Thr1ve - 280 Queen Street Brisbane QLD 4000

Gym junkies, lactose intolerants, and health conscious galore, Thr1ve is the perfect place for sure. Food Extinguishers, gluttons and the poor, you will definitely scream out for more. Literally, because the portions are so small.
 

 

Situated right next to beautiful greenery

 
In fact, I wasn't too sure how well I can thrive - the portions were petite, and the meals, at best, mediocre. It's true when they say food that is good for you don't taste good - so Thr1ve deserves a special round of applause for making healthy food taste "decent" (emphasis intended).
 
The great thing about Thr1ve is that you're bound to get your daily vegetable and protein requirements from their paleo-inspired, high protein, low carb meals and smoothies. Here is a menu of the things they offer. 

Paleo-inspired food

Organic coffee and tea





 

Lots and lots and lots of protein supplements

 

I started my day with the Banana flavoured Paleo Pancakes ($5.9) - Dutch mini pancakes made with coconut and almond flour, free range eggs, dusted with cinnamon and drizzled in organic honey. It came in a small un-environmentally friendly tub which doesn't look too good for the environment. Contradicts their healthy hippy image :S. 



Pancakes might be good for the body, but packaging doesn't look too good for the environment.



 Anyway, I pried the lid away and discovered six cute spherical pancakes, which were, indeed, very mini. The pancakes felt a little dry and grainy, but I enjoyed the subtle hint of banana and the rich coconut flavours.

 

6 little Banana flavoured Paleo Pancakes ($5.9)

 

Still feeling hungry, we ordered the Baked Sweet Potato, stuffed with cashew cream cheese, free range bacon & chives ($6.9). I was quite shocked to see lumps of sweet potato mashed with random bits of chives and bacon instead. The WOW Factor really wasn't there but I liked it enough to finish it in 3 quick bites (and probably because there wasn't too much mash in the small tub).

 

Umm...where's my Stuffed Sweet Potato??!!

 

On the other hand, the smoothies were extremely enjoyable. Made from silky homemade almond milk, the Salted Caramel Smoothie ($6.9 for regular, $8.9 for large) felt so smooth and satisfying. Or if almond milk isn't your thing, you can swap it with homemade coconut milk instead. The smoothie was a bit watery but I like the natural sweetness and flavours from the dates, bananas, sea salt and cashew butter. What's more, there's absolutely no sugar in the smoothies which means that it's not only healthy but also bursting with energy! The only downside is that Thr1ve's regular cups are around the size of a small cup of coffee. 



Regular Salted Caramel Smoothie ($6.9)



 My Fellow Food Extinguisher had the Green Mango Smoothie ($6.9) with green mango, kale, lime, avocado, and organic honey. He thought it was super sour but that's only because he's used to sugary drinks and can't live without sugar.

 

Regular Green Mango Smoothie ($6.9)

 

Even though I wasn't very full after this breky, I felt refresh and energised for the rest of the day. Must be the low GI J

 

Verdict:

Big is Beautiful. Food at Thr1ve is not big (in terms of size). Therefore, Thr1ve is .... makes GREAT SMOOTHIES.

 

I will definitely be back when I need a detox (which is long overdue, especially after the gourmet high tea I had at the Lab) or when I win the Gold Lotto. Prices are a bit steep for what you get but it's organic, free-range and healthy.

 

Bonsai Botanika - 109 Elizabeth Street, Brisbane QLD 4000

Quirky combination of specialty coffee, gourmet chocolate treats and Japanese ramen all under the same roof, which Bonsai Botanika somehow managed to pull off.

Furnished with warm earthy tones, an iconic rustic bike, and an exquisite display of organic but decadent desserts, I instantly fell in love with this hippy yet so trendy café.

 

Bonsai Botanika is split into three levels:

• On the ground floor, you can choose from various organic coffees, including CHEMEX Brew and Kyoto Cold-Drip Brew, gourmet chocolate drinks, frappes, homemade artisan ice-cream, paired with a slice of flourless cake.
• Upstairs, there's a nifty bar serving ramen at exorbitant prices. Prices range from $18 - $27.

 

As a self proclaimed chocolate connoisseur, I was immediately drawn to the four different types of hot chocolate available - Swiss White Chocolate, 32.9% Java Milk Chocolate, 67% Madagascar Dark Chocolate, and 70.1% Ecuador Dark Chocolate. I wasted no time at all and ordered the 70.1% Ecuador Dark Chocolate ($4).

Instead of getting some boring old hot chocolate, I got a pretty cool science experiment - with hot frothy milk in one cup and smooth indulgent dark chocolate separated in a miniature conical flask.

Check out my cool science experiment - Ecuador Dark Chocolate

This was waaay better than liquid gold - the rich, creamy chocolate glided smoothly down my throat but the dark decadent chocolate flavours still lingered on my palette even after I finished the hot chocolate. Irresistibly addictive, my Fellow Food Extinguisher had to literally stop me from taking my empty conical flask to the counter to ask for more.

Please sir, I want more...

My Fellow Food Extinguisher ordered the Kyoto Cold Brew ($5.8). Unfortunately, I am caffeine intolerant and don't know how to appreciate coffee, but my Fellow Food Extinguisher enjoyed it very much as it gave him a strong caffeine hit. For a cold brewed coffee, I thought it was quite aromatic (just because I can't drink coffee doesn't mean I can't smell coffee!).

We ended our wonderful evening with a slice of Matcha Green Tea Cake ($8.8 for 110g). Despite being rich and dense, it was slightly crumbly and bordering dry - it would probably have tasted better earlier in the day (i.e. when it was fresh). The matcha flavours felt marginally artificial and left a pungent bitter aftertaste. Although the cake was still relatively decent, I expected more if the café charged a premium - at least pair it with ice-cream (and not plain old cream)! Let's just say I would much rather have the indulgent desserts at Jamie's Italian for $10 instead.

Verdict:
Hot Chocolate here is to-die-for, close to being on par with Lindt Café or Guylians. Pity I can't say the same for the cakes.

Warawara Izakaya - 153 Elizabeth Street, Brisbane QLD 4000

 

Tempted by the $10 Lunch Specials offered here, I climbed up the stars and found a big, open space with intimate booths, small wooden tables and funky Korean artwork.

 

 

 

Despite being furnished with the typical wooden and earthy tones that most Korean restaurants use, Warawara Izakaya somehow felt more elegant and spacious, yet at the same time, fairly intimate. Must be the gigantic fish :)

After pondering at the $10 selections for quite some time, I settled on a typical Korean dish, Kimchi Pork Stew (it was not an easy choice).

As soon as we sat down, we were offered some Banchan (Korean side dishes to accompany your main). The sides were quite average and bland, but it was free after all.

The combination of exciting spicy Kimchi flavours with a delectable tangy flavour made the Kimchi Stew quite memorable. However, I think this stew should be renamed as the Kimchi Vegetarian Stew instead as there were large portions of tofu and kimchi but only pitiful amounts of pork. For only $10, it's still pretty good.

Try spotting the pork!

My Fellow Food Extinguisher ordered the Bulgogi Bento (Korean marinated beef), which came with a miso soup. Accompanied with generous servings of deliciously flavoured bulgogi and perfectly caramelised onion, authentic Korean pickles and creamy potato croquettes, it made me so jealous.

 

All Bentos come with free miso soup!

Verdict:
Cheap $10 lunches.

Hakkas (客家人) - Runcorn Plaza | 254 Warrigal Road, Eight Mile Plains QLD 4113

Enticed by the warm welcoming colours and the oriental décor, we went in and discovered this restaurant which specialises in Hakka cuisine, but with a Taiwanese influence.
 

 
The glamorous interior furnished with bright red lanterns and dark wooden furniture mimics upper class life in China back in the olden days.
 

 

A set of clean cutlery has been laid out for us.
The fish on the plates symbolises wealth.

When the Hakka people fled to Taiwan, they faced many hardships in farming new land and building new homes. To cope with these adversities, they developed a variety dishes which are distinctive of the Hakka culinary tradition. Hakka dishes are generally salty, savoury and oily. Large amounts of oil are added to the dish to restore physical energy required to perform strenuous labour and dishes are made extremely savoury and appetizing to increase appetite. Unlike traditional Hakka cuisine, the dishes at Hakkas were less oily but still savoury.
 
For starters, we ordered the Roasted Beef Ribs ($7.9). Marinated in a delicately sweet, savoury sauce and sprinkled with sesame, it was quite enjoyable but lacked the smoky grilled flavour.
 

 
Braised in a delicious sweet soy sauce, the Braised Pork ($12.9) was equally tasty. The pork had the perfect balance of fat and meat, making it juicily tender and flavourful. At first, I did find the layers of fat between the meat a little daunting but Hakka cuisine is traditionally oily.
 

 
Being a big fan of lamb, I ordered the Satay Lamb ($10.9). The Chinese Vegetable in the dish was perfectly stir fried and it still had a nice crunch to it, but I failed to find much lamb in the dish. Nevertheless, the chilli and delightfully spicy satay sauce gave it an extra kick.
 

Where's Wally? Where's the Lamb?

 
SECOND VISIT:
The wonderful experience I had with the dishes above gave me high hopes for my second visit. This time, I decided to try out famous Taiwanese dishes, but I was sorely disappointed.
 
The Chicken in Three-cup Sauce ($15.9) was only lightly drizzled with sweet soy sauce but lacked the strong pungent flavours expected of this dish. When the chicken was placed on our table, the spoon nearly dropped on the ground - not because it was overflowing with chicken, but because the pot was only slightly bigger than a rice bowl. Apart from the few chicken pieces near the brim, the rest of the dish contained unwanted bony chicken parts and excessive chilli and garlic cloves. In fact, there were more chilli and garlic than chicken (at least in the dish that was served to me). Needless to say, I was rather unimpressed and confronted the waiter about this. The waiter explained that the price of $15.90 was "extremely low" so if I wanted more chicken I should have requested for it initially for an extra $4. Funny how the menu failed to mention this.

Picture on the menu portraying a large clay pot



The actual Chicken in Three-cup Sauce with spoon nearly falling off



Picture for Size Reference - in comparison with normal size pot



Although the sauces in the Braised Beef Brisket in Clay Pot ($16.9) were savoury and enjoyable, the beef brisket was a little tough and chewy. The restaurant was probably concerned about our daily vegetable intake as there were more carrots and radishes than brisket. The radish was unusually hard and crunchy but I am aware that it is not radish season.

 

Picture on the menu



The Healthy Version - what we actually got


The highlight of the day was the Fried Chicken Wings, which was free if you spend more than $30. Perfectly crispy on the outside, juicy and succulent on the inside - delicious!

Verdict:
If you can get over the fact that "names and pictures are for references only", the food here generally tastes pretty good (with some exceptions).
 

Cha Kee (茶記) - Warrigal Square | 261 Warrigal Road, Eight Mile Plains QLD 4113

Attention all Hong Kongers - there's a new Hong Kong Style Café in town.

Warmly welcomed by friendly and attentive staff, we were led into a comfortable yet artistically rustic dining area.

 

Unlike many popular HK style cafes, a very clean set of cutlery has already been laid out neatly for us :). 

 

 

Although the menu is not as extensive as other similar cafes, Cha Kee still offers a limited selection of noodles, rice, congee, sandwiches, and Chinese roast meats. Like most HK cafes, Cha Kee offers $10.90 set meals which comes with a drink (but surprisingly no soup).
 

Mains Menu

There's also afternoon tea (at a heavily discounted price) available for those who feel peckish in the afternoon.

Afternoon Tea (2.30 - 5.00pm) for under $10

There's also a variety of drinks and desserts available:



Desserts

Normal Drinks

Special Drinks

  
Highly recommended by Cha Kee, we ordered the Stir-fried Beef & Enoki Ho-Fun in Shacha Sauce (a savoury and slightly spicy satay sauce) ($12.9). Perfectly stir-fried with deliciously savoury and tingly sauce, I thoroughly enjoyed the Ho-Fun (an Asian type of fettuccine made with rice). However, the beef felt a little rubbery and I could taste the corn flour on it.

We also tried the Baked Pork Chop with fried rice ($12.90). It's traditionally accompanied with tomato sauce but Cha Kee ran out of tomato sauce - I found this a little amusing as Cha Kee is conveniently located next to Woolworths. Luckily, the baked dishes here came with customisable sauces, so we substituted it with the Mushroom Sauce instead. The seamless combination of thickly sliced mushrooms, together with succulent and tender porkchops, smothered in a rich, creamy, mushroom sauce left me craving for more.

Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for the fried snacks. The batter on the Fried Oysters ($8.9) and Diced Salty Crispy Chicken ($6.9) was extremely thick and hard (i.e. not light and crunchy). Not to mention that the batter was so bland that the accompanying salt didn't help much. In its defence, the chicken was quite supple and juicy.

 

Very small oysters coated in a thick floury batter.

Juicy but thin chicken pieces coated in thick batter

 

Verdict:

Stick with the mains and avoid the snacks.