Lunch Archives | Brisbane Food Lovers

CARL’S JR LANDS IN BRISBANE

July 4, 2016

by brisbanefoodlovers with No Comment Blog Dinner Lunch Openings

Global burger chain, Carl’s Jr has officially landed in Brisbane. They opened their second Australian store at the Brisbane Domestic Airport Terminal at the end of June, offering travellers a taste of juicy goodness. This is merely the beginning; The fast food giant plans on opening up nearly 300 stores over the next decade. You all know how much we love our burgers (and fast food), so we decided to try it out for ourselves. I must say I was a bit taken aback when I first saw the media images for the brand. They have always been known for their controversial marketing campaigns with ambassadors such as Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian; but I wasn’t quite sure how the Australian public would react to such controversy. We aren’t used to seeing raunchy images of celebrities alongside our convenience food. All in all, I think people have been open to the new comer, and have welcomed them with open arms (I think the rarity might have something to do with that).

So if you are catching your next flight from the Domestic Terminal, and need food whilst you are in transit, paying a visit to Carl’s is a given. But If you live here In Brisbane, and you have been waiting years to sink your teeth into one of their burgers, I would recommend parking your car at Skygate and catching the internal bus to the terminal. This way you get to save on parking costs, and you won’t have to think about rushing home, when you feel like a blown up whale after eating. Oh, and dress light, remember you have to get through airport security.

THE MENU

Alright, well back to the food now! At a first glance, the fast food joint, looks like every other burger place out there, but truth is they’re not. So yes, Carl’s Jr is never going to be the next Zepickle (as someone on our Instagram page tried making a comparison of the two. They are two totally different offerings for different markets); It is a fast food outlet, as in great importance is placed on convenience. However, they totally trump other fast food joints here in Australia; not only in terms of taste, but also the quality of produce and the size of the offering (yes, they do big burgers). You will notice the menu has ‘ThickBurgers’, these are extremely large burgers made with Angus Beef and freshly baked buns. Oh and you can taste that the buns are very fresh. The options of ThickBurgers are a treat with Jalapeno, Portobello Mushroom, Guac Bacon; Not your average menu choices. They then have Chargrilled burgers which are almost quite similar to Hungry Jacks, but obviously done in the way that Carl’s does it best. They also have their chicken range and serve up breakfast. And in true American style, they have shakes on offer with their burgers (hell to the yeah). Whether it be a Vanilla Hand Scooped Shake, an Oreo Shake or simply one of their Pineapple Smoothies, you need to get onto it. Oh and did I mention they have Crisscut fries. It’s kinda like everything you see in the movies.

WHAT WE ATE

Jalapeno ThickBurger – Chargrilled Angus Beef with Melted Swiss Cheese, Sliced Jalapeno Peppers, Salad, Santa Fe Sauce on a Fresh Bun. So much yassss to this burger. It was huge and delicious. We both found the patties a little over done but they were still very tasty as a whole. The sizing is a lot larger than we expected, especially with convenience food.

Double Western Bacon Cheeseburger – I am a creature of habit, so whenever I eat greasy fast food, it is always a a cheeseburger with extra bacon. This one in particular, is my new favourite thing. Not one but two Angus Patties, Melted American Cheese, Bacon, Crispy Onion Rings, BBQ Sauce on a seeded bun. Okay, where do I start; That bacon was legit; it was almost candied, and they were very generous with the size. Just the way I like it. To be honest, I am kind of glad that they are at the airport, cos if they were closer to the city, I would probably be there everyday.

Sides – For sides, of course we ordered the Crisscut Fries and the Hand Breaded Onion Rings. The novelty of trying the Crisscut Fries was great, but we need to pay homage to those Onion Rings. They were amazing. Not like your regular onion rings which are commercial and perfectly cut. These are the real deal! They are all hand-crumbed and taste fresh. This sounds bizarre but they almost taste like really good KFC.

View the full menu here

Written by: Aliyah Ravat

Northshore Harbour Cafe | Summer Menu

January 10, 2016

by brisbanefoodlovers with No Comment Blog Breakfast Lunch

Location: 297 Macarthur Avenue, Hamilton Reach

Meal: Breakfast / Lunch

Price: $9.50 – $27.50 (Kids menu available)

Overall Experience: 9/10

Food: 8/10

Service: 9/10

We recently had the pleasure of trying out Northshore Harbour Cafe’s new summer menu. The cafe is located at Hamilton Reach, Northshore. We had never ventured out this way and were pleasantly surprised at the location of this cafe on the river side. Northshore Harbour cafe has a relaxed atmosphere and is the perfect location for a weekend breakfast. They have got you covered with plenty of (free) parking onsite, we all know theres nothing worse than driving around in circles trying to find a park on an empty stomach!

Now lets get to the important stuff – the food! There were many options on the menu which had us spoiled for choice, however we were already won over with the all day breakfast menu! Here are the dishes we tried:

Potato and persian feta hash cakes with smashed peas, poached eggs and herbed hollandaise with bacon. This dish was perfect! The crunchy hash cakes oozing with cheese were complemented fantastically with the herbed hollandaise, the eggs were cooked perfectly and I had to order a side of bacon because, well…. i’m greedy. Initially we got food envy seeing all the other wonderful dishes around us but as soon as we took a bite we knew we had made a good decision!

Now for something a little different… House made waffles and spiced fried duck breast with sriracha maple and thai basil. This was the dish that had us talking – duck, waffles, maple, sriracha? How? We just had to give it a try. This was a very impressive looking meal which had our tastebuds equally as impressed. The sriracha and maple made a sweet sauce with a spicy hit, the waffles were soft and fluffy and the spices that coated the duck paired with the other components well – the only downside to this dish was that the duck was a little bit chewy and difficult to cut, however it was still a great meal.

Overall we had a lovely experience at the Northshore Harbour cafe and will definitely be back to try out some more of their extensive menu!

View their full menu here

Written by: Charlotte Louise

Christmas Lunch at the Riverview Hotel | NON – VEGETARIAN

December 18, 2015

by brisbanefoodlovers with No Comment Blog Lunch

Location: Hamilton, Brisbane

Cost: A La Carte Lunch (5 Course) – $159

The Menu Includes:

Amuse Bouche
King Prawn and Mango Cocktail with Marie Rose Sauce
Herb Crusted Lamb Rack with Crushed Duck fat potatoes, Gourmet tomato, green Beans and Red wine Jus
Wolfgang’s Christmas pudding with Brandy Anglaise, Cherry Compote and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

To me, nothing says Christmas day more than several courses of good, hearty food and I cant think of anything better to kick off the festive season than trying out the Christmas menu at the Riverview Hotel. I opted for the non-vegetarian menu – because who can say no to a lamb rack!

The humble prawn cocktail has been a signature Christmas dish in my family for many years, so I was obviously pretty excited to see it on the menu! This was a colourful, photogenic dish, juicy king prawns sat upon a bed of salad and mango, covered in a delicious and tangy marie rose sauce made for the perfect Christmas entrée!

I was pretty excited for the main dish – herb crusted lamb rack! With both the vegetarian and non-vegetarian menu looking equally as delicious, the lamb is what swayed my decision – and it didn’t disappoint. The lamb was tender and juicy, complemented by the herb crust which gave it a nice crunch. The duck fat potatoes were one of the highlights of the dish, soft on the inside, slightly crispy on the outside and rich in flavor. This was a very festive dish indeed!

Finally, dessert. I’m sure we can all agree that Christmas pudding is the ultimate Christmas dessert – usually I am too full by the time dessert comes around at Christmas dinner, but I had paced myself so that I didn’t miss out. The pudding was rich in all those distinct Christmas flavours we know and love, the brandy anglaise and vanilla bean ice cream paired well with the pudding – a great finale to a great meal.

Read our review of the vegetarian menu here

Written by: Charlotte Louise

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New Shanghai | Queens Plaza

December 17, 2015

by brisbanefoodlovers with No Comment Blog Dinner Lunch

Location: Queens Plaza, Brisbane CBD

Meal: Lunch/Dinner

Cost: $5.50 – $35

Overall Experience : 5/10

Food: 5/10

Service: 5/10

There’s nothing better than flavoursome Chinese dishes that take your taste buds on a journey; they give you a sense of culture, a resemblance of the country in which they originate. For me personally, the journey through food is what I love most about being a blogger. Getting to experience so many cultures and the diversity that stems from them, without having to leave Brisbane. A taste of the world right in our backyard. Unfortunately, the meals at New Shanghai didn’t quite take me on a journey. Yes, I went to a restaurant that served food inspired by Shanghai, but my presence stayed at the table in Brisbane.

I was greeted by a queue of hungry patrons waiting outside New Shanghai; some had been waiting for over 20 mins to be seated. I waited in clear view of staff to notify them of my booking, however was not acknowledged until I interrupted and requested a manager. The restaurant as some of you may know, is located in prime real estate (Queens Plaza), so the waits are expected. I would recommend you make a prior booking to avoid long waits.

Now to the menu. Here are some of the options we tried out:

DRINKS – Pina Colada & Mango Punch | Cost: $11

Summer and fruity drinks, a match made in heaven! And heaven is where I went. These two bad boys, sure took me on a trip. The Summer drink of choice. Iced, fruity and delicious. The only thing that was missing was a beach, in fact I might consider taking a blow up pool next time. My mouth is still salivating from these.

ENTREE – Cold Braised Duck with Brown Sauce | Shepherd’s Purse & Pork Won Ton Soup | Cost $12.70

Starting off with the duck; traditionally this dish is served cold which is perfect for warmer days. The actual dish itself was bountiful in flavours and boasted a perfect gloss skin. Unfortunately the protein was slightly over cooked and was very difficult to eat with the amount of bones that were still left in the duck. Almost every bite presented 4-5 piercing bones; and that is where I drew the line with this option.

The Won Ton Soup on the contrary was pure bliss. The actual won tons casings were silky and light. The soup was delicious with extra chilli flakes and some thinly sliced cucumber for freshness. I have nothing at all to fault with this dish. They were some of the best won tons I have ever had.

MAINS – Zha Jiang Noodles with Spicy Ground Pork & Rainbow Beef | Cost – $10.50 & $19.50

When the Zha Jiang Noodles were placed in front of me I could not help but smile. They looked perfect! I was in for a treat I thought to myself. After mixing all the elements of the dish together, I was far from pleased. My entire dish was tasteless. There was no flavour drawn from what should have been spicy pork; in fact the only thing you could taste was bland noodle. Unfortunately for me, the serving size was quite large too, so I had to eat a huge bowl of flavourless noodles. Not impressed at all. I have said this a few times, but for the best Asian Inspired food, I would still recommend Sunnybank (Not promoting the area cos I live there); but if you are looking for authentic cuisine with flavour then that should be your go-to place. It also costs a fraction of the price without the tedious wait times.

The Rainbow Beef which is made up of thinly sliced beef strips fried and coated in sweet and sour sauce. The flavour of the dish was apparent unlike the first main. However there was not enough sauce for the amount of protein on the plate. The strips which are meant to be crispy were difficult to bite through. We ordered the exact dish a week ago from Market Square at the fraction of the price; so this is definitely not a main that we will be ordering again.

Yes, I have been very critical of the dishes we ate, but it is integral that I relay an honest interpretation of my experience. If you are anything like me, food is life; it is a source of happiness and equally when a meal doesn’t quite live up to its’ expectations, it creates concern. If you have had other positive experiences at New Shanghai please share them with us. Perhaps this will hinder our choice in dishes for the future.

View their full menu here.

Written by: Aliyah Ravat

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Christmas Lunch at the Riverview Hotel | VEGETARIAN

December 16, 2015

by brisbanefoodlovers with No Comment Blog Lunch

Location: Hamilton, Brisbane

Cost: A La Carte Lunch (5 Course) – $159

MENU CHOICE: VEGETARIAN

Christmas, a time for family, good food and copious amounts of red wine (in my world anyway). After undergoing a $6 million refurbishment, the Riverviews’ Plates Restaurant will be preparing for their busiest day of the year. With a hybrid menu influenced by the Queensland Summer and Traditional Christmas Dishes, their spread is sure to impress. A little off character for me, but I decided to opt for the Vegetarian Menu.

The Menu Includes:

Amuse Bouche
Marinated Beetroot with Grilled Goats Cheese and Wild Rocket
Christmas Pie with Lentils, Chestnut Potatoes, Mushrooms and Cranberries in a Vegetarian Suet Pastry
Pavlova with Fresh Berries, Double Cream and Raspberry Coulis

Not only was the marinated beetroot entrée visually pleasant, it was an absolute delight to eat. Light and fresh, but still creamy from the goats cheese. The modern take on the Queensland Christmas.

Everything about this dish screamed festive! The light, crisp suet pastry and cranberry sauce were heavenly. I would eat that as a snack alone. Unfortunately my primal instincts didn’t much of a liking to the lentil filling. That was not a result of the flavours of the dish but more so the fact that I had Charlotte eating a rack of lamb beside me.

Written by: Aliyah Ravat

District 1 – Summer Menu

December 7, 2015

by brisbanefoodlovers with No Comment Blog Dinner Lunch

If you haven’t tried out District 1 in Fortitude Valley yet – now is the time! They have just released their new summer menu, and as we suspected, it is delicious! District 1 is a small BYO restaurant, but it sure is big on flavours!

We recently tried their savoury pancakes, sweet potato chips and lemongrass pipis. The savoury pancakes were fresh and full of authentic Vietnamese flavours, the pancakes were were crunchy on the outside and fluffy in the middle – served with lettuce, carrots, cucumber , basil and nuoc cham sauce. They were definitely our favourate!

The lemongrass pipis were served in a delicious homemade sauce of lemon juice, wine, ginger, basil, lemongrass and chili.One of the tastiest seafood dishes we have had!

All of the meals on the menu are under $20 and there are plenty of options, including vegetarian dishes. We can’t wait to go back and try the rest of their menu.

Instagram: @district__1

Location: 7/8 Duncan St, Fortitude Valley QLD

Food Of The God’s | Zeus Street Greek Christmas Party

December 6, 2015

by brisbanefoodlovers with No Comment Blog Dinner Lunch

Location : South Bank

Meal: Lunch/Dinner

Price: $3 – $18.50

Overall Experience: 10/10

Food: 10/10

Service: 10/10

There is no better way to celebrate Christmas than with copious amounts of food, friends and laughter. Zeus Street hosted a Bloggers Christmas party was heaven sent. With an entire menu under $20, It is the ideal place to feast this Christmas without digging into your savings. I have one word for their menu, ‘amazing’. Honest, humble, genuine food, that is filled with flavour.

Here are some of the options we were lucky enough to indulge in:

DIPS

Starting off with a tria of their dips, served with gluten free pita bread. The ideal way to start your meal, with a share plate that costs $19.50. Featuring Tarama (cured white fish roe dip), Tzatziki (Greek yoghurt, cucumber, roasted garlic, dill) and Spicy Feta (Greek feta, roasted capsicum, chilli, fresh herbs and cracked wheat).

FETA & OREGANO CHIPS

I have an unhealthy obsession for fries, but fries with feta….The food of the Gods.. Not that my health was a primary concern when eating this side, but they are gluten free. If you haven’t tried fries with feta, stop whatever you are doing and head to South Bank right now!!!! Now…….. CHOCOLATE LOUKOUMADES

Now for the most important part of the menu…dessert. Greek hazelnut, chocolate drizzled doughnuts with walnuts. Are your mouths watering yet? I could eat these everyday, all day. Priced under $10, I would save these bad boys for cheat day! In my life that is everyday!

View their full menu here.

xx Aliyah Ravat

Fortitude Valley Mall | Green Tea Restaurant

November 26, 2015

by brisbanefoodlovers with No Comment Blog Dinner Lunch

Location: Fortitude Valley

Meal: Lunch/Dinner

Cost: $7.90 – $35

Overall Experience : 10/10

Food: 10/10

Service 10/10

There are a few restaurants in Brisbane that I wish I could eat at everyday. Green Tea is one of them. Located in the heart of China Town Mall, only a stones throw from the Valley Station, Green Tea offers healthy, fresh, Vietnamese dishes at an affordable price. Out of the total 8 dishes that I sampled, I have zero recommendations. There was nothing at all that I could find fault with.

Yes, the food was amazing, but the service was even better. Welcomed, with warm smiles, and genuine care from staff, a rare trait to find in restaurants in these days.

Now to the menu; here are the dishes I got to sample:

SAN CHOY BOW

Usually designed to share, this is the ideal way to indulge without packing on the calories. Fresh, and healthy with textures and flavours that are out of this world. This dish is usually priced at $13.90 and I would definitely recommend it as an entree to kick off your meal.

SPICY QUAIL

That quail though. Spicy, but not too over bearing. Just the perfect size. It was cooked to perfection and worked really well with the crispy bed of lettuce below.This is amazing dish as well as most options on their menu is gluten free and dairy free. $14.90 for 2.

CURRY PUFFS

These bad boys come as a set of 4. If there is one thing you take away from this post, let it be this; next time you are in the valley order a few servings of this and have it with beer. Life is made. This is all I need to make me a happy woman! $7.90 to keep me happy, what a bargain!

VIETNAMESE CRISPY CREPE

My favourite dish on the entire menu, served traditionally. This interactive dish is best eaten in cos lettuce with your choice of condiments. The sauce accompanied with the dish is heavenly. Price $14.50.

MAIN MEALS

All of the 3 mains served were perfect. As you can tell from the pictures, they were all accompanied with fresh vegetables as well a serve of tomato fried rice (not featured). The rice was absolutely delicious ans has been altered specifically for Green Tea.

View their full menu here.

Vapiano | Summer Menu

November 25, 2015

by brisbanefoodlovers with No Comment Blog Dinner Lunch

Location: Garden City, Mt Gravatt

Meal: Lunch/ Dinner

Cost: $5.90 – $35

Overall Experience: 8/10

Food: 8/10

Vapiano Australia has a new Summer Menu that is set to sizzle. With spicy chorizo and strawberry lime cocktails, Summer has never looked better. Vapiano is no stranger to regular foodies; home of the humble pasta, so I won’t spend too much time introducing them. Let’s get right into it.. Additions to the menu include:

BABY BEETROOT, ROCKET & FETA SALAD

Salad, and Summer work together almost as perfectly as Kimmy & Kanye. And then adding balsamic dressing to the mix, introducing a life on fleek (okay, enough rapping from me, I will stop now). My point is, the salad was amazing, fresh and healthy.

SUMMER CHORIZO PASTA

Served with penne pasta (freshly made of course), the dish has a multitude of flavours; with the chorizo working a treat paired with tarragon. The idea of using chorizo in summer blows my mind in so many ways.

SPICY CHORIZO AND CHICKEN PASTA

So by now, everyone would know that I love food! This pizza was a clear example of how emotional food makes me. I ate one by myself, oh yes I did. I loved the BBQ chicken paired with chorizo. Did you know, pizza is one of the few dishes which has all your carbs, protein and dairy all in one slice of goodness.

NUTELLA CHEESECAKE

Nutella and cheescake, need I say more? Alright, I do have a bit of feedback on this one. I felt that the dessert needed a bit more crunch to it. A layer of extra biscuit would perfectly compliment the bitter cheesecake flavour. These little gems are priced at $5.90 (cheap as chips, well almost) or pay an extra $3 to take the jar away for a romantic date with bae.

Now for the most important part of the review, drinks. And no, I am not an alcoholic.

STRAWBERRY LIME COOLER

No review needed! Just go and try it k…..bye

View their full menu here

Aliyah xx

McDonald’s Create Your Taste | Chicken Range

November 25, 2015

by brisbanefoodlovers with No Comment Blog Dinner Lunch

So, McDonald’s Create Your Taste concept has been around for a while now; If you haven’t already tried it, I would recommend heading over to your closest Mickey D’s ASAP. They have recently introduced grilled chicken to their menu and we absolutely love it!!!

A lot of foodies tend to downgrade the humble fast food giant and steer clear of it. Well, for all our readers, we are real people who love food, regardless whether it is fine dining or fast food. As long as it tastes good, we will eat it. I will admit to having Maccas at least once a week.

Anyway, the chicken burger we created was made up of:

Crunchy Tortilla Strips
Chicken Breast x 2
Long Sliced Pickles
Beetroot Lettuce
Natural Cheddar
Aioli
Crispy Bacon
Grilled Pineapple

All on a Ciabatta Bun

Photo Credits: Emotive Light Photo

Next Door Kitchen & Bar | Lunch Menu

November 23, 2015

by brisbanefoodlovers with No Comment Blog Lunch

Location: Little Stanley Street, South Bank

Meal: Lunch

Cost: $4.50 – $26.50

Overall Experience: 5/10

Food: 3/10

Service: 6/10

It is not often that we give bad reviews. But at the end of the day, as bloggers, we have to give an honest opinion. Our articles are honest and a true reflection of our experience and I would not want to falsely recommend a menu that failed to deliver.

Next Door Kitchen & Bar is located in a prime spot in South Bank, only a stones throw from the Brisbane River. The atmosphere is relaxed with an urban feel to it. A perfect location, for a Summers lunch.

We sampled the following 2 dishes on the lunch menu:

SAFFRON LINGUINE

Paired with prawns, scallops, a tomato chilli salsa and preserved lemon. This dish costs 18.50. I would only rate this a 2/10 at most. Yes, it was edible, but it left a foul taste in my mouth. The natural flavours of the scallops and prawns were completely dissolved in a over bearing tomato salsa. The actually linguine itself, was cooked perfectly, but that was about the only positive aspect of the entire dish.

CARVED NEW YORK SIRLOIN

Served with a fondant potato, pancetta crisp, truffle butter and cress. It makes me a little sad to see a piece of sirloin over cooked to the point where it is difficult to cut through. Such a beautiful cut of meat, destroyed with just a few minutes of extra time on the pan. Unfortunately, our piece of meat was not medium rare; it was very difficult to cut through and was dry in the throughout the bottom. The dish would have worked well with a thicker sauce as the fondant potato soaked up most of the juices on the plate. As much as we love to promote businesses throughout Brisbane, unfortunately this dish was not worth the $26.50 that it was priced at.

Criticism isn’t always a bad thing, it allows for restaurants to make changes to their menus and ensure that future errors in the kitchen are minimised. Perhaps this was an unfortunate visit for us, and things were not going too well in the kitchen. It was kind of sad considering we were the only people in the restaurant at the time. However, if you have had an outstanding experience at Next Time Kitchen & Bar, we would love for you to share it with us and other readers.

I would definitely recommend their drinks though. Perfect on a hot Summers day!

View their full menu here

Boroughs of New York to open new store in Fortitude Valley

November 22, 2015

by brisbanefoodlovers with No Comment Blog Dinner Lunch

Location: Ann Street, Fortitude Valley

Boroughs of New York Pizza is set to open their new store in Fortitude Valley later this week; with a menu inspired by the New York Summer and created by 3 time world pizza making champion.

Former New Yorkers, Jay & Anu moved to Australia, opening their first store in Carindale. With much success, the holy trinity of pizzas is now taking on their second store.

We were lucky enough to attend their pre-launch event and sample some of the best they had to offer. Their dishes were made up of an array of interesting flavours, colours and textures. One of the most interesting dishes I have ever sampled, a pizza with soft shell crab, chocolate sauce and candied orange. Yes.. you read that correctly, definitely not something you see everyday, but nonetheless it worked well. I admire them for their leap of faith.

View their full menu here with pizzas priced between $7.90 (mega slice) and $19.90 (18 inch).