Love Malatang - Sunnybank

Those who have been reading my blog for a while now may remember that the first Malatang that I went to was Love Malatang in Runcorn Plaza, a couple years ago, before the concept became mainstream. Since then, the store has held a soft spot in my heart (mainly because it was one of the few Malatang that had a completely non spicy option to their soup), and I was quite pleased when they opened a second branch closer to home at Sunnybank Plaza, replacing Sichuan Deli which was also a Malatang restaurant. 

As usual, we got a bowl at the door and started loading up on food. Prices were $36 per kg which is in line with market value. There was a bit more variety of toppings than the usual basic meat and vegies, I liked the addition of offal such as tripe and intestine. The meats were however, quite fatty.

In accordance with procedure, we ordered and got a number each.

Sauces were again DIY. The variety wasn't immense, but it was enough. I made my usual garlic soy concoction. These days my companions seem to enjoy sesame sauce with their noodles, so they had that.

 

Our meals came out fairly quickly and it turns out all of us opted for the non spicy soup, ironic when Malatang translates directly to Numbing Spicy Soup. 

Determined to order noodles that I don't have much at home, I had a bowl of potato noodles with some mushrooms, tofu and meat. The noodles were wonderfully tender with just the right amount of bounce. The meat, as mentioned before was a bit fattier than expected and a tad overcooked too. I did however consistently enjoy the depth and flavours of the broth, but the Runcorn store is definitely tastier.

Price Range: $15 - $25pp

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

Malee - Brisbane CBD

Ever since the early days of high school, I can remember regularly enjoying Korean BBQ, Japanese BBQ and Chinese BBQ. Of course, living in Brisbane, we also often got to enjoy local Australian BBQ, but until recently, I had never heard of Thai BBQ. With a good friend, LoveMeLoveFood finishing up her studies and returning to Thailand, she decided to host her farewell party at Malee in the city and introduce us to the concept of Mu Kratha.

Mu Kratha apparently roughly translates to Pork Skillet. Combining concepts of BBQ and hot pot, we had a bronze bbq on our table with a little moat around it filled with light broth in which to cook the non meat elements of our meal. I was definitely intrigued. 

 

Although not on the menu, each combo comes at $39 and you can order it from staff. It comes with a selection of marinated chicken and pork dishes, vegetables, glass noodles and sauces. Each set feeds roughly two people so it is fairly good value.

The meats were marinated in a very strong sweet sauce with a touch of spiciness. The moat for hot pot was quite shallow and we couldn't fit too much in at one time, and the meat juices tended to run into the broth, leading to some fairly sweet tasting veggies and noodles. The meat was quite tender and moist from the added steam of the hot pot. 

With outdoor seating, it definitely gave us a street food kind of vibe. Was really satisfying and good value for money. Can't wait to go and check it out again for their other offerings.

Price Range: $15 - $25pp

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

Private Dining by Takashi

There is hardly anything more enjoyable than a relaxing walk along the river with the glistening city lights in the distance and the brisk winter wind on your face. The only thing that could really top it off is a delicious dinner after said walk, and last week that is exactly what I was treated to. In fact this is the undisputed best meal that I've had in 2020, which ironically wasn't in a restaurant but at a friend's house.

 

Readers will have remembered my good friend, Sushi Master Takashi Nami. Having followed him from Kuo to Mercado to Shishou, he is undoubtedly the best sushi chef in Brisbane. Most recently, he has taken up a private dining venture, whereby he visits customers in the comfort of their own home to prepare his delicious food for them. Perfect for private functions and celebratory gatherings. I was lucky enough to be invited to a good friend's house to enjoy such a wonderful meal.

The beauty of Takashi's private dining experience is that like omakase, he has the flexibility to only choose the freshest seasonal ingredients to craft his menu from. With the colder months well an truly upon us, there was little doubt that his degustation would be truffle themed. I was overjoyed.

As with most private dining events, drinks are of course sourced ourselves and we had quite a few glasses of Ume (Japanese Plum Wine) to accompany our meal. Sweet and mellow, it hardly tasted like alcohol, which meant it went down quickly but could easily be dangerous in large doses.

Kicking off our meal was the freshly shucked oysters with truffle ponzu. With its delectable briny juices, coupled with citrusy elements of ponzu and the addictive fragrance of black truffle, there is hardly an appetizer in the would that could compare to this dish. Every morsel was smooth with a creamy texture and brought out the fresh flavours of the sea.

One of the highlights of our meal, although not truffle themed was the lobster sashimi with uni and salmon belly. Super fresh, the lobster was still alive when I arrived, although it didn't survive for much longer. The texture of lobster was far firmer than prawn or crab with a delicious sweet taste that you get from fresh sashimi. The salmon was tender and soft.

Eaten as a stack with the uni and perilla leaf, it was the ultimate stack of decadence.

Interluding with some Mango Ume, this was thick and sweet just like mango juice with only slight hints of plum. Also another drink that was super easy to go down. 

Next up was the first of our meat courses, the Wagyu Tataki with garlic chips. Sourcing wagyu from award winning beef producer Jack's Creek, I have long been a fan of their wagyu, which I have enjoyed multiple times at Wagyu-Ya on Chevron every time I am at the Gold Coast. Tender and juicy, it was rich and buttery with every morsel. Coupled with the ponzu to cut through the decadence and added with fragrance of truffle and crunchy garlic chips, this was an amazing dish.

Our next dish was the highlight of my night, which was a hard call because everything was so wonderful, but also not that difficult to choose because it was my undisputed favourite Toro Nigiri and Negitoro. Known as the Kobe Beef of the sea, it is the most coveted part of the Tuna, which has long been prized for its taste, texture and scarcity. With its visibly apparent veins of fat and glistening meat, each bite was an absolute pleasure to eat and would melt into your mouth. Added with the fragrance of green onions in negitoro, you couldn't ask for a better combination in sushi.

Continuing with our seafood courses, next we had the truffle butter seared hokkaido scallop. Each parcel was plump and firm. The crisp caramelized top and bottom provided the perfect foil for the tender juicy centre. Absorbing the truffle butter like a sponge, each morsel was fragrant and heavenly.

 

Our following course was the truffle omelette. Although it can be said that omelette is a fairly simple dish, it requires a lot of skill to execute well. With a generous amount of truffle in the omelette as well as served on top, the aromas were intoxicating. Served with a light soy sauce, it was well enjoyed by everyone on the table.

Another highly decadent course, this was the aburi wagyu and foie gras with freshly shaved truffle. Again with the very creamy and rich Jack's Creek Wagyu, this time topped with the buttery fois gras, finished with truffle ponzu and more shaved truffle, it was an opulent dish to say the least. 

For those of you wondering what happened to the lobster head after we ate the body, our next course was the lobster and pipi miso soup. With the generous amount of seafood infused in the soup, it was very intense in flavour and gave the miso a punch that it normally doesn't encompass. 

Rounding off our meal with a heavier meat was the grain fed lamb cutlet with mash. I love the soft lamb cutlets infused with herbs and garlic perched atop creamy mash with gravy. This is definitely a degustation where you will roll out completely full and I cannot recommend it more.

At a starting price of $150 per person, it is well worth every cent. Better than any fine dining experience I've had in town and with carefully selected quality ingredients, I know who I will be going to for all special occasions from now on.