Atelier Brasserie - Bowen Hills

Date night and for once I let go of my usual domineering tendencies for one evening and let him decide on a place to take me out to dinner (along with the usual annotation that should he fail to impress, this will be annotated on his record permanently). He didn't skip one beat and said that he would take me to Atelier Brasserie, the new chic euro brasserie along King Street at Bowen Hills.

With some prior engagements in the afternoon, we enjoyed a relaxing early evening stroll before arriving at our 7pm reservation.

Seating was varied, with standard seats, high chairs and outdoors seating. Not wanting to sit outside, it still took me a little deliberation to decide that I preferred a lounge seat, although the high chairs did give a really good street view, which I will have to return to at a later point to experience it there.

Our super friendly and professional waitress, Jane provided menus and a passionate and inspired rundown of the daily specials in addition to what her favourites from the menu are. It always makes a difference when staff have tried most dishes from the menu and can give such detailed recommendations.

 

Our drinks came quickly after ordering. I had the Pharmaceutical Stimulant, comprising of vodka, kahlua, cold drip and popcorn syrup. Adam, who actually doesn't drink, had a mocktail of the same, but made with seedlip spice, a non alcoholic spirit. Sampling both, I found mine to be more nutty and rich whilst his was more fruity and spicy, both were wonderfully caffeinated and I had a nice buzz going. Later that evening, I also got to try the Solera Side Car, a concoction of Hennessy Cognac, Orange Curacao, cinnamon reduction and pressed citrus. If I had to describe it in one word, it would undoubtedly be strong. I loved the sweet citrus-y tones which were also very refreshing and crisp.

Our entrees came as we were enjoying our drinks. This was the Tomato Gaspacho with yellow capsicum sorbet. For those who haven't tried before, Gaspacho is a cold, Spanish inspired soup made from blended vegetables, perfect for the warmer months. The tomato soup was very creamy, the vegies were crisp and invigorating, but without a doubt the highlight of the dish was the yellow capsicum sorbet. Despite it being sorbet, it was so smooth and so creamy it was almost gelato like, it was savoury and exceptionally fragrant, making for a wonderful addition to an already striking dish.

Now there is no way that I would ever pass up an opportunity to have Steak Tartare if it were on the menu. So this was an easy choice on my part, the Steak Tartare and Bone Marrow which I have long heard of and of which I have seen countless photographs. Simply speaking, I was not disappointed at all, even despite all the hype I had heard about it. The steak was fresh and delicious with a quite congealed texture compared to the other mince-y tartares I've had at other places. The additional pine nuts and marrow ensured both a light but still buttery texture. I also really appreciate that the fresh beefy taste wasn't overpowered by marinade, as well as the optional extra biscotti that Jane offered when she saw I was onto my second one, loved the attentive service.

After our entrees were finished, dishes were whisked away very promptly and mains came.

Having already tried pretty much everything on the menu, Adam opted for the weekly special house made pan fried potato gnocchi with beetroot, green foam and Parmesan crisp. Sampling some of it, I liked the crispy base on the bottom of the Gnocchi and the refreshing savoury green foam. The Parmesan crisp was also strong and sharp, adding a fair amount of crunch and texture to the dish.

My main, being such a predictable person, was undisputed. This was the Steak frites with red wine jus (I had just had Bearnaise earlier in the day and pepper wasn't an option). The cut was his favourite eye fillet, cooked to a wonderful rare which was executed without flaw. Texture was lean and meaty whilst still tender and juicy. The sauce was rich and strong, when coupled with the steak juices, it was a wonderful accompaniment for the fresh and crunchy french fries. Having tried numerous steak frites through the course of my gastronomical adventures, I would have to say that this would no doubt have been one of the best I've had.

Although my Steak Frites came with a small garden salad, we also ordered a side dish as an accompaniment to ensure that Adam got his day's worth of greens. I loved the fresh crispy leaves and the hints of buttery dressing throughout.

Readers will know by now that there can be no meal with Adam without dessert. Tonight he was able to tick off the last dessert on the menu that he hadn't tried, the Almond and fennel tart. Sneaking a bite (or shall I say, exercising girlfriend prerogatives to take what is rightfully mine), the base was crumbly, meringue was soft whilst the fennel had an almost fruity taste to it. 

Being just a little adventurous for once, I had the Rhubarb and lavender Mille Feuille. I loved the crisp flaky pastry. There were hints of rhubarb and a light fragrance of delicate lavender, which rounded of an incredible date night. 

Price Range: $50 - $70pp

Taste: 9.5/10
Value: 8.5/10
Service: 9/10
Environment: 9/10

Village BBQ - Sunnybank Hills

With all the excitement lately, we wanted a quiet dinner at somewhere close. Was slightly surprised to hear Adam recommend Village BBQ, which despite its proximity to my house, is a place that I had yet to try. Apparently he is a regular there, so I had to try it out and see what all the fuss was.

Arriving at dinner time, the place was roughly half full. Menus were provided. They doubled up as a tick sheet with plastic over it so that we could order by marking down our selection. Options comprised of the expected bbq skewers, along with a selection of hot pot dishes.

Our food came fairly quickly after. We even got a side serve of crushed garlic on the side for good measure.

We tried quite a selection of skewers, not limited to mushrooms, pork belly, beef cumin and chicken wings. Despite how it looked, they were surprisingly delicious. The flavours were strong and the beef cumin had a delightful light spice to it. I enjoyed the tenderness of the meats which had just the right amount of bite without being chewy. Needless to say, this went down wonderfully with my side of garlic and the skewers were definitely a highlight for me that evening.

Expanding our order to incorporate their other options, we also had a serve of hot pot. Our selection of fillings included frozen tofu, pork belly and pork intestine. The broth was light in texture but strong in taste, which is in line with my preferences. All the pork, tofu and intestines were well placed to absorb the broth too, making for a delicious dinner.

Price Range: $10 - $20pp

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

Golden Dumpling - Sunnybank

One of the best things about hanging out with FoodieAdam, my local instagram celebrity is the fact that I am privileged enough to partake in his occasional food crawls. A recent one that I got on was a dumpling crawl. Having gone to most of the places on his hit list, I was keen to try Golden Dumpling, the only one on the list I hadn't tried. Heading there after work on Friday, it was a wonderful way to start off the weekend.

Menus were provided for ease of browsing outside, a convenience I always appreciate, but as usual, I had already perused online earlier. 

 

Being seated promptly inside, we were again provided with a menu. Of course it contained dumplings, but it also contained a fair amount of Chinese dishes, sides and snacks. Needless to say though, we were here mainly for the dumplings.

Being seated near the open kitchen also meant we got to watch as the chefs prepared our meals. It was quite reassuring as well to see that as they were making our dinner, they were also enjoying dumplings as they cooked, a sure sign that the food was going to be great.

Ordering quickly, our food also came out very promptly. 

 

First off we had the beef dumplings in a hot and sour soup. Having previously tried Shanghai style hot and sour soup, I was expecting a thick gelatinous soup with bamboo shoots, fungus, pork strips, but it turned out to be a far lighter broth that had considerable vinegar and chili. The beef dumplings though were very delicious with a smooth silky skin, which could have been a little thinner, but the beef was meaty and crumbly which I enjoyed greatly.

Our other dish was the Chef's special pork prawn and leek dumplings, which we had as pot stickers. As expected, they came with a crisp base which was very enjoyable. Like the hot and sour soup, the pastry was a little bit thicker than I would have liked. The filling though was definitely a highlight, the pork was meaty, prawn had good bite and the leek kept it fresh and fragrant. The one evident downside though was the fact that the dumplings were wrapped open ended, which meant that not only were the fillings at risk of falling out, it also meant that it was unable to retain any soup, which was quite a shame.

Being a massive fan of shallot pancakes, of course we got a serve. These were fried to a nice crisp, but were somewhat lacking in shallots and needed a bit more layering. 

Price Range: $15 - $25pp

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

Soul Bistro - Milton

Last Saturday was a busy day for Adam and myself, after an early breakfast at Newstead, we headed over for an early lunch at Soul Bistro at Milton to meet up with a couple of friends and try out their weekend brunch menu. 

 

 

Owner Terry was super friendly, with a contagious enthusiasm. He showed us to our table and also provided menus. Options were vast and aplenty. He explained how he enjoyed adding his own fusion twists to traditional menu items, and we could definitely see that from the menu.

  

Our drinks came as we were still perusing the menu. First up was the Iced Long Black next is the Berry and Poached Apple Frappe, whilst the last one was the House Lemonade. The drinks were cool, icy and refreshing. I particularly liked how my frappe was more sour than it was sweet, the extra tartness of the berries made it all the more memorable.

Halfway through our drinks, the food came. Needless to say the spread was impressive.

This was the Morning Munch and Almond Panna Cotta. It was served with fresh banana, yoghurt, strawberries, walnut, almonds, peanuts, coconut chips, goji berries and brownie crunch.

Next up was the Breakafst Belly Pork Burger, comprising of a double cooked pork belly served with two fried eggs, halouomi cheese, cinnamon apple mustard, pomegranate, molasses and Turkish bread.

Adam, with his unrelenting sweet tooth, had the Croissant French Toast, a croissant served with crisped bacon, poached apples, ricotta and white chocolate cream, coconut butterscotch sauce and vanilla ice cream. I tried some of this and liked the flaky croissant being a nice change up from standard french toast, although I wonder if it could have been fried a bit more. The bacon was definitely crispy and generous in serving size.

As a HongKonger myself, there was no way I could have picked anything off the menu other than the Crispy Hong Kong Puffle with Char Siu, and shallot scrambled eggs. Unlike the traditional egg waffles, these were freshly made and then deep fried to pack in a crunch. It also meant though that the interior was hard and not fluffy as the ones I usually enjoy, the crunchiness was then softened by the abundance of sauce. Like the puffle, the char siu was not my usual, rather coming in long strips rather than slices, but nevertheless they were well sesasoned, and sweet like honey. The eggs were fluffy and delightful.

Espresso and Matcha were invited guests of Soul Bistro, however as always, our opinions are solely our own.

Price Range: $15 - $25pp

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

Espresso & Matcha's Saporous Expedition - Adelaide: Penny University

 

Last stop before we left Adelaide, coffee break at Penny University in the CBD before we headed to the airport. 

From their menu, you could really tell they were passionate about their coffee. Further to this, there was also a small amount of breakfast options, which looked really tempting. I'll have to try next time I'm in town.

As usual, I had a cappuccino. It was smooth and creamy but could have a had a little more strength to it, but was nevertheless quite enjoyable.

Price Range: $5 - $20pp

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