Kinn Imm - Brisbane CBD

After a very trying day at work, I was grateful to have a lunch meetup with BrisvEGustation to try out Kinn Imm at situated opposite New Shanghai at Queens Plaza. Having been open for a little while now, I was surprised to arrive to a bit of a line. 

With the menu situated outside, I liked the ability to peruse my options before getting a seat.

Despite the line, we were able to get a table very quickly, within 5 minutes. Service was very fast throughout, with customers coming and going at quite a fast pace.

We were given two menus, one lunch special menu with relatively simpler and cheaper dishes, and one a la carte menu.

Our drinks came quite promptly, BrisvEGustation had the Thai Milk Tea, whilst I had the Thai Iced Coffee. Quite a few of my readers would know, I like to have my drinks with reduced sugar, so I can have a better appreciation of the other flavours in the drink without the sweetness overload. Unfortunately, the drinks were premade, so I didn't have this option. My coffee, apart from being very very sweet, did have some relatively strong coffee, although it really wasn't that fragrant.

For my main, I ordered a Stewed Beef Soup, and got the extra rice noodles. The noodles were thin and rather tender, I really enjoyed them and only wish they had a bit more. The beef was strongly flavoured, although parts were a little more fatty than I would have liked. The meatballs were also quite delicious, and the soup had a herbal homey flavour to it.

To share, we got a portion of garlic and chive dumplings, which were served piping hot fresh from the frier. Although I liked how crunchy it was, I found the outside batter to be very very thick, to the point where the interior was soft and doughy. There was quite a bit of chives inside, but the garlic was somewhat lost on me. We both agreed that it was quite bland and would have been rather tasteless had it not been for the sauce provided on the side. I was also a little surprised at the complete lack of meat on the inside.

Price Range: $15 - $25pp

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

Taros Ramen - Brisbane CBD

Last week, my colleague and I had a booking for Otto. Fortunately (or unfortunately), he was struck down by the flu. Unfortunately, we both agreed that it would be a shame for him to eat at Otto whilst sick, so we cancelled the reservation. Fortunately, I convinced him that Ramen was the best cure for a cold. So we opted to go to Taros, which was conveniently situated right downstairs. Arriving just before 12, the restaurant was relatively empty, and we promptly ordered at the counter.

 

Aside from their full menu, they also had the monthly special, Iekei Ramen, which consists of the regular Tonkotsu soup with some added chicken oil to give it more stickiness, coupled with thick straight noodles. Obviously, I settled for that one.

We were given a number upon ordering. As usual, water and sauces were available on a self serve basis.

Our ramen arrived very soon after. My companion opted for the shio ramen. With its sea salt soup base, it was quite clear had a very strong chicken taste to it. It was served with curly egg noodles. My sickly companion enjoyed how nourishing it was and felt significantly better afterwards.

As mentioned, I had the monthly special, Iekei Ramen. Compared to the Shio Ramen, the soup was definitely far more thicker and creamier. The added oils on top ensured that the soup clung to the noodles with every bite. The charsiu was very tender, and almost broke apart as I lifted it from the bowl. I also enjoyed the egg, which was perfectly cooked with a half runny yolk and a well seasoned egg white.

We had two sides to share, the Karaage Chicken, and Gyoza. Whilst the ramen was as up to its usual brilliant standard, the sides disappointed us a little. The chicken was a quite soggy and dripping in oil, although well seasoned. The dumpling skin was a little thicker than it sued to be, and the base was more hard than crispy. 

Price Range: $10 - $20 pp

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

Brown Dog Cafe - Woolloongabba

Last weekend, we decided to search for somewhere new to scratch the brunch itch. Living in the southside, we decided not to venture north of the river that morning. After doing some shopping at the nearby FujiMart, my companions and I headed to Brown Dog Cafe in Woollonggabba for a bite to eat. With the weather considerably cooling, we were glad to have come at this time of the year, as they didn't have air conditioning.

The menu was short, but concise, and contained quite a few traditional breakfast staples. 

We ordered via counter service, and got a table inside. The setup was quite rustic with its mismatched wooden tables and chairs. 

 

Our drinks came soon after ordering, with my two companions ordering a Banana Smoothie and Iced Coffee respectively. Both relished in their cool refreshing drinks. On the other hand, I opted for the cappuccino, which was quite strong, even at a single shot, although the milk wasn't overly rich. 

Whislt the food did take a little long to arrive, we didn't mind too much as we were soon preoccupied with the jenga they provided to patrons.

My companion ordered the dog's breakfast, with an added serve of beans on the side. Whilst the haloumi was a little over done, she did find the dish to be quite filling. The beans were also very well seasoned. 

I ordered the big dog's breakfast, which was all of the dogs breakfast with added bacon and scrambled eggs. The scrambled eggs were very much fluffy and perforated, tasting a little bit like an egg cake or an egg souffle rather than scrambled eggs.  The portion of bacon was very generous, and done quite well with only little bits toasted, unlike the haloumi which was quite covered in overly toasted bits. The avocado was deliciously ripe, and the toast was quite filling. The only thing I would have preferred would have been the option for poached or sunny side up eggs instead.

Price Range: $15 - $25pp

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

Kith n Chow - Mt Gravatt

After the coffee at Best Florist Espresso Bar, I awaited my table at the ever popular Kith n Chow. Having arrived at 9.30AM on a Saturday morning, I guess that was their peak hour. I was lucky to be second in line, with a considerable number of people arriving right after I got put on the waiting list.

 

After around 20 minutes, we got a table. The menu contained quite a few of the standdard breakfast options, including a bacon and egg stack, haloumi stack and waffles, but we were here for one thing and one thing only. 

Ordering at the truck, we were given a cute playing card number.

After a 15 minute wait, our food arrived. As alluded to, we ordered the infamous breakfast board for two. It came with a large assortment of food including four slices of sourdough, four rashers of bacon, two pieces of haloumi, two eggs, some smoked salmon, two bowls of yoghurt and a large amount of tomatoes and salad. I was really quite impressed with the calibre of the breakfast platter. The haloumi was fried to a near perfect crispiness, without drying out. The sourdough was quite dense and filling as well, but I would have liked some avocado or butter to spread on it. The yoghurt and granola were delicious, with a texture almost akin to ice cream, I really enjoyed it. I also really liked the fried tomatoes which had slightly charred bits on it. The only major letdown we had was the fact that there were so many flies pestering us during our breakfast, but as the cafe was open air, I guess it couldn't be avoided. 

Price Range: $10 - $20pp

Taste: 8/10
Value: 8/10
Service: 7/10
Environment: 5/10

Best Florist Espresso Bar - Mt Gravatt

Last weekend, Queen V and I headed to Kith n Chow at Mount Gravatt for its infamous breakfast board. Having arrived a little early, I wanted to get a coffee whilst I waited for a table. I was informed by their staff that they didn't sell coffee as they were operating out of a food truck with limited space, so we would have to go to Best Florist Espresso Bar next door to buy one.

This was the first time I had been in a florist espresso bar, and there were indeed quite a lot of plants in the store. The menu was at at the back of the store, behind quite a number of pot plants. Being the only customer in the store (the rest had taken their coffee next door), service was very fast and friendly.

After grabbing the coffee, I got a seat at the bar table outside. It too was decorated with fresh rose, and some fake grass. I ordered a Cappuccino, which was actually quite weak, and the milk wasn't very creamy at all, which was a bit disappointing. On the flip side, it was served piping hot, which did add to the enjoy-ability factor though.

Price Range: Under $10 per person

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

Gelato Messina - Southbank

Having waited months upon months for the opening of Gelato Messina, we finally caught wind that it opened at the end of March along Melbourne Street in Southbank. Without further delay, Queen V and I went for an afternoon snack before going to the opening of Eat Street.

Arriving at around 2pm, there was a small crowd of people outside the store.

 

Descriptions of specialty flavours were listed on the pole and on the wall.

It took me quite a bit of squeezing to get around to see all the flavours. The colours were all very natural and reminded me more of Ben and Jerry's rather than the brighter colours of Gelatissimo or Baskin Robins.

After a long period of indecisiveness, we settled on three flavours, apple pie, gianduja and coffee (no matcha flavours that day). The apple pie really tasted like apple pie, with its crumbly crust and sweet apple paste mixed throughout. Gianduja, which is a hazelnut chocolate from Turin, Italy. It was smooth and rich with a strong nutty fragrance to it. My favourite however, was the coffee. Whilst Queen V said that it wasn't very strong, I found it to be refreshing and creamy, though more of a caffeine hit would have been preferable.

Price Range: Under $10pp

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

New York Baguette - Sunnybank Hills

Last week I found myself wandering around Sunnybank Hills shoppingtown whilst awaiting a friend to show up for our lunch date. Wandering around, I found myself outside of the New York Baguette Bakery. Whilst the signage made it clear that it was a Korean Bakery rather than an American Bakery, my curiosity got the better of me and I headed in to take a look at what they had.

Despite the large range of breads for sale, I ended up leaving with a whole angel food cake, specifically orange flavour. Having attempted to make one and failing miserably (twice), $6.50 felt like a small price to pay if the cake was what I had expected (considering I often pay $8 for a slice at Sinmei).

And so I took it home to serve up for afternoon tea.

The cake was super light and fluffy, which was fitting for an angel food cake. Having said that, despite my having purchased the orange cake, the orange flavour was at best very light. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed the cake, but would probably add some cream or ice cream to it to ensure it has some more moisture. 

Price Range: Under $10pp

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