German Sausage Hut - Brisbane CBD

If you walk along Burnett lane, one definitely cannot miss the German Sausage Hut. For a number of years, I've walked past it and wanted to try it out. I have tried to go on more than four occasions but arrived to find the place closed. For a store maintain its existence on such limited opening hours I was quite sure that it must be very good at what it does. So I tracked down the store's opening hours and met up with a friend for lunch last Tuesday.

We ordered at the counter and were given a number.

My companion ordered a frankfurter with chips and an extra sausage. I stole some of his chips, and they were very crispy and delicious, but as I have said on several occasions, with the increased competition on the food scene, it is probably better to make your chips stand out more by having herb seasoning of some kind to set itself apart from other generic chips. Nevertheless, they were tasty and we enjoyed them. The frankfurters were nicely grilled to be crispy on the outside, and juicy on the inside. 

I got the bratwurst and mash. The portion of mash provided was quite generous, and there were sufficient lumps to convince me that it wasn't premix, which was appreciated, and the gravy was warm and comforting. Again my sausage was crispy on the outside, but warm and juicy on the inside. It complemented the gravy and onions very well to create a very homey comforting lunch.

Price Range: $10 - $20 per person

Taste: 7/10

Value: 9/10

Service: 7/10

Environment; 7/10

Thyme² - Brisbane CBD

One of the advantages of being a foodie, is that everyone tells you when there are good deals on. On this note, I was advised that Thyme² at Sofitel had half price buffets if you booked through Dimmi. As with my previous entries on buffets, I will not bore you with excessive details, but merely give brief explanations on what we had.

Thyme 2 is situated on the ground floor, and you cannot miss the bustle of people as you enter. In fact the restaurant was full for lunch as far as we could see.

We were given one of the best tables in the house in my opinion. We had an excellent view of ANZAC square as well as the clock above central station.

We were pleasantly surprised to be advised that champagne was included in the buffet, and it was unlimited too. 

The seafood for the day included prawns and oysters. The prawns were very fresh, but the oysters were rather small. Luckily in a buffet, you can have as many as you want.

The french onion soup was also quite delicious. 

There was smoked salmon and a variety of ham. 

Other seafood available was mussels which was quite popular with my companions. Unfortunately they found the skewers to be quite tough though. Whilst the garlic bread was tasty, I would have liked it to be heated up a bit more.

Other than the seafood, I found the creamy bacon pasta to be quite delicious. The pasta was just the right texture, and the sauce was rich, but not overwhelming. The sushi, as expected, was a let down compared to specialised Japanese restaurants, but it was a good try. The rice could have been better seasoned, and for such an expensive buffet, they could have been far more generous with the amount of toppings on the sushi.

The caesar salad was refreshing and delicious, but in my opinion the lettuce could be chopped a little smaller. One piece of salad consisted of half the whole leaf, which was a bit big for my tastes. Other than that, the potato gratin was comforting and delicious.

The roast beef was slightly tough, but the red wine jus was very tasty.

A large variety of nuts, cheese and crackers were also available, though it didnt captivate me much.

I was far more keen on the desserts. Though I didnt take a picture, the chocolate fountain was quite the main attraction.

The red velvet cake was a little coarse for my liking, but the raspberry mousse definitely made up for what it lacked. The puffs were absolutely adorable and delectable, and the tiramisu was one of the better ones I've tried. It had all the required elements of coffee, mascarpone and lady finger, with the exception of coffee liquor, it was near perfect. 

They also had a few dessert cups. The mango creme brulee was quite the attraction, as was the mango sorbet.

Japanese sencha was a nice option to round off our meal.

Having read other reviews before my attendance, I would agree that for the regular price of $78pp, it is rather steep, but for the 50% discount, it was definitely excellent value for money.

Price Range: $78 pp for lunch

Taste: 7.5/10

Value: 9/10 

Service: 8/10

Environment: 9/10

Lefkas Taverna - West End

One night after work, we decided for a bit of a change. Seeking something new and refreshing, we opted for Greek food at Lefkas Taverna at West End.

We booked a table early on, and were very thankful that we did, because the restaurant filled up very quickly after we arrived at 6. I really enjoyed the theme and decor of the restaurant, particularly the pots hanging from the ceiling gave it a very authentic touch.

The menu consisted of quite a large variety of traditional Greek foods, some of which I have a slight understanding of, and some that were quite foreign to me. Nevertheless, we opted for dishes we were more familiar with.

Due to the amount of people there that evening, we had a bit of difficulty flagging down a waiter to place our order.

After a short while, our dishes came out. It was quite a spread for the two of us to share.

The lamb yiros was quite impressive, having recently gone to Zeus at Southbank, it offered a good comparison. For those who are familiar with me, you would know that in most situations where other types of meat are available, I tend to avoid lamb due to its strong gamey smell. As always, there are exceptions to the rule, and for Greek food, my meat of choice is usually lamb, because the flavours are so intense, it always covers up any gamey meat smells of the meat. In this instance, the lamb yiros was quite delicious. I was very impressed by the amount of lamb provided. It was very well marinated and grilled. Although you can't see it, there was ample amount of salad underneath the meat which gave it needed balance of freshness. The pita bread was soft and puffy as well, which made it quite delicious dish all round.

The other main that we shared was the Grilled Quail, which was served with salad. Having only really eaten quails at Chinese restaurants as an entree, I was skeptical at whether or not the portion would be ample enough to suffice for a full main course. This was diffused when it was presented though. With two whole quails, and a substantial portion of salad, it was quite an ample main. 

The quail was nicely grilled, and infused with a strong lemon-y tang. This meant that the dish was still quite balanced in taste, despite the significant amounts of oils which were used in cooking (the bottom of the plate was completely covered in oil by the time we had finished it). 

Being the barbarian that I am, I was also not used to eating quail with cutlery, thankfully my companion was able to debone it for me with apparent ease, as you see in the picture to the left. The meat was tender and definitely not overdone. Served with the feta and salad, it was a very strong flavoured dish, but I enjoyed it immensely.

As a side, we ordered the Lemon Potatoes. Having tried them at Little Greek Taverna, I was definitely keen on having them again. I found the potatoes at Lefkas to also be very strongly seasoned with lemon and the herbs added a nice touch to it, which makes a refreshing change from the usual mash or chips as a side. The portion was generous and my companion and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Price Range: $20 - $30 per person

Taste: 8/10
Value: 7.5/10
Service: 7/10
Environment: 7/10

Bull Bar - Brisbane CBD

During the last few years, there has definitely been an exponential increase in Korean restaurants in Brisbane. Some, like Madtongsan are insanely popular and have managed have multiple branches around Brisbane. 

However, feeling like trying out something different, we opted to try out Bull Bar, which is situated between Madtongsan I and Madtongsan II, on Elizabeth Street.

After going down stairs, we were greeted warmly and given a table rather promptly. I note that despite it being rather late in the lunch hour, (1.30pm).

Our banchan came out with our entree. They had kimchi and konjac. The kimchi wasn't too spicy, but on the flip side, it was also a bit bland compared to other ones I've had. The konjac though was cool and refreshing. I liked how it was drenched in sesame oil which gave it quite a fragrant flavour.

Our shared portion of  takoyaki came next. It was doused in mayonnaise and takoyaki sauce, with bonito flakes and lettuce. The sauce overpowered any taste that the takoyaki could have had, and the moisture from the lettuce and sauce also ensured that it was a bit soggy. I've definitely had better takoyaki at other stores.

My first companion ordered the Bulgogi Deob Bap, which was a stir fried marinated beef with rice. As you can see from the picture though, the beef had quite a lot of water content still left in it, which ran onto the plate, making it not as appetising as it could have been. Nevertheless, he appreciated the texture of the beef, and complimented the freshness of the salad. 

My other companion ordered the Raw Beef Bi Bim Bap in the stone bowl. She also found it a bit bland, and the heat in the pot was insufficient to fully cook the beef, as you can see in the other photo, but nevertheless it had a decent amount of sauce and veges to give the rice sufficient flavour. She let be try a bit of it, and I really enjoyed the crispy rice at the bottom of the bowl. I think it would have been tastier with a bit more beef though.

I ordered the spicy beef ramen, which was quite a conservative choice. I liked how the beef complemented the shittake mushrooms, but other than that the ramen tasted like the regular korean ramen that you can get at supermarkets. It was cooked to a nice texture yet I wouldnt say it was particularly different to what I could make myself at home. 

Other than that, we ordered a portion of Deep Fried Boneless Chicken. I found it to be rather unsalted, but fried quite nicely. The chicken was definitely crispy and had a crunchy skin, but was far less oily than the ones at KFC. On the down side though, I think someone forgot to sprinkle the salt on the chicken, so we had to ask for some. It came with a sweet dipping sauce, but we preferred it without.

Price Range: $10 - $20 per person

Taste: 6/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 8/10

Taros Ramen - Ascot

With Taro's closing in the CBD at the end of August, it occurred to me that I hadn't been to their Ascot store yet. So one cold evening when my friend asked me where we ought to go for dinner, I suggested that he drive me to Ascot to have a nice bowl of ramen there. 

   

The store itself was very much similar to the CBD store, which meant counter service, and DIY drinks and condiments.

After ordering, we grabbed the sesame grinder and copious amounts of crushed garlic.

As usual, I ordered the tonkotsu ramen. It was delicious. The yolk of the egg was slightly more cooked than the CBD branch, but still within the range of acceptable standards. The noodles were served rather al dente. Again the pork was not fatty, and the oil had emulsified into the soup, which made it quite tasty and warming.

My companion got the red tonkotsu ramen. It was just as good as my tonkotsu ramen, but with the added depth of spiciness to the dish. With the added sesame and garlic, the bowl definitely packed a lot of punch. He enjoyed it very much.

Lastly, we shared the Gyoza, which was served with pre mixed dipping sauce. The gyoza was fried to a nice crisp at the bottom, whilst the skin was just the right thickness. It was thin, but not too thin as to break when separating the dumplings. The fillings were pleasantly juicy on the inside, and had a good mix of meat and veges. It definitely lived up to my expectations after my meal at taros on adelaide street. In my opinion, it fares much better than even the restaurants who specialise in dumplings and gyoza.

Price Range: $15 - $25 per person

Taste: 9/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 7/10