Fill the Bowl - Brisbane CBD

Hadn't been to Fudo Dori for a while and we decided to grab a quick bite before heading to the movies. These days there are quite a few options for Malatang in the city, but it was still quite a good fit for the Asian cuisine in fudo dori.  

 

By now the process is almost automatic. Grab a bowl and a pair of tongs, pick up whatever you want and then line up to have it weighed and pay. The range was fairly extensive but of course not the most extensive I've had before. I like the fact that it had a good variety of veggies, seafood and offal on top of your usual meat, noodle and tofu options.

Filling our bowl to our heart's content, it was hard not to over order.

At $31 per kg, the prices were fairly standard. I was grateful that there were options for reduced spicy soup.

Getting a buzzer after we ordered, we picked up our bowl when it went off. There was a very small sauce station with one of the most limited condiment stations I had ever seen, so I didn't go for too much other than soy sauce.

With a mild amount of spice, it had just the right amount of zing, but the soup was definitely comparatively bland and one dimensional. The potato starch noodles were cooked al dente with good bounce to it. The beef was a bit overcooked but the mushrooms and veggies were quite well done. I don't consider this to be a stand out option in the city, but it was a fairly decent meal for the price.

Price Range: $15 - $25pp

Taste: 7/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 7/10

Winghaus - Brisbane CBD

Grabbed a late lunch with some friends after completing an escape room game at Escape Manor on Edward Street. Famished after the considerable exertion of brain power that we used up, we were keen on grabbing food nearby. Stumbling on WingHaus, a sports bar that focuses on wings and burgers which was highly recommended by colleagues, we went to check it out. 

Much like my experience with El Camino, they haven't done physical menus since covid and we accessed the menu and ordered online via their QR code on the serviette box. There was a good selection of burgers, wings and sides with a large variety of beers and other drinks. 

One friend had the chicken burger which she said was done really well with a fluffy bun, crispy chicken, fresh salad and a fairly generous portion of fries. 

Not wanting to miss out on trying the wings at Winghaus, I got some boneless wings to share with Korean and Teriyaki sauce. The pieces were very small and it was hard to discern whether one piece equated to one wing or whether one wing was broken up into many pieces. The batter was a bit thick but very crispy and not oily. Sauces were a little sweet for my liking.

We also had a serve of fries to share. These were drenched in bbq and ranch sauce. Like the chicken it was freshly fried and cispy. The sauces weren't particularly compelling but there was nothing wrong with them either. Would definitely come back at a later point for after work drinks with colleagues. 

 Price Range: $15 - $25pp

Taste: 7.5/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 7/10

Xin Chao - Fortitude Valley

Rainy days are the best for a hot bowl of noodles. Last Wednesday when it bucketed down, we found ourselves at Newstead running a couple of errands at dinner time. Wanting something warm and nourishing, we decided to check out Xin Chao along King Street for dinner.

We took the last table available and were given a menu upon arrival and ordered at the counter. The menu consisted of everything you would expect from a Vietnamese restaurant with rice paper rolls, noodles and rice dishes along with salad and sides. Not feeling overly adventurous, we stuck with our usual favourites. 

Starting with entrees, this was the Imperial Spring Rolls with Crab and Prawn. A lot smaller than the usual, these were wrapped in netting instead of the usual and  fried to a crisp. The skin was a lot more delicate and enjoyable with the seafood flavours really coming through. 

We also had a serve of rare beef pho with extra noodles. The noodles were fresh and silky. Ordering extra noodle meant that we definitely had enough to share. Beef wise, there was definitely not as much as I have had at other places and was fairly overdone. The soup was also not very flavoursome and lacked a bit of depth. 

Our other main to share was the Lemongrass Pork Vermicelli Noodle Salad. There was definitely more pork than there was beef in the pho and it was strongly seasoned with sweet lemongrass. Toppings included a lot of fresh salad as well as some freshly fried spring rolls. Servings were generous and it really hit the spot.

Price Range: $20 - $30pp

Taste: 6.5/10

Value: 6/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 8/10 

Dirty Sultan - Fortitude Valley

After work drinks and snacks on a Friday afternoon with some coworkers and we decided to venture a little further than our usual at Jade Buddha, opting instead to go further out into the valley to try out Dirty Sultan on Constance for their Turkish themed drinks and snacks. 

The bar opened at 5 and we were one of the first groups there. Being a rooftop bar, views were quite wonderful but we weren't able to get a window seat as these were reserved for larger groups.

Aside from a cocktail menu, there were a selection of Turkish themed share plates which were all very reasonably priced. Service was fast and friendly.

 

For our first round of cocktails, I had the Farah which was their take on an espresso martini with Turkish coffee, spice blend and cappuccino froth. It tasted very much like the espresso martinis that I am used to but mixed with chai spices that added a warmth to the cup. My colleague had the Yasmin, a turkish delight drink with citrus hints. Trying some, this was very sweet and not very strong.

 

For our first round of food, we tried out the trio of dips and the trio of fries. Initially we were keen on trying out the trio of breads but it turns out that it didn't come with any dip, whereas the trio of dips did come with Turkish bread. The bread itself was extremely tasty and soft with a warm fluffy interior. The dips were all variations of hummus but the flavours were quite light and even the spicy one wasn't very spicy. The trio of chips were probably some of the best chips I have had in a long time. I particularly enjoyed the double fried potato chips which were served hot and had a good crunch to them. These also went well with our excess dips. 

Next round of cocktails was the Hira, a peach and apple tea with tequila. This was quite sweet and fruity with very strong hints of peach and apple whilst not being very strong in tequila. The portion size was good to share among small groups.

 

This was the three cheese cigars with mozzarella, feta and cheddar wrapped in flakey filo pastry. This was extremely crisp and the layers were light and delicious. The cheese in the middle was stringy and mildly flavoured, I would have enjoyed it with a bit more tasty cheddar.

Our final share plate was the Turkish Pide with slow cooked lamb, red pepper, tomato and fresh herbs. Compared to all the other dishes we had that evening, the flavour hit was intense. The base was thin and doughy with a nice crust on the outside. The spices on the lamb were very intense and I especially liked the tomato flavours which permeated not only the lamb but also the crust. 

 

Our last drink of the evening was the shared Taylan with plum and berry infused with vodka and gin. Like our previous drinks this was very sweet and fruity. The plum taste was definitely highlighted whilst the berry was a little understated. I would have preferred it to be a little less sweet, but it was still quite enjoyable.

Price Range: $50 - $70pp

Taste: 8/10

Value: 8/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 9/10 

Burrito Bar - Coorparoo

Visiting our friends at Coorparoo again last week and decided to get some food delivered. With a craving for Mexican, we opted for Burrito Bar at Coorparoo for some quick sustenance. 

This was a large serve of Pulled Pork Nachos. The corn chips were still fairly crisp when we got them and the topping was fresh and enticing, however the serving size was quite moderate to be labelled as large. The topping to chip ratio was fairly good and we were not short of any sauces, but there really wasn't too much pulled pork to go with the dish.

We also ordered a crunch wrap with grilled chicken to share. This was very similar to what I previously had at Taco Bell, and was fairly tasty with well seasoned ingredients, but for the price it was most definitely not worth what we got. Will probably not be back given the other Mexican options nearby.

Price Range: $20 - $25pp

Taste: 7/10

Value: 5/10

Service: N/A

Environment: N/A

 

Kubo's Bar and Grill - Coorparoo

Having gone around Coorparoo several times to visit a friend there have been multiple instances where we walked past Coorparoo Square in the afternoon and were captivated by the extremely fragrant scents of grilled meat from Kubo's. With this in mind, I mentioned it to a few friends and we made immediate plans to book a table. It was actually very important that we did because it books out extremely easily and for more popular dishes, we were even recommended to order early to make sure that we could get a serve. Arriving 10 minutes before opening time, there was already a queue of people lining up to get in.

 

There were quite a few traditional Filipino dishes along with some more localised dishes adapted for Australian tastes. We opted for the more traditional options. Service was friendly and fast but our food did take a while to come. 

First to arrive was the signature Crispy Pata, which was a crispy skin pork knuckle served with cabbage slaw and a light vinegar soy sauce. It was surprisingly very similar to German pork knuckle that I've previously tried. The meat was not very strongly marinated, but it was moist without being oily with a very crispy skin. The dipping sauce was also lightly flavoured but refreshing.

 

Another traditional dish we tried, this was the Adobo Chicken with a serve of rice. With a sweet soy sauce base and spring onion on top, it resembled Taiwanese three cup chicken, especially when served with rice. Wholesome and delicious, albeit a bit sweet, it was quite enjoyable.

My favourite of the meal was the BBQ pork and chicken platter. With a selection of chicken and pork skewers as well as a bbq half chicken. The skewers were delicious and also covered with a honey soy glaze akin to those we've had from the Noodle Night Markets in previous years. They could be enjoyed alone or with rice. The BBQ chicken was one of the best I've had in a while, with a very charred fragrance which I enjoyed. Would definitely come back, but next time we'll be sure to grab some more vegetable options to balance out our meats.

Price Range: $20 - $30pp

Taste: 8/10

Value: 8/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 8/10