Beach Burrito - 100 Boundary Street, Westend QLD 4101

Since the Beach is so far away, I visited the next best alternative - Beach Burrito. Yes, there's no beach, but at least there's burritos. AND Funky Beach Umbrellas.


Beach Burrito offers a variety of Mexican food, including nachos, burritos, quesadilla's, tacos, and salads (seriously - you want salad in a Mexican place :S ??!!). Prices range from $10 to $20 - check out the menu here: http://www.beachburritocompany.com/menu/

Famous for their edible burrito bowls, my Fellow Food Extinguishers and I were keen to try it out. To our delight, we discovered that Beach Burrito offers daily specials:

• Monday - All Meals $15
• Tuesday - All Tacos $3
• Wednesday - Mystery Special (Geez, just tell us what the special is -_-")
• Thursday - 2 Tacos and a Beer for $10
• Friday - Burrito and Beer for $20
• Saturday - Buy any Beer Pay Full Price (Um...isn't this special available every day?)
• Sunday - Ask their friendly staff for Sunday's special (......speechless)

Luckily, it was a Monday so I got a Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bowl (normally $16.95) for only $15! Chargrilled chipotle chicken, Mexican rice, frijoles especial (black beans), blended cheese, smokey salsa, pico de gallo (salsa), creamy guacamole and sour cream served in a delightfully crispy flour tortilla bowl. The chicken was perfectly chargrilled which gave it a delicious smoky flavour but it was a tad dry. It also felt a little bland on its own but the subtle flavours went well with the sour cream and creamy guacamole. On the other hand, the crunchy burrito bowl was amazing - it was thin, it was crispy and it was insanely addictive.

Chipotle Chicken Burrito (Normally $16.95)

Because I missed the Beach and the Burritos so much, I went back again the next day on Tuesday to get Tacos. Or probably because it was Cheap Taco Tuesdays and I am so broke from all this eating I've been doing. My boss actually asked me last week if I have any savings or if I've eaten it all away, but that's a story for another day :P.

Luckily, the Tacos only cost me $9 ($3 each). I chose the Halloumi, Lime Chilli Garlic Prawn, and Chipotle Chicken (normally $5 each). This is the first time I've had tacos in soft shells (as I generally prefer the crunchy ones), but I quite liked it as it was very fresh and soft, yet firm enough so that it doesn't go soggy as quickly.

From Left to Right: Halloumi, Lime Chilli Garlic Prawn, Chipotle Chicken

The Halloumi was quite rubbery as it was not grilled properly and I couldn't taste or see the mango salsa it was supposed to come with (properly because it's not Mango season anymore). Made with fresh juicy tomatoes, onion, and lime juice, the tomato salsa was delicious though :) - I also liked the addition of the sweet corn (although it probably wasn't fresh off the cob).

Suprisingly, the Prawn lacked prawns (what the...). It only had two measly prawns hidden under generous servings of Mexican rice (in other words, lots of rice with no prawns). It was also quite tasteless but I appreciated the chilli salt which spiced things up a little bit.

I quite liked the Chipotle Chicken - it tasted exactly the same as the Chicken Burrito Bowl. The only downside was that the chicken was equally dry.

Feeling a lot less impressed with the tacos, I decided to wash down my sorrows with a bottle of Sangria, which was $25 for 1 Litre, or you can also get Churros for Two for an extra $5(normally $14.95 on its own). No prizes for guessing which one I chose :P.

The Sangria was a delicious blend of red wine and fruits, served with real diced fruits. I especially liked it how our cups were rimmed with yummy brown sugar - I basically spent all night licking my cup mmm :).

1 Litre of Sangria can make you very dizzy and lightheaded.

The accompanying Churros was perfectly crunchy, but it was slightly dough-y so it felt like I was eating a doughnut.

Sorry for the bad lighting -
my friend wanted to sit in the courtyard which was very dark.

Verdict:
Not bad, but make sure you choose the right fillings. Stick with the traditional Mexican flavours. The burrito bowls and the rimmed sangria cups are pretty addictive.

High Tea at the Lab - Treasury Casino | CBD

I hate scones, and anyone who knows me can attest to that. However, after visiting the Lab, I have gone through a complete transformation.

They must conduct some pretty cool experiments at the Lab, because the scones are one of the best I've tried (and yes, this is coming from a recently reformed scone-hatter). In fact, their scones completely blew my mind - soft, yet moist and crumbly, with a delicious buttery taste. And best of all, the scones were slightly toasted which made it delightfully crunchy on the outside but still light and fluffy on the inside. I can probably talk about how awesome the scones are all day long, but I will spare you the pain. The High Tea ($45 for adults) came with 2 scones - one plain and one with sultanas - generous servings of sultanas hidden in a moist, delicate scone (Ok, ok I get it - I will stop now).

Three tiers of sweet and savoury delights:
Tier 1: Plain scone, Sultana scone, Petite Quiche & Fritata
Tier 2: Freshly made dainty gourmet ribbon sandwiches
Tier 3: Assortment of sweet treats

The accompanying clotted cream was even more spectacular than the scones - thick and creamy, with an intense burst of vanilla flavours. Infused with real vanilla pods, you get a delicious, authentic vanilla taste (and not the fake artificial flavours you get from vanilla essence). You also get a jar of strawberry jam as well, but who needs jam with you have delicious creamy cream (How original - using "creamy" to describe cream *rolls eyes*).

Creamy Vanilla Cream

Moving onto savouries, Tier 2 comes with 6 different types of gourmet finger sandwiches (mix of wholemeal and white bread):

• Egg and lettuce with mayo and butter
• Chicken with mayo, chives and brie
• Roast beef and cucumber
• Smoked salmon with red onion, mustard and capers
• Swiss cheese and tomato
• Cucumber with cream cheese, spring onion and sour cream

The sandwiches were pleasant but it didn't blow my mind.

The last tier was presented beautifully (check out the swan shaped profiteroles!) and came with an opera cake, pistachio macaron, petit fruit flan, lemon meringue tart and swan shaped profiteroles stuffed with vanilla cream. Unfortunately, the choux pastry felt a little stale and the ganache in the opera cake wasn't rich enough. Apart from that, the desserts were fairly standard (but decent :)).

What's a High Tea without good tea? The High Tea at the Lab comes with La Maison Du Tea (Premium handcrafted French Tea created by one of the oldest tea blenders in Paris) and there's 7 that you can choose from:

• English Breakfast - a classic blend of black teas, blended to provide a gloriously reviving drink that is suitable for any time of the day
• Earl Grey - a traditional oriental blend of the unsmoked Chinese teas
• Darjeeling - known as the champagne of teas with a subtle taste of amber liquor and a hint of ripe fruits
• Green Tea - rich in antioxidants
• Lemon & Ginger - a delicious balance of cool lemongrass and warm spicy ginger
• Peppermint - a refreshing mint infusion which leaves a clean taste in the mouth
• Camomile - carries notes of citron and a light bitterness

I was extremely impressed with the Camomile Tea - as you can see it was flavoured with real camomile :)!

And if you hate tea, you can get sparking for an extra $9 - $24.

Verdict
Enjoy an elegant high tea experience and indulge in decadent treats - the scones were ABSOLUTELY A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. At only $45 per person or $25 per child, it is one of the more affordable high teas around. Only available on Saturday and Sunday between 2.00pm - 3.30pm.

KU-O Japanese Restaurant - Market Square | Sunnybank

KU-O used to be my favourite hangout spot, so when they closed down for renovations, I was super depressed. After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, I was super hyped when they re-opened again.

To be honest, it didn't really look that much different inside except with the addition of a few more tables. It still looked as Japanese as what it was with its cool wooden tables, funky Japanese artwork, and colourful umbrellas on the ceiling.

 
What struck me the most was the increase in prices of the food. Prices seem to have increased by at least 25% - but I don't mind paying more for quality food. For a Japanese restaurant, the prices were still acceptable and there are a few cheap eats such as various rice bowls which range from $10.9 (teriyaki, chicken, karaage) to 18.9 (sashimi kaisen don).

Like before, the menu had a large selection of Japanese dishes which include set meals, donburi (rice bowls), sashimi, yakitori (grilled skewers), and teppanyaki (grilled meat on hot sizzling pan).

Being an avid sashimi lover, I ordered the Sashimi Platter - 16 pieces of salmon, tuna, kingfish, squid, scallops with roe ($29.9). The sashimi was a little too petite and wasn't the freshest I've tried - but it was still decent, I guess. It was beautifully presented, but for $29.9, I really expected more.
 

Sashimi Platter ($29.9)

We then ordered a hot platter to balance it out. The Mixed Yakitori Platter ($24.9) came with 9 skewers, but 4 of them were grilled zucchinis. Overall the skewers weren't grilled properly so it lacked the delicious charred flavours. The meats weren't coated with enough layers of teriyaki sauce so it tasted quite bland in general. The grilled salmon was overcooked which made it quite dry and chewy. Let's just say I wasn't too impressed and would probably not order it again.

Yakitori Platter ($24.9)

I used to love the drinks here but didn't want to be disappointed so I didn't order it this time round.

Verdict
Hopefully it was just an off-day and it would be better next time - but I'm not sure if I want to visit again any time soon though.

Peasant - 5/61 Petrie Terrace, Brisbane QLD 4000

Upon walking in, Peasant certainly impress with its aesthetic designer décor. The earthy rustic fit-out, large tables and romantically dimmed lights evokes a casual familial atmosphere. Which makes sense because Peasant is a Spanish restaurant famous for its shareplates.

Named best overall in Brisbane at the 2011 Savour Australia Awards for Excellence, we were keen to try it out.

You simply cannot go to a Spanish restaurant without trying their sangrias, so we got a carafe of red wine Sangria ($30).  It was remarkably sweet and very refreshing.

Red Wine Sangria ($30)

Tapas are best enjoyed in groups, so we got a few to share for my birthday. We settled on the Grilled Chorizo with black garlic aioli ($16), Sobrassada Croquetas ($12), and Tequenos with jamon & majorera ($12). Unfortunately, the portions were pitiful and there really wasn't much to share around. (Aha! So that's why this place was named "Peasant"). Despite the small serves, the tapas were fairly enjoyable.

Tapas Galore

The Grilled Chorizo was perfectly charred and served with black garlic aioli which had delicious garlic flavours.

The Croquetas was deep fried and filled with flavourful sobrassadas (a type of cured sausage made with ground pork, paprika, salt and other spices). The creamy tangy sauce complemented these crispy battered morsels very well. I found the Croquetas a little too salty but that's probably because of the sobrassadas.

The Tequeno (sour bread dough) was filled with tasty jamon (a Spanish type of dry-cured ham similar to prosciutto) and majorera (a special type of goat cheese). The tequeno was irresistibly crunchy, but I could barely taste the jamon or majorera as there was only an extremely thin layer inside the tequeno. I still enjoyed it though - anything fried dipped with sauce is generally nice.

Needing something more substantial, we decided to get two large plates.

The Slow Cooked Rabbit with lentils, PX sherry, mushroom and triple smoked jamon ($30) was divine - it was flavoursome and I especially like the mild sherry flavours. The rabbit had an oh-so-tender texture but it was shredded into tiny pieces which made it difficult to find in the stew.

Slow Cooked Rabbit ($30)
Really tasty but the portion was again pitiful 

We also got the Spiced Lamb Shoulder with cacik (diluted yoghurt), pistachios and pine nuts ($35). Packed with different spices, the lamb had an exciting spicy kick. What was most impressive with the dish was that the pistachios were fresh so it had a delicious sweet flavour (unlike the stale stuff you get at Woolies). The spices and the cacik didn't go well with each other so I didn't really enjoy the dish (Thank goodness the serving for this was also very small). On the plus side, the lamb had a fall-off-the-bone texture.

Spiced Lamb Shoulder ($35)

Although the tapas were decent, the service wasn't very pleasant, and at times, we felt like we were being treated like peasants. Halfway through our meal, we spilt our sangria and wanted some napkins. We practically had to jump in front of the waiter before we got some sort of attention. The waiter was kind enough to spare us a few napkins and stood on the side while we cleaned the table ourselves. We also felt a bit uncomfortable after we finished our meal as the waiter cleaned our table and handed us the bill pretty much immediately.

Verdict
To be fair, the tapas were fairly decent, but unless you are on a diet, I wouldn't recommend this place. Total spent for 4 people = $135, but none of us were full.

Jak+Hill - 40 Astor Terrace, Spring Hill QLD 4000

Jak + Hill went up to Spring Hill
To open an urban café.
Jak got round and gained a few pounds,
As Hill made very good meals.

From early morning till late in the evening, Jak+Hill offers an array of culinary delights, ranging from traditional breakfast staples, deluxe feasts and gourmet desserts.

Breakfast Menu

Lunch and Dinner Menu





 

To start off my day, I had the weekly special - Smoked Salmon Bagel with lemon crumbed fetta, creamy avocado, fresh watercress, baby cherry truss tomatoes, poached eggs doused with smooth buttery Hollandaise ($17.5). The Bagel was perfectly toasted on the outside so that it had a crunchy outer crust, while the inside was still light and fluffy! Poached egg was slightly undercooked and the Hollandaise felt a little too tangy but apart from that it was a perfect way to start off the morning!

 

Smoked Salmon Bagel ($17.5)

 

My Fellow Food Extinguisher ordered the Grilled Haloumi with blistered cherry tomatoes, peppers, fresh spinach, avocado and poached egg ($16). The grilled haloumi had a surprisingly delicious creamy texture, unlike the rubbery ones you get in supermarkets. Likewise, the peppers was cooked perfectly, giving it a delightful sweet flavour.

 

Grilled Haloumi ($16)

 

We ended our wonderful morning with a bowl of thick cut Chunky Chips ($7). Addictively crunchy on the outside yet soft and fluffy on the inside. However, the chips were overly fried which gave it a slight burnt aftertaste. The aioli and the relish made up for it though - the aioli was deliciously creamy and garlicky and you can actually taste authentic tomato flavours in the relish! The relish was so good that I forgot to take photos. 

Beer Battered Chips ($7)

 

Verdict

It's about time you go up the hill to visit Jak+Hill. Make sure you don't fall down and hurt your crown though - because you will really fall head over heels with their meals.

 



The Little Larder - 76 Moray Street, New Farm QLD 4005

The Little Larder is undeniably one of the most popular brunch cafes in Brisbane. With its reasonably priced brekies, friendly and cherry service, what is there not to like? And if you're lucky, you may get a surprise visit from Little Larder's favourite resident, Pumpkin (a cute chubby hen).

Although the menu is quite limited, it does have interesting additions including Beef Cheeks, Pulled Pork, Squid Salad. There's also cold fresh juices available for the health junkies.


Drinks Menu

Breakfast and Lunch Menu

















Despite being an insanely hot day, we ordered Hot Chocolate ($3.9), Flat White ($3.9), and Chamomile Tea ($3.5).

The Hot Chocolate ($3.9) was fairly chocolatey but nothing too special when compared to Koko Black or Guylians or Lindt Café.

Hot Chocolate on a hot, hot day.

Similarly, the Flat White had a nice coffee flavour but was a tad too creamy.

Flat White in a cup ($3.9)

The Chamomile Tea ($3.5) was pretty standard but it had a very fragrant chamomile flavour.

Chamomile Tea ($3.5)

Feeling a little adventurous, I got the Savoury Cajun Spiced Beef Cheeks with poached egg and gruyere cheese toasted sourdough ($18). The beef cheeks weren't savoury enough, but the texture was amazing - it was juicy, tender and literally melted in your mouth. The egg was perfectly poached with a golden runny yolk.

Savoury Cajun Spiced Beef Cheeks ($18)

Gooey Golden Yolk

My fellow Food Extinguisher got the Large Breakfast with scrambled eggs, bacon, chorizo, mushrooms, roasted tomato, spinach, potato rosti, and sourdough ($21). According to my partner-in-food, the eggs were perfectly scrambled and still had a soft texture, but unfortunately it was quite bland and lacked flavour. The bacon wasn't pan fried properly so it wasn't crispy or very flavoursome. I quite like the chorizos though.

Large Breakfast ($21) - at least it was quite L-A-R-G-E!

Verdict
Decent for the price. But don't visit on a hot summer's day because there's no aircon.

Guzman Y Gomez - 142 Albert Street, Brisbane QLD 4000

Who loves cheap-ish tasty burritos? Go to Guzman Y Gomez!

Choose from Spicy Chicken Guerrero, Pork Chipotle, Steak Chipotle, Beef Guerrero, Barramundi and Farm Fresh Vegetables.

My favourite is the Chicken Guerrero (Mild) for $10.90. Char grilled marinated chicken fillets with black beans, salsa, jack cheese and a choice of normal rice or brown rice (for an extra $1).

Luckily there was a $5 burrito bowl special when I went :).

And if you're feeling thirsty, go grab a Corona too. It was $5 (on special) as well when I went.

The Food Extinguisher is obviously having fun

Verdict
Pretty good for fast food burritos! But don't expect authentic Mexican.