Afanti Uyghur - 95 Mains Road, Sunnybank QLD 4109

Having never tried Uyghur cuisine, I was quite eager to try Afanti Uyghur.

A small restaurant with lots of clean black tables.

Based on my very limited knowledge on Uyghur cuisine, Uighurs are big on mutton, chicken, goose, noodles with lots and lots of spices including cumin seeds, red pepper flakes, and pepper.

Seems like I might be right - Afanti Ughur offers a variety of traditional meat dishes including Roasted Lamb ($450), Roasted Lamb Shoulder/Leg ($70-$120), Big Plate Chicken Dish ($35) and more.  


Entree

Traditional Dishes



 
 
 



Beef/Chicken Dishes




Lamb Dishes



What better way to start our meal than with a Traditional Ayran Drink with Yoghurt & Ice ($7)? Apparently it improves digestion and removes excess gases while improving intestinal microflora. Not to mention it's a refreshing drink which cools off your blistering pallet - definitely comes in handy when you're eating spicy Uyghur food!

 

Basically tastes like a Lassi with salt ($7).



Being new to the cuisine, I had absolutely no idea what to order (I can't believe I just admitted that lol). So I just ordered what everyone else around me ordered.

 

Coated with chilli and cumin, the Uyghur Style Lamb Skewers ($15) was excitingly spicy but I would have preferred it to have more smoky charcoal flavours.

 

Uyghur Lamb Skewers ($15) 

 

Next came the Pan Grilled Meat Pies ($14.90). Juicy, flavourful mince sandwiched between deliciously pan-fried spring-onion-like pancakes (but without the spring onion). I found it slightly oily, but the pancakes were still quite crispy.

 

Pan Grilled Meat Pies ($14.9)

 

Everyone - yes seriously everyone - ordered the Tohogoshi Narin (Large $35; Small $25.90), aka the Big Plate Chicken Dish. True to its name, the dish was H-U-G-E (well we ordered a large), and generously filled with tender stir fried chicken, fluffy potatoes with chilli and garlic sauce. I especially loved the fresh hand made flat noodles which soaked up that addictive hot 'n' spicy sauce.

 

Large plate of Big Plate Chicken -
the small big plate just wasn't big enough for me haha :P

 

Verdict

I am not an expert on Uyghur cuisine, but I enjoyed the food.

 

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.

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.

San Churro - Garden City Shopping Centre

San Churro, you're my hero. With your churros & pure melted coverture chocolate, a range of decadent desserts, fondues, ice-cream, premium chocolate shakes, gourmet Spanish hot chocolate and more, you're perfect for any occasion - be it happy or sad.

As you walk in, I was welcomed by the sight of Goldilocks type chairs - feels just like a fairy-tale but it's better because it's got chocolate, cakes and ice-cream - which makes it a delicious fairy-tale :D.

The menu features a variety of decadent treats, including churros, hot chocolate, coffee & tea (come on, why would you want boring old tea at a specialty chocolate café?), cold drinks, desserts and ice-cream.

Know for its Spanish classic treats, we ordered a Churros for Two ($14.95), which came with 6 churros and 2 chocolate dips (dark, milk, or white). The classic Spanish churros here is very different to the normal churros you get from the markets - it's much, much better. The churros were a little crunchier and firmer, but still light and tasty on the inside. Best of all, it's made fresh to order, and dusted with cinnamon! The chocolate dips were made from pure premium coverture chocolate - the rich chocolate flavours leaves a delicious lingering sensation in your mouth, leaving you yearning for even more. I recommend getting a dark and a white dip - so you get to try all three flavours (just mix your milk dip :)).

Churros For Two ($14.95)

Sadly, their Choc Macarova ($12.95) weren't as memorable. The ice-cream was rich and chocolatey but it was sandwiched between really chewy and sticky macaron (yes, it's only spelt with 1 o) biscuits which lacked the crunchy layer it's supposed to have.

Choc Macarova ($12.95)

Claiming to have the best choc shakes, I decided to put them to the test and ordered a Chocolate Hazelnut Shake ($8.95). Made with real dark couverture chocolate, ice-cream and hazelnut, it was delicious and I was quite smitten by the shake. I couldn't really taste the hazelnut in it though.

Choc Hazelnut Shake ($8.95)

My fellow food extinguisher decided to try something different and ordered the Couverture Caramel ($6.50). Imported from Spain, the chocolate was rich, thick, and unmercifully wicked. Mix that with a hint of caramel and it becomes a creamy yet heavenly drink. My fellow food extinguisher said it reminded her of Lindt chocolate.

Couverture Caramel ($6.50)

Verdict
Imported from Spain and made to an authentic Spanish recipe, the hot chocolates here are full of feist and flavour. So are the churros which are made fresh to order, served with premium melted coverture chocolate.

FREE BIRTHDAY TWEET: Free Birthday Churros For Two on your birthday if you joined the club :D!