St Baxter - New Farm

Other than eating and gaming, another of my hobbies is watching TV, specifically bingeing on Netflix, and occasionally we are inspired by our American TV shows. In awe of President Underwood’s eating prowess, we went in search for rib joint and American cuisine. So it was on one fine winter’s weekend, we visited New Farm’s St Baxter Californian Eatery to exercise our civil rights as patrons of American cuisine. 

Upon our early arrival at 11.30, we were promptly seated and offered water.

 Menus were set as we took in the open air décor of the eatery. There was something American about the place, whether it be the Californian state flag or the decorations that lined the walls, it was definitely bright and open, which allowed a lot of sunlight and fresh air.

On inspecting the menu we promptly decided to order, Truffle & Parmesan Fries, Mac & Cheese Croquettas, BBQ Pork Belly Ribs and a Classic Cheeseburger. While service was a little slow, we were certainly made welcome by the friendly and cheerful staff. 

The BBQ Pork Belly Ribs was served with mustard slaw and St Baxter bbq sauce. I note the menu mentions that the dish comes with charred corn but as pictured there was no corn. Having said that, I did enjoy the generous serving of fries which was conveniently complimented by the bbq sauce. Speaking of the bbq sauce my friend is generally not one for generous servings of sauce on his food. But in this instance he found it a welcome addition that added extra punch to the tender meat which just fell off the bone. Suffice to say we found the dish generous in portions. 

The Classic Cheeseburger was served with tomato, lettuce, ketchup, American mustard and pickles. Whilst I did not enjoy the bun as much as I would have, due to the sesame on top, it was redeemed by how well it was toasted. I found the rest of the burger also to be very yummy, the portions were a little small but I found the beef patty flavoursome, have a good texture and the sauces complemented the dish well. Overall the burger was a good contrast to the ribs. 

Here we have the Mac & Cheese Croquettas with baconaise sauce. We both enjoyed the Croquettas but found the coating a bit too thick for our liking. We did however like the stringy cheese filling which was accentuated by the heavenly baconaise.

As a side we ordered a Truffle & Parmesan fries, which came topped with a very generous portion of truffle mayonnaise, over a large bowl of shoe string fries. The fries were fresh and crispy, and the sauces fragrant and rich. Overall we enjoyed our experience at New Farm’s St Baxter’s. The generous portions and the friendly staff stood out for us. For your American fix St Baxter’s is a solid choice.

Price: $20 - $30pp

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

Pablo & Rustys - Brisbane CBD

Close friends of mine would know that when it comes to coffee, my preferred choice has always been for filter or brewed coffee which contains all the strength and body of coffee, without the distracting frothy milk on top. Unfortunately though, those kinds of coffee are hardly mainstream in their availability, so when I saw that Pablo and Rusty near work sold brewed coffee, I headed over to try it out.

I found it quite distinct from other cafes in two aspects, firstly with its minimalist, ikea-esque style, and secondly the fact that it doesn't take cash, but operated on a card only basis. 

After ordering, I was offered a sample of their nitro brew coffee, whilst it wasnt the smoothest nitro brew I've had, it was a definitely strong in taste and also very refreshing.

I got two coffees takeaway, and in line with their minimalist style, the "tray" was formed by one piece of card, folded around to form handles. I found it innovative and quite ingenious. 

I got a brewed coffee and a plane croissant. Similar to the nitro brew, it could have been smoother but had a very strong taste to it. With such a strong taste, I definitely believe that a richer smoother milk would have made the drink far more balanced. 

For me, the highlight of Pablo and Rusty is definitely their GIANT croissants. Being a fan of warmed pastries, I asked them to have it toasted as usual, but was soon told that they did not have a toaster on site, but was reassured that the croissant was made fresh that day. Taking it back to work with me, I found love at first bite. The pastry was a perfect balance of flakiness, crunchiness with a soft interior. My only hesitation was the copious amount of oil left on the serviette after I was finished. 

My friend, on the other hand, got a Cappuccino and Brownie.

Having tried a sip of his coffee, I found their cappuccino to be far more agreeable than their brewed coffee. For some reason, the milk was far richer and smoother than what I had in the brewed coffee. Next time I'll probably opt for a cappuccino too. 

My companion also got a slice of brownie which I also tried. It was unbelievably crumbly, and moist without being overly sweet, but still very very chocolatey and I really enjoyed it. 

Price Range: $5 - $15pp

Taste: 8.5/10
Value: 7/10
Service: 8/10
Environment: 8/10

At Sixes and Sevens - Fortitude Valley

Having gone to the James Street Market several weeks ago, friends and I stumbled upon At Sixes and Sevens, which is a popular pub in the area. With its outdoor and indoor seating, I noted a lot of people were chilling on the AstroTurf and soaking the afternoon sun, but of course, my readers will know, I opted for a seat indoors.

The menu consisted of a reasonably large selection of share plates, and mains, with an even larger selection of drinks.

We ordered at the counter, and were given a number.

Still needing to drive, we opted for two glasses of lemon life bitters instead of anything alcoholic.

After a wait that was a little longer than I would have liked, our shared plates came. Between the two of us, we shared some poutine, mac and cheese balls and chicken wings (a carb filled meal of comfort food).

The chicken wings were little packages of exploding flavour. Being topped with quite a large number of herbs and spices, they were also fried with a super crispy exterior which I loved. What we also found very captivating was the juicy interior meat. Given the amount of flavours the chicken had though, we found very little utility in the sauce, which only added more hotness to the dish.

The highlight of the meal was definitely the deep fried mac and cheese balls served with a side of coleslaw. What I particularly liked about it was the fact that the batter was super thin and crispy whilst being elastic enough as to not break in the process of being cooked and us moving it around to our plate. The macaroni was super soft and well seasoned on the inside, whilst maintaining a lot of creaminess. I also liked the coleslaw, which gave the dish a sense of balance in its refreshing crunchiness. 

Lastly, we shared the gigantic bowl of poutine, which was also a rich comfort food that we are addicted to. The fries (which were not covered in gravy) were crunchy and lightly salted, whilst the gravy and cheese curds were quite salty, but also smooth and rich in taste. 

Price Range: $15 - $20pp

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

Doughnut Time - Brisbane CBD

After a long hard week, friends and I often like to compensate ourselves for our efforts by indulging in afternoon snacks. Last week, we decided that it was time for a change from our usual cafe, and decided to go window shopping. Along the way, we stopped by Doughnut Time, which is situated inside of Top Shop, at the corner of Albert and Elizabeth Streets. 

Without a doubt, the sight of a full rack of frosted doughnuts brings us a lot of joy.

With that in mind, my companion and I got one each and took it away to eat, as seating wasn't available on site.

My companion ordered the Slim Shady, which was a vanilla glazed doughnut topped with mini m&ms. Whilst we liked it for its colourful appearance, it probably wasn't the most exciting doughnut to eat. As mentioned previously in the Fortitude Valley post, the doughnut itself was quite bread-like in texture and somewhat coarse, and the CBD store is no different.

Being a mega fan of nutella, I ordered the Love at First Sight, which was a cinnamon doughnut completely stuffed with Nutella. Needless to say, eating it became quite a messy affair, and with the bread-like texture of the doughnut, it was a bit like eating nutella on bread.

Price Range: $6 per doughnut

Taste: 5/10
Value: 5/10
Service: 7/10
Environment: 5/10

The Priory - Woollongabba

For those who have kept up with foodie news of late, you would be aware of the recent developments in Trafalgar Lane, situated adjacent to the Gabba, it has become a somewhat new foodie laneway, under a newly developed apartment block. Some of my readers would remember that the place that started my brunch fascination was Pablo at New Farm, and having heard that they opened a second store at Trafalgar Lane, we thought it would be a good opportunity to stop by and try out their brunch options.

We found street parking easily, but then found that they actually had undercover parking, which was good to know for next time. 

We arrived at around 10am to the cafe almost at capacity, and were given a seat next to the window. This appeared to be a great idea to soak up the sun on the cold winter's morning, but we were soon slightly dizzy from too much sun, and managed to get a seat in the shade.

The breakfast menu consisted of one page, which covered a variety of both sweet and savoury, light and heavy options. 

After our relocation, we were situated near the kitchen window, and got to drool over watch the food as it came out.

Water and cutlery were soon provided. I note the waitresses were very attentive throughout our meal in refilling our glass, which was greatly appreciated.

As my readers would have expected by now, I got a cappuccino whilst my companion got the iced coffee.

 

My cappuccino was on the smaller end, but still very rich in flavour and strong but not burnt. My companion though, noted that of late, the iced coffees he had ordered had come without ice cream, which was very milky and smooth, but could be a little stronger.

After the greater part of an hour, our food came. My companion and I shared our two meals, which comprised of the savoury mince with a side of haloumi, and an eggs priory with extra bacon. Despite being a little annoyed with the wait, the food turned out to be well worth it.

The savoury mince was served with chopped up bacon speck, chorizo, cherry tomato and baby spinach, with a dollop of cream fraiche in the centre, sourdough and a fried egg on the side. My companion noted that the savoury mince was almost just like a bolognaise sauce, with less of an emphasis on the tomato side of things. The serving portions were massive, and I really enjoyed the mince, which was comforting and homey, with just the right amount of meatiness and sauciness. The sourdough was nicely toasted with a crispy exterior and soft interior, but I was a little disappointed in the yolk of the egg having been broken upon serving. The haloumi though was also fried with a nice crispy exterior and a warm soft interior.

Our other dish was the eggs priory, which had two poached eggs, baked christmas ham, watercress, radish and hollondaise served on top of two little herbed muffins. We had them with a side serve of bacon. Despite my initial hesitation about having muffins for breakfast, it was surprisingly mild in taste, with a slight tang from some added fruit peel. Aside from the slightly odd muffins, I found all other elements of the dish to be near perfect. The eggs were just the right texture, the sauce was super creamy but flavoursome, the ham was moist and soft whilst retaining its meatiness, and the bacon was perfectly crispy. My companion and I both loved this dish.

Price Range: $15 - $25pp

Taste: 9/10
Value: 7/10
Service: 7/10
Environment: 9/10