Annerley Fish and Chips - Woolloongabba

Readers may have noticed that I haven't had food delivery in some time. With fuel and food prices going up, the last time I ordered a meal, it sat on the counter for around an hour before they found a driver. I guess it was a bid to reinvigorate the service, but I recently received a bundle of deliveroo vouchers, so it was time to try them out again. Ordering with some time in advance, it actually got here on time and I had a fresh and hot lunch from Annerley Fish and Chips down the road.

We had the Combo for two. It was smaller than I expected but they did fit quite a lot of food into that little box. It comprised of two pieces of crumbed cod, two calamari rings, two potato scallops, two seafood bites and two seafood sticks with chips and lemon.

Even taking my half into a separate plate, it was a huge amount of food. Despite the delivery, it was hot but not moist and steamed. The seafood was reasonably fresh and not fishy, the batter was thin and crisp too. Of all the pieces of seafood, my favourite would have been the cod with its delicious flakey texture. I also enjoyed the potato scallop more than I thought I would, given its tempura battered crunchy exterior. Overall this was a very good deal and arguably it tasted better than our local. Will come back later for some more soon.

Price Range: $10 - $20pp

Taste: 8/10

Value: 8/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: N/A
 

Three Kingdoms - Brisbane CBD

Ever since I started my new job at the end of last year, I've had to go home via the bus at Myer. This meant passing by Three Kingdoms every afternoon and smelling their fragrant beef soup as I await the bus. Every day I remind myself that I should make time to try it but day after day I bring packed lunch. Well last week I finally put my foot down and decided to try it out for once and for all.

Despite not being in either of the food courts, it was surprisingly quite full at lunch time. The menu comprised of signature Maocai, which turns out to be more or less a different variation of Malatang. There were also some standard noodle dishes and sides. Keen for the beef noodle, that's what I went for. I ordered at the counter, cutlery and water is available on a self serve basis.

Despite the significant amount of customers, my food came fairly quickly.

This was the beef noodle, I was quite taken aback on it's size as it was quite small. The bowl was very shallow and it only contained two pieces of beef, some veggies and a hand full of noodles. I could have easily eaten two bowls. Taste wise, the beef was fragrant, soft and flavoursome. The noodles were also tender and complimented the soup really well. I just wish there was more.

It was very lucky that I had ordered a side of braised tofu, otherwise I really would have had to get a second lunch. The tofu was firm and well marinated with dark soy and other delicious seasonings. It was a little spicy. Again the portion was very small given what I had paid. 

Overall it was good to satisfy my curiosity, the food was good but the portions meant that I will not be coming back.

Price Range: $20 - $30pp

Taste: 8/10

Value: 4/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 7/10

 

Sunni Bakery - Sunnybank

Another weekend running some errands and this time I found myself craving some traditional Hong Kong style buns for afternoon tea. Rather than just grabbing some from my usual at Bread Top, I went a bit further to sample some from Sunni Bakery this time.

Arriving home in one piece without being too squished, I had a pineapple bun and a custard bun.

 

The pineapple bun was alright, the crust was a bit soft and thinner than other places which are hard and crisp. There was no filling but the bun itself was a bit more dense and course compared to bread top. The same type of bread was apparent in the custard bun which could have been finer and fluffier, however there was a generous amount of custard and it was all round satisfying. Prices are decent and it makes for a nice snack but I'm in no rush to return.

 

Price Range: Under $5pp

Taste: 6/10

Value: 8/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 7/10

Lucky Bridge - Sunnybank

Last Friday night, my initial intention was to grab some Korean BBQ. Unfortunately, Dr L forgot about this and pigged out on Mexican food for lunch. When the subject of dinner was brought up, he mentioned that he was outrageously full and we'd have to take a raincheck on our BBQ dinner, much to my disappointment. Having already arrived in Sunnybank already, I decided a good backup plan would be to try out Lucky Bridge at Market Square, which had been on my radar for some time yet, so off we went. 

Arriving at six, the place was half full and filled up quickly after our arrival. The menu was Northern Chinese with the signature dish being noodles with a side of skewers. I found their combo options to be fairly attractive too.

We ordered at the counter and service was fast. They brought out share bowls quickly and our food came soon after.

Having an inkling that he wasn't entirely honest when he said he was extremely full, I erred on the side of caution and ordered a little more than one person's portion in case he wanted to eat some of my food. This was Set C with an added skewer of enoki mushrooms. The chicken tenderloin was a bit dry but still very flavoursome. The pork skewers were equally so without losing their moisture. The enoki was delicious topped with cumin. I'd come back for their skewers alone.

My single size portion of rice noodle casserole with sliced beef was a generous serve for one person. Unfortunately it was not enough when your supposedly "not hungry" boyfriend decides to take half. With regards to soup, I got to choose the spice level and opted with non spicy, the clear broth was wholesome and warming. The noodles were tender but as per usual, rice noodles don't really get soggy, which is great. I enjoyed the meaty sliced beef and the shredded tofu inside too, which was great. Overall, the meal was wholesome and great value for money, I'll definitely be back to try their other options.

Price Range: $15 - $25pp

Taste: 8/10

Value: 8/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 7.5/10

Broken Hearts Burger Club - West End

With the constant rain of late, we've been fairly lazy to go out which means that I have to cook almost every meal in. As much as I enjoy the creative outlet, I do get bored and so last week we made the effort to go out for dinner, even though there wasn't anything we particularly wanted, just to stretch our legs and walk around a bit. It just so happened that we ended up at West End. Not having had burgers for a little while now, we grabbed a quick bite at Broken Hearts Burger Club at the Montague Markets.

We really enjoyed their first store at Morningside and were pleased to see the menu carried over to their West End store without too much change. Service was friendly and our food came out relatively quickly.

Before we knew it, our food had arrived and just in time as we were famished.

 

He had the Oklahoma double and I had the Fancy Double. The bun was soft but not as light and fluffy as I had remembered from the Morningside store and the patties were not as thin and crisp. Having said that, the salads were fresh in my fancy burger and his onions were well caramelised. The patties were also of a good size and well seasoned. All up, not a bad burger but not as good as my recent favourite at Barbecue Mafia.

We also had a share portion of cheesy fries. They were exactly as ordered, shoestring and crispy. They were doused with a generous amount of American Cheese. Although the portion was large, I think they would have been all the more enjoyable if they were a bit more seasoned but still they were very delicious. Would come back if I was in the area but otherwise I wouldn't go out of my way for it.

Price Range: $15 - $25pp

Taste: 8/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 7/10

Papas Pancakes - Sunnybank

Was going on a grocery run around Sunnybank the other day and decided to pick up some snacks to take home to feed Dr L. Decided to check out Papa's Pancakes this time rather than always getting it at Hot Cake House. Service was friendly but took a little while to be served. 

Not wanting to limit myself to hot cakes, I ordered a small selection to go. Thankfully they made it home without being crushed, nor steamed. They also reheated easily at home.

 

The highlight of afternoon tea for me was without a doubt the croissant stick. As its namesake, it was light and flakey, with a light dusting of sugar and cinnamon, it was a bit chewy on the inside and crisp on the outside. Definitely something to come back for.

 

I've lately bought some frozen custard taiyaki for home and we often make a small batch to enjoy whilst watching tv. I thought this would make for a good comparison but the pastry was a little bit soggy and not crisp, although there wasn't too much by way of custard inside. 

 

Their signature hotcakes were a bit of a hit and miss. For some reason the chocolate one had a very thick pastry but very little filling on the inside. This was quite inconsistent when compared to the matcha custard which had a thinner shell but a substantial amount of custard inside. Needless to say, I liked the matcha a lot more. Whilst not quite consistent in quality, the price and convenience of Papas Pancakes makes it one to go back for.

Price Range: Under $10pp

Taste: 7/10

Value: 8/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 7/10

Coco - Calamvale

Ran some errands late on Wednesday night. Decided to go get some bubble tea and explore the new Calamvale Laneway whilst I was there. With three bubble tea places in a moderately small shopping centre, it will be interesting to see how they all develop. Anyway, I've already tried Wushiland outside, so it was time to go to one of my favourites, Coco.

Whilst still considering what to order, I noticed their special for the day which was enough to convince me to try their Passionfruit Green Tea and Panda Milk Tea.

Both came with plastic bags and plastic straws, which Dr L really appreciated. We held of drinking them till we got home. Mine was surprisingly really good. Although I asked for no sugar, it was still very fragrant and fruity, so I was able to enjoy the sweetness of the passionfruit without any extra added sugar. It was very refreshing and would make a delicious summer drink. Dr L didn't like his drink as much as I did. Although milk teas are his usual, panda milk tea was touted to come with both sago and pearls, which it did but in very small quantities. He barely had any pearls and wishes there was a bit more. Other than that the tea itself was fairly standard. I wouldn't mind coming back, Coco always holds a special place in my heart after my travels in Taiwan, but I have no urgency to return.

Price Range: $5 - $10pp

Taste: 7.5/10
Value: 8/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 8/10

 

O Brasileiro - Brisbane CBD

Friday night hangout with some friends before board games. Our host decided that tonight's dinner would be at one of his favourites, O'Brasileiro. Truth be told, I've been recommended this place for quite a while now, and being located so close to my work, I really didn't have much of an excuse, so I was glad to finally go and check it out.

 

Despite it being dinner time, the lunch menu was available. Dishes mainly consisted of one protein and several sides. Other than individual plates, there were a couple of share platters. Portions seemed very big on the menus so we made sure not to over order with sides. We ordered and paid at the counter.

Our food came out extremely quickly and we were very impressed. This was the rump cap with four cheese sauce. The steak was more well done than I would have liked it, but it wasn't overly chewy which was great. Although the steak itself wasn't huge, the portion of sides provided were very generous. There was beans, rice and cassava which is meant to be eaten together along with a hearty portion of chips and salad. The cheesy sauce on the steak was delicious and also complimented the chips really well. 

Although it didn't have creamy sauce, my garlic rump cap was also fantastic. I really liked the sharp garlic taste to the beef which contrasted the wholesome and comforting beans, rice, cassava mix. Whilst the protein to side ratio wasn't great, the meal was excellent value for money and I really indulged in the overload of carbs. Would definitely come back to try their other options.

Price Range: $20 - $30pp

Taste: 7/10

Value: 8/10

Service: 9/10

Environment: 8/10

Oche - Fortitude Valley

Sunday night out with some friends and we checked out Oche, a darts bar which had opened up in the valley in 2020. I've seen quite a few reviews and had been curious to try it for some time now. With an invite having been extended to our friend, we were very fortunate to be able to tag along for the experience last week.

Arriving at our pre arranged time, our table was set with a complementary bucket of popcorn. Fresh and fragrant, it was appetising and fun.

 

There was a food and drink menu provided. The food was largely finger food so that you could eat and play at the same time. There was a large assortment of cocktails and other drinks. We ordered via the friendly waitress.

 

Amusing ourselves with a few rounds of darts first, it wasn't long before our drinks started to arrive.

 

I had an espresso martini whilst Dr L had a pornstar martini. Mine was strong and rich whilst his was cheerful and fruity, served with a side of prosecco. Both were very potent and next time I would definitely be keen to have his drink. I found it pleasantly surprising to have such a strong drink in a games venue where other places usually serve very weak drinks.

 

It didn't take all that long for our food to come. 

Our pizza was the Cubano, topped with orange and coriander marinated pork mince, mortadella, mozzarella, pickles and mustard. The flavours were definitely not our usual with the unique toppings but they complemented each other really well. The crust was a bit thick but it wasn't tough or too dense and I really enjoyed the tangy twist of the pork mince.

This was the Oche popcorn chicken with Korean sticky sauce. Given the size of the chicken, I initially thought that it was actually karaage chicken instead of popcorn. The chicken was crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside and the sauce was very spicy too. It was definitely a stand out for the meal.

This was the Bacon & Mozzarella Croquettes with smoky tomato salsa, it wasn't as exciting as the chicken but potato croquettes were always fluffy and comforting. I didn't get much of a mozzarella and bacon taste from them, but they were crisp and comforting nonetheless.

Next to arrive were the Vietnamese pork and lemongrass skewers. These were meaty but a little dry. I enjoyed the lemongrass taste and appreciate the dipping sauce which added a bit of moisture to the dish.

Our last savoury dish was the Mexican style fried cheese with guava dipping sauce. I was expecting something akin to deep fried mozzarella with a stringy pull but it was more like cottage cheese with a crumble instead.

Our second round drinks came at this point. I had the Manhattan, again it was strong and very smooth. The additional cherry garnish on top was also great.

 

Our dessert, the Smoked Jaffa Ice Cream was very theatrical. It came encased in a glass case with smoke inside it. Each cone was small but it was packed with smokey vanilla ice cream and topped with diced strawberries. Super delicious and a wonderful way to end the night out. Will be back with some friends to try their other snacks and other games later!

Price Range: $35 - $50pp

Taste: 8/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 9/10