it too much. The fish however, was quite generous in portion and fresh. The salad was appetizing and I liked the balance of the light vinegarette, along with the mellow miso.

Price Range: $30 - $50pp

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

Melt Brothers - Brisbane CBD

Considering the recent heatwave in the city, it would really take something quite special to tear me away from my air conditioned jail cell cubicle, to forage out in the heat of midday to buy lunch. Indeed I had commenced plans to get my food delivered for lunch, but my scheme was thwarted last minute by reading an article online about Melt Brothers which had opened in the nearby Gresham lane which prides itself on its signature melted cheese sandwiches. Discussing this with my fellow inmate neighbour, it took little convincing on either of our parts and we headed off into the arid streets of the city in search for grilled cheese.

It turns out that Melt Brothers took the spot that used to house Ichiban Yakitori. I have to admit I didn't really notice they closed, as I stopped going there when they stopped selling Yakitori.

Like most of the stores in Gresham Lane, the store consists mainly of a counter and a little waiting area, as most patrons purchase their food and take it back to their prison workplace. Outside seating is limited, so limited that it feels like you can only get one if you engage in a fight to the death with other patrons. 

The menu was above the counter, reminding me a little of fast food joints. It consisted of a large range of grilled cheese sandwiches, some sides and drinks. We ordered at the counter, and were given a buzzer.

Whilst there were only around two people in front of us, our sandwich took just over 15 minutes to come out, a delay which they had explained was to be expected, as this was their soft opening and they were still working out some kinks in the system.

My companion and I were unable to settle on what to order, so in the end we got one each and shared to maximise tasting opportunity. 

The first thing we got was the M C Cheesy, containing mac and cheese, cheddar and the ever famous maple bacon. Despite its popularity, we found it somewhat underwhelming as the fillings (other than the bacon) were somewhat bland. This was surprising, given the usual sharp taste of the cheddar, but I guess there was probably too much macaroni in the mac and cheese to give the sandwich much flavour. The bacon was definitely the highlight of the sandwich, but even that was a little too thin and sparse in the sandwich to give it the extra kick it needed.

On the other hand, we were really impressed with the BFC. Bursting to the edges with buttermilk fried chicken, slaw, buffalo sauce and aged cheddar, it was an explosion of flavour. The chicken was super crispy and well marinated in buttermilk batter, the coleslaw made it fresh and delightful, whilst the cheddar kept it grounded as if to remind us that it was indeed a grilled cheese. We loved it.

Price Range: $10 - $15pp

Taste: 7/10 (5 for the Mac 9 for the BFC)
Value: 5/10 (a little exorbitant for what was essentially a sandwich)
Service: 8/10
Environment: 8/10