Attimi - Paddington

Another week, another date night. This time I had originally no fixed plans on what to do but received a notification on Monday that Attimi, an Italian fine dining restaurant had just been added to first table and therefore we could enjoy their course meals for half price. We made a reservation immediately.

 

Attimi is located on Given Terrace in Paddington, at the shopfront which used to house Nota, where Dr L and I had our first date many years ago. We had noted it down when it had opened but at that price point, there were quite a few more places that sat above it on the list, so it stayed there until now. Under the terms of first table, we could only pick from the short or long degustation menu, which suited us perfectly. Thus we ventured off on the travel Italy with us degustation, ordinarily retailing for $198pp.

Starting off with our drinks of the evening, I had the Cinzao Sour and Dr L had the Miele Messicano. I enjoyed the tangy citrus of the sour whilst he enjoyed the honey (and honeycomb) in his messicano. Both drinks were enjoyable and unique although not particularly strong. Notably we were queried by the waitress at every course throughout the evening whether we wanted to order a second drink, a point which stood out as going a bit over the top when we had declined so many times.

Although it would have been fair for the chef to have known that we were definitely going to order the degustation, I was also a little surprised that the first course didn't show up until around 40 minutes after we had been seated.

Starting off with snacks inspired by Sardegna, we had the Rosemary Carasau, Smoked Stracciatella, Olasagasti Anchovies and Green Tomatoes. Although it didn't look as outstanding as the rest of the snacks in this course, it was the crowd favourite. The carasau was light and crispy whilst the stracciatella was rich and creamy with the anchovies providing just the right amount of umami kick that you would want in a dish like this.

Also part of the first round of snacks was the  Romagna Fish Crisp, Ricotta & Tarama, White Sardines, Lemon zest and Fresh Oregano, inspired by Emilia. It is probably one of the most iconic dishes at Attimi with its eye catching fish bone crisp which was buttery and crumbly, defying my expectations. The ricotta with sardines infused the dish with scents of the ocean without being overly fishy.

We also had an Ultimate Arancino, Carnaroli Rice, Porcini Mushrooms, Truffle Mayo, Lemon Thyme inspired by Sicilia. Although it looked like a mushroom cross section, it was actually a rice ball shaped like a mushroom. Served fresh and warm but not scalding hot, it was complimented by the delightful truffle mayo that was strong but not overpowering.

The wait for our next set of snacks wasn't as long as our first one, but it did take a little while before they landed on our table.

Of all the courses we enjoyed that night, Dr L and I both enjoyed the Cecina Waffle, Miso Salsa Verde, Smoked Labneh,  Stone Axe 8/9 Wagyu Tongue, Pickles from Toscana the most. The wagyu tongue was sliced paper thin but was still cooked in a way where it retained its moisture whilst having absorbed a lot of seasoning. The waffle was crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.

This was the Confit Garlic Filo Tart, Whipped Coral Trout & Jerusalem Artichoke and Roe, hailing from Veneto. It was a bite sized morsel of goodness. The tart was light and crumbly and we really liked the decadent cream cheese with roe on top. 

The Crispy Saffron Risotto, 24 months Galloni Prosciutto, Stracciatella with EQ Caviar from Lombardia was a little bit like deja vu, since we just had the ultimate arancini in the last course. Again, it was served warm and crispy, but I liked it more than the arancini with the savoury prosciutto and umami from the caviar. 

Bread is always a contentious topic for me when it comes to fine dining but the Homemade Sourdough Focaccia with Prosciutto Infused Cultured Butter from Liguria was an absolute delight. Served with a crusty exterior and toasty hot enough that it was able to melt the butter, I loved it.

Accompanying the bread was the Handmade Agnolotti, Oxtail Vaccinara Ragu’, Confit Celeriac, Gorgonzola with Oxalis from Lazio. The pasta skin wasn't too thick and we really enjoyed the meaty morsels of beef. I just wish that there could have been a little bit more sauce to mop up with my bread.

Next up was the Cured Coral Trout, Prosciutto & Cardamom Sauce, Grapefruit, Chilli Oil and Barley from Abruzzo. I like that the portion of trout wasn't too small, allowing me a few bites to appreciate the savoury flavours of prosciutto and cardamom. The trout was lightly fried and the skin was dry and a bit crispy. 

 

 Our meal reached a crescendo at the Full Blood Stone Axe Wagyu Sirloin, MBS 8/9, Peppercorn Sauce, Pear, Celery, Parsnip Puree with Red Wine Jus from Trentino-Alto Adige. At this point we were quite full but the steak was still spectacular. Perfectly cooked with a pink interior, it was seared with a light crisp crust. The pear offered a unique sweet twist to it. I also like that the portion was served to allow for us to have more than two bites to enjoy the course. 

Cleansing our palate with the Limoncello and Mint Oil from Sicily, it was a sharp and tangy granita type course, but the mint oil was quite tame and I wish it was able to shine through a bit more. 

 

The second highlight of our meal was Attimi’s “Ferrero” Rocher inspired by Piemonte. I was initially a little worried that the dessert would be way too sweet for my liking, but this turned out to be fairly unfounded. Although it was very rich and decadent with its creamy hazelnut chocolate and delicious hazelnut chunks, it was thankfully not excessively sugary. I was glad to have shared this with Dr L as I wouldn't have been able to finish this on my own.

Washing down the ferrero rocher was a small glass of hazelnut milk. This was served perfectly warmed up with a rich nutty taste without being too sweet at all. It provided a wonderful accompaniment to our dessert, making for a fantastic finale to our three and a half hour dinner.

Topping off our meal, we were each given a home made madeline to take away. This sweet gesture really set Attimi apart from other fine dining places I've been at lately, it ensured that we were thinking about the meal long after we had left the premises. Reheating it the morning after to go with my coffee, it was quite sweet but had a clear citrus-y zing from the zest infused into the little cake. 

In my estimation, there were a lot of things that Attimi could improve on, such as not plying customers for drinks so many times and by speeding up the gaps between courses, however when it comes to the quality of  each course we had, I found them to be largely faultless. I would probably not be as much of a fan if I had paid full price for the meal, since a few of the courses were very carb heavy and relied on chef craftsmanship rather than sheer value of ingredients, however at the discounted price, we were very impressed with what we had and would gladly return for another long dinner.

Price Range: $200 - $250pp (without discount)

Taste: 8.5/10

Value: 9/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 8/10 
 

Mr Bills - Belmont

Banh mi is one of those things that everyone loves but everyone has their own favourite store. One of our good friends Mr A had tried to convince me for a while to try out his favourite, Mr Bills for some time now. Unfortunately, they had closed for a brief stint when their premises in Tingalpa closed for redevelopment and it's only recently that they re-opened, in a bowls club of all places. Keen as ever to evangelise Mr Bills, Mr A held his birthday party at the bowls club and we were finally able to try it out for ourselves.

Despite being run out of the kitchen of a bowls club, the menu was surprisingly large and encompassed almost everything you'd find at a Vietnamese restaurant in Inala such as rice, noodles, banh mi and other snacks. I was pretty tempted by the pho, but stayed on track. The owner was especially warm and friendly, making a genuine effort to greet customers and remember their names.

It didn't take too long for our food to arrive. I was unable to choose two banh mi to sample, so Dr L and I ended up with three, conveniently cut up in half so we could try everything.

Starting off with the best of three, this was the Roast Pork banh mi. Although it didn't have as much meat content as the most recent one I've had at Banh Mi Station, I'd say each aspect of this was fairly close to perfection. The bun was extremely fresh with a crispy exterior that we loved and a super light and fluffy interior. There was a generous amount of pate and butter in the bun, offering rich creaminess to the mix. The pork belly was exceptionally tasty, crisp and warm. If I had to critique this I would have said there was a little bit too much chilli and coriander for my liking, but it really added a kick to the bun and didn't overpower the pork.

Our least favourite of the three was the Crispy Chicken. In saying that, it was by no means bad. The salad and bun were still delicious and the chicken was undoubtedly crispy as described but the meat itself wasn't as well seasoned as the pork. When I come back I probably won't order this but try something else instead.

Three little piggies was our last banh mi and it contained a selection of three pork cold cuts to go with their bun and salad. I was expecting to enjoy this one the least but it was really delicious, particularly because the bun itself was warmed up to provide a contrast in temperatures. I would order this again next time I'm back.

We also tried the drinks including an iced coffee and a lychee milk tea. Both were alright given the location but not particularly good. We found both to be too sweet and the coffee could have been a little stronger.

Overall, we had a really enjoyable time at Mr Bills. They're not "the best" in Brisbane but well within the top ten I'd say. I was very surprised at the quality of the banh mi and will definitely be back to try more very soon.

Price Range: $15 - $25pp

Taste: 9/10

Value: 8/10

Service: 9/10

Environment: 6/10 

Oshin - Brisbane CBD

With the economic downturn continuing, I am personally finding it harder and harder to justify opening the purse for decadent indulgences without cause. Thus, Dr L and I have been making a lot more effort to look for value dining options for date night. One place that has recently afforded us many enjoyable nights out is the first table booking platform, where customers can score 50% off the food bill provided a number of conditions are met (such as ordering a full priced drink and going at off peak times). 

 

Most recently we made arrangements for a return visit to Oshin, probably one of the longest standing Japanese restaurants in Brisbane.

Whilst I do go to oshin every now and again for lunch when I'm in the office, I most certainty haven't gone for dinner. Also as a point of interest, Oshin is also one of the earlier places covered off on the early days of my blog. Looking back at the post, I'm surprised that they haven't really changed much at all in 11 years.

Despite scoring a table on first table, we arrived to a moderately full restaurant. Service was efficient and friendly. The menu was provided quickly and offered quite a few assortments of sushi, sashimi, mains and bentos. My focus that night though was the course meals, particularly the bamboo course that went for $60pp at full price.

As mentioned, to score our discount required ordering one full priced drink per person. I was quite taken aback when browsing the drinks menu to see that they had a full sized bottle of umeshu, available for the price of $36. Querying the waitress, she allowed us to order this in lieu of two individual drinks. Although this was definitely a low end choya umeshu, given the bottle usually retails for $24, the mark up was very reasonable and we enjoyed the sweet fruity plum throughout our meal.

Starting off with a large sashimi platter, this didn't fall within the scope of the banquet but I couldn't resist getting an extra sashimi platter whilst we had the discount. For $60, this was definitely not good value if we paid full price and by my estimation, barely worthwhile at half price. Although the fish was fairly thickly sliced, it was nowhere near as fresh as we would have liked. Dr L noted particularly that the tuna was very fishy and we wouldn't order this platter again.

Starting off with our course menu, the chawanmushi was served steaming hot. Infused with a homely dashi, shiitake mushrooms and some chicken, it was a good start to the meal.

 

The chef's special course came soon after and was followed by the sashimi and nigiri course. I had to ask the waitress to articulate what the course was: a steamed piece of wintermelon topped with unagi and a lightly battered piece of kingfish. Both items were unique and probably represented odds and ends the chef had on hand but the taste was good, the light wintermelon complimenting the sweet soy unagi well. Our sashimi and nigiri course was surprisingly far better than the starting sashimi platter. I really enjoyed the mackeral sushi and the cuts of fish provided were somehow a bit fresher than the platter. Portion sizes for both courses were generous.

Our tempura course came next. Comprising of one prawn, a piece of fish fillet and three pieces of veggies each, they came fresh out of the fryer with a light tempura batter. Again the portion sizes were generous for the banquet and I was impressed with the quality of the prawns and fish.

Our meal peaked with the shabu shabu being set up on our table. With a traditional cast iron pot atop a gas stove, it was very authentic. The amount of meat and veggies served for the two of us was also extremely generous.

Each person was also provided two dipping sauces, a sweet sesame and a sour ponzu. I didn't like the sesame as it was way too sweet for my liking. Additionally, we had one bowl of rice each and a miso soup to wash our meal down too. 

The shabu shabu was really fantastic. I enjoyed the light delicate dashi broth that let the flavours of the veggies and meat shine. Although the beef wasn't extremely marbled, it was fresh, tender and thinly sliced. I also particularly liked the vermicelli noodle that soaked up the broth as well as the tofu that complimented the dipping sauces well. 

Just as we were about to entirely run out of stomach capacity, dessert was served. Dr L had a scoop of black sesame ice cream whilst I had matcha. I have no doubt that these were store bought and evidently not made in house, however the quality was good enough. The flavours were moderately strong enough for our liking and the texture was definitely not icy but not artisan gelato tier but we still enjoyed it.

With exception of the sashimi platter at the start, I had no complaints with our meal at Oshin. In the current climate you see quite a few restaurants pushing out "value" banquets at the $50 - $60pp price point where each course consists of a tiny morsel of food and the main sized steak needs to be shared. In comparison even at the regular price of $60pp, I consider the Bamboo banquet to be excellent value with a few pieces of higher value items and enough food that we were entirely stuffed. Once you discount it further by 50%, this becomes an exceptional meal which I couldn't make at home on that cost price. Needless to say we had a fantastic time and will make an effort to revisit.

Price Range: $50- $60pp

Taste: 8/10

Value: 9.5/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 6/10