REVIEW: Paleo Cafe Bulimba

 

I think the cow should be in the centre, rather than the apple.

I'm pretty much always trying - and failing - to eat healthier. Given that I frequent restaurants regularly, I appreciate when there are lighter options. However, lighter options mean squat if it doesn't taste good. The paleo movement doesn't seem to be going anywhere either and with those two facts in mind, we decided to try Paleo Café.



The bright, industrial interior.

Paleo Café is local to us, sitting at the start of Oxford Street in a fairly new complex, The Avro. We visited one Saturday, and given the popularity of the Oxford Street Area, I expected the café to be a hive of activity with a line out the door. To the contrary, there were plenty of tables so we choose a table outside.

The smoothies, icy and not so icy.

Along with the coffees, we ordered a few cold drinks. The Signature Iced Chocolate ($8) sounded pretty appealing with cacao and honey syrup mixed with almond and coconut milk, but it felt like a berry sort of day. I went with the WOD Warrior smoothie for $8, made from strawberries, mango, granola and coconut milk. Mr Cakes ordered the Piña Colada smoothie for $9, a coconut, pineapple and lime concoction. Both smoothies were nice, I could have done with more ice in mine. I like my smoothies to be cold and icy.


Sweet Chilli Eggs, poached, with bacon.

For meals, two of us ordered the Sweet Chilli Eggs - Soft Poached Eggs Served on Savoury Bread with Fresh Spinach Leaves, Avocado, Crispy Bacon and Topped with a Sweet Chilli Capsicum Jam, Fresh Coriander Sprigs and Lime for $16.50. I ordered mine without bacon, as I'm cutting down on meat consumption and eggs fried, cos I hate undercooked whites. So often poached eggs are undercooked.

Damn you, slimy whites! Scourge of my breakfast days!

Unfortunately, ordering fried eggs did not allow me to escape my fate and the whites of my eggs were a little translucent. The bread was fairly unique, being paleo and made from coconut flour. It was not dissimilar to that of banana bread. Still, for a wheat free option, it was okay. Not sure I'd be running back to consume the bread. We both enjoyed the chilli jam and the avocado was nice and ripe. 

So much meat.

Not everyone is concerned about cutting down on meat so next up, we had the Caveman Big Breakfast - Free Range Eggs, Steak, Veal Sausage, Bacon, Mushrooms, Oven Roasted Tomato, Sautéed Baby Spinach, Savoury Bread and Chunky Tomato Relish ($22.50). And if that sounds like a lot, it was. The steak was a particularly nice steak, it appeared to a fillet of some sort. It was mostly meat and there was no "bread" with the meal. This makes it a very low carb option. Any committed meat eater would be very pleased with this choice, Mr Cakes was extremely jealous of the Caveman Breakfast.


I see you, yucky white bits! Nice yolk though.

Mr Cakes got what he felt was the consolation prize of the Bacon and Free Range Eggs - Free Range Eggs with Sautéed Baby Spinach, Savoury Bread, A Golden Sweet Potato Rosti and Double Smoked Bacon ($14.50). Even though he was very envious of the steak on the Caveman Breakfast, he did get a decen amount of bacon. The spinach couldn't really be called sautéed and looked more to be slightly wilted. The rosti was nice and very crispy. Mr Cakes was happy with the eggs too, but they looked similar to mine with a bit of the whites undercooked. That of course is just my opinion on eggs though. Mr Cakes was not the biggest fan of the bread either.

Paleo Café was pretty good, and a few of the things I didn't like about the food had to do with paleo food itself, not the café. Don't go to a paleo café if you want a big, doorstop piece of white sourdough. The staff were nice and the owner has a great passion for the lifestyle. It wasn't quite enough to turn me but I did leave feeling guilt free and satisfied.

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

REVIEW: LONgTIME

.

Love you, LONgTIME? Maybe...

There are so many places in Brisbane I want to eat. I have lists in my mind and lists in my diary of places I'm going. I wait for an opportunity to steer groups to one of these restaurants so I can tick them off my list. Then, other times, it's 9:30 on a Saturday night and we haven't eaten since lunch and shiz just got real. And our visit to LONgTIME was one such occasion.

LONgTIME is tucked between Birdies and the Peter Pan travel agency on Ann St, down an alley way lit with festoon lights and vines, the space outside had an almost Italian feel. I can't say I gave it much notice as I almost ran in and asked for a table. Even at 9:30pm, the host told us we were in for up to an hour wait! Well, my heart was already set so we settled in for the long time wait at the bar.

The busy kitchen.

I don't think it was in my mind that there was an air of fierce competiveness for a table: every time the host came near, all hungry eyes bored into him. Thankfully, the bar staff were very attentive and we were never without a drink in our hands. After literally 127 hours (not literally, it was 40 minutes), I had gnawed my arm off a la James Franco and was starting on the second when the host became the most beautiful person I'd ever met and took us to our table. Given that we didn't have a booking and were just 3 drunk souls who wandered in, a 40 minute wait on a Saturday night really wasn't that bad.

The interior with big communal tables.

LONgTIME is all about share plates and I must confess, I have a secret fear of share plates. I get panicked that I won't be full. Which is the worst thing when you've gone out to eat, in my opinion. But this fear is most assuredly unfounded, especially in company who know me well, as I'm not shy about taking the last spring roll. Even so, it wasn't without a little trepidation on my behalf, that we ordered.



Trust me, there were 2 more of these. We were ravenous!



 First to arrive was Bangkok Taco with Crispy Prawn Laab ($4.50 each). The tacos had the most wonderful crisp, deep fried shell. I could have eaten a bowl full of them on their own. However, I'm glad I had the prawn filling. The prawn taste was very strong but it was a good thing. They were bigger than I anticipated and at 10:30pm on a boozy belly, this was also a good thing.



There were 4 of these...don't worry, we gave them all a good home.


The tacos were devoured in almost an instant and quickly to follow them were the Longtime Pulled Pork Hock Bao with Fried Egg & Pickled Greens ($4 each). Four of these came out for some reason, even though we'd asked for one each. I thought maybe it was a freebie but it did turn up on the bill. Never mind. The dough of the bao was amazing, with just a touch of salty and soft as a marshmallow. The pork was well done and it's sweetness went perfectly with the dough. It was pretty special.

Nachos? Sort of?

The final of our starters was the Smoked Rice Noodle Nachos with Coconut Cheese Sauce ($8). Now this was something different and even days later, I'm not sure if it was good different. Instead of your usual corn chips or some sort of crispness, LONgTIME have used little sausage-like pieces of rice noodles. It was most unexpected, however it can't be that unexpected as it's right there in the name of the dish. The sauce had a strong coriander flavour and also that of a BBQ sauce. I felt a bit undecided about this dish but Mr. Cakes and company quite liked them.  

Penang curry, which is my favouritest curry.

For the first of our substantial plates, we ordered the Penang Curry of Grilled Pork Loin, Pickled Ginger and Peanuts ($29). Now my heart did fall a little when this dish came out. For $29, it was a bit small. And since it's a share dish, that's extremely upsetting. Also, the meat wasn't amazing, the pork just a touch tough. I think I would have preferred chicken. However, the curry sauce itself was delightful. The nuttiness and sweetness was perfectly balanced.



Crying tiger. Maybe he was crying about the price.



Next up was the Crying Tiger 12 Hours Slow Cooked Chargrilled Rib Fillet, With Roasted Rice and Lime Dressing. The price on the menu was $36,  but the waiter advised us that it would be $42 because of the serving size that night. The meat in this dish was amazing. It absolutely melted in my mouth. Everything about this was amazing. Again, the price to size ratio might have been a little off, but when you consider what a steak costs in most restaurants, it wasn't the worst value in the world.

Uhhhh there may have been more of this. Obviously still learning in the restaurant reviewing department.

Leaving the best til last, we had the Salted Crispy Pork Belly Pad See Uw, Chow Sum and Pickled Chilli. At $18, this was by far the best value and I think the best tasting. We saw a return of the sausage-like noodles and while I still was not the biggest fan, they suited the sauce of the pad see uw much better. It was the crispy pork that was the stand out star in this dish, and each mouthful of pork and chow sum (which is maybe the correct was of spelling chow sum?) with the wok flamed flavour was so tasty.


The lovely laneway.

The service at LONgTIME deserves a shout out too, as our glasses were never empty and the staff were excellent at making wine and cocktail recommendations as well as being wonderfully well humoured. LONgTIME's staff are a credit to the restaurant.

LONgTIME offers a great option for late night dining and some really unique menu items. Both the space and the staff are fantastic. I'm not sure I'm in love just yet, but I'm keen to go again to see where things go.

Food: 3.5/5
Service: 4/5
Price: 2.5/5
Atmosphere: 4/5

REVIEW: Vintaged Bar & Grill

Wine, a way to open the wine and a cow! What more could a person want?

I have a miniseries of Sydney restaurant reviews that I am so looking forward to sharing with you but I must not cheat. I have one more Brisbane review before we get to that but what a pleasant restaurant it is. My lovely lady friend and I decided to catch up before my Sydney break and chose to have a classy little catch up at Vintaged Bar & Grill.

Vintaged is located in the Hilton on Elizabeth street. I'm always a little hesitant to eat at hotel restaurants. They can seem a little naff and stuffy. And dated. And uninspired. But when I checked out Vintaged menu online, the menu offered a lot of fresh takes of classic dishes. Plus they had a lunch deal for a main and a glass of wine for $25. A meal AND wine? Sign me up.


This is the cool bar area in the lobby area of the restaurant.

Once we arrived at the Hilton and made our way up to level 6, we stepped into a spacious atrium with a funky bar area. The ceilings extended high into the building, which kinda gave me vertigo when I looked up. In an awesome way. The restaurant itself sat on the other side of the lobby where the ceiling came much lower, the lighting was dark, intimate and warm.


The warm space inside Vintaged.

We were seated and since I was on my lunch break, we ordered straight away. We both went with the $25 lunch special as who could pass that up and the selection available was really varied! My fair dining companion chose the Bavette Steak with Creamed Potato and Young Carrots and I went with the Barbecued Ocean Trout with Tahini and Cous Cous Tabbouleh. We had a pinot noir and a sauvignon blanc from the Bay of Shoals Winery...which were delicious! I drink wine cos I'll drink anything but I very rarely can tell the difference between a $20 bottle and a $100 bottle but this wine made me actually ask after the label. So that's good.


Salty capsicumy spread and char grilled bread. Yummers!

Soon after we ordered, we were bought some complimentary sour dough with a capsicum and anchovy spread. I'm so easily impressed, bring me free food and watch me smile. The bread was lovely and crispy with a chargrilled taste. The capsicum and anchovy spread had a pleasant salty taste, obviously from the anchovy. Salty is always a good idea.


Action shot like a pro.

The mains came out shortly after our delightful free bread and they looked appealing! We had both wondered what a bavette steak was, and my guess was it was a word for petite but apparently not as the steak was a nice size with a good dollop of creamy, smooth mash. The side of mushroom sauce was also generous. For your information, a bavette steak is another word for a cut from the flank. I've read it was the flap cut. I don't think flap steak sounds very nice, hence why they call it bavette. Clever.

I find that Ocean Trout is the best type of trout. Wait...are there other types of trout? River trout? I reserve my decision til I've had both!

My ocean trout was also really nice. It was cooked really well with a nice flakiness and slightly pink inside. The cous cous was delightful and the schmear of mayonnaise was pretty and tasty! Is there any better combination to be? The trout had a nice crispy skin but for some reason it was placed so the skin was on the bottom. It's probably over-pedantic, but it might have been cripsier had it not been placed on the moisture of cous cous. After I had finished the fish, I felt satisfied but not heavy and I didn't feel weighed down for my return to walk. The wine certainly hit the spot too.

Could totally get white girl wasted on all that wine...

As we paid, I asked if I could take some photos of the kitchen and the helpful hostess suggested I take a photo in the wine room. It was very impressive with glass walls and up to 1,000 bottles inside! Vintaged offers wine tasting and pride themselves on their extensive Australian boutique collection.

The open kitchen...also, they're not guarding that bread. I could have totally fit that into my purse.

I really enjoyed my workday lunch at Vintaged and was impressed that we were in and out within 45 minutes. The meal was great value and I returned to work with a happy tummy.

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


 

REVIEW: London Porterhouse

London Porterhouse!

I'm dying to try the duck ragu at Beccofino. Just dying to. So when my sister came up to visit, after some initial negotiations, we decided to go to Beccofino at Teneriffe. Now I know you can read and the title of this post is London Porterhouse, not Beccofino so you know something is up. Beccofino in their great wisdom do not take bookings. I'm sure this benefits them and ensures they are able to keep the restaurant turning over but it does not benefit my intense, burning desire to eat their duck ragu! Why won't you take my money, Beccofino?

Since we couldn't stand around for an hour while a table freed up, I remembered there was another restaurant I had been wanting to try close by so I called them up and they could seat us straight away. London Porterhouse is an Argentinean inspired meat-centric restaurant, which I think is slightly misleading given the English sounding name. It is a pleasant deception though as it is not soggy pub fare but rather robust steaks and smoky ribs so I knew as a group of keen carnivore's, we'd be well fed.

We arrived and were seated at a nice large table in the outside seating area which was perfect in the cool evening breezes. Noel, the owner and manager was very helpful in assisting us to order drinks and they arrived quickly. With our thirsts slated, it was on to the ordering. For entrees, we ordered from the tapas menu.

I don't see any mint on this plate but it was not missed.

First up there was an order of Pan Fried Haloumi with Fresh Lemon, Mint and Balsamic ($9). It came out with a crumbed coating which was unexpected but was very useful in soaking up the lemon juice. I've never been that crazy about haloumi and didn't find this mind blowing but perhaps if you're a bigger fan of the Cypriot cheese, you'll be more excited. I did like the crumbing which lends itself to my fondness of crispy fried things.


Oysters Kil-bolognese



A half dozen Oysters Kilpatrick ($20) was next for an oyster connoisseur and a very tough critic. These were reportedly very good, not amazing, though they were all devoured quickly. I did think the presentation could have been improved as the Kilpatrick sauce reminded me of Bolognese.



Perfect 'C' shaped bites of prawny flesh.



For the next entrée, Mr. Cakes got the Porterhouse Chilli King Prawns ($18) and the presentation of this dish was much more impressive! The spices were visible and it was a generous portion, they did not skimp on the prawns. The flavours were well balanced and the chilli did not overwhelm the prawns. Mr. Cakes said that some of the prawns had a over-soft texture which might be an indication of them being frozen.


Pork belly with delicious caramelised apple on top.



Two of the happy diners were less indulgent than the rest of us and shared the Crispy Pork Belly with Caramelised Apple, Red Slaw and Seeded Mustard ($15). The presentation of this was also well done and the portion size was generous for the price. The coleslaw cut well through the fat of the pork belly and the seeded mustard was a classic pairing. The caramelised apple appeared to be poached with a nice firmness. The fat could have been a little more rendered but overall, it was crispy and delicious.



My ill-chosen mussels. 



The final entrée was mine and I selected the Beer, Chilli Jam and Coconut Mussels ($16). I had been hankering for mussels for a few weeks and couldn't pass up the opportunity, even though I was slightly concerned about the beer as I'm not a beer drinker. Unfortunately I was right. The chilli and coconut flavours were amazing and again the portion size was generous. The Turkish bread pieces were great for mopping up the juices but with each mouthful I could taste some sort of bicarb-y flavour which I can only contribute to beer. I really think this was a poor choice on my behalf more than the dish though.


The first Rib Eye...the other one looked just like this but with potatoes. Imagine it in your mind tank.



With the entrees being a little hit and miss, we moved on to the mains. Steak proved to be the most popular with four out of six diners choosing some sort of steak. Two 300g Pasture Fed Rib Eyes ($33), one with steamed veg and roast potatoes and the other with steamed veg and fries were ordered. The South American influence came through with chimichuri sauce on the side. Both rib eyes were juicy, cooked as requested and the chips were amazing.


The ever so lady like eye fillet.



The 200g Grain Fed Eye Fillet ($31.50) with veg and roast potatoes was a plump medallion of tender juiciness. The platter of plate that the steaks were served on dwarfed petite serving but anyone who orders an eye fillet knows it's quality over quantity with this cut. Seasoned well and cooked well, steak was proving to be a good choice.

The Porterhouse of London Porterhouse. That would have been my choice had I not already won the ordering game.

The last steak was the 400g Pasture Fed Porterhouse ($36) with chips and veg also. The namesake steak proved that good red meat was the star of London Porterhouse. The porterhouse was also nice and juicy, cooked perfectly.

Ahh what lovely presentation!

One of the only two non-steak meals ordered was the Oven Roasted Barramundi with Baked Potato, Steamed Asparagus and Lemon Butter Sauce ($27). Here the finesse of the kitchen really shone through, with the presentation being more fine dining than steak house. The skin of the barramundi was crispy and the asparagus spears were steamed to perfection. The fish itself was moist and not overcooked like fish can so easily be. The lemon butter sauce was delicate and was delightful with the asparagus. Highly recommended.


Yabba dabba do!

Now for my dish which if I do say so myself, was the absolute winner. I ordered the Beef Ribs in Red Wine, Tomato and Sweet Chilli Glaze, in an entrée size ($17) and because I'm a genius, I ordered the Chilli Maple Onion Rings ($8.50). This single Flinstone sized rib with chips was served to me and I was in heaven. The bone pulled out cleanly and the meat fell apart in the most delectable way. It was sticky and unctuous. And if this was the entrée sized, heaven help the person who orders the main sized. And the onion rings. Oh me oh my. Huge circles of sweet onion fried in the crispiest light batter with a maple chilli creamy goodness. I was very sorry to have to share with the silly people who did not order their own. If I was a dog, I would have growled. The takeaway message here is get the onion rings!


Mmmmmmm hmmmmmm....

And just for you, here's another shot...I could stare at this all day.

 I'm not usually one for dessert as I'd rather stuff more savoury in but in the face of incessant pressure, the House-made Doughnuts with Chocolate and Caramel sauces ($9.50) were ordered. They were wonderfully warm, freshly cooked and sweet. Everyone at the table thoroughly savoured their nibble and the sauces were lovely, with the caramel being especially nice.

London Porterhouse was a little shaky to start with some of the entrées being underwhelming but they finished strong with all the mains wonderfully cooked and all the servings were generously sized. Service was wonderful and the staff served were happy, helpful and accommodating. And I would go back for those heavenly, sassy onion rings.

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