Alfredo's Pizzeria Review

Decided to try this place out at the Valley. I believe it was made by the same people as Doughnut Time & Chester St. Doughnut times is just beside it. It was about 7.30pm on Friday and we were seated in a table, my chair was a stool (I didn't like it but the guy working asked me if I wanted to swap, but I said no) (hehe). The atmosphere was good, the lighting was good, nice and dim that's how I like it but horrible to  take photos in. And The Amazing Spiderman was playing on the TV behind us so that was a conversation topic, BTW HOW TRAGIC IS PETER PARKER'S FAMILY AND WHAT HAPPENED TO UNCLE BEN IN THE ORIGINAL LIKE OMFG THATS ACTUALLY DEVASTATING. Anyway, I think it may be a good first date place, since it was quite loud and the music is loud but not loud enough to hear the person talk, and not awkward enough if there's a silence. So overall, great atmosphere.

This couple was holding hands and I'm like "they're going to propose". and we laughed. Anyway, WE WAITED A LONG PERIODODICALY TIME FOR THE PIZZA TO ARRIVE. *sees waitress with pizza coming our way*  *omg it;s coming!* *changes direction* "ARGH! fuck.".

It finally arrived, we ordered the Prosciutto and rocket pizza with tomato and mozzarella ($24). It was an expected size.  So overpriced though (but pretty average for "gourmet" type pizzas), it was OK, tasted very fresh and quality, but it was kind of boring after 4 pieces. The crust was very good though, but still $24.... I'm sure there are better pizzas out there for half the price. And again, the wait was long.  Now wondering if I just ordered the wrong pizza (should have looked up Zomato reviews!)

3 stars/ 5

Chester St. Bakery

Decided to go to Chester St. with the family + Nadi for Sunday brunch simply because we saw some yummy-looking fairy-floss milkshakes on Instagram. The place was sorta "in the middle of nowhere". There was a line and we had to wait approx. 20 minutes which was terrible. However, the place itself seemed pretty small with an outdoor dining area, inside area and a group table inside the bar area.

Look at the cake displays! also the ice cream sandwiches looked legit.

We ordered the Raspberry & Cream cake for $9 a slice. It was so good. Wasn't dense nor airy, not the best cake I've tasted but definitely enjoyable and satisfying for a sweet tooth.

We wanted to order off the chalk menu. I got the Tim Tam milkshake ($10.50), it was SO GOOD and looked SO GOOD. (but a bit overpriced obviously) but it was sooo goood?? And look at that lil' fairy floss resembling Donald Trump's hair.

It was way better than the Strawberry Doughnut milkshake (also $10.50) btw. Also the Tim Tam cheesecake was legit ($9) it's small but with all the dessert stuffs you kind of get sickenly sweetened-up.

I think it was a nice yummy dessert place. (Expensive for real brunch though). The milkshakes are worth checking out. Service was pretty bad though. But again, yummy dessert!

3.5/5 stars

Create Your Taste: McDonalds Experience

Maccas runs just got a little bit interesting since the introduction of the "create your taste" machines to build your own burger. "Maccas dates" are officially a (classy) thing now.

Technological malfunctions and issues at the start with receipt jams were a kerfuffle.
However, the idea of creating your ideal burger was exciting to try.

This is mine: THE HUMBLE SARAH (named after none other than the great- me.)
Brioche bun, angus beef, colby jack cheese, lettuce, red onion, herb aioli & chilli jam.

The burger itself came to a total of $9. Which is a reasonable/normal price compared to other burger places. Since I made it a meal and got fries that was served in a metal basket and a coffee it was actually just under $15. I ordered vanilla chai but somehow got a mocha? Hm.. weird. I didn't complain though. Though technically the order was WRONG. (Raging inside.)

Served under a wooden serving plate..the burger bun was sweet and buttery with a nice glaze, sauces were on point. Quite nice, it was really enjoyable but just one thing..the meat should be bigger and meatier.

Overall, okay-decent quality, worth a try, would try again but rather stick to proper burger joints. 3/5.

Harajuku Gyoza, Fortitude Valley Review

A fun, loud, energetic joint perfect for Friday night eats and cold beers (and frozen ciders)!

＼（＠￣∇￣＠）／

We were greeted welcome-y (and surprisingly) in Japanese. The service was very friendly.

No reservations but for two people we sat at the bar which was cool, I was thinking it would be a good place for a first date or groups because it was loud! 

The atmosphere was great and rowdy. The hustle and bustle of Asia.

Oishii desu ne?! ♡

ﾟ･✿ヾ╲(｡◕‿◕｡)╱✿･ﾟ

We ordered 3 plates of gyoza. $8-$9 each.

Prawn (3 pieces), duck and pork (5 pieces). Everything grilled.

Pork gyoza.

It's everything you expect in a gyoza. A perfect little piece of dumpling. My favourite was the duck, it was just amazing!

We can make our own concoction of dipping sauce which was fun as well. Although my friend here, went a little bit overboard on the chilli oil.

We had vouchers for free dessert (WOO!). We got the blueberry cheesecake gyoza and the peanut butter white chocolate (usually $9 ea). It's a deep fried dumpling pastry with a sweet filling and came with a small bowl of vanilla ice cream.

It was truly a delight! I really enjoyed it! The outside was crisp and crunchy. Inside was so decadent and it goes amazingly well with ice cream. The peanut butter was good..and hot and melty inside. However, I liked the blueberry cheesecake one better. What a treat.

To get the full experience they'd added a bidet toilet :-)

5/5. ★★★★★

⁽(◍˃̵͈̑ᴗ˂̵͈̑)⁽

Overall

• FUN and energetic atmosphere
• 10/10 Great experience
• Solid food. and great service.

 

Ku-O Japanese Restaurant Review

A small, kawaii and cosy place situated at the end of Sunnybank's busy market square with Japanesey booths and quainty authentic decorations. I'm a huge Jap food fan and this place is one of my faves! The food really is top quality every time.

It's a very little restaurant easily missed.

 The menu features a wide range of all the usual Japanese options, small plates and sets around $10-$20 and an extensive drinks menu.

Ordered Taro frappe ($7.5) this is actually so large! It's huge, think Venti, or a large slurpee, the Mount Everest of drinks. Starbucks will look inferior. I regret nothing. It was AAAAAMAZING. Refreshing! Get a frappe. It's impressive, I promise it will be worth it for the amount you get. I would literally come back for the drinks solely but the food is amazing as well..

Three of us went straight for the rice mains and ordered the Aburi salmon don ($15.5)

Aburi salmon is halfway between raw sashimi and grilled fish, so you get the great texture and the superior taste. It's amazing slices of seared salmon... sorry....I mean amazing slices of PERFECTION.

 and it tasted absolutely .... 100%.

 I enjoyed the dish with every last grain of rice. 

Generously portioned with tamagoyaki (which is a sweet omelette/egg roll), flying fish roe, a lemon slice topped with Kewpie Jap mayo. All the elements on the plate was orgasmic for my tiny little taste buds.

The dish was so beautiful and elegant I cannot wait to try it again. It's the Angelina Jolie of dishes. Enough of me raving on. I have nothing but love for this.

5/5.

Overall

• 10/10 would recommend. TOP QUALITY
• Amazing aburi salmon
• Amazing frappe
• Quite small so reservations might be in place if going on a busy night otherwise GO FOR IT

 

Ahmet's Turkish Restaurant

It's the Friday night hustle to find a decent place to eat at Southbank. I've been waiting to try this place out for a long time and finally it happened, so here's the verdict..

We rocked up around early dinner time without a reservation, it was busy of course, and were seated outside the main pathway where two men were playing violins/fiddles. It was quite the experience with the colourful rugs and vibrant decor. It was lively with a great energetic atmosphere. If I ever went to Turkey, this would be it.

We all ordered a turkish pizza each and got one charcoal grill plate to share.

Karisik izgara, mixed grill, with a selection of char-grilled meats & cucumber yoghurt  $34—Everything on the plate was great, the beef steak was tender and juicy cooked to perfection! The rice was fragrant and yogurt was perfect.

Kusbasi Pide Diced lamb, red and green capsicum, onion, tomato, chilli flakes & parsley $24— Me and my friend didn't want to order the same dish but both wanted lamb so we halved the mine and diced lamb. This was amazing. Tasted so good.

Kiymali Pide Lamb mince, onion, parsley, red and green capsicum & green chilli $23— Mushy, horrible texture. not great. A huge thumbs down GET THE DICED LAMB INSTEAD. Regret.

$23-24 for relatively small pizza it's a bit overpriced but it did the job of filling you up.

The bill was split and it was about $35 a person for 3 people which was pretty decent compared to other restaurants I've been to near the CBD/Southbank.

Overall

• Lovely flavoursome food
• A bit overpriced
• Great atmosphere
• Recommend the diced lamb turkish pizza 

✮✮✮✮☆ 4/5 stars

Bolan Thai - CBD Review

We were in the city, our empty stomachs has called us to eat lunch.. somewhere..anywhere....close! 

We decided on Bolan Thai, situated at the very back end of Elizabeth Arcade is a Thai cafe-style restaurant. The decor was rustic and seemed pretty hip.

Viva la Entrance

Entrees start from $6.50, mostly rice or noodle dishes.
Bolan Thai Menu. Food ranging around $11-$13.

Food arrived pretty fast.

I ordered the Yen Ta Fo Noodle Soup, mostly because I don't know what it was and wanted to try something new and be surprised. Which apparently is "Thailand's Beloved Pink Noodle Soup". And yeah, it was pretty pink. It came in a cute blue pot.

The pink colour comes from fermented soy bean paste. "Chunks of pork, fish balls, slices of squid, fried tofu, slices of water morning glory, rectangles of coagulated blood, and a big crispy chip.." I didn't see any of these except for a crispy chip, some vegetables and pieces of cheap frozen fish balls.

Was I surprised? Frankly, no. The broth was almost tasteless. Like they were just lazy and mixed semi-boiling water with a few spices. The noodle resembled Pho noodles and were okay. However, the food was mediocre at best. I do not recommend this, and $13 for this was crazy idea.

This was the green chicken curry, the serving looked very small so I was glad I didn't order it. Maybe the way it's served in the small bowl. However, it was apparently good but too spicy.

My friend seemed to enjoy her Braised pork noodle soup (with clear boat noodles) 

Overall

• Tasteless/flavourless
• $$ for the poor quality of food
• Lacking any sort of WOW factor that you'd expect. No punches. Only sloppy missed throws.
• Noodles served in a cute blue pot
• Cool interior and nice space tho. (that deserves .5 of a star)

1.5/5. ★☆☆☆☆

If you want to experience Thai food, go to a real Thai restaurant. 

Bagel Boys Bagel Bar

This was my first time eating a bagel, and I've got to say, I was impressed.

It’s hard trying to find quality lunch in the city without breaking your bank!

Located in Adelaide St between King George Station and Central is a small bagel shop.

Grab a filled bagel for $8-$10. Choose a bun and a filling.

I accidentally grabbed a bagel in those cupboard things and brought it to the counter but apparently you just order it. Rookie error. Whoops, the two girls behind the counter were nice though.

I was feeling adventurous and chose: everything! 

Poppy seeds, jalapeños, garlic..etc.

Bad choice? well, it just tasted unusual.. a little "too much" with everything that was going on inside.

The bagel bun itself was great, nice and toasty. Makes regular bread look inferior. 

"Pastrami & Swiss on a everything bagel -$8"

The pastrami was too salty for my liking! ERK!

I asked the cashier what “pastrami” was (because I didn't know) and they were happy to answer. Apparently it’s like corned beef. 

I tried it, it was much more like a smoky ham... I found out by other sources that it pretty much is a smoked corned beef.

I got it and it looked divine. However, the pastrami was so salty and overpowering.

I’d definitely go back for some other fillings probably something without meat!

3.5/5!

Overall

• Good-ish customer service
• Now understands the rage about bagels
• Don't get Pastrami with everything bagel.. unless you like your sodium levels HIGH
• Coming back soon to get a different filling

Vapiano CBD - Review

Tucked away in Albert Lane is pretty cool Italian place. A whole three levels of it.

With little herb pots on the table! Which is cute!

RADvioli

Ordered the Ravioli Con Carne ($18.9). Homemade ravioli with Bolognese filing, onions, carrots, spring onions + cherry tomatoes in a light tomato cream sauce.

It was good, nice, enjoyable. However if I had to be really harsh and more critical I'd say it was just a little bit ordinary. The complimentary bread was amazing.

The guy that was making my pasta was so funny and friendly. I liked the idea of watching them make the fresh pasta from scratch. He threw the cheese in a very dramatic way and was telling me that ravioli was his favourite thing to make and that he loved working there.

All the times I've been here I had a enjoyable experience. You take a credit card thing and pay for it at the end. Unfortunately they don't do their $10 special lunches anymore. But I say do yourself a favour and order a whole salami pizza and share with a group (or yourself) and order a few drinks from the bar for a fabulous time.

4/5! 

★★★★

Overall

• Definitely great personalities and friendly service. 10/10
• Great atmosphere. Great food
• $$ Probably a bit overpriced. 
• The food was delicious, but probably not worth $19.
• Perfect set-up for casual group dinners.

Jade Buddha Review

Had lunch at Jade Buddha at Eagle St. Pier, which is a restaurant near the river at Eagle St Pier. We came in for the $10 lunch special (with any drink purchase), which were three options that included burgers and fish and chips.

Outside dining area

Chocolate milkshake ($6). Where the boys at? 

We wanted to order the cheapest drinks. Coke was $5 already - so we decided to get milkshakes. The chocolate milkshake was good...

Although secretly, I wanted to order something with a little more alcohol in it. (UM HELLO? All cocktails $10 on Wednesday) But it’s no fun drinking alone. No fun.

'

I ordered the Beef burger. The burger itself was pretty impressive. It was big, filling, and everything from the bun, to the meat and relish was just AMAZING. What a true masterpiece. Probably not the "best" so to say, but a just a damn SOLID burger.

The aioli was on point. However, the fries resembled cheap Hungry Jacks fries. What happened to those thick beautiful steak chips? A marriage between steak chips and burger would have completed the picture-perfect painting.

My friend ordered the fish and chips. She was so disappointed because there was only two small pieces of fish. (But I say what a poor choice and stick with fish and chips from a proper fish and chip store.)

3.9/5

★★★..★? 

Overall

• Fantastic 5 star views of the river
• would come back for burger. everything else is expensive
•  service was hostile. they do not look happy to serve you.
• Fries a no no
• Perfect burger criteria approved
• Wow factor: 8
• Burger "sexy nod": yes
• go with a friend/group of friends who wants to drink alcohol ^_^