Tropical Fruit World

Address: Duranbah Road, Duranbah, NSW 2487
Tel: 02 6677 7222
Website: http://www.tropicalfruitworld.com.au/
Trading Hours: 10am to 4:30pm (QLD time); closed Christmas Day

If you are a foodie and think you know everything - think again! Tropical Fruit World will introduce you to some of the world's wildest fruit & vegetables including the refreshing scent of Lemon Myrtle, the curious tamarillo and the 'chocolate pudding fruit' called black Sapote.

Watch their "Miracle Fruit Show" which includes tastings of some of these varieties. Visit the theme park inside for an awesome tractor-led trailer ride and see how these edibles grow in their habitat! My personal favourite was the train & boat ride which amused kids and adults alike.

Finally, spend some time in the cafe and try the Black Sapote (chocolate) muffins - they are seriously the best chocolate muffin I've ever had! The muffin was soft, fluffy, not too sweet nor heavy. The secret is apparently coconut milk...

Pictured above is the Black Sapote Lamingtons which are also winner - the sponge cake is replaced with chocolate cake which is moist and fluffy similar to the muffin. The coconut shavings give the lamington extra body & texture. Yummo!

Spend some time in the gift shop where I recently picked up some abalone flavoured macadamia nuts, sweet chilli tamarillo sauce, papaya salad dressing and avocado mustard. Lemon Myrtle syrup is a great treat with simple soda water - a great alternative/substitute for the over-sweetened softdrinks commercially available.

Ginger Beer @ Eumundi Markets

Address: Eumundi Square, Memorial Drive, Eumundi QLD (Sunshine Coast)
Trading Hours: Wed & Sat 8:00am to 1:00pm; Sunday 8:30am to 1:30pm
Website: http://www.iloveeumundimarkets.com/eumundi-square-food-and-beverages


I love the taste of Eumundi Square's Homemade Ginger Beer. The taste is clear, light and refreshing with a very gentle ginger flavour which is not too sweet like most commercially bottled ginger beers on the market. This variety is brewed in a barrel rather than in the bottle, giving it a more consistent flavour. Great to wash down a German Sausage hot dog with!

German Sausages @ Eumundi Markets

Address: Eumundi Square, Memorial Drive, Eumundi QLD (Sunshine Coast)
Trading Hours: Wednesday & Saturdays 8:00am to 1:00pm; Sundays 8:30am to 1:30pm


These German sausages are TO DIE FOR! The best I have ever tasted - a crisp skin which bursts as you take your first bite into the juicy meat. Served with sauerkraut and my own tomato/mustard sauce concoction. The sauerkraut is not overly oily, resembles a "German coleslaw" for my lack of better explanation.

There are 3 varieties:

1. Bratwurst - original smoked (saltier)

2. Bockwurst - mild (perfect harmony of saltiness & spice)

3. Spicy (not chilli, more a peppery type of spice flavour)

Note: sorry for my poor descriptions, I took a photo of the sign but it didnt save properly so will have to wait till the next time I visit to update the names.

Para Ti (Spanish Tapas Restaurant)

Address: 8 Hastings St, Noosa Heads QLD 4567
Tel: (07) 5447 3396
Website: no8parti.com

Their motto or philosophy is "Para Ti, Pari Mi, Pari Nos" which translates to For you, For me, For us. For Spanish Tapas, it is always enjoyed more with company and with a few drinks. So my suggestion is bring more people to try more of the tapas!

Pictured below:

Snapper fish cake with wedge of lime - great to start with seafood as it is usually the mildest in flavour - reminiscent of the Thai fish cake with the mix of herbs. Love the citrus tang a squirt of lime juice adds.


Above: Pan-fried chorizo, Truss tomatoes and chat potatoes de glazed with red wine vinegar - this was my favourite dish as I thought the flavour was the most complementary and the strongest. Chorizo is perfectly salty with a crisp, chewy edge and the vinegar brings out the best in the tomato & dish.

Below: Albondigas, spiced lamb meatballs in a toasted hazelnut jus finished with yoghurt - the roasted hazelnuts gave this dish a real gourmet feel, spiced meatballs with a cumin, gentle spice kick as you chew through the centre. Not a very strong flavour at all.

Below: Byron Bay Berkshire Pork Neck in a rich rosemary and thyme sauce - was absolutely gorgeous and a real delight with the addition of fetta cheese which you would never assume could improve a good slow braise pork! The meat just melts in your mouth...



Above: Peri-Peri Organic Chicken Skewers - I am pretty sure this is breast meat but this has been cooked very well, not tough at all. The peri-peri sauce has a nice stronger spicy kick to it with a slightly more "African" bitter flavour. The accompanying aioli on a bed of rocket & balsamic was a pleasant addition.

Para Ti (like all the other restaurants on Hastings St) is not terribly good value for money, but one of the better restaurants on that shopping strip that doesn't let the location compensate for quality and uniqueness.

The Norman Hotel

Address: 102 Ipswich Rd, Woolloongabba QLD
Tel: (07) 3391 5022
Website: www.normanhotel.com.au (picture above from website)

Lunch available from 12noon to 2.30pm daily
(and 3pm on Friday and Sunday).

Dinner available from 5.30pm to 9pm daily (and 9.30pm on Friday and Saturday).

All Brisbane locals will advise that The Norman Hotel will serve you the best steak in the area - and for 30 odd dollars, this is not such a bad deal.

I am not going to concede that this is the best steak I have ever tasted, but it was certainly worth my while. And here's why:

Pictured below is the Midi Eye Fillet - a small in diameter, but large in width cut of (I believe) the best cut of steak. At The Norman Hotel, carnivorism is heightened by your choice of raw cut prior to the ordering process. Amongst some of the other classics (rump, t-bone etc etc), I chose eye fillet to be safe, as I was sure they could not dry it out completely into a charred mess, much to my disappointment. I wasn't happy that the steak stood almost as tall as my fist (my personal preference is flat, thinner steaks) so I was trying my luck here.

Cooked medium, with the steak leaning slightly more towards medium rare due to the thickness, the pepper sauce offset the steak off quite nicely. The salad is dressed with a mustard vinegrette, and that baked potato with 'bacon sauce' was actually the best baked spud I had ever eaten. Pepper sauce + baked potato + bacon sauce (more like shredded, marinated bacon) was just a true bloke's dream.

Pictured below: Baby back ribs - the meat was quite tender and the rib sauce unique in its own way - was more deep in its 'green herb' flavour, thicker and saucier. It did leave me thinking about BBQ ribs for the rest of the week...


I give Norman Hotel a thumbs up for a reasonably priced meal - their steak is passable but it is the sauces and accompaniments which really seal the deal for me. Kudos for having an exposed kitchen that details their cooking process (which seems to consist of a grill and some strategic steak baking ovens).

Hakataya Noodle Soup (Japanese Ramen)

Address: Shop 27B Sunnybank Plaza, Cnr Mains Rd & McCullough St, Sunnybank QLD
Tel: (07) 3344 1313
Trading Hours: 9:00am - 8:50pm (last order), 7 days
Website: www.hakatayanoodle.com
Please note: they also have a vendor in Gold Coast. See website for more details.

You know these guys are hardworking when they're still flogging ramen on Christmas Day - and this is where I found myself this year. I'm not usually a fan of the QLD palate but ramen at Hakataya saved my tastebuds this Christmas.

For a food outlet with only 10 items, it sticks to what it knows best - and at the centre of this, is its' specialty - ramen 'Tonkotsu' soup (broth of pork bone).

According to the brochure, their pork broth is simmered for 39 hours, scum skimmed to draw out the extract flavour. The soup features a mild taste without any associated smell. Free from chemical seasonings, it leaves a clear aftertaste. To top that, the soup is rich in collagen - which is recommended for women who are concerned with losing moisture & firmness in their skin.

I ordered the #4 Miso Spicy-men - Japanese spicy miso noodle soup (with ramen!). The soup was a perfect blend of spice, miso, and that clean, 'tonkotsu' flavour. The ramen (which at first looked like plain old Chinese egg noodle) was thinner, but cooked al dente and really soaked up the soup, giving it a rich & divine flavour. It is hard to expect authentic ramen in the middle of Brisbane, but Hakataya does not disappoint.

They call their thinly sliced 'fatty pork' Char-siu which is a Cantonese (Chinese) term, but I don't think they should have undersold their product to suit an audience which could understand those words. The way pork is cooked in ramen is not at all like Char-siu, which is actually barbequed. As described by their flyer, their pork is cooked for hours with a generous amount of soy sauce and mirin (Japanese cooking wine) - and it melts in your mouth. Tick.

At this time (I believe this establishment was new) they were offering free extra ramen - so save your soup and take advantage of the offer!

Pictured below: a sesame grinder - what an innovative idea...

Cafe Bellissimo (Coffs Harbour)

Address: Shop 2, 28 Harbour Drive, Coffs Harbour NSW 2450
Tel: (02) 6650 9937

I don't know what it is about regional townships but the people are always in a better mood than city folk. Maybe its the weather. Maybe its the lack of population density and less people to annoy. Not sure but I received ridiculously good service here.

Pictured above: Jamaican ginger beer - a blend of pineapple & ginger pieces to give a foamy, fluffy, zingy, coconut-y flavour. To have thought I nearly foregoed the opportunity to try this refreshing beverage! It was a breath of fresh air on a clammy day... (luckily the chatty waiter encouraged me to try it).

I also tried the Chicken Schnitzel which was a winner - served with a mayo which almost resembled a hollandaise sauce - a very Germanic-style serving suggestion (and fitting to accompany the word 'schnitzel').

If you are driving through Coffs Habour and consider yourself a ginger beer obsessive like me, give Cafe Bellissimo a go!