Tasty Rice Noodle - Sunnybank Hills

I've noticed lately that there has been an abundance of rice noodle restaurants opening around the Sunnybank area and wanted to try for some time now. Having read quite a few good reviews on Tasty Rice Noodle at Sunnybank Plaza, I was definitely quite interested. It was however whenever I went after work and on weekends, there had always been a queue outside. Luckily, I had a day off mid week last week, so I went with mum for lunch.

The place was about half full which was quite popular for a midweek lunch. Service was very friendly.

The menu comprised almost exclusively of rice noodle dishes along with a few sides. I placed our order at the counter and received a buzzer.

As with most casual Chinese eateries, cutlery, water and sauce was available on a DIY basis.

It didn't take too long for our food to arrive. Mum had the Tender Pork Fillet and Tomato Rice Noodle Soup. She was not too impressed that the pork fillet was exceptionally fatty with a lot more fat than meat. It was also not presented as nicely as the photos, but it was still fairly tasty with its abundance of toppings. There was an option of free refill for noodles, but we didn't take that up.

Not wanting to miss out, I tried the signature wagyu beef slices with thick stock soup. The soup wasn't particularly thick and the beef tasted very similar to the sliced beef I usually have in hot pot. It was very much bulked up with veggies such as sprouts and cucumber and there was also a chicken foot in it as well. All round I would say it was a decent meal but I don't consider it all that special and would be in no huge rush to go back anytime soon. I guess it's back to the drawing board to try out the other rice noodle places instead.

Price Range: $15 - $25pp

Taste: 6.5/10

Value: 6/10

Service: 7/10
Environment: 8/10

Kusuka Corner - Sunnybank

So, I've been interested in trying out Kusuka since it's been open, but it's been closed every time we tried to go. It took a long time but we went for a girls night a week ago to finally try it out. We made a reservation on the anticipation it would be busy, but these fears turned out to be fairly unfounded and we were easily seated. Service was fantastic and very cheerful. We ordered and paid for our food via the menus found on the QR code.

Mains wise, Queen V had the Nasi Goreng with Schnitzel whilst I had the Comfortabowl. Despite the reviews I had previously read about their portion sizes, these were both very adequate in quantity and executed well. I tried some of the nasi goreng and found it to be well seasoned and the schnitzel was crisp. The comfortabowl was also delicious with a perfectly scrambled egg and tender beef slices. I'm not sure if it was really Indonesian cuisine, but it was delicious nonetheless.

We also had a serve of Kusuka fries with tuscan sea salt. These were crispy outside and fluffy inside. The price wasn't too cheap but the portion was quite generous and definitely enough for sharing among all of us and complimented our meal well. 

Not wanting to miss the opportunity to try new things, we also had a dish of Hometown, Indo Meatball Soup. It originally comes with rice but we paid extra for a swap to noodles. The noodles weren't particularly worth it because it was essentially just a blanched two minute noodle. The meatballs were quite wholesome and chewy though, in a light chicken broth. It tasted good but I don't see why this dish couldn't be achieved at home with some simple store bought materials. 

We had an all round good time at Kusuka Corner. The food was solid and reasonably good value. I wouldn't hesitate to go back soon. 

Price Range: $25 - $35pp

Taste: 8/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 7/10

Gala barbecue - Sunnybank

By now, my readers will have realised that I'm definitely a barbeque addict. I can hardly walk past the wafting cumin and grilled meat scents of a chinese BBQ without getting lured inside. Which is probably a good description of how we ended up at Gala Barbecue for our mid week date night 

Taking up the space that used to be High Fresh, it is a fairly large restaurant that was moderately empty when we showed up but gradually filled up as we enjoyed our meal. The menu was quite substantial, comprising of pre cooked bbq skewers (which we were there for) as well as table top BBQ, some cooked mains and drinks. Ordering and paying is done at the counter.

First to arrive was the chilled noodle. Although this was a Chinese Restaurant, the noodles were decidedly Korean. With a generous serve of kimchi and chewy arrowroot noodles, these were fantastic to have on a hot evening. I also liked the additional beef and tomato that came with the serve.

 

The skewers came soon after. They arrived in two batches, firstly the lamb and chicken, then the beef, pork intestines and garlic. These were absolutely fantastic and bursting with flavour. These were served hot and my favourites for the night would definitely have been the lamb which was both tender and flavoursome as well as the pork intestines which were chewy and crispy as well.

We also had a serve of wantons to share. Compared with other places we had been to, these were far bigger and there was also a greater number of them. They were warm and homely, we enjoyed them thoroughly.

Overall, I'd say that these were one of the better Chinese BBQs I have been to this is one of the better ones when it comes to quality and quantity. I wouldn't hesitate to come back.

Price Range: $40 - $60pp

Taste: 8/10

Value: 7.5/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 7/10

 

Banh Mi Factory - Zillmere

While I don't eat Banh Mis all that often, I do take great enjoyment in finding and savouring a good one. That is why I was quite keen to join Brisvegustation on a quick foodie trip up north to sample some of the banh mi from banh mi factory up north whilst Dr L was away on holidays.

As you would expect by it's name, Banh Mi Factory was indeed run like a well oiled machine and despite the considerable line up, the queue moved quickly and we were served promptly. 

We had some drinks to share, I tried the Vietnamese iced coffee. Although this was fairly darker in colour it still contained considerable amounts of condensed milk which meant it was fairly sweet. It was however also very strong and I enjoyed the caffeine hit.

We ordered two lunch sets to share. This was a fantastic deal for $15, comprising of one banh mi, one skewer and one spring roll. The reason why we were given an extra skewer and spring roll was because there was a mix up in skewers we were given (we ordered one chicken and one pork, but were given two pork).

The banh mis were definitely some of the best that I've had in Brisbane to date. With a crispy toasted bun that was still fluffy on the inside, the fillings were extremely generous in terms of both meat and salad. I found the chicken to be very flavoursome, particularly infused with lemongrass flavours whilst the pork was crisp. Between the two, I liked the pork more.

The sides were also fantastic. Between the chicken and pork skewer, the pork was definitely the more flavoursome one. The spring rolls were also freshly fried and very crisp which was very much to our liking. 

Overall, I'd have to say that Banh Mi Factory has been one of my best experiences with Banh Mi in Brisbane and I'd be very keen to go try out their Newstead one in the near future.

Price: $10 - $20pp

Taste: 9/10

Value: 8/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 7/10

 

Bosco - Newstead

From one new opening to another, we tried out Bosco at Newstead a few weeks ago as part of a long overdue catch up with some friends. I hadn't read too much about this place other than seeing a few instagram posts which appeared quite promising. Arriving on a Thursday evening, the place wasn't yet half way full and did not fill up for the duration we were there.

Menus were provided promptly and the service was friendly throughout the evening. Not wanting to sort through portion sizes to share, we opted for the chef's menu to share instead.

Starting with two glasses of rose, this was a fairly generous pour, refreshing and crisp.

Appetisers arrived fairly quickly. This was the duck rillettes ‘cannoli’ Armagnac, spice. It was my first experience with rillettes and this was a kind of confit duck packed in pastry. It turned out a bit like a rich and decadent spring roll, packed with flavour. This was my favourite of the appetisers.

This was the spanner crab, soffrito, como. I enjoyed the deliciously seasoned spanner crab soffrito on top but wished that there would have been a little bit more to go on top of the bread.

Last of the entrees was gilda, oven flat bread. This acme topped with capsicum and olives. The flavours were sharp but I didn't particularly appreciate being stuffed with two bread based dishes in the appetizers alone.

Entrees arrived shortly after and we had again three dishes to share. This was the calamari tagliatelle, Morcilla, baby peas. As a portion for five to share, we really only had a small bite each. The calamari was tender. I found the morcilla to be quite delicate in taste with a light umami to it. The peas were an interesting addition for the texture.

Next was the mussels, cider cream and sourdough. This was fairly decadent and the mussels were plump and juicy. I enjoyed the bread a great deal as it struck a good balance between being fluffy and crusty, however it was definitely awkward to share two pieces of bread between five people. 

Finally the last entree was the quail, boudin blanc, brunt apple jam. This was my most favourite of the entrees when it came to taste, I love quail and this was cooked to a juicy and tender finish. What I definitely did not appreciate though was the fact that the five of us had to share in one single quail. With the price point for the shared menu, I would have at least expected one quail between two people so that we could have enjoyed a little bit more than one bite each. 

Our mains came with two sides, this was the white asparagus, almond, golden breadcrumbs. My issues with the portion sizes continued through to the main course as this only comprised of seven pieces of asparagus between five people. I did like its charred flavours and crunchy breadcrumbs though. 

The main course was of course the half chicken with vadouvan jus. This was cooked well with a delicious caramelisation on the outside and a delicious herbal marinade. I liked it, but again the serving sizes were a real issue for a party of five. Some of our party only managed one piece whilst the most anyone had was two.

What was more generous was the bay bug clay pot rice, txistorra with rouille. Although I got not much more than a few slivers of bug, the rice was creamy and wholesome and we were able to fill up on this. The flavours were enjoyable, but I didn't think that filling up on rice would have been expected at a meal with this price point.

My side of preference was the bakers roasted potato, scalded cream, shallot. This was a particularly impressive rendition of potato akin to dauphinoise but with a crispy top that reminded me a lot of pork crackling. It was a very skilful display of the chef's skill and the highlight of my meal. 

Desserts came not long after and we started off with the tarta santiago. This was quite sweet for my tastes, very intense and with a strong raspberry hit. The texture was also quite coarse (by design I think), but not particularly to my liking. 

Rounding off the meal was a serve of triple cream gelato and strawberries. I enjoyed this a lot more, the gelato was definitely rich and decadent, not too sweet (after the cake). The addition of freeze dried strawberries were particularly enjoyable, but I would have liked it more if the gelato was served more promptly rather than having started to melt.

Overall, the food was enjoyable at Bosco. My main issue with it as highlighted above was the quality/quantity for the price point. Whilst executed well, I am firmly of the opinion that the food we were served was not worth the $90pp, especially given how small the portion sizes were for the proteins. I could easily have found a superior meal elsewhere for the same or less. 

Price Range: $90pp

Taste: 7/10

Value: 3/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 7/10 

Mini French - Fortitude Valley

Regular readers may have noticed that it's been a little while since I've been excited for a restaurant opening. With inflation unrelenting, it's become harder and harder to find a place that offers good quality food with a reasonable value proposition. As such, it was a rare excitement that I felt when I read about the opening of Mini French, by the Votan Brothers who have also owned Green Glass, a restaurant I was very fond of. So of course, we made a reservation to go as soon as we could.

The bistro was roughly half full when we arrived but it filled up shortly after. With a full house on a Wednesday night, bookings would definitely be essential on Fridays and weekends.

 

The menu was short but it contained more than enough options. I definitely had a hard time deciding what I wanted to try and was already making plans to come back for other dishes as I put my order down.

We started off with two glasses of orange wine, this was more dry and textured than what we usually enjoy. It was a unique experience for us both.

 

Our entrees arrived surprisingly quickly, within five minutes of us having placed our order. First to show up was the beef tartare. There was a good amount to share and we liked the well seasoned beef, sour capers and creamy egg  yolk. The only thing I would have liked is a little more bread to enjoy the tartate.

Next up was the Onion Tarte Tartin. This was essentially a decadent carmelised onion croissant. Rich and buttery, it was good to be served with a side of cream fraiche to balance out the dish. We both liked this dish but agreed that the tartare was more enjoyable.

It took a little while after our first course for our mains to arrive, but it was definitely worth the wait. 

This was the Duck L'Orange. It comprised of one side of duck breast. The duck was cooked to a light pink which was just perfect. The sauce had a more subtle orange taste rather than being overpowering and we found that it went wonderfully with the chips. The only improvement I could suggest is that this dish would have been better if served with some veggies on the side to balance it out or at least provide a garnish.

As you would know, I find it hard to go to a French restaurant and not order the steak frites, so of course we had a serve of the bavette with cafe de paris butter. This was cooked rare and packed full of flavour. The sauce was a definite win for me and a dish I would come back for.

All mains come served with chips and these were so good they deserve special mention of their own. Fried to perfection they were crisp without being oily and had just the right amount of skin on them. The chips were generously seasoned with a blend of spices that elevated them to a whole new level.  This concoction provided a complex, yet perfectly balanced flavor profile. Each chip was a burst of savory, slightly tangy, and mildly spicy goodness that made it nearly impossible to stop at just one. I can't wait to come back for more.

Price Range: $70 - $90pp

Taste: 8.5/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 8/10