Sazerac - Brisbane CBD

A rooftop bar often isn't the first thing that comes to mind on cold rainy days, however this is exactly what we did last Saturday when it was bucketing down. Walking over to Sazerac Bar, Brisbane's highest bar at level 30 of the Four Points hotel, we were keen for a quiet night of relaxing with some cocktails, a light dinner and some epic city views.

Taking the lift straight up to level 30, we informed them of our reservation. Unlike other places where our table is already designated for us, we were told to take a look around and choose where we wanted to sit. The dining area was separated into three sections, two of which were busy and loud, so we opted for the quieter one.

Despite the rain, we still enjoyed the view from up high. I suspect that seeing the sunset here after work would  be really nice. 

 

Both food and drink menu were contained in the same leather bound booklet. Food was covered off only in one page. The rest of the booklet contained a various assortment of drinks. 

Always keen on some cocktails, we had a few of their specialties to try.

On the left was the very popular Pink Ninja with Beefeater Gin, Fresh Raspberry, Bols Maraschino Liqueur, Fresh Lemon Juice, Maraschino Juice, Fresh Pineapple Juice and Sugar. This was fruity, sweet and had a hint of sour.

In the centre, my favourite Espresso Martini with Absolut Vodka, Kahlua, Fresh Espresso and Sugar. Rich and strong, it hit the spot and provided a good dose of caffeine.  

Finally we shared the signature Sazerac with Half Cognac and Half Rye, served with a lemon chip and a twist. A classic cocktail originating from New Orleans. Akin to an Old Fashioned, it was definitely strong and intense. Not as easy to drink as the Pink Ninja, it was definitely an acquired taste.

Ordering a selection of foods from their bar bites menu, one table was not enough to cover our spread and we shared it across two tables. 

First of the dishes we had was the Spicy Sriracha butter milk chicken drumettes with sesame seed and maple syrup. Although the name indicated that it would have been quite spicy, I found it definitely more sweet than spicy. For the price, it was excellent value for money even though the drumettes were a little small. 

We also had a serve of Tempura Moreton Bay bug tail sliders with Cajun spice mayonnaise. Again these were good value. The Moreton Bay bugs were lightly battered and delicious, the meat was tender and went well with the cajun mayonnaise. I enjoyed the dense bread but would have enjoyed it if there was a little bit more salad or tomatoes in the sliders.  

The highlight of our dinner was the crispy semolina crusted calamari with lemon aioli. Although a fairly common dish, these were unbelievably fresh and tender. Served freshly fried, it went well with the creamy aioli.

We also had a serve of house made vegetarian arancini rice balls with aioli. Again, freshly fried they were great soaking up our drinks. The rice was well seasoned with mushrooms. Although the mushrooms weren't very strong in taste, this was supplemented again by aioli. 

From the bigger bites menu, we chose the vegetarian Mushroom Risotto. The rice was tender and absorbed so much tasty broth. For a cold rainy winter's day, it was wholesome, substantial and filling with quite a good amount of mushrooms in it. 

Always finishing with a sweet, these were the Churros with Chocolate Sauce. Another deep fried dish to soak up the drinks, these were served warm. I enjoyed how the chocolate sauce was also very liquid which made for a fairly luxurious dipping sauce.

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

Price Range: $30 - $40pp

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

Motto Motto - Upper Mt Gravatt

Had a lazy Saturday dinner with Adam last weekend at the highly popular Motto Motto in Garden City. We were welcomed by the manager, Brittany who gave us some context into the store, which was run by the same owners as the refined Sono. With an aim to provide the same quality of food but in a casual relaxed environment, we were keen to try it out.

Arriving at 6.30, the place was at capacity, luckily our table was reserved for us. Although only one page, the food menu contained rice, noodles, bread rolls, sides and dessert options. 

 

Orders can be made at the counter, and we were given a number and awaited our food.

 

Starting with drinks first, we opted for some Japanese soft drinks, he had the sweet melon drink and I the watermelon drink. Both were very sweet and fruity, fairly different from the locally available soft drinks.

Trying a selection of their most popular items, this was the Red Ramen, comprising of a spicy sauce recipe with slow cooked pork belly and topped with shallots and seaweed. Compared with noodles at other ramen joints, these had a far stronger egg taste which I appreciated but a bit less bite. The soup was spicy but not too hot, the pork belly was substantial and meaty.

We loved the cute bowls that the mains were served in, especially when coupled with side dishes that fit perfectly into the sides.

Our next dish was the Seared Salmon and Avocado - Flame-seared Tassie salmon, fresh avocado, topped with teri-mayo sauce and flying fish roe. With my love for raw fish, readers would know that Chirashi is my first choice, but it was sold out.

Of course I really enjoyed the interactive element of it and poured teriyaki sauce over it myself. 

So as always, I ordered my salmon medium rare, but it definitely came out well done and cooked throughout. There was definitely a generous portion of salmon, and the avocado was quite ripe and soft. Mixed through, it provided a very tasty main, I especially appreciated the texture of the short grain rice mixed with popping tobiko.

Last main we shared was the Wagyu Beef  Cloud Roll with  Tender MB6-9 wagyu beef, crispy green salad, tomato, onion, pickled cucumber and shiso mayo. The bun was light and fluffy but the grilled top turned out to be a little brittle rather than squishy. I really liked the soft wagyu with its melt in your mouth texture, the salads were fresh and shiso mayo was a nice change.

We also tried two sides, first of which was the JFC - Chicken Karaage, crispy Japanese fried chicken. This was served hot and fresh. The chicken was juicy and the batter a little thick, but dipped into mayo made for a wonderful treat. 

Our final side was the Potato Salad - Japanese style smashed potato, fresh crispy green salad. We had it with soy dressing. Although it looks a bit like a scoop of ice cream, the potato salad was definitely savory with its freshly chopped vegetables and crisp salad base. I really enjoyed it.

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

Price Range: $20 - $30pp

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

Seoul:Ssamm - Fortitude Valley

For cold winter nights, only Korean BBQ can come close to the joy that Hot Pot brings. As you can tell, I'm a huge fan of table top cooking, which is why I was stoked to receive an invite to try out the fairly recently opened Seoul:Ssamm at Fortitude Valley. Making an appointment for an early dinner, we attended on Sunday night.

 

There were quite a few sets on the menu depending on your group size, we had the Set 1, but I would definitely be keen to try some of their meat dishes. 

Each of us had a placemat which gave cute and unambiguous instructions on how to best enjoy Ssam 쌈 (which literally translates to wrapped).

Starting off, we each had a bowl of crisp refreshing salad. The onions were fragrant, lettuce was crunchy and the soy dressing was light and enjoyable.

A dish of shared veggies arrived fairly quickly, there were a variety of leaves for us to wrap our meats in, including lettuce, cabbage and perilla leaf. 

A tub of shallot and bean sprout mu chim with sliced spring onion and oriental dressing was placed on the grill to heat up for us to also wrap up. 

This was the main event of the evening, the Daepae Samgyup, the thinly sliced pork belly without seasoning or marinade. 

What we found unique about SeoulSsam was the fact that our food was cooked for us at the table, so we could really sit back and enjoy the show. We even had a demonstration of the wrapping of a Ssam from our talented expert.

Starting with the leaves

Sprouts and spring onions are added

Pork belly, soy paste and garlic is also added to finish up the ssam. I really enjoyed the different textures, temperatures and flavours in the dish but would definitely have preferred a less fatty cut of pork.

We interluded with a bowl of spicy Korean miso soup, it contained a lot more toppings than the usual Japanese and really warmed us up.

We also had a dish of stir fried beef and potato noodles to share, the we enjoyed the sweet soy marinade and tender potato noodles but the beef itself was a little tough for my preference.

Finishing up, we couldn't resist the  beef intestines, as I'm a huge fan of the mixed offal BBQ at Go Bull. The beef intestines were extremely plump and fatty and like the pork belly, unseasoned. It went well with the special dipping sauce and had a crisp exterior with a soft chewy inside. Will definitely try some of the other dishes when we are back next time.

Espresso and Matcha were invited guests of Seoul:Ssamm, but as always, my opinions are solely my own.

Price Range: $30 - $50pp

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