The surge in popularity of Korean food comes with more than just KBBQ. There have been a lot more specialised Korean restaurants like Mandu Place which opened recently in Springwood. I had seen considerable posts about it online and it didn't take much convincing on Queen V's part before we decided to get some for a weekend lunch catch up. The restaurant doesn't take reservations and we were very lucky to be able to get the last available table at lunch, so if you go at peak times there might be a slight wait for a table. The menu was very simple and very pointed towards noodles and ..read more

Weekend burger runs for lunch between errands and we decided to check out Burger Me in Calamvale with some friends. I had read about this place quite a few times on Reddit with the general consensus that they were one of (if not) the best burger places in Brisbane. The shop was fairly small but we did manage to grab a table. It became quite packed by lunchtime with the bulk of customers ordering for take away. Whilst there was one staff taking orders, they also had a machine to take orders as well.  We had two combos between the two of us. Dr L upgraded his drink to an oreo shak ..read more

Those of you who know me would no doubt have heard my rant about how the prevalence of bubble teas shops are a good indication of economic sentiment. As the ultimate discretionary good, if more bubble tea shops still open (and flourish) then it is an indicator that people still have funds for small luxuries like this. On that note, Coorparoo has finally gotten their own bubble tea shop in the form of Chun Fun How, a Taiwanese chain originating from TaiChung. Always keen to enjoy support more bubble teas near home, I went to check it out. The menu was fairly standard with an assortment of ..read more

  After a particularly challenging week at work, Dr L and I decided to go somewhere a bit more fancy for date night. Going down my list, we opted for dinner at Clarence, a fairly well established modern Australian bistro at Woolloongabba, recently awarded one chef's hat on the good food guide.  We made a reservation since it was Friday night, but the restaurant wasn't entirely full so perhaps walk in would also have been sufficient. I loved the rustic decor with the exposed brick walls. Service was personable and friendly whilst maintaining an air of professionalism.    ..read more

Rounding off a hot summer, we thought to have one more bing soo before the weather cooled down. Having enjoyed a very delicious iteration of the Korean dessert at Sunnybank, we opted to check out Bing Go's Garden City store while we were running errands nearby. Heading over at peak afternoon tea time, I was surprised that it was empty, meaning more seats for us, although I did notice an abundance of flies and other pests in the shop though. The restaurant seemed a bit more expansive than Sunnybank, perhaps because of a significantly larger kitchen area. Other than bingsoo, they had a w ..read more

Have long been interested in Chuan Chinese at Market Square. Ever since they opened, all I ever see is a completely packed restaurant every time I walk past. For the several instances I've tried to get a table, I've been knocked back without having a reservation. Phoning up to make a reservation, I've been told that they only take 5.30pm and 7.30pm bookings. As a result of this, we finally decided to try it out early in the week to avoid the crowds.    We grabbed one of the only remaining tables and were seated comfortably outside the restaurant (but still inside the shopping cen ..read more

  Valentine day is hardly ever complete without a sweet dessert to round off the meal. To this end we decided to walk over to Amoroso, my current favourite when it comes to gelato for a treat to finish the evening. It was a fairly long walk and we arrived to find the small shopfront packed. The menu was identical to Sunnybank Hills as far as I could tell, offering gelato, sundaes and drinks.  The flavours on offer were decidedly less Asian centric though with only Matcha on offer and I was the first one to order from the new tray. In the interests of science (also I was very ..read more

Valentines day 2024. I wanted to do something about it but didn't want to be boxed into committing to an overpriced set menu. It took a while before we decided to try our luck (for the third time) at getting a reservation at Fratelli Restaurant which has been on my list for some time now. I guess third time is the charm because we ended up getting a table  Sitting down, I noted their attention to detail in having a floral candle as well as rose petals on the table, a nice touch that I really appreciated.   Service was a little slow during the evening, given that it was super b ..read more

Long before there was Sushi Edo and Ichiban Sushi, there was Sushi Train. Looking back on my childhood, I had fond memories of waiting for their anniversary sales where all plates would be $3 or $3.50 and we would queue up and eat to our heart's content. Perhaps I haven't been paying attention for sometime, but I was thrilled when I saw that they were having a $3.50 sale for the grand opening of their new Underwood store, so we trekked out there to line up half an hour before opening. We arrived to see a small group of people gathering at the door and we seated just before their scheduled op ..read more

So I had noticed a little while ago that Holy Hock was opening in Underwood. As far as I could tell it focused on braised pork dishes much along the same lines as Tasty Rumour and Gang Nam. I hadn't intended to go try them out super soon after opening, but after a nearby restaurant that I was wanting to go to decided not to be open (despite their opening hours saying they would be) and we were stuck looking for a restaurant that opened later than 8.30pm. As with many Korean restaurants, Holy Hock opened later, so we went to check it out. Other than us, there was only one table. The waitres ..read more