Le Boulangerie Amour Fou - Salisbury

Last week, Dr L decided that he would finally learn to drive. Not wanting to miss any opportunities to try out nearby places that are not easily accessible by public transport, we made a quick pit stop at one of my favourite bakeries, Le Boulangerie Amour Fou, which had opened a new branch in Salisbury. 

There were a few people in the bakery when we arrived, but nowhere near near the queues of Agnes or Lune. There was a huge variety of baked goodies, vastly more than either of their Sunnybank stores. It appears that they also sold coffee, I almost got some but saw that it was from an instant coffee machine behind the counter so decided otherwise.

In the end, we got four different pieces to share between the two of us.

This was the Garlic Rosson, the only savoury pick of the day. It was fairly large and extremely fragrant. It was light and fluffy on the inside whilst covered with a cheesy garlic crust on the outside. For the price, it was a very big portion and I was glad to have someone share it with me otherwise I wouldn't have been able to finish it.

Next up was the Croissant Grande which was a plain croissant with maple glaze. The size was quite small especially when compared to the likes of Lune or Superthing, but it was a fraction of the price. The croissant was a little dry and not too buttery, but had a decent amount of layers as well as a sweet maple glaze which I really enjoyed and would definitely order again.

I can't ever go to Le Boulangerie Amour Fou without getting one of their Mochi Q Balls to go. This is my favourite chocolate chip ball. It is deliciously chewy and elastic on the inside with a light crunch to the exterior and sprinkled generously with chocolate chips. Definitely one of my favourites in baked goods.

Our last piece was the decadent Dark Coco. It had a rich dark chocolate and cream cheese filling encased in a fluffy chocolate bun. This was delicious and not overly sweet but a little small for the price. I probably wouldn't get this one again next time but would be keen to try the other bread.

Price Range: $5 - $15pp

Taste: 8.5/10

Value: 8/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 8/10

Malolo Poke - Brisbane CBD

Having enjoyed a super delicious poke bowl recently, I decided that this week would be a good opportunity to try out another place in town. This week's poke bowl comes from Malolo Poke, conveniently situated in Gresham lane. Like last week, I ordered ahead of time and the food was waiting for me the moment I arrived.

Like last time, the poke bowl came back to the office with me unscathed. Unlike Aqua, there were a lot less Japanese type ingredients. My bowl comprised of a brown rice and cabbage base topped with tuna and salmon. It also had cucumber, onion, shallots, kale, citrus ponzu, shallots and tobiko.

Compared to last time, the flavours were definitely more intense. The salmon and tuna were unfortunately not as fresh though, but there was an ample amount of sauce to cover up the fishiness. The rice was fairly firm and coarse as is expected of brown rice, but this was also complimented by the citrus ponzu. Portion wise this wasn't too generous and although I was full after it, I became hungry pretty soon after. I think next time I'll stick with either Cheeky or Aqua poke.

Price Range: $15 - $25

Taste: 6/10

Value: 6/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: N/A

Frankie's Smokehouse - Woolloongabba

Grabbed a quick end of week lunch with a friend last week for a long overdue catch up. Not wanting to stray too far from home, we went to Frankie's Smokehouse in Woolloongabba, a fairly popular American BBQ joint that I've heard a number of good reviews about.

A booking is recommended because the place is quite busy. Parking is also very hard to find.

 

As expected at a bbq place, the menu had all the essentials, ribs, brisket and pulled pork in various combinations along with some salads and sides. 

We ordered at the counter and were given a buzzer for our food. Luckily for us, the food didn't take too long to come out.

This was the platter for two. It came with beef brisket, hot links, pulled pork, slaw and pickles along with some fries and bread rolls. We added a serve of brisket since we were dining as a group of three. Of the meats, the brisket was my favourite of the evening, moist and tender, it was a little bland in flavour but went well with the bbq sauce. I didn't particularly like the pulled pork as it was quite dry and stringy, but again the sauce rectified this. The salads were ample but didn't stand out in particular, although I did enjoy the sour crunchy pickles. The side of chips was very generous and crispy, fresh out of the fryer. The bread rolls were fairly average though.

As we had a third person, we also added a serve of loaded fries. This was topped with pulled pork, brisket and sauce. Again portions were huge and the fries were fresh. My earlier misgivings about how dry the pulled pork was was alleviated by the ample amount of sauce. 

For three people, there was definitely too much food and we had to get some take away. Overall, I would say that there are better options elsewhere for American BBQ. It wasn't too bad but I would be in no rush to return any time soon.

Price Range: $30 - $40pp

Taste: 6/10

Value: 6/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 7/10

Aqua Poke - Brisbane CBD

Poke is defined as a Hawaiian dish, literally translated into "cut crosswise into pieces", it comprises of diced raw fish that is either eaten as an appetiser or a main. In contrast, Chirashi Sushi is a bowl of rice topped with raw fish and a garnish of vegetables. So can a dish be both poke and chirashi? That's the question I asked and answered when I got some lunch last week from Aqua Poke at the Myer Centre.

Ordering ahead of time meant it was ready and waiting for me to pick it up. Service was very friendly.

Taking it back to my office, I was glad to see that it didn't get damaged too much in transit. I had a regular bowl with salmon and tuna, spinach, tomatos, cucumber, tamago and tobiko with some added scallop sashimi. The base was sushi rice and it was topped with seaweed salad as well as seaweed, all very common additions to a chirashi don. It was notable that the truffle soy I asked for was non existent, however at least the sushi rice was well seasoned enough to ensure the bowl was well flavoured. I found the sashimi to be quite fresh, although the portion could have been more generous, but the flavours went together well and it made for a delicious light and healthy lunch. 

 

Price Range: $15 - $20pp

Taste: 7.5/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: N/A

Eat Mii - West End

Last week we tried to get brunch at Picnic at West Village before an appointment. Turns out that they were completely packed and it would have been a 40 minute wait for a table before we could even start waiting for food. Normally I would have waited, but we left as we wouldn't have been able to make our appointment otherwise. Turns out that it gave me the perfect opportunity to try out Eat Mii, a few hundred metres away. I've walked past the Vietnamese restaurant several times before and every time been captivated by the wafting fragrances of food

Arriving at around 11, there was quite a bit of confusion from the amount of people standing around inside the restaurant. Turns out that you get a menu at the counter and ordering is also then done at the counter.

 

Although the menu wasn't too long, it contained quite a few classic dishes as well as a few new ones I hadn't seen before, notably the sizzling steak, which we definitely ordered.

Always one to order Pho when it's on the menu, I had standard rare beef with some extra noodles. I was grateful that I had ordered extra noodles because the bowl on its own was not all that big. The extra noodles though were very generous, effectively doubling the noodle content. The noodles were smooth but unusually oily. The beef was a bit tough and there weren't many slices at all, but the soup was wholesome and fragrant. It's not bad but there are quite a few better options on Hardgrave Road.

Dr L had the signature Beef steak, fried egg, special pork meats ball, mushroom, and a Vietnamese baguette. We've never had this before but it reminded us a bit of the Taiwanese sizzling steaks. The steak itself wasn't large, but it also wasn't chewy. The wholesome gravy had quite a lot of meat juices and was delicious. The fried egg was runny and the meatballs had a good bounce. Surprisingly the best element for us was the baguette. It looked huge but it was unbelievably light and fluffy with a crunchy crust that didn't cut into our mouths. It went super well with the beef sauces.

 

Drinks wise, he had the Iced Chocolate whilst I had the Vietnamese Iced Coffee. Usually the Iced Chocolate is quite a sight to behold but today's was quite plain. It was however cold and refreshing, albeit a bit light on the chocolate taste. On the other hand my iced coffee was very strong and not too sweet, probably one of the best Viet Iced Coffees I've ever had and definitely welcome in the hot weather.

Price Range: $20 - $25pp

Taste: 7.5/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 7/10

La Lupa - West End

At least one night a week, Dr L and I have been trying to make an effort to go out after work for date night. This came about for a multitude of reasons such as not wanting to become hikikomoris as well as wanting to go out a bit more to support local businesses in addition to finding content for this blog. With that in mind, we took the (very long) walk out to La Lupa, situated on the further side of West End for a quiet dinner.

Their menu was fairly short and there was a selection of pasta and pizza. Having heard quite good things about both, we opted for one of each. 

Unlike some of the other Italian places we have been to recently, bread was not complimentary. We ordered a serve of daily baked bread and evo. The price was a little high for what it was but at least we had four slices. The bread was quite crusty and delicious, but it would have been a nice touch if we could have ordered two slices instead of the full serve of four.

Having heard so many good things about their pizzas, I opted to try the Tartufata which was topped with mozzarella, parmesan cream, sausage and truffle tapenade. Although it wasn't as good as Julius, we really enjoyed the pizza. Usually truffle pizzas are vegetarian or at least have a very small amount of meat, but this was very generous in its sausage content. The truffle flavours were quite strong, strong enough in fact to overcome the smoky sausage flavours which made for a flavoursome but balanced dish. The base was thin and fluffy at the edges but quite soggy in the middle.

When we have a white based pizza, we always like to balance it out with a red based pasta. Our pick of the night was the Pappardelle with slow cooked beef cheek ragu, Grana Padano and parsley. For a main, the size was somewhat lacking. Having said that the taste was fantastic. The pasta was freshly made and cooked tender but not soggy. I liked the rich tomato of the sauce and the abundance of shredded meat, it was quite delicious. To wrap up, it was a nice chance to try somewhere I've been interested in for a long time, but with the fierce competition nearby and across the river, they'll need to step up their game for us to return. Dr L was notably not impressed with the mandatory card charges for both credit and debit, which is a point that had to be added.

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Laced Espresso - Brisbane CBD

It is not an understatement to say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. In fact a good breakfast can put most people in a good mood for the rest of the day. The opposite is true also. Last week, I managed to get into the city with an extra 10 minutes to spare thanks to the bus being faster than usual for once. Pondering whether or not to go to the office early, I decided instead to treat myself to a rare breakfast before work to start the day on a high note. To this point I was reminded that a friend had told me about Laced, a sneaker store and cafe on Adelaide St, which was on my way to work. I decided to try it out.

When I arrived, there was only one lady waiting for her coffee before me, so I was served fairly quickly. 

Opting for a brekky roll and coffee combo, I was expecting something similar to my usual at Bellezza in Blue Tower where my meal would be ready in less than 5 minutes. Unfortunately the same could not be said about laced, who turned my being early by 10 minutes to being late by 5 minutes which was all the more surprising as they weren't overly busy that morning.

Coffee wise, I had a skinny cappuccino. This was served quite hot. It wasn't overly strong nor was the milk particularly creamy, but it was fragrant and had the requisite caffeine hit. The coffee prices though are a little more expensive than other local cafes so given that quality is average, there doesn't appear to be much reason to return for the coffee.

I was really surprised at how long it took for them to make the brekky roll which I had presumed would have been largely pre made, save for reheating due to the expected early morning volume. This was not the case and it took an exceptionally long time for them to make. This would have been forgivable if the roll was particularly tasty, but it was not. The bread roll was a little stale and quite hard. The bacon was also dry and the egg was a little overdone. Give the fairly dry combination, the lack of sauce made it all the less palatable. It pains me to say that this is probably one of the worst breakfasts I've had in town lately. Given the level of competition that other venues offer, I definitely won't be back.

Price Range: $5 - $15pp

Taste: 4/10

Value: 4/10

Service: 4/10 (friendly but SO slow)

Environment: 6/10
 

City Limits Cafe - West End

Haven't been trying out all that many new brunch places lately, so when our friend M said he'd take us to his favourite cafe in town, we jumped at the opportunity. City Limits Cafe is situated at the busy intersection between Boundary Street and Melbourne Street at West End. In the last few years, I've noticed quite a few cafes take up that spot but have never been. 

 

Arriving just after 10, there were a few spots outside still but we grabbed the last inside table. The menu was a few pages long with classic breakky options and a highly customizable omelette menu. Prices were fantastic, cheaper than any other cafes I've been to in many years.

Ordering is done at the counter and you are given a number to take to your table.

We had already had coffee earlier in the day but the big brekky came with one juice each, making it amazing value for $14. The juice was nothing special, but the portion was generous and I liked the fact that it was pulp free and not overly bitter.

This was the big brekky. It comes with sausage, bacon, eggs, tomato and two pieces of toast as they had run out of hash browns for the day. As you can see, one of the eggs had been broken, but other than that, it's not all that different to a breakfast that I could have made at home. It was a bit basic, but other than the egg, all elements were executed quite well. The value alone is reason to return.

I had the salmon eggs benny to try something different. Comprising of English muffins with spinach, smoked salmon, a poached egg, hollondaise and a roasted tomato, it was exactly as I had imagined it to be. The egg was done perfectly with a fully cooked white and a partially cooked yolk. The sauce was creamy and delicious. I especially liked the variation of using English muffins instead of standard sourdough. I definitely enjoyed the meal and will be back again soon.

Price Range: $10 - $20pp

Taste: 8/10

Value: 9/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 5/10
 

Santa Monica - Brisbane CBD

Every week I try to explore the vicinity of my new workplace for some interesting lunch ideas. Starting close to the office, I wandered down for a quick take away from Santa Monica. I had tried to order my food in advance online for pick up but due to some confusion in the kitchen, they hadn't even started making my food by the time I arrived. In a way it was annoying because I had to wait longer for my meal but it was also good because I knew that what I was a getting was fresh.

Luckily it didn't take too long and my relatively simple order was completed within 5 minutes. I had the Truffle Wagyu Burger, which came with a side of fries for good measure. The portion of chips was really generous and they were freshly fried and lightly salted. The only thing that would have made them better would have been some dip, otherwise they were fantastic.

The burger wasn't as great as the chips, The bun wasn't overly fresh, and it was a little dry and stale. The beef patty was also a little dry even though it was pink enough inside. This was somewhat alleviated by the creamy truffle sauce which was the highlight of the burger. Despite being freshly made, the cheese hadn't really melted and was a little plastic-y on top of the pattie. Salad was a little lacking too. Overall not somewhere I'd go back to in a hurry. 

Price Range: $15 - $25pp

Taste: 6/10

Value: 5/10

Service: 5/10

Environment: 7/10