Mr Burger - Brisbane CBD

Being a big fan of burgers, I was super excited to see that Mr Burger which had hailed from Melbourne had finally come up to Brisbane (the Burger Project is next!). I tracked it down for lunch in the city and finally got to try it out. Being quite a hot summers day, I was grateful that the line wasn't very long.

The menu was very short, consisting of six burgers, and two variants of chips. We knew exactly what we wanted to order without much difficulty. We ordered at the truck and waited nearby for them to call our names.

Our food came after a not insignificant wait (or perhaps we were really hungry and impatient). Being in the botanical gardens, we just grabbed a seat on the park bench and started our meal.

Between my companion and I we got two burgers and some chips.

My companion ordered the Mr Meat, which contained beef, cheese, lettuce, onions, pickles, bbq sauce and mayonnaise. Whilst it didn't look as pretty as the other burgers served on a plate with a skewer to stabilize the sandwich, he loved the burger (especially the bacon). After our most recent burger at Da Burger, he was pleasantly surprised with the sauces being thick enough to cling onto the burger so as not to result in messy pools of liquid.

I ordered the Double Double, with double beef, double cheese, double bacon, lettuce, tomato, onion and trucker sauce. Having tried quite a few burgers by now, I would say that Mr Burger, Miel and Charboys form my holy trinity of the most delicious burgers in Brisbane. Despite my aversion to sesame, the bun was super fresh and amazingly soft. The beef patty was wonderfully moist and meaty with a perfect texture that had just the right grind. What I loved most though was how the cheese melted into the bacon and beef patty, making a near perfect combination.

We shared the trucker chips as a side, but this paled in comparison to the burger. Whilst it too was covered in trucker sauce, bacon and cheese, I found there to have been a little too much sauce and not enough bacon and cheese for the amount of chips. I was also a little agitated by the fact that we didn't get cutlery to eat the saucy chips, and had to resort to using our hands, whilst at a park bench without any wet wipes to wash our hands after. The chips themselves were ample but not overly crispy, and bacon bits are always a welcome addition.

Price Range: $10 - $20pp

Taste: 9/10
Value: 8.5/10
Service: 7/10
Environment: 6/10 (really needs a proper shop front)

Teneriffe Social House - Teneriffe

Last time we were driving along Vernon Terrace at Teneriffe, looking for parking for a nearby pizza place, we noticed a sign for the newly opened Teneriffee Social House go up. Making a note of it and adding it to our list, we were pleasantly surprised to receive an invite from their owner to try out some of their signature dishes. Without further delay, we made a beeline for the restaurant on the first week of trading after the new year.

Signs and menus outside gave us ample opportunity to see what options were available to us without having to go in. 

We arrived five minutes before our reservation and the super friendly staff had prepared our table and were expecting us. We were seated in an alfresco setting, elevated and away from the main road so as to not be disturbed by passers by.

Menus were promptly provided. I was especially interested in the first page which gave a brief outline of the ideas behind their restaurant, with an emphasis on a casual time sharing food.

Table water was promptly provided by our waiter Jonas, who very thoughtful and attentive throughout the evening.

As alluded to, the menu consisted of food intended for sharing, being sorted into large plates, small plates, curries, salads and desserts. The chef himself came out to tell us that his intention was to create a fusion style menu with Mediterranean and Asian flavours with a familiar local twist. We were given the option to choose what we wanted to order or to defer our judgement to the chef to serve up his best dishes. Naturally we thought it would be best to let the chef surprise us.

Sharing plates were set up for my companion and I, and our food and drinks came very promptly after.

We both ordered the lemon lime bitters, which was comparably well done with just the right amount of sourness and bitterness without the overwhelming sugary taste of lemonade.

The first dish we tried was the Crab and Prawn Ravioli, served with laksa reduction and mint pesto. Expecting a more traditional Italian style ravioli, I was quite surprised to be presented with a more Asian wanton style dumpling. Each piece was huge and contained around three prawns each and copious amounts of crab meat. My companion did comment that the skin was a little thicker than he would have liked, but I'm pretty sure that with the massive size of the ravioli, it would have fallen apart if the skin wasn't a little thicker to hold it all together. The laksa reduction was both spicy and creamy, with a very strong coconut taste to it, we had a massive sensory overload with this dish! Speaking to the chef after, he told us that he drew inspiration for the dish from Il Centro's famous sandcrab lasagne, but wanted to create a somewhat lighter dish with a fusion twist to it. I really enjoyed it.

Next up we tried the Popcorn Prawns. At the thought of "popcorn", I immediately envisaged some Taiwanese style popcorn chicken with its peppery taste and sweet potato batter. When the prawns came, I was surprised to see their super light sweet potato batter, one of the thinnest I've ever had. There were a good number of them and they were all covered in delectable honey sauce and sprinkled with pepper. The sweet potato flour drew parallels to Taiwanese chicken, whilst the honey reminded me of honey chicken. I also really liked the deep fried chinese greens that it was served on, that were so crispy and thin it was almost like a piece of nori.

Next up we had some Arancini balls served with a blue cheese reduction. Like the ravioli, it was massive! I really enjoyed the cheesy risotto, which was quite tender, as well as the really thin crumbed batter. The blue cheese reduction really took the dish to the next level.

Next up we had some of the Seared Yellow Fin Tuna, served with Yuzu marinate, sesame sauce and wakame salad. My companion and I both loved this dish, which was refreshingly light. Being a huge sashimi fan, I loved the fresh tuna with its yummy seared exterior and smooth interior. My companion, who is usually not a sashimi fan, also really enjoyed the dish, due to its delectable yuzu marinate which gave it an extra depth and flavour that regular sashimi doesn't have. The wakame salad had a strong sesame taste to it, which we both appreciated.

The Plum Glazed Crispy Skin Bangalow Pork Belly with roasted beetroot came next. We found it interesting that it came with the skin removed from the pork and fashioned like two arches on the side. The skin was epic, super crunchy and not overly fatty. The meat was wonderfully tender and the fruitiness of the beetroot gave it a whole new dimension.

After all that meatiness, our next course was the Char Grilled Mexican Corn Cobs, served with lime and coriander aioli, and shaved pecorino. The corn had a nice caramelised flavour to it, and I really liked the charred bits. It as toasted quite well in the sense that it still retained its moistness, but the highlight of it was definitely the aioli and pecorino which made sure that it was smooth and rich in just the right way.

From the curry selection, we tasted the Braised Lamb Curry. This is usually served with a side of rice, but the chef, knowing we were nearing maximum stomach capacity, switched it up with a bit of roti instead. We really enjoyed the roti, which was flaky and light. When asked about it, the chef told us that Roti wasn't on their usual menu yet, but they were working to make it happen. As for the curry, it was inspired by rendang curry, and had the addition of extra coconut and tomato. Whilst it was spicy, that didn't overpower the other flavours, and the lamb was soft and tender but not dry. My companion did remark that where more rice or roti is provided, a bit more sauce would have added greatly to the dish.

Our final savory course was the Twice Cooked Pork Shoulder Ribs, with a coffee and a Chinese style sticky glaze. We spent a good few minutes trying to catch a smell of the coffee, but failed, perhaps because our senses had been quite loaded up with curry by then. The slab of meat was huge, and so we divided it up between the two of us. My half was quite tender and moist, with the added sweetness of the sticky glaze, but my companions half for some reason was quite tough and dry, so I shared some of my more moist cuts with him.

We had two desserts, the first one was the Baked Mediterranean Bread and Butter Pudding served with salted caramel sauce, peanut brittle, gelato and berry compote. I found it to be a soft and comforting dessert, but prefer sultanas rather than peanuts. The caramel added some toasty sweetness to it, the berry compote some fruitiness, and the ginger and pear gelato was fresh and delicious for the warm summers evening.

We rounded off the meal on with a Coconut Infused Creme Brulee, with torched sugar, fresh berries and sugar shards. The caramelised sugar was thin and very crunchy, whilst the custard was smooth and creamy with a very strong coconut taste to it. I loved how it melted in my mouth. The berries gave the dish extra textures and flavour dimensions. We found it a really good way to finish the meal.

For a restaurant that has only been open for two months, it runs like a very well oiled machine. We really enjoyed their fusion style foods, and their modern takes on traditional favourites. Having spoken to the Chef, we understand that they are about to roll out their second menu in a matter of weeks, and would definitely be keen to come back and try it!

Espresso and Matcha were invited guests of Teneriffe Social House, as always, our opinions are solely our own.

Price Range: $25 - $40pp

Taste: 8/10
Value: 7/10
Services: 9/10
Environment: 8/10

Carport Cafe - Cannon Hill

As alluded to in my review of Little Brisbane, a few of the most popular foodies in Brisbane have recently set up a group to share info (amongst other things) about where the best places to eat are. Having been established for a couple of weeks, we decided it was time to have a large meetup. With our unanimous adoration of bacon, Saturday brunch was overwhelmingly agreed to. Wth the Christmas/New Year break, along with a few other hiccups along the way which meant that most of our usual haunts weren't open. Luckily for us though, one of our group pulled some strings and we managed a very last minute large group reservation for the Carport Cafe, which was literally run out of a residential carport. 

Running 10 minutes late, I forgot to take pictures of the interior of the cafe. Menus were already provided and I loved the large assortment of breakfast options available for our choosing. Drink orders were taken first before food.

My companion ordered the iced coffee. He found it to be relatively light in coffee taste compared to the other iced coffees he's had in other places. The ice cream itself was very smooth and ice cold, which is welcome on a hot morning. The absence of ice in the cup also meant that the drink did not get diluted as it melts. He also found it to be very creamy and smooth, which was very enjoyable, but the serving size could have been a bit larger.

As usual, I had my cappuccino in a mug. In contrast with my companion, my coffee was very strong in body and low acidity whilst the milk was reasonably smooth to balance it out. 

After ordering, it took close to half an hour for our meals to come out. To their credit, we had our drinks to keep us entertained and all 12 of our meals came out at once. My companion ordered the eggs on toast, with a side of sausages, bacon, and avocados. The sausages were a little drier than he usually has, but both eggs were deliciously runny, and sunny side up, just as he asked. The bacon was generous in portion, but came dripping with oil though. The avocado (which I ate) was just ripe and we loved it.

I had the carport breakfast containing bacon, eggs, sausage, mushroom, spinach, mushroom, and tomato relish on sourdough toast. My eggs were served poached, whist they weren't exactly runny, they still maintained elements of liquidity inside, which wasn't too bad. The bacon, I ordered crispy, and it did indeed come out very crunchy, but the rind was a little tough. The sausage had quite a few herbs and spices in it, which ensured it was packed full of flavour. I also really enjoyed the mushrooms which were deliciously sauteed with a copious amounts of garlic. The sourdough toast was one of the most delicious that I've ever had. Upon asking the owner, he said that it was locally sourced and organic, no wonder it was so tasty!

Price Range: $15 - $25pp

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

Storia on Queen - Brisbane CBD

For those who remember, there used to be a third Starbucks in the CBD, on the corner of Creek and Queen Street. It closed down quite a while ago and since then a little Italian restaurant, Storia has opened on the corner and with my companion's deep affection for Italian, we headed there for a quick lunch (and when I say quick, this was probably the most attentive and efficient meals I've had in the CBD).

We headed there early (as is my usual preference), to find there to be only a couple of tables present. It filled up quite quickly after we arrived. 

There were an assortment of sandwiches and pastries on their cabinet, but we opted for the menu selections.

As alluded to, we were seated super quickly and menus were provided. I like how they have a very large selection of foods, capturing Italian, grills, mains, salads and they even do all day breakfast (which I regret not ordering after seeing the neighboring tables meals).

Chilled water was also provided really promptly, and on a hot summers day this was really appreciated.

After ordering, our food came within 10 minutes which really impressed me. To start us off, we ordered a share of the Arancini balls. Having recently tried the ones at Il Centro, this was nowhere near as good, but it definitely did the trick with creamy deep fried risotto. I would have preferred if the peas inside were pureed to ensure the consistency of the dish, and I would have liked it if the batter were a little thinner, but overall it wasn't too bad.

My companion had the Spaghetti Marinara, it contained prawns, mussels, calamari and scallops. The sauce was a delightful cheesy tomato concoction and the seafood was fresh and generous. He considered the pasta itself to be a slight letdown as it did not have that chewy al dente feel to it.

I ordered the lasagna and it came covered with a delicious tomato sauce. The lasagna was definitely very meaty, just the way I like it, and the pasta was soft and had just the right amount of herbs and spices. I was a little surprised that it came out barely lukewarm though, suggesting that it didn't come straight out of the oven. However, to their credit, it did mean that I didn't need to wait for it to cool down, before eating it and getting back to work, but under any other circumstance, it would have been a bit of a cause for concern. Overall though, from the moment we sat down to the moment we left the restaurant, the meal took under 30 minutes to wrap up, which was by far the most fastest sit down meal I've had in the CBD, would definitely go back for another quick meal (and try out the all day breakfast).

Price Range: $15 - $25pp

Taste: 7/10
Value: 7/10
Service: 9/10
Environment: 6/10 (would be so much better if they had aircon)