Eleven - Fortitude Valley

Finished work early on a Friday and had some time before meeting a friend for dinner. Decided to check out Eleven Roof Top Bar beforehand to enjoy the sunset and finally check it off my list.

Taking the lift up to Level 11, the views were indeed fairly spectacular, especially with city views and a sunset. Definitely a place I will come back to for food at a later date.

First drink I tried was the Birthday Cake. Have seen so many photos of this on the internet and it was definitely super cute but also super rich and sweet but not overly strong on alcohol taste. Next time I'll try something different.

Next drink wasn't on the menu as far as I could see, but I definitely ordered the Espresso Martini when I saw other people order it. Compared to the Birthday Cake, it was definitely stronger and packed a good punch of caffeine but was still very sweet compared to my usual at John Mills. 

Price Range: $30 - $50pp

Taste: 6/10
Value: 7/10
Service: 7/10
Environment: 9/10

Shishou by Takashi - Fortitude Valley

Long time readers will know that I have been a long time fan of sushi master Takashi Nami. Having followed him from Ku-O to Mercado, I was thrilled to hear that he had decided to go solo and open Brisbane's first sushi degustation. It was an absolute honour to be privileged to attend the opening launch, and we loved it so much we made a reservation to go back the week after. Situated along the ever busy Brunswick Street, inside was a tranquil paradise, reminding me of my last trip to Japan. 

With only twelve seats and one sitting per evening, the focus was on Kappo Style dining whereby the customers sit along a bench and interacts with the chef whilst he prepares the meal, always an experience that I enjoy.

 

We had a phenomenal time at the launch party and met up with quite a few other food bloggers. We enjoyed it so much we made a point to go back the week after to have one of the set courses there.

There were three courses on offer an 8 piece, a 12 piece and a 15 piece. Due to the fact it was a soft launch, the only option that evening was the short course. I guess I will have to come back at a later time for the long course.

 

After ordering, we were presented with several pairs of chopsticks for us to choose from. I found them super adorable, and my companion enjoyed the choices, and I found the size and colour variations to be very cute.

Being served three types of tea, we started off with the light and fruity summer sencha. With its light fermentation and strong body, it provided for a very appetizing opening tea. 

First entree we had was the Blue Eye Trevalla Sashimi with a light tangy ponzu. The fish was extremely fresh, I loved the tangy citrus sauce which highlighted the textures and flavours of the sashimi. 

We interluded with a sweet glass of ume prior to our second entree. 

Our second entree was very aesthetically pleasing and an absolute thrill to devour.

First component was the truffle omelette. This was your traditional Japanese tamago omelette with truffle specks mixed through. I really enjoyed the sweet layered omelette with its porous texture, coupled with the subtle fragrance of truffle.

Second part of the entree was definitely far more exciting with four elements. Wagyu beef sashimi topped with uni and caviar atop a piece of perilla leaf. I loved the whole melody of textures. The fatty wagyu was rich and smooth, the uni brought a delicious freshness of the sea along with the delicious popping caviar. I loved it. 

Second tea of the evening was the toasty warm genmaicha. I really enjoyed the warm wholesome flavours of rice infused within the tea. 

Commencing the course, this was the South Australian Calamari Nigiri. It was thick cut and tender,  perfectly char grilled.

Second course was the Western Australian Scampi with Scampi Caviar. The Scampi was thick and fresh with an almost sweet flavour. Again I really appreciate the popping texture of the caviar.

Third course was Aburi Scallop with Truffle Mayo and Truffle. Always a fan of aburi scallop, it had a great texture with a raw interior. The soy dressing was wholesome and delicious, the truffle mayo was rich, and the truffle flavours were intense.

Next one was the 48 hour dry aged salmon with caviar. The salmon had a lot more depth of flavour than the usual salmon sashimi, The portion was thick cut and generous, the fish roe was always delicious. 

My favourite for the evening was the Toro Nigiri with the highly fatty tuna being sourced straight from Tokyo. With an extremely smooth texture and a melt in your mouth feeling, it was a sure winner of my affections.

The Uni Nigiri was also very generous, the portion almost eclipsing the rice. Served with a delicious soy glaze, this was definitely a tasty morsel that is a rare find in Brisbane.

My companion's favourite of the evening comprised of wagyu, foie gois and burgundy truffle. The wagyu was rich and decadent, the foie gois smooth and flavoursome whilst the fragrant truffle really rounded off the whole package. Definitely also a highlight of the meal.

Last piece of sushi from the meal was an Unagi. Having eaten a considerable amount of unagi in my time, this was remarkably thick cut. I like the smooth meat texture and generous portion. Definitely a nice way to round off the course.

Soup of the day then arrived, it comprised of a Scorpion Cod Miso with Scampi and Pipis. This definitely tasted far different from my usual instant packets of miso soup at work. The broth was hearty and wholesome, the toppings were generous and definitely infused the dish was a heavy seafood flavour.

Third tea was the deeper and more full bodied Pumin Tea. With a definitely milder mouthfeel compared to the previous two teas, it was a well rounded brew which we enjoyed.

Dessert was a Japanese Green Tea Macaron with Adzuki Bean filling. I found it to be farily sweet, but loved how crisp the shell was and the texture of the adzuki beans. A perfect desset to finish of a wonderful meal!

 

Good luck with your restaurant Takashi San! We will definitely be back soon!

Price Range: $80 - $150pp

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

Pho You - Robertson

Mid week dinners are always better when relaxed and casual. Had heard some good things about the recently opened Pho You at Robertson Village and was keen to try it out. Not having gone to the shopping village for some time now, it was good to go see some turnover of the restaurants in the complex. 

Arriving before 6, there were only a few customers, but it filled up fairly quickly. Decor was simple and homey. The painted food items on the wall were a really nice touch too.

 

 We were provided some menus, and other than the usual Vietnamese food we would expect, it provided a lot by way of context into the restaurant. from its founding to its ongoing charitable ventures. We ordered and paid at the counter, in line with its environmental values, no receipts were printed, rather they were texted to me, which was fairly novel and cool.

Food came out really quickly and soon we had a good spread on the table. 

 

We had the rare beef pho as well as the special beef pho. The price of each bowl was a little steeper than what you would expect at Inala or Darra and the quantity didn't exactly match the price point either. The broth was less in terms of flavour but the usual, but they had especially mentioned their no MSG policy on their menu. Toppings were ample and the noodles themselves were soft and silky. 

This was the combination pork chop broken rice, it came with a wedge of egg. The portion of pork chop was fairly generous with two slices instead of one. I enjoyed the pork chop, it was well marinated, tender and had a good lemongrass fragrance to it. The wedge of egg was porous in texture and had a decent amount of herbs in it. 

This was the combination vermicelli salad with manna pork. Again the pork was well marinated, and had a meaty mincy texture to it. The spring rolls though were a little cold and chewy, which wasn't ideal. The vermicelli had a good texture and the salad was fresh. We only added a portion of the fish sauce though, as it was fairly salty.

We also had a serve of rice paper rolls to share. These were freshly made, and had an ample amount of toppings. It came with a spicy paste type sauce, which I didn't enjoy too much, but rather had it with the left over fish sauce from the vermicelli salad.

Price Range: $10 - $20pp

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