Giardinetto - Fortitude Valley

Another weekend, another date night. Undoubtedly, one of the biggest joys in dating another foodie is our ability to have hours and hours of conversation comparing notes and consolidating our list of places to try. A place that kept coming up in conversation was the long established Giardinetto, a traditional Italian restaurant situated down Brunswick street in Fortitude Valley. Having seen an online promo earlier in the afternoon, we thought it would be a good time to try it out. 

Without a doubt, Saturday night is a peak time for the restaurant. The front of the shop was packed and the two staff rostered that night were frantic. Had it not been for the newly opened California Lane situated out back, we would definitely not have been able to find seating. I liked the vibe, it was very Lady and the Tramp. The fragrant scent of Bolognese sauce and garlic bread waffling from the kitchen definitely added to the feeling and the laneway seating also filled up quickly after our arrival. 

 

I liked the traditional Italian menu. There were a selection of entrees, mains, pizza, pasta and desserts. It took a while for us to get the attention of one of the waitstaff who were no doubt busy with all the other patrons, but we managed to put our order through. 

We started by sharing a glass of Prosecco, because of course, everything is happier with bubbles. 

Smelling the garlic bread since walking into Giardinetto’s there was no chance that we would miss it. For $6, we had a serve of four slices. It was amazing. The bread was crispy outside without being overly crunchy or hard whilst the inside tasted like garlic and butter infused clouds. We were in heaven and absolutely loved this dish. 

Our second entrée for the evening was the Funghi Ripieni, mushroom caps filled with ricotta, pine nuts, spinach, dried tomato and shallots before being crumbed, fried and served with a creamy mustard sauce. As a concept, this was a fascinating dish which ticked quite a elements of flavour. Whilst I did quite enjoy the cheese and fillings, the mushrooms tasted a little undercooked and the crumbed batter was very thick and hard. If these two were fixed, there is no doubt that the dish would have been far more enjoyable. 

After a considerable wait, our mains came. Unfortunately for us, we had also ordered a side salad to come with the carb laden mains. This never eventuated and was forgotten. We had tried numerous times to get the attention of staff throughout the meal to query it but they were unavailable. 

He ordered his favourite type of pasta, Ravioli ala Zingara, meat filled pasta cooked with bacon, mushroom, cream and garlic. The only positive about this dish was unfortunately only the portion size which was evidently generous. The pasta was thick and some parts were undercooked. Opening it up, the meat was so granulated it was not far from being powdered. Despite the bacon and mushroom, the garlic cream sauce was bland and unappetising. The dish had so much potential for greatness but in the end it let us down. 

My choice for the evening was the meat lasagne, as I wanted to draw a contrast with his cream sauce pasta. I was surprised that it came without a layer of cheese on top, this was rectified with the availability of Parmesan on our table. My pasta was cooked better than his, being cooked through and soft at least. The sauce had evidently large amounts of meat in it, but any freshness of taste was overpowered by tomato paste in the dish. Like the ravioli, this dish had quite a bit of potential which was eventually left unfulfilled. 

I found our dining experience at Giardinetto to be such a disappointment. Starting on a high note and ending so low, the fact that they failed to honour the online deal we had also left a very sour aftertaste in our mouths. At least we managed to satisfy our curiosity about it though. 

Price Range: $30 - $50pp

Taste: 4/10
Value: 4/10
Service: 2/10
Environment: 7/10

ChanGe Cafe - Brisbane CBD

Keeping up to date with the Brisbane food scene, one could hardly miss ChanGe Café, the new café situated in the upper food court of Myer Centre, in the lodgings which used to hold Sweet Treats. Since then, ChanGe café has made a name for themselves in being the first café in Brisbane to offer photo printing on coffee. Having seen quite a few photos of it on social media, it has been on my radar for quite a while, but before I had the chance, I received an invitation from the owner Angela to try out their High Tea catering options. Obviously, I jumped at the opportunity and had some morning tea delivered to my work last Friday (much to the joy of my colleagues). At 10AM, the morning tea was delivered, in two pristine white towers of tasty goodness. 

 

Unboxing them was an absolute joy and there were quite a few glances of admiration from my colleagues. Each tower consisted of three layers, the bottom comprising of savoury mini burgers, the middle filled with sweet cupcakes and slices, with the top being macarons, offering a good balance for both lovers of sweet and savoury. 

 

I tried the chocolate mudcake, the salmon mini burger and the ham mini burger. The mudcake was moist and delicious, but erred toward the sweeter side of the spectrum than I would have liked, but it was well received by my colleagues. Preferring savoury myself, the mini burgers were very enjoyable. The buns were fluffy and fresh, although I would have preferred regularly coloured ones. Both the combination of salmon and cream cheese as well as ham, cheese and lettuce were classics, and I found them to be very tasty morsels. If they could include drinks as part of their catering package as well, this would have been a very well rounded morning tea.

Espresso and Matcha were invited to try the catering of Change Café, however my opinions, as always, are solely my own. 

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



 

Happy Boy - Fortitude Valley

Iron Fist, being somewhat fond of Asian food has long been telling me to go and eat at Happy Boy. Adding it to my extensive list of places to try but never really making too much of an effort, I didn't think too much of it until Adam decided to take me there to try their new brunch menu. Originally located in Spring Hill, they're now located at Fortitude Valley, along East Street (coincidence? I'm unsure). Being a fusion take on Chinese food, I was curious to see how it would compare to the more traditional styles of Chinese breakfast that you could get at Sunnybank. Arriving at 9.30AM, we were the third table there.

 

The menu consisted of two sides, one for brunch and lunch specials, whilst the other was their main lunch and dinner menu. Interestingly their brunch menu was quite rice heavy and also strongly focused on eggs. Owner Cameron came to introduce us to his favourite dishes and also shared the meal with us. I was very lucky to be able to get his commentary on all the food that we had.

Our drinks came first, and arrived fairly quickly.

He had the long black whilst I had the gunpoweder green tea. The tea was fairly strong with a sharp aftertaste to it. Trying his coffee, it too was strong and smooth (much like him ;)).

Our shared food came before long. For three people, it was an enormous amount of food.

First up was the Char Siu style Chicken and Spring Onion Wok Omelette with a side of Rice. The eggs were fluffy and chicken was tender.

Our second rice dish was the Crispy Wok Fried Eggs on top of Fried Rice. Whilst it appeared as a simple dish on the menu, it was executed wonderfully. The eggs were super crispy without being overly toasted, and still managed to retain some runniness in the yolk. The fried rice erred on the oily side, but the texture of the rice was spot on, as was the combination of toppings to give a wonderfully rounded dish.

On the side, we had two types of roast, being Roast Duck and Crispy Skin Roast Pork. Friends who I hang out with often enough will know that I am addicted to very passionate about Cantonese Roasts (to the extent where a friend's boyfriend had bribed me with roast duck so as to gain my tick of approval). The roast duck in this instance, had a fairly thin skin, a notable lack of fatty deposits underneath the skin which was also unusually crispy. I would say that it tasted a bit more like crispy skin chicken than it did roast duck. The marinate was delicious though, as was the sauce. The roast pork had a wonderfully crispy skin, and like the duck was also surprisingly not too fatty under the skin compared to roast pork I've had at other places. The meat was also well marinated and really enjoyable. I found this to be surprisingly delicious for a breakfast option, but again, I would have this easily for lunch and dinner too.

Our other dish was the Breakfast Burgers, comprising of Fried Chicken, Bacon and Omelette on a Milk Bun. The bun was wonderfully fresh and soft with a mild sweetness to it. The chicken had a crisp coating on it from potato starch, much like Taiwanese fried chicken from hot star with its classical salt and peppery taste. Bacon, as always is a wonderful addition to almost any dish, and the eggs were quite tasty. I found this to be executed well and would definitely prefer the milk bun over bao.

Espresso and Matcha got to enjoy this complimentary meal by freeloading off FoodieAdam's invite. But as always, my opinions are solely my own.

Price Range: $15 - $25pp

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

King Crab Co - Bulimba

Another weekend means another opportunity for me to shadow my favourite instagram celebrity FoodieAdamn on his food crawls and earn my keep as his trusty hand model (gotta work for my meal I guess). This weekend he decided to take me to King Crab Co, a crab shack along the ever popular Oxford Street in Bulimba, so we hitched a ride on the ferry from Teneriffe and made our way there after brunch despite the rain.

 

We originally found a seat outside for better lighting, but before we could order, the rain was quite severe and we moved indoors. The menu comprised of quite a few options you would expect at a crabhouse, not limited to oysters, lobsters, clams and crabs. 

The bucket of utensils only added to my barely containable excitement. 

Our drinks came first, I had champagne (because bubbles make everything more exciting), while Adam had ginger beer. 

Our entrees came first. We had a kingfish ceviche. It came served with lemon and olive oil dressing, with chilli, fennel and corn tortilla. I loved the fresh tangy taste of the kingfish, and I only wish that there could have been more for me to enjoy rather than the copious amounts of fennel. Chilli and oil provided bite to it whilst the corn tortilla contributed some necessary crunch as well as a a vessel on which to eat the delectable kingfish.

Of course, as exciting as the kingfish was, it was nothing compared to our mains, which arrived soon after.

Of course, that meant it was time for us to suit up!

First off, we had the Alaskan King Crab Claw served in Old Bay Butter. 

The crab was very fresh with a delicious firm texture and the old bay butter was a rich and hearty sauce to accompany the crab, which was also very meaty. I also really appreciated the slightly sea salted taste to the crab meat. The crab was also served with some spicy chorizo, offering a good contrast in texture to the crab.

Our second dish was the red claw which we were lucky enough to try as it was in season. We had it with Singapore Chili sauce. Although the redclaw was smaller and definitely harder to attain, the meat was definitely a lot sweeter than the crab. Coupled with the spice of Singapore Chili, it made for quite a delicious dish.

Of course no crab meal would be complete without a crusty piece of garlic bread to dip into. This was nicely toasted with a crunchy exterior and a dense garlicy interior which complimented the old bay butter sauce exceptionally well. 

Espresso and Matcha got to enjoy this complimentary meal by freeloading off FoodieAdam's invite. But as always, my opinions are solely my own.

Price Range: $25 - $45

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