Address: Nambour Connection Rd, Woombye QLD
Tel: (07) 5442 1333
Website: http://www.bigpineapple.com.au/
I came here to buy a souvenir (pineapple money box with face if anyone wants to sell me theirs), and learn about pineapples (and macadmias if that tickles your fancy).
We didn’t get to try any pineapples on this tour, but I learnt much about fruit and random facts about the locality.
The best thing I did eat here was the freshly roasted macadamias here (sold in heated metal cabinet) in an apple / cinnamon flavour. The nuts are coated in this cinnamony batter and then roasted so it forms kind of like a shell – perfect pungent spice and not too sweet.
The macadamia nut tour was also quite a novelty – including a train ride in a cabin shaped like a giant macadamia. We got to sample fresh macadamia nuts, which were not at all hard, took a lot of effort to separate from shell, and tasted like coconut (in a fibrous sense).
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
The Boathouse (Floating restaurant)
Address: Bartender Jetty, 194 Gympie Terrace, Noosaville QLD
Tel: (07) 5440 5070
Website: www.boathouserestaurant.com.au
We chose this more for the novelty factor and there being a lack of any other restaurants I wanted to put my health on the line for. Wanted to see what this floating restaurant business was all about.
Upstairs is a cocktail bar (with not all that many cocktails, 90% of them containing vodka or some flavoured derivative of vodka which did not impress me), and downstairs is the main restaurant area.
For entrees: Scallops pancetta, pea mash - this was very average, mainly due to the scallops, although being large & juicy, undercooked with a slightly slimy feel. Definitely not a winner in trying to get my co-eater hooked on scallops.
Szechuan calamari on the other hand was absolutely divine! It had a spicy, fresh lemon tang to it, light battered and fried which gave a melt-in-mouth feel, and perfectly cooked so as not to be slimy/undercooked or rubbery & overcooked. You could bite through the calamari and taste the freshness. Would come back here just for the calamari – arguably the best I’ve had.
There was nothing pretentious about this place, but if they made more of an effort with the menu they could really get away with charging murderous prices for the indoor/outdoor/seabreeze dining experience.
Tel: (07) 5440 5070
Website: www.boathouserestaurant.com.au
We chose this more for the novelty factor and there being a lack of any other restaurants I wanted to put my health on the line for. Wanted to see what this floating restaurant business was all about.
Jack's Teppan Char
Address: 50 Hastings St, Noosa Heads QLD 4567
Tel: (07) 5474 9555
Website: http://www.teppanchar.com.au/
This was a brief lunch stopover in Noosa that was had. Interesting concept but fairly overpriced for what we were getting.
Charred lamb cutlets with sweet miso dipping sauce: The cutlets were juicy, soft and tender enough, coupled with a miso sauce with a strong soya flavour and miso hit with an underlying sweetness.
Charred chicken with sweet onions and feta on turkish bread: a very strange combination which worked surprisingly better than I envisaged. The chicken was tender, soft & fresh and the fetta carried a slight miso taste which made it bearable for the biggest hater of fetta cheese (i.e. me).
This place is traditionally a bar, I guess as dawn hits business picks up and they wanted to provide a higher-end meal service. They don’t serve main sized meals, but moreso a “slight-bigger-than-tapas” collection.
A good attempt at BBQ-Japanese fusion, but not a holistic dining experience.
Tel: (07) 5474 9555
Website: http://www.teppanchar.com.au/
This was a brief lunch stopover in Noosa that was had. Interesting concept but fairly overpriced for what we were getting.
Charred lamb cutlets with sweet miso dipping sauce: The cutlets were juicy, soft and tender enough, coupled with a miso sauce with a strong soya flavour and miso hit with an underlying sweetness.
Charred chicken with sweet onions and feta on turkish bread: a very strange combination which worked surprisingly better than I envisaged. The chicken was tender, soft & fresh and the fetta carried a slight miso taste which made it bearable for the biggest hater of fetta cheese (i.e. me).
This place is traditionally a bar, I guess as dawn hits business picks up and they wanted to provide a higher-end meal service. They don’t serve main sized meals, but moreso a “slight-bigger-than-tapas” collection.
A good attempt at BBQ-Japanese fusion, but not a holistic dining experience.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Pamela's Pantry
Address: 65 Caxton St, Petrie Terrace Brisbane QLD 4000
Tel: (07) 3369 1953
If you can ignore all the nonsense and bad reputation the (league) pub opposite generates, you will really become smitten by this small, home-style cooking eatery. Reminds me of the type of meals an aunt or grandma would make, recipes passed down the generations and modified to bring a more international flavour and zing to it.
Upon entering this very pink store, the smell of sweetness and cookies fill the air. Pamela bakes, fries and cooks hearty meals including:
Homemade sausage rolls: tasty, and made with love – at least there aren’t any strange bits of aorta or sinew in it…
Creamy curried chicken (salad) – smooth, large & decent chunks of chicken fillet in a lightly curry sauce
Oriental brown rice & almond salad – has that popped/roasted rice feel of traditional brown rice Japanese tea, with a hint of ginger and cooked with lychees. Mix well otherwise you will bite into a hunk of crystalised sugar/ginger like I did.
Peanut choc cookies: not too sweet, have that cocoa powder bite and crunch of peanuts – crispy fresh! This is what sex & cookies are all about.
Tel: (07) 3369 1953
If you can ignore all the nonsense and bad reputation the (league) pub opposite generates, you will really become smitten by this small, home-style cooking eatery. Reminds me of the type of meals an aunt or grandma would make, recipes passed down the generations and modified to bring a more international flavour and zing to it.
Upon entering this very pink store, the smell of sweetness and cookies fill the air. Pamela bakes, fries and cooks hearty meals including:
Homemade sausage rolls: tasty, and made with love – at least there aren’t any strange bits of aorta or sinew in it…
Creamy curried chicken (salad) – smooth, large & decent chunks of chicken fillet in a lightly curry sauce
Oriental brown rice & almond salad – has that popped/roasted rice feel of traditional brown rice Japanese tea, with a hint of ginger and cooked with lychees. Mix well otherwise you will bite into a hunk of crystalised sugar/ginger like I did.
Peanut choc cookies: not too sweet, have that cocoa powder bite and crunch of peanuts – crispy fresh! This is what sex & cookies are all about.
Coldrake's Espresso
Address: Shop 16 "The Barracks", 61 Petrie Tce Brisbane QLD 4000
Tel: (07) 3367 8348
During a week long work trip in Sunny Brisbane, this was the ONLY decent coffee I could get in the Spring Hill area. Most others were overpriced dishwater rejects.
There is no sign for Coldrake’s Espresso – it is actually tacked on the other side of a small bookshop in the Barracks shopping complex.
I ordered a mocha - coffee was sharp, bitter and offset by chocolate which was prepared using cream. The cream gave it a smooth texture, and heavenly feel.
Divine.
Tel: (07) 3367 8348
During a week long work trip in Sunny Brisbane, this was the ONLY decent coffee I could get in the Spring Hill area. Most others were overpriced dishwater rejects.
There is no sign for Coldrake’s Espresso – it is actually tacked on the other side of a small bookshop in the Barracks shopping complex.
I ordered a mocha - coffee was sharp, bitter and offset by chocolate which was prepared using cream. The cream gave it a smooth texture, and heavenly feel.
Divine.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Cha Cha Char Wine Bar & Grill
Address: Shop 5, Plaza Level, Eagle St Pier, Brisbane QLD
Tel: (07) 3211 9944
Website: www.chachachar.com.au
Eagle St Pier is reminiscent of the Darling Harbour of Sydney, semi-touristy in the middle of the city. Cha Cha Char was a recommendation from a Brisbane local, and lived up to its very name for creating a great vibe, atmosphere combined with its delectable menu.
For starters we had bread roll with ‘moo jus’ & pistachio butter (pictured below). Moo jus is like a diluted gravy-like substance you can go ahead and dip your bread in. It has a slightly bitter taste, and one of my fellow dining buddies suggested the secret is actually vegemite.
Main: Pictured is the beef cheek. This wasn’t my dish but I was told that the piece of meat was huge, and surprisingly tender. You can see this place is dedicated to doing a good steak, serving all parts of the cow you didn’t even know could be served as a culinary dish.
I wanted something a bit lighter (plus the lighting was making me tired) so opted for the woodfired chicken. This was a thigh piece, so the meat was guaranteed tender, a little drier on the skin but extremely juicy. The complimentary mash potato was warm, buttery and melted-in-mouth although the lemon flavour was almost non-existent.
Side: Cajun potatoes – absolute foodgasm! They came out with these dried green herb flecks, I was disappointed to see that it didn’t look spicy at all. They were small potatoes, lightly friend to hold their flavour and upon eating these they actually really pack the Cajun punch!
Will also take this opportunity to introduce this amazing (and expensive) natural spring? water served at this restaurant. It is called Voss – Norwegian Artesian Water, comes in a glass bottle as pictures, and has a very refreshing taste, and slight bubbling at the bottom.
Tel: (07) 3211 9944
Website: www.chachachar.com.au
Eagle St Pier is reminiscent of the Darling Harbour of Sydney, semi-touristy in the middle of the city. Cha Cha Char was a recommendation from a Brisbane local, and lived up to its very name for creating a great vibe, atmosphere combined with its delectable menu.
For starters we had bread roll with ‘moo jus’ & pistachio butter (pictured below). Moo jus is like a diluted gravy-like substance you can go ahead and dip your bread in. It has a slightly bitter taste, and one of my fellow dining buddies suggested the secret is actually vegemite.
Main: Pictured is the beef cheek. This wasn’t my dish but I was told that the piece of meat was huge, and surprisingly tender. You can see this place is dedicated to doing a good steak, serving all parts of the cow you didn’t even know could be served as a culinary dish.
I wanted something a bit lighter (plus the lighting was making me tired) so opted for the woodfired chicken. This was a thigh piece, so the meat was guaranteed tender, a little drier on the skin but extremely juicy. The complimentary mash potato was warm, buttery and melted-in-mouth although the lemon flavour was almost non-existent.
Side: Cajun potatoes – absolute foodgasm! They came out with these dried green herb flecks, I was disappointed to see that it didn’t look spicy at all. They were small potatoes, lightly friend to hold their flavour and upon eating these they actually really pack the Cajun punch!
Will also take this opportunity to introduce this amazing (and expensive) natural spring? water served at this restaurant. It is called Voss – Norwegian Artesian Water, comes in a glass bottle as pictures, and has a very refreshing taste, and slight bubbling at the bottom.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Biagio Restaurant Italian Cuisine & Seafood
Address: 191 Musgrave Rd, Red Hill QLD
Ph: (07) 3369 7417
Website: www.biagiorestaurant.com.au
The current location of this traditional Italian restaurant which boasts a chef of the same name and a family-run atmosphere really does not do the calibre of this restaurant justice.
Expect silver service, a quiet fine dining experience in the middle of the suburbs on a main road. Looks extremely out of place, but is great for those who want to escape the inner-city hustle bustle.
Entrée: Calzone duck – crust like a McDonald’s apple pie (with even a hint of apple sweetness) on a bed of rocket salad. I enjoyed the salad more than the actual calzone (reminded me of function finger food, really not restaurant standard entrée) – a good quality fragrant olive oil, balsamic and parmesan cheese.
Ph: (07) 3369 7417
Website: www.biagiorestaurant.com.au
The current location of this traditional Italian restaurant which boasts a chef of the same name and a family-run atmosphere really does not do the calibre of this restaurant justice.
Expect silver service, a quiet fine dining experience in the middle of the suburbs on a main road. Looks extremely out of place, but is great for those who want to escape the inner-city hustle bustle.
Entrée: Calzone duck – crust like a McDonald’s apple pie (with even a hint of apple sweetness) on a bed of rocket salad. I enjoyed the salad more than the actual calzone (reminded me of function finger food, really not restaurant standard entrée) – a good quality fragrant olive oil, balsamic and parmesan cheese.
Garlic Prawns – These surprisingly had no trace of garlic, but had a rather a fresh tomato-ey, herby pesto flavour to them. 
Main: Eye-fillet steak – almost like a roast beef – soft, tender, juicy. The sauce was like a liquid-version of semi-dried tomato, pepper & herbs with a hint of chilli & basil.
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