REVIEW: Spring Hill Deli and Produce

This is like two photos for the price of one, cos you've got the café front but then the reflection of the cars too. What a bonus!

You know when you go out to eat and you are so looking forward to it? You build up a picture of what it's going to be like and you start dreaming your order, cos if you're anything like me, you've been pouring over the menu for hours previously. But so often, reality doesn't live up to dreams. Well - twist! - Spring Hill Deli was NOT one of those places!

Splendid health, indeed.


This café has of course been on my list for ages, one of the many foodie haunts of Brisbane that I never seem to get around to. My lovely friends now know I will always have a list of places I've been pining to go to, so we agreed to meet the one sunny Sunday. I arrived first and having anticipated a busy and packed café, I was pleased to be seated straight away. The interior of the café was sunny and airy with a genuinely pleasant mismatched, rustic farmhouse feel created in part from the large rooster mural painted on the wall.

Nothing beats chocolate.

As I waited, I ordered a hot chocolate ($4.5) and I'm so glad I did. The hot chocolates are made from 70% organic chocolate, pure spice extracts and Maleny Cow's Milk. All of those things together are like a big, warm hug in a mug. I was soon joined by my breakfast buddies and much hot chocolate envy was had.

The Everything Juice.

The menu at Spring Hill is the perfect mix of classic and contemporary with so many tempting options, it was hard to narrow it down to a single choice. We somehow managed though. First to arrive from our order were the drinks. The fresh juices are customisable and for $7, we got what we dubbed an Everything Juice which consisted of orange, ginger, carrot and apple. It was fresh, delicious and tasted so tangy.

Caramel fudge milkshake.

Somewhat predictably, I ordered a Salted Caramel Fudge milkshake ($7). It was pretty good, with a good texture, wouldn't have hurt to be a touch thicker. The flavour was obviously from real, homemade caramel but not all that fudgey. Since milkshakes get ranked around here, this one sits at number three, bumping Chester Street down to fourth. Check out The Milk Bar for all the rankings.

The Maple Bacon with a side of avocado. Mmmm crispy bacon.

The food came out in good time and we got stuck in. Two orders of the Maple Bacon, Spinach, Haloumi, Cherry Tomatoes and Caramelised Balsamic on Toasted Sour Dough ($19) were served. We got one without the cherry tomatoes but with a poached egg ($2) and the other with a serve of avocado ($4).

And the Maple Bacon without cherry tomatoes, with a poached egg.

Both were delicious. The bacon was crispy and the haloumi was nice and salty. Plus, it came with three decent bits of haloumi. I thought it would have been nicer if the cherry tomatoes had been cooked, rather than raw. The side of avocado was generous, which is a good thing cos I get really ticked off when you get ripped off on the extras.

Yummy shashuka. I love the choice in breakfasts these days.

My middle eastern breakfast obsession continued with the Israeli Shashuka - Spicy Tomato Sauce with Poached Eggs, topped with Feta & Parsley, served with Toasted Sourdough ($17). Um, one word...yum! The portion was absolutely massive and that goes a long way with me. But big portions mean nothing if it doesn't taste good. Fortunately, this shashuka tasted amazing. I tried to show restraint for all of two minutes before I smashed the lot.

Lovely farmhouse feel.

The service at Spring Hill was attentive, quick and friendly. Just what you want on a Sunday morning. I felt really welcome and comfortable there. Good food, good drinks and good service - I can see why Spring Hill Deli is a favourite on the Brisbane scene. I will be back!



Food: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Price: 3.5/5
Atmosphere: 3.5/5

Cassie Cakes Goes to the Alliance Française French Film Festival



The Alliance Française French Film Festival 2015!

Last Friday, my lovely friend and I attended the Alliance Française French Film Festival at Palace Centro on James street, New Farm. The French Film festival has been running for 26 years and yet somehow, this is the first time I've attended. The film festival is the largest and most successful cultural events that Alliance Française runs and was created to strengthen ties between Australia and France, as well as increase awareness of French arts and cinema.


The red carpet - that red and white polka dress is cute!

The night we attended was the opening night gala and as such, there was lots of champagne flowing, a red carpet and a wonderful after party to continue the festivities after.

The crowds start to gather.

We got there nice and early and enjoyed our glass of champagne then snagged a seat to watch the crowds assemble. And assemble they did. Pretty soon the upper and lower foyers were packed with people, with more than a few very chic, Parisian inspired outfits.


Look at all that champagne! I could do some damage here...



 Around 7pm, we made our way into one of three cinemas showing the evening movie. After we listened to a short speech about the festivals history and a little information about Alliance Française, it was time for the screening. 

The French have comically large lips, don't you know.

First, we watched the premiere of the new Peugeot ad which doesn't sound very exciting but it was because it had a very sexy French actor in it - the identity of whom I cannot find but I would like to know!
 

Ahh idyllic French life!

Then it was time for the main attraction - Gemma Bovery! The movie starred Gemma Aterton as the titular character and Fabrice Luchini as the meddling, well-intentioned village baker Martin. As Gemma's life starts to mirror that of the famous fictional Madame Bovary, Martin gets more and more entwined. It was a lovely drama-comedy and utterly enchanting. I'm planning my move to Normandy and I'm not joking.
 


A cow in a beret? Of course, the French cow. Duh.



After we attended the cocktail party and while the food was not amazing, it was an open bar so swings and roundabouts. And the staff at Palace were so helpful - and attractive.
 


The pretty tree at the cocktail party.

The Alliance Française French Film Festival is showing 49 films and documentaries, screening at Palace Barracks and Palace Centro Cinemas, as well as around the country, from 13 March - 1 April. More details are available at the Palace Cinemas website.

REVIEW: High Tea at Lab



The heritage Treasury Hotel.

I am back from my holiday in Thailand and ready to share with you our experience at The Lab Bar & Restaurant at the Treasury Casino. I have been to high tea before with my mother and sister and had a lovely time. The dainty sandwiches, the pretty pastries, frilly doilies - the whole experience is traditional and wonderfully feminine. So I was a little surprised, delightfully so, when the masculine and hairy Mr. Cakes expressed his desire to accompany me to high tea! He explained it, tiny sweets and scones...why wouldn't he like it?! 


Champagne and tea and everything nice!



We both got dressed up and made our way in to the city. The Lab Bar & Restaurant is situated in the Treasury Hotel, away from the main casino building itself. The history and architecture really makes the experience special, the polished timber bar that dominates the room is beautiful and really makes you want to have a drink.

 

The vintage bar...very well stocked.

The high tea is available on the weekends from 2 - 3:30pm for $45 per person.We started off with a glass of champagne Chandon NV Sparkling Brut for $12.50 then choose our tea from the La Masion Du Thé (which means the house of tea, thank you less-than-basic-French-skills) selection. The tea choice is bottomless so if you could drink $45 worth of tea, you'd certainly be getting your money's worth.


Look how handsome Mr. Cakes looks in his blue shirt. Trust me, the rest of his is very handsome too.

After we were served our tea, the tower of afternoon delicacies were presented. I really liked all the decorative charger plates and crockery. It made the setting feel particularly fancy. Traditionally, one should eat the high tea from to top plate down, starting with the scones on the top tier then savoury items then sweet pasties. On the top tier for our high tea, we had 2 scones each, one plain and one sultana scone as well as a petit quiche and frittata each.

The scones and quiches and frittatas - oh my!



The scones are now dressed up and ready for eating!

We were given individual pots of jam for the scones along with a serving cream. The scones were really nice, perhaps not as good as Mr. Cakes'...have I not told you how good Mr. Cakes' scones are? They're amazing. He must have had lessons from Margaret Fulton. The quiche and frittata were okay, they were a little underwhelming.

Nice and appropriately moist.

The next tier was the savoury level which in this case, were finger sandwiches. There were chicken salad, tomato and cheese, roast beef, egg salad and lastly salmon. They were all fresh and moreish. And they were all the right level of not-wet until Mr. Cakes dropped one in the water, which was adorable and hilarious.


The sandwich going for a swim.



The final layer was the sweets. We had opera cake, which was my favourite, glazed fruit tarts, mini lemon meringue tarts, a macaron (yes, one 'o' in macaron) each and lastly, an adorable cream puff in the shape of a swan. Unfortunately the cutest of the desserts was the least impressive. The puff wasn't very crisp so the texture was a little stale. None of the desserts blew me away, although the presentation was lovely.

The ornate swan cream puff and friends.

The high tea at Lab was nice however although I've not been to that many high teas, this ranked No. 2 in the two I have been to. It was nice though and we had a lovely time. The best thing about it though was watching Mr.Cakes try to use the dainty serving-ware. Absolutely adorable.

Food: 3/5
Service: 3.5/5
Price: 3/5
Atmosphere: 4/5 

REVIEW: Little Saigon Grill

The line can be long but it moves quick!

I wish I could tell you I was letting you in on a well kept secret but Little Saigon Grill goes off every day. Tucked away in a little laneway off Albert street, Little Saigon Grill serves up well priced Vietnamese food. I've been to Little Saigon Grill a few times for workday lunches and usually get a banh mi. The pork belly ban mi is just amazing, but this time I was on the hunt for pho.

Banh mi station on the left and everything else on the right

Since my visit to Pho An restaurant in Sydney, I've been hankering for that amazing taste of authentic pho. I've had it around here and there and it's just never quite hit the spot. Given the amazing banh mi at Little Saigon Grill, I had high hopes.

As I said, Little Saigon Grill gets very busy during the work week but the line moves fast and they have an efficient system, with a busy banh mi station down one end and the hotbox and al a carte items available from the other. I ordered Pho Bo Vien - beef pho ($11.90) and my dining companion ordered Banh Mi with tofu ($6.90).

Tofu banh mi

The tofu banh mi comes with aioli, pickled cucumber, pickled carrot, shallots with the option of fresh chillies and obviously tofu. The whole lot is placed into a deliciously crispy French-Vietnamese baguette and toasted. The bread at Little Saigon Grill is amazing, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside and really puts it on to the next level. As usual, the banh mi was really good and no exception what we've come to expect.

The pho before my customisations.

Now my pho. Sigh. I don't know what I would have thought of this pho before my transcendental experience in Bankstown. Perhaps I would have been quite pleased with this pho. But I can't lie, it didn't come close. It was okay. Maybe I could stretch to it was fair. It definitely wasn't bad but the incredibly complex and depth of flavour simply wasn't there. I added a lot of chilli to add flavour and I did finish it. There was nothing to complain about as such. I think Pho An has simply ruined me for pho. If you know anywhere in Brisbane to get pho and you think it might match Pho An, you simply must tell me, okay? It's not fair to keep that from me.


And after! I love me some srirachia.

We also got a Watermelon juice each for $5. It was very refreshing and the perfect treat on a warm day.


Watermelon juice.

So overall, I enjoyed our visit to Little Saigon Grill and I will definitely be back as they're quick and well priced but I will be sticking to banh mi or try a few other menu items. Not the pho though, it just makes me sad.

Food: 3/5
Service: 3/5
Price: 3.5/5
Atmosphere: 3/5

REVIEW: Thai Wi Rat

Surely a name ripe for puns?

I have to be up front here and declare my bias when reviewing this restaurant. I've been coming here for years. When I lived in The Valley, we'd have Sunday drinking sessions round the corner at The RG and end up at Thai Wi Rat for a pad thai and a bottle of wine or two. They're BYO too, which is awesome. So I have a long relationship with this place.

Good old Chinatown. Good old The Valley. I love you, Fortitude Valley.

I visited with a couple of girlfriends on Wednesday night to this perennially popular restaurant without reservations and found a table quickly. This is not the usual scenario during the weekend and I would recommend a reservation if you're visiting on a Friday or Saturday night.


Making use of space.

We ordered at the counter and sat near the water feature to people watch while we waited for our food. The tables and chairs at Thai Wi Rat fit the rest of the décor - cheap and functional. Don't be scared off by the look of Thai Wi Rat, inside is worn, a little tacky and they use whatever storage space they can find but this isn't fine dining. It's budget at it's best.


There are blue lights everywhere so the food looks a little better than it does in these photos...

The food arrived quickly, coming out as it was ready. For entrée we shared Chicken Satay skewers ($7.90), Coconut Prawns ($8.90) and Vegetable Spring Rolls ($5.90). The chicken satay skewers had plenty of satay sauce on them and were made of good quality breast meat. The were also nicely charred and generous in size.


A little too uniform to be freshly made.

The coconut prawns were fairly typical of what you'd get in any lower end restaurant. I suspect they could be the ready-made frozen variety. But hey, they're real prawns and you get four of them for under $10. They're not my favourite thing on the entrée list but that's not to say I won't ever order them again.


Get in mah belleh!

One of my favourite things on the entrée list is the vegetable spring rolls! I love these spring rolls, they're full of veggies and always a reliable go to. They come out piping hot so beware when you bite in! I always order the vegetable spring rolls without fail.


Oh Thai Green Curry, why don't you want to look pretty for my camera?

For mains, my friends choose to split the Thai restaurant classic - the Thai Green Chicken Curry for $10.90. The curry had a good heat and a decent amount of chicken in it. The flavour was good, but it didn't exactly knock anyone socks off. Which is good cos none of us were wearing socks and that would have been awkward if it had tried.


Hot and sour soup, who would have thought that combination would be so yum? Tom yum, to be precise.

I ordered the Tom Yum soup with seafood for $8.90. The serving was massive and very fragrant with lots of calamari and scallops  but only two or so prawns. But what can you reasonably expect at that price. The soup was definitely hot and sour, just like a good tom yum should be.


Tried to get an artistic shot of the lanterns. Could be worse?

Thai Wi Rat is not going to get any Michelin stars or Chef Hats in this lifetime or next. Don't come here expecting fine dining or even matching chairs. But some of my best meals have been had here, with lots of laughs, drinks and a full belly. It's cheap, it's BYO and it's decent food with some great flavours. Did I mention it's cheap?

Food: 4/5
Service: 3/5
Price: 4/5
Atmosphere: 3/5

REVIEW: Felix Espresso & Winebar



This way for goodness!

Anyone who doesn't think Brisbane is cool ought to pay a little visit to Burnett Lane. Tucked into a little nook and up a narrow staircase is the very cool Felix Espresso & Winebar. I met with some girlfriends a few weeks ago for a before work breakfast. Walking in, I was surprised at how small Felix is, with only room for around 15 people. However Felix uses the space it does have well, with a split level dining area, seating on the lower level and espresso machine and kitchen up top. There is also a wonderful mural of the sky on one wall which is lovely to gaze at while you sup.


Head in the clouds.

With such a small space, the menu is quite small but Felix focuses on organic and whole foods with some raw items appearing on the menu too. So it's very much about quality over quantity. Even though the menu is limited with less than a dozen items on the menu for both breakfast and lunch, there are a selection baked goods as well as a few extra items on the specials board.


Yeah, I'm not sure about you Green juice...you taste good but you look strange.

For drinks we ordered two juices, a fresh squeezed orange juice and a green juice with kale, mango and orange, both $8. The orange juice was tart and delicious. I've never been brave enough for green juices, I just can't get over the look of it but I did try a little of this one and it was very nice. I may be brave and take the plunge soon. A coffee was $4 for a large cup and was reportedly very, very good. Another was ordered after the first.


Oh lordy. Will you look at this? This is the milk hot chocolate.



This is the dark chocolate version.

The hot chocolate at Felix is something to rave about. I had a juice but after tasting some of one of the hot chocolates, I couldn't help but order one for myself! They come in both dark and milk chocolate at $4, which is pretty awesome. They are smooth, they are velvety and just...uh. So good. Felix is now where we get our hot chocolates all the time! If you go, I can't impress highly enough the importance of getting one of these.

The healthy choice, chia and fruit.

The food followed quickly after the drinks with the Cup of Chia Topped with Raw Coconut Cashew Cream and Fruit ($6) sticking closely to the healthy theme. It serve was pretty generous for the price and the coconut cashew cream was delicious. The fruit was fresh with a good mix of berries and apple. It all went well together and tasted like springtime on a spoon.


That's French mustard, I'll have you know.

The toasted sandwich de jour was Ham with Gruyere Cheese Served with Mustard and Pickles for $10. It looked a little lonely on the large plate but was stuffed full of both ham and cheese. As someone who has scored the city looking for a simple toasty, it was good to see it on the menu. The diner was happy with her choice as well.


That's a lotta avocado.

I am always partial to a good avocado on toast for breakfast and the Avocado on Olive Toast with Lemon ($6) was hard to pass up. It too was dwarfed by the size of the plate and I almost grumbled about there being only one piece but when I remembered it was only $6, there really wasn't much to complain about given the prices for most inner city breakfasts. The avocado was fresh and the bread was good.

If it comes in a little pan, you know it's a good sign.

The ordering game was won by the lucky recipient of the Shakshuka and Eggs with Sourdough ($11). I just love it when things come out in little cast-iron pans. I'm so glad that it's a popular way to serve food. This particular dish came out all hot and full of spices with an egg on top. I was most jealous.


The coloured glass cast a lovely glow throughout the restaurant.

Overall Felix was a win, a cute café that's tight on space but big on heart. As I said, I've been back many times to get more of their delicious hot chocolates and would also like to give their salad range a try. It's a great spot to catch up with friends before work.

Food: 3.5/5
Service: 3.5/5Price: 3.5/5
Atmosphere: 4/5



Brisbane Food Blog
Brisbane Food Blog