Doodee Boran - Brisbane CBD

 

Some readers would know that I have a tendency to follow my hunger down (dodgy looking) alleyways and to date it has paid off. Due to a lack of laneway culture in Brisbane, I haven't been able to always do the same thing here, but I still try to do so as much as I can. Last week, we did just that and tried out the relatively new Doo Dee Boran, situated in a nondescript laneway along Charlotte Street. 

The restaurant was large and spacious for one so well hidden. Staff were very friendly and attentive during our meal.

Having tried an assortment of Thai food to date, I was used to the salads, noodles, rice and curry dishes on offer and it didn't take long for us to order.

What was quite interesting, and allegedly quite authentic was the numerous sauces and seasonings we were given with our meal, comprising of straight out raw sugar to chili flakes, vinegar chilli and soy chilli, we had quite a few choices. 

My dish of the night was the Ducky Noodle, it was some stir fried soya noodle with roast duck and a side of clear broth. Although the portion looked fairly generous on the plate, there wasn't too much noodles nor duck and it was mostly dominated by garnish and the side of chili soy sauce. The egg noodle itself was quite bouncy and delicious and the duck was flavoursome, but overall I only wish that they had a bit more by way of portions.

Dr L opted for the crab fried rice. It also came with a side of chilli sauce as well as clear broth. The portion was also quite small but delicious. I tried some of it and really enjoyed the morsels of fresh crab that accompanied the rice. I particularly like that the food wasn't overly sweet but wish there was more for us to enjoy, as a main alone wouldn't have been filling enough without sides.

Price Range: $10 - $20pp

Taste: 8/10

Value: 6/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 7/10 

Bellissimo - Coorparoo

First brunch of the new year and I decided to check out the new Bellissimo Coffee at Coorparoo. A short trek from Annerley, it was easy to locate and parking was also easy to find.

 

Arriving a little earlier than my companion, I took the liberty order a coffee first and browse the menu before she arrived. In addition to an extensive coffee menu, they had an adequate selection of brunch food mainly the traditional classic type with a few modern twists.

I ordered at the counter, the whole place was fantastic with a rustic look about it all, I particularly appreciated the industrial coffee roasting gear around the place. Staff were very friendly.

 

 My first coffee was the cappuccino on skim milk. It was the silkiest and smoothest that I had in a very long time. The coffee was strong, a little bit acidic but not very bitter. Although the milk was skim, it was deliciously rich. When my companion arrived, I ordered an iced long black. This was also smooth and delicious with a strong caffeine hit. 

Food wise, I had the Eggs your way, comprising of  two poached eggs, thick Canadian bacon, roast mushroom, spinach and sourdough. Defaulting to my standard eggs on toast, the eggs were poached well with a runny yolk but solid whites. I was a little disappointed in the solitary slice of white bread, but the amount of spinach and bacon was generous. The bacon was thicker than I am usually used to but still not really as thick as other thick cut bacon I've had previously. The flavours were delicious and the spinach was especially flavoursome. I really enjoyed this dish but wish that there was an additional slice of sourdough.

My companion ordered the Salmon Brioche Toasted Brioche which contained house salmon gravlax, creme fresh and cucumber salsa. I managed to steal a corner of this (for science). The brioche was wonderfully crispy with a fluffy interior. There wasn't as much salmon as I expected, but it was deliciously smokey. I liked the other condiments which were creamy but also still fresh. The dish would have been definitely more enjoyable if there was some more salmon, otherwise it was perfectly enjoyable. I would definitely be keen to come back, especially to buy some freshly roasted coffee.

Price Range: $20 - $30pp

Taste:

Value:

Service:

Environment:

Roti Buddy - Sunnybank

Boxing day and we were out hunting for dinner after watching Matrix Resurrections. There wasn't much open in the city which is how we ended up at Sunnybank. Wandering around, we stumbled upon the newly opened Roti Buddy, apparently sister store of Roti and Buns, so we checked it out.

The restaurant wasn't too packed and it was easy for us to find a table. The service was very friendly and the waiter was absolutely adorable and very hard working. The menu was quite limited though with not too much to choose from and I definitely had to get drinks next door from Just Coconut so we didn't get drinks here.

Our food didn't take very long to arrive. This was the Roti Canai upgraded to a beef mince and egg roti. It was quite a large serving with a substantial roti, filled with a generous amount of seasoned beef mince and egg and three side dishes and a small tub of curry sauce. The roti was wholesome and delicious without being too oily or greasy. I liked that the salad-y side more than the stir fried veggies. The curry sauce was flavoursome without being too spicy which was also great.

We also ordered a serve of DIY bao that came with deep fried chicken bites. It also came as a completely loaded plate. The chicken was crunchy but could have been more flavoursome. The bao was plain rather than lightly sweet which went well with the chicken. I also wish that there was a bit more chicken to go with the bao, otherwise it was a really enjoyable dish.

There was also an option to add on some waffle fries to go with the bao. Those who know me know that I can never say no to waffle fries. These were freshly fried, crisp and not too oily. The portion was generous and it made my meal all the more enjoyable. 

Since my meal, I've been told that Roti Buddy will be enhancing their menu, so I can't wait to be back to try it out again.

Price Range: $20 - $30pp

Taste: 7.5/10

Value: 5/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 8/10

Xing Fu Tang - Brisbane CBD

For those who frequent the city often, you would not have failed to notice the constant line up on Elizabeth Street. There is hardly anything else that could warrant such a line up other than the opening of yet another bubble tea store. This time, Taiwan's number one Xing Fu Tang, which has been popular around the world for their famous brown sugar bubble tea has finally arrived in Brisbane, deciding to throw itself among the already saturated strip near Hype Tea, Gong Cha and Ying Cha. Always keen to try it out, I lined up.

There really wasn't too many options on the menu and drinks were quite pricey with only a single size and variants between hot and cold. The focus was clearly on boba with a small selection of yoghurt.

What really stands out for me was not actually the tea, but the addition of the fortune cabinet for you to draw your fortune when you get your number after ordering. It's novel and great fun. I had a blast with this, even though mine told me to eat more veggies!

 

The fresh boba that they make on site and also cook in brown sugar syrup on on display was also a nice attraction too.

 

In order to have an accurate review (for science), I went twice. First time I had the Oolong tea, I could adjust the sugar level but not the ice. The tea itself was crisp, strong and refreshing but there was little over two mouthfuls of tea given the ice accounted for about three quarters of the volume of the cup, so whilst it was definitely tasty, it was extremely bad value. The second time, I had the Strawberry Boba Milk. Neither ice nor sugar was adjustable, but I absolutely had to try the freshly made boba. Turns out that it was soft and clumpy, so much that it had no firmness to it and tasted more or less just like mochi. The drink itself was fragrant but a little too sweet for my linking and there was also far too much ice and not enough drink. I can't say that I won't be back, because I like the fortune telling a lot, but there is definitely better bubble tea very close by.

Price Range: $5 - $15pp

Taste: 8/10

Value: 4/10
Service: 7/10

Environment: 8/10

Just Coconut - Sunnybank

There is hardly anything more satisfying than seeing your project come to fruition. My good friend Aunty Molly accomplished this with the opening of her long awaited dessert and drinks store, Just Coconut, on Level 2 of the newly completed building at Market Square. I was lucky enough to be able to check it out on opening night.

 

The menu was on point with almost all the drinks and desserts made out of coconuts imported straight from Thailand. Drinks consist of a series of coconut shakes, coconut water as well as coffees which could also be made with coconut milk. Desserts were coconut waffles with an assortment of toppings and coconut ice cream. 

I had thought that as it was their first day of trading, service would be slow. In fact it was as fast and efficient as a well oiled machine. Our drinks were made within five minutes, perfect for when you're in a rush or just really need that hit of refreshing coconut.

 

I tried both the Strawberry Coconut shake as well as the Tim Tam Coconut shake. Neither could be adjusted for sugar and ice, but the ice was blended in like a frappe and the sugar levels were fairly mild, much like a half sugar drink you would get from a bubble tea shop anyway. Dr L liked the Tim Tam shake which wasn't overly decadent and he found it chocolatey and very enjoyable. I also really liked my strawberry shake, I particularly like how it was separated into two layers, a delicious strawberry puree and then the coconut frappe, that way I could appreciate the coconut as is as well as the intense strawberry before mixing it through.

We had three food items to share. The first was the Nutella waffle. It was deliciously fluffy on the inside with a light and crisp exterior. The waffle itself was made with a considerable amount of shredded coconut. As someone who is not a huge fan due to the residue that it leaves in your mouth, there was definitely not too much of that. It goes without much saying that I am also a huge fan of Nutella and there was definitely a generous amount of Nutella on the waffle, which was a fantastic accompaniment.

 

Other than the Nutella Waffle, we also had the Peanut Butter Waffle and an Affogato. The Peanut Butter Waffle was just as good as the Nutella one, of course with the salty goodness of peanut butter. The affogato was made with a non dairy, coconut gelato (as you would expect), it was delightfully fresh and fragrant, with a texture that was far lighter than your regular dairy ice cream. I could eat so many scoops of this and not feel overwhelmed. The strong shot of coffee on top was also a delicious addition too. We had a great time at Just Coconut and can't wait to come back again to support Aunty Molly.

Price Range: $5 - $15pp

Taste: 8.5/10

Value: 8/10

Service: 9/10

Environment: 8/10

Double Maker - Brisbane CBD

End of the year always gets busy, other than birthdays and Christmas parties its also a time to meet with friends who you really should have seen more in the year for a belated catch up. With this in mind, I made plans to meet up with a dear friend at Double Maker Coffee last week. It is at the old shopfront of Coffee Anthology along Margaret Street, no longer a close walk to my work, at least it wasn't too sunny that day and I didn't get too burnt.

Seating was more or less just like Coffee Anthology, and I opted for some indoor seating so we could get air conditioning, but the light was obviously not as nice for my photos. We were given a menu and ordered at the counter. I liked the Asian twist on a lot of traditional cafe dishes. As the cafe was quite empty, service was exceptionally fast.

First to arrive was my cold brew. It was strong and refreshing without being overly bitter. I liked it a lot, especially on such a hot day.

My companion ordered the Miso Beef Burger, this came with a side of slaw and a hash brown. The portions were generous and my companion enjoyed the burger. With it's nori puree and miso mayo, this is definitely my pick next time I come here.

Opting for something out of the ordinary, I had the Mushroom Bulgogi Fettucine. The beef was quite well done and I would have preferred it a little pink, but the sweet soy flavours were delicious. It was a nice contrast to the rich creamy pasta which was cooked a little softer than al dente, just the way I like it. Portions were generous and the dish was fantastic. I would definitely recommend Double Maker and look forward to coming back again soon.

Price Range: $15 - $30pp

Taste: 8/10

Value:  7/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 7/10 
 

Barbecue Mafia - Coorparoo

Have been meaning to try out Barbecue Mafia for some time but never really got around to it because it was a little out of the way. But when a friend asked to catch up last week, it was a good opportunity to hang out not too far away. We made a reservation online and there wasn't too many people there on the day, largely on account of the rain.

 

They were changing their menus regularly so I wasn't able to get the platter for two I so keenly wanted to try. Instead they had things like Banh mi and Reubens on the menu. I was interested to try the Banh Mi but by the time we arrived it had sold out so we tried some other options.

This was the Texas BBQ box for one, it contained brisket, pulled pork, mac n cheese, pickles, chips and a bread roll. For one, it was a very generous serving of food that was packed with protein. I was told that the beef brisket had won quite a few awards and it was deliciously tender and moist without being oily. The added BBQ sauce added a lot to it by way of flavour too. In contrast I found the pulled pork to be a bit on the dry side. The mac and cheese was stringy and tender and the chips were crunchy. The bread roll was the weakest link, but a necessary part of the meal.

We also had some of the double smashies to share. Usually these are served with fries but we opted for no fries because of how much we had with the Texas BBQ boxes. These were probably the best cheeseburgers I've had in my life. The patties were crispy at the edges with the fat rendered away, they were thinly sliced and had a wonderful amount of gooey cheese on top. There were a few pickles to keep it fresh and it was sandwiched between some perfectly fluffy buns. I will definitely need to come back again as soon as possible for more cheeseburgers.

Price Range: $20 - $30pp

Taste: 9.5/10

Value: 8/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 4/10