Gauge - 77 Grey Street, South Brisbane QLD 4101

Gorge yourself on Gauge with its irresistible waffles and brunches.

So where is it? Without any signs, it might be a bit difficult to find.

Inside this cosy café is a large communal table with plenty of seats and several intimate window seats.

What caught my attention, however, was the honey comb right outside the open plan kitchen. At least you know the ingredients here are probably fresh :).

Though limited, Gauge offers exciting and innovative options, including Black Garlic Bread, Sourdough waffle with artichoke custard, Smoked Kingfish and spiced pearl barley, just to name a few.

There's also freshly baked pastries from Sprout Artisan Bakery for those who only want a light snack.

Apparently the coffee here is nothing less than superb - I don't drink coffee so I can't really comment. The barista seems to take his coffee-art very seriously though, because even my Hot Chocolate ($4.5) looked spectacular.

Hot Chocolate ($4.50)

For the main, we ordered Smoked Kingfish, Spiced Pearl Barley, Soft egg & Parsley ($18). The Kingfish was first smoked with natural firewood, poached with milk and then pan-fried with ras el hanout (a middle eastern spicemix), giving it a delightful smoky cumin-y aftertaste. Surrounded by firm al dente barley and soft, foamy egg, it felt like one creamy paradise. While deliciously irresistible, it felt more like an entrée than a main (portion-wise).

Smoked Kingfish and Soft Egg ($18)

The Sourdough Waffle ($16) however, was definitely the highlight of the day. Expect moist, fluffy waffles with a perfectly crispy exterior. Together with bee pollen, freeze-dried honey, rich creamy artichoke-infused custard and fresh almonds - it's a match made in heaven. Mmmmm :).....

Sourdough Waffle ($16)

Verdict:
Be amazed by the exotic options at Gauge. You certainly won't be able to find them anywhere else.

Bacchus - Rydges Hotel | Cnr Grey and Glenelg Streets, South Brisbane QLD 4101

Getting into Bacchus was more painful than getting hit by a cactus. Apparently it was completely booked out on a State of Origin night. Seriously, why would you want to eat at a place with no TV when the game is on? Guess I can't really talk, because I chose Bacchus over the game :P. You see, it was my aunt's birthday and I promised to take her somewhere special, but I was slightly upset that we had to wait over 1.5 hours to get in. Anyway, more on that later.

Bacchus is the Greek god of wine, indulgence, and ritual madness. Inspired by this theme, Bacchus has somehow managed to create an elegant yet classy nightlife experience by integrating a pool in the bar area and furnishing the restaurant with varnished wood and splashes of gold.

Serving breakfast, lunch, dinner, high tea, and degustation's for vegetarians, vegans and dessert lovers - Bacchus is perfect for anyone, for any occasion. You can check out the menu here.

For an award winning restaurant, you would expect top-notch food - and that is exactly what I got.

Even the complimentary amuse bouche (basically a French word for freebie) was impressive. Served in a thermal insulated glass, the creamy potato soup with bacon, chives and rich truffle oil flavours was steaming hot when it arrived - which was a perfect accompaniment to a delicious dinner on a cold winter night!

Potato Soup with bacon, chives, and truffle oil

Next came a platter with fresh bread (also complimentary), olive tapenade and whipped butter. Slightly toasted soft, fluffy bread and light creamy whipped butter really go well together.


Fresh Bread with olive tapenade and creamy whipped butter

The Pigeon ($58) was extremely exquisite - slightly gamey, yet somehow melted away in your mouth. The flavours were superb - with the celeriac, chestnut mushrooms and rich buttery foie gras being a perfect match for the squab. Although the squab soaked up the sticky madeira & muscatelle sauce beautifully, the skin was miraculously light and crispy.

Pigeon ($58)

The Veal ($48) was equally impressive - the cutlet was cooked to perfection - it was beautifully pink and incredibly tender and succulent. The plate was well balanced with creamy mousseline potato and a sweet red wine jus - simply divine.

Veal ($48)

While the food was excellent, I was slightly disappointed by the loooooooong period of time I had to wait to get in.

Upon arrival, I was advised by the manager that it was fully booked out (even though it was a Wednesday, State of Origin night and there were empty tables) and that I should come back in 45 minutes. I gave her my phone number and asked her to call me when tables became available. I went back into the restaurant after 45 minutes - only to be told by the manager to wait another 20 minutes (despite there being empty tables). I waited another 20 minutes and went back in - only to be told by the manager again to wait another 15 - 20 minutes. I waited another 30 minutes, frustrated, to find over half the restaurant empty and the manager packing up the bar, with no intention to call me. The waiters had to consult the manager before we were allowed in. I am really not sure why :S - pretty sure we don't smell *double checks just in case - it's winter after all :P*.

Once we got in, the waiters were professional and friendly and seemed quite knowledgeable about the dishes.

The Bill was placed in a pretty cool cigar box.

Verdict
Make sure you book before hand - although the food was superb, I'm not sure if it was worth the 1.5 hour wait. Of course, there would be many who would disagree with me, because the dishes were actually really really delicious - and I could have left, but I didn't - sigh, the things I would do for good food.

 

BF Food Court (繽紛食閣) - 1/2898 Logan Road, Underwood QLD 4119

Last week I went to BF Food Court. Aka the "Bun Fun Food Court" in Underwood.

They don't really sell buns (unless you count the yumcha ones), and they're really not that fun, so why is it called the Bun Fun Food Court? Turns out that Bun Fun translates to 繽紛 which means rich and diverse in Cantonese, so it really suits a food court with various eateries.

The BF Food Court resembles the Little Taipei Food Court near Market Square, but looks a lot classier and cleaner with its oriental-antique wooden tables.

The variety of food is quite impressive.

Choose from

• Traditional Chinese Food and Set Meals:

Set meals

A la carte

 

•  Hot Pots - Seafood Sets

 

 

• Dumplings

•   Taiwanese Snacks

 

• Yumcha

 

 

YUM CHA HOUSE

The master chef behind the Yumcha House (百勝點心之家) was Mr Lin Kee, who has over 30 years experience so there was no way I would leave the place without trying some Dim Sims. What's more, all the Dim Sims are only $3.80 after 8pm :D!!

 

Yum Cha House

 

Freshly steamed Dim Sims are perfect for a cold winter night! Even the Steamed Rice Sheets 腸粉 are made fresh to order (but they are not $3.80)!

 

Everything $3.80 after 8pm! (except steamed rice sheets) 

 

In general, the Dim Sims were delicious - the firm yet tender Squid was coated in a thin crispy batter, the prawns in the Prawn Dumpling and Steamed Pork & Shrimp Dumpling was fresh and flavourful, the bun in the BBQ Pork Bun was soft and light with subtle sweet flavours. I also really liked the Beef Ribs with Black Pepper as it was very tender but I would have preferred it to be stir fried rather than steamed as the peppery aromas would have been more pronounced. The rice in the Sticky Rice Lotus Leaf came with rich lotus flavours as it was wrapped in several layers of lotus leaf.

 

But of course, nothing is really ever perfect. I found the pastry skin in the dumplings a little too thick and chewy (but at least it wasn't holey), and the pork in the Pork Bun a little too savoury.

 

The filling in the Sticky Rice Lotus Leaf was generous but quite dry, so the mince didn't really gel together but I really enjoyed the intense lotus aromas. 

Sticky Rice Lotus Leaf - generous mushroom and pork mince

 

Verdict:

$3.80 Dim Sims is really good value for money, especially when it's freshly steamed :). Fresh and delicious. Apparently the gooey custard bun is also very good - but it's always sold out by the time I get there :(.

 

 

BF SEAFOOD HAWKER STORE

We also went next door to BF Seafood Hawker Store (繽紛海鮮大排檔) to try out the Chinese a la carte menu. To start off, we got the Herbal Chicken Soup ($9.90). Rumour has it that this soup has amazing effects on ladies and you will be more beautiful and youthful after drinking this soup. Well, I am not sure if that is true or not, but I can confirm that it was comforting on a cold winter night and it had rich delicious herbal flavours.

 

Herbal Chicken Soup ($9.90)

 

The Roast Duck & Taro Hot Pot 芋頭火鴨煲 ($21.80) also sounded like a warm option to order on a winter night. It tasted alright, but I wish they didn't use roast duck. The chef was probably also quite concerned about our daily vegetable intake as there were more onions and celery than duck and taro.

 

Roast Duck & Taro Hot Pot ($21.80)

 

We ended our night with Braised Seafood on Steamed Tofu 海棠豆腐 ($13.80). The textures were quite unorthodox - large chunks of tofu surrounded by slightly overcooked steamed egg white, topped with a thick seafood sauce. Traditionally, the tofu in the dish is very silky and smooth (as it is supposed to be made from mainly egg whites).

 

Braised Seafood on Steamed Tofu ($13.80)

Verdict
Some of the dishes are really good value for money, such as the Braised Seafood on Steamed Tofu. At only $13.80, it really is a bargain for such a big plate. The Soup was also very warm and comforting.