218 Chinese Style Restaurant (食麵八方) - 218 Padstow Road, Eight Mile Plains QLD 4113

Feeling like Chinese tonight, we stopped over at 218 Chinese Style Restaurant for a bite. With "such an original name", there really are no prizes for guessing what type of cuisine this restaurant specialises in.

So what does 218 stand for? In Chinese, 218 means "easy profit", so it's seen as a very auspicious number. Well who doesn't like easy profit?

Coincidentally, 218 Chinese Style Restaurant is located on 218 Padstow Road. Mere coincidence? I'll leave that for you to decide.

In terms of dishes, you get a huge variety, ranging from special Chinese snacks - intestines (sounds eww I know, but if you close your eyes, it's actually pretty good); shallot pancakes; meat buns; to rice/noodle dishes; soups; and casseroles. Prices are very affordable, with the most expensive dish only costing $15.90.

Apparently, the most popular dishes include Shallot Pancake ($4); Lightly Fried Meat Buns ($9); and Beef Brisket Noodle Soup ($10.90), so that's exactly what we got.

The crispiness of the Shallot Pancakes made it insanely addictive, but the lack of shallot flavours was its main downfall. I still enjoyed it though as it was significantly less oily than the pancakes I've tried at other restaurants - and needless to say, I finished it pretty quickly.

Shallot Pancakes ($4)

We waited 30 minutes before our Meat Buns arrived, but it was made fresh so I didn't mind (our waiters warned us about this which was good). With a wonderfully crunchy base and a soft fluffy bun, the Meat Buns would have been perfect if the pork mince exploded with a delicious broth. Unfortunately, it didn't so I still prefer the Pan Fried Pork Buns from New Shanghai more.

Lightly Fried Meat Buns ($9)

The Beef Brisket Soup ($10.90) was deliciously flavourful on its own, but I would have liked it just a little saltier as it's meant to accompany noodles. Noodle texture was perfect - with just the right balance of firmness and chewiness, but the (generous portions of) beef brisket was a little too dry and chewy.


Beef Brisket Noodle Soup ($10.90)

Verdict:
Great value for money - stop by for some cheap Chinese eats.

Vapiano - Garden City | Kessels Road, Upper Mount Gravatt QLD 4122

Attention all foodies - new and exotic cocktails are about to make their way onto Vapiano's menu.

Fortunately, I was one of the lucky few to try it before anyone else (Yes I'm such a show off :P). Last Monday, I was invited to check out the newest Vapiano in Garden City.

It's got such a fun, vibrant ambience and feels a lot brighter (and newer) than the City Store.

We started off with a large Antipasti platter which came with a selection of cured meats, Parmesan, buffalo mozzarella, mixed olives, sun-dried tomatoes, pesto basilica, and bruschetta. The highlight was definitely the buffalo mozzarella, with its smooth, creamy taste and semi-elastic texture.

Up next were the cocktails. Our hosts (and owners), Will and Greg, explained that these cocktails were actually made by Vapiano's very own chefs so it's impossible to get them anywhere else.

The cocktails were certainly unique and exotic - ranging from a creamy Snowball with Malibu, baileys, and desiccated coconut; a refreshing fruity Orange Ginger Punch with orange liquor, orange juice, ginger beer and a sugar coated rim; a chocolatey Winter in Capri with strawberry syrup, chocolate syrup, vodka, and cherries which made it taste like a rich black forest cake; and an Indian inspired Indiantini, with lime, ginger, gin, sprite, and a curry leaf - a bizarre yet delightful combination.

From Left to Right: Snowball, Orange Ginger Punch, Winter in Capri, Indiantini

The pastas were equally enjoyable - fresh, and perfectly al dente with a rich, flavourful sauce. Will and Greg explained to us that the pastas are always fresh because they throw it away after a day.

The Cabonara was one of the best I've tried - with Aussie bacon, onions, egg, parmesan, and a rich, creamy sauce that clings well onto the spaghetti, no wonder it's a traditional favourite! I also really liked the homemade tomato sauce in the Bolognese (Italian-style beef, pork, onions, carrots, cherry tomatoes) and Gamberi (Prawns, tomatoes, spring onion) - packed with rich tomato flavours, I could certainly tell it was not the fake package stuff you find in most super markets. To top it off, the accompanying cherry tomatoes were really fresh and sweet - in fact, the juices pretty much exploded in your mouth with each bite.

Crema Di Funghi, Bolognese, Carbonara, Gamberi

Unfortunately, I was too full to try the Pizza but my companion told me it was amazing and the base was freshly made.

We ended our wonderful evening with a few (well to be more specific FIVE) decadent desserts. Shows you that desserts really do go into a second stomach seeing as I could still fit them in :P.

First came the Double Choc Peanut Butter Pie - a rich peanut butter cheese cake with crunchy biscuits and nuts as the base.

Next came the Brazilian inspired Chocolate Pave - it was really creamy, smooth yet chocolatey but somehow had rich vanilla flavours. The best part was the milk soaked biscuit centre. How a dessert can have so many different yet delicious flavours and textures really amazes me! I especially liked the single mint leaf as it was very refreshing and goes very well with the other flavours. 

After that, we had the Toblerone Mousse which had rich toblerone flavours and chunky toblerone pieces. I'm not a big fan of cream so I didn't think too much of the cream layer on the top but I'm sure there are others who like the creaminess.

And in case we didn't like the new options (who wouldn't :S?), we were served Vapiano's favourites - the Nutella Cheesecake topped with fresh strawberries and crushed hazelnuts and White Chocolate Cheesecake with salted caramel and honeycomb.

Double Choc Peanut Butter Pie, Chocolate Pave, Toblerone Mousse, the Favourites

What I especially like about Vapiano is that their herbs are always fresh - check out this cool Rosemary plant we got:

Verdict
Sadly, only one of the cocktails and desserts we've tried will make it on Vapiano's new menu, but no matter which one it is, it will certainly be a great addition to the new winter menu. Not long to wait now - the new options will be available in all stores on 1 June 2015. The countdown begins...

Disclaimer: The Food Extinguisher was an invited guest of Vapiano, however this review is honest and unbiased.

Julius Pizzeria - 77 Grey Street (Corner Fish Lane), South Brisbane QLD 4101

Julius Pizzeria - Italian Utopia.

Specialising in authentic Italian Cuisine, Julius Pizzeria offers delicious wood-fired pizzas and Italian dishes in a chic, semi-industrial fit-out with archaic brick archways.


Proof that the pizzas are wood-fired.

 
There's also a few entrees, sides, and desserts to choose from:
 

2015 Autumn Menu

 
We started off with the Polenta Fritta ($16.50), which was perfectly fried with grilled zucchini, chilli and oregano. It's fairly decent but I found it a little too cheesy, and when paired with the buffalo mozzarella the cheesy flavours completely overpowered the dish. I would have preferred it to have a creamier texture, but I'm sure lots of cheese lovers out there would enjoy the double cheesiness.

Polenta Fritta ($16.50)

Famous for its pizzas, there's no way we can leave Julius without trying a pizza! So we ordered the Gamberi Piccanti ($24), with mozzarella, prawns, cherry tomatoes, garlic, chilli, herbs, olive oil and lots and lots of rocket leaves. Wood-fired prawns with a hint of spice on a freshly baked base was absolutely delightful!


Gamberi Piccanti ($24)


Verdict
Drop by Julius Pizzeria for an authentic wood-fired pizza. Unfortunately, the starters seemed a little small.

The service was also disappointing. There's way too many customers so the waiters weren't very attentive. Not to mention that we felt quite pressured to leave right after our meal as the waiter threw down our bill after he cleared our table.



Verve - 109 Edward Street, Brisbane QLD 4001

Swerve into Verve for delicious serves of Risotto.

Hidden in a uber dark and dingy basement, it is surprising that a bar like this would serve Italian meals, such as Pastas, risottos and pizzas. The menu can be found here: http://vervecafe.com/wp-content/uploads/Menu.pdf

The Sand Crab & Snapper Risotto ($22.90) was deliciously cooked in a rich zesty creamy sauce with diced roma tomato, thyme and parmesan. With generous serves of crab and snapper, it was certainly deliciously memorable.

Sand Crab & Snapper Risotto ($22.90)

The Pescatore Linguini ($22.90) with scallops, prawns, roasted bell pepper, olive and fresh basil was significantly less enjoyable. There was too much olive oil which overpowered the flavours of the seafood, yet the linguini still felt sauce-less and dry. But keep in mind that I really dislike olives so that is probably why I didn't like it much.  Scallops were abundant but they were teenier than 5c pieces.

Pescatore Linguini ($22.90)

Verve also offers a limited selection of desserts:

Nothing beats a Warm Chocolate Brownie with Peanut Butter Ice-Cream ($8) so that is what we ordered. The separate elements, when eaten on their own, tasted delicious - the brownie was fairly chocolatey and I liked the subtle flavours of the peanut butter ice-cream. However, the tart raspberry sauce clashed badly with the peanut butter ice-cream and the combination of flavours was super weird. Let's just say the Epic Brownie from Jamie's Italian was a lot more satisfying.

Warm Chocolate Brownie with Peanut Butter Ice-Cream ($8)

Verdict
While it's not the best Italian food available in Brisbane, it's definitely worth a try. I like the dim ambience - it's friendly, casual and not pretentious. It's always super popular so make sure you book before you swerve by.

Men Ya Go - Shop 4/123 Albert Street, Brisbane QLD 4000

Head over to Men Ya Go for Ramen that's only so-so.
 

 
Featuring limited options with ramen/rice and charsiu.
 

 
Shio Broth ($12.60) was light and it tasted alright.
 
Egg was very "well-done", but I'd rather have none. Traditionally, Japanese ramen is served with an Onsen Tamago that has a soft runny centre (and not hard boiled).
 
The Char Siu was a little bland but at least it had the perfect texture - it was really tender.
 

Shio (Salt Flavour) ($12.60)

The Miso Ramen ($13.80) had strong miso flavours, but there wasn't the depth of porkiness expected from a good bowl of miso pork broth. Likewise, the egg was overcooked.
 

Miso (Soya Bean Flavour) ($13.80)

On the plus side, every bowl of ramen comes with free Kae-dama (extra noodles)!

Verdict
If you like hard boiled eggs and fairly light soup, then Men Ya Go is the place to swoop. Ramen tastes pretty okay, but not enough to make my day.

 

Shouk Cafe - 14 Collingwood Street, Paddington QLD 4064

Look for Shouk - one of Brisbane's most popular cafes.

With a range of Middle Eastern inspired dishes and exotic Israeli options including Shakshuka (Tunisian style eggs baked with spices) and Flatbread and Lamb, it's bound to tingle your senses!


Drinks

Lunch

Breakfast

We started off with a Chai Latte ($4) - I could really taste the aromatic spices in it.

Chai Latte ($4)

Craving for something different, I ordered the Latke Stack ($17). Layers of crispy potato pancakes with cream cheese, dill, delicious pickled red onions, dukkah (Egyptian spices with sesame, coriander, cumin, salt and pepper), poached eggs, and your choice of smoked salmon, bacon, avocado or grilled haloumi). Unlike store-bought smoked salmon, the salmon wasn't as salty which complemented the crispy rosti and tangy onions perfectly.

Latke Stack ($17)

Check out the perfectly poached eggs with its gooey runny yolk:

Not having ice-cream for breakfast is a thing of the past - the Challah French Toast ($17) is a must-try! Soft Jewish toast soaked in spiced egg mixture, served with candied walnuts, balsamic macerated berries and a delicious vanilla bean semifreddo! The tart berries cut through the rich vanilla flavours of the creamy ice-cream, which was dusted with fresh pistachio-meal.

Challah French Toast ($17)

Verdict
A delightful addition to the Paddington café scene. The only downside: it's always packed :( but to be expected of such a popular café.