New Brisbane

Barang: Asia Cafe Culture

5/8 Station Road, Indooroopilly

3720 0169

Open Wednesday to Sunday, Closed Public Holidays

I AM frustrated no end by the lack of chill-out places around Indooroopilly. One would think a suburb with a major, three-storey shopping centre would be rife with coffee culture. Apparently not.

Some might argue in favour of the Coffee Club, Gloria Jeans, Six Degrees and all those “wahnderful little cafes in Indro dahling’’. I would not. I want somewhere that serves caffeine so good you want it by intravenous drip; somewhere with (cliché I know) ambience, somewhere that doesn’t emit burnt coffee and milk odours; somewhere without mass-produced cake; somewhere individual.

To my great doubt and (presumptive) distain my friend recommended we go to Barang for food and coffee. “If that’s in Indooroopilly it must be pretty bad,’’ I say. I’m assured that no, no I’ll be surprised.

Barang is a new addition to the high turnover of cafes in the Indro Hotel precinct on Station Road. Balinese-style cane curtains drop in long ringlets, secluding cushy tete-a-tete style couches. Beyond lies the hectic Station Road and Indro Hotel which is somehow muted once we enter the open-air spread that is the café. The sign welcomes us to Barang: Retail Store, Café and Bistro, Asian Eatery.

Wooden shelves with oriental-influenced trinkets and wares are integrated around the shop - perfectly positioned for wandering eyes and chattering mouths. The café is finished in an array of rich colours and, combined with the curtains, we are lulled into a sense of privacy. We opt for an intimate wooden couch with coffee table and proceed to expound on all matter of juicy topics, happily under the impression that the flimsy cane curtains are hiding our conversation.

Ordering and paying is conducted at the front counter where we peruse the asian-influenced menu. Mains specialise in curries – coconut-flavoured curry, dry beef curry, crispy chicken, soya sauce chicken rice. Each dish is accompanied by a personable blurb.

My companion orders a Nasi Ayam Curry (or chicken curry) ($10.90) which is backgrounded with “The sheer variety of Southeast Asian curries is daunting enough, let alone the plethora of spices that make up the curry paste…this is what we grew up with…’’ We also order the requisite latte (approximately $3.50), thai fish cakes ($5.50) and spring roles ($4.50).

Coffee slips past the taste test with a thick coat of froth – just the way I like it. Service is congenial and friendly and any hiccups are quickly compensated for by the amiable staff. Our meals appear on black squared plates with slanted corners flicking upwards. The fish cakes and spring rolls are good fillers but not outstanding in taste or consistency. The curry is aromatic and succulent to the eye, a flavoursome zap to the tastebuds, cooled by rice and vegetables- both of which are tactfully displayed and well matched to the coconut flavoured curry. This is by far the better dish of the day.

We sit and chat for a few hours before a surprised glance at our watches reveals the time. How on EARTH did we sit in central Indooroopilly without getting bored, uncomfortable and sick of the uninspired, pub ‘n’ traffic-dominated surrounds?

In retrospect it was probably the discreet staff, comfortable furniture and inviting atmosphere with plushly-coloured décor (the latter makes all the difference!). Barang is a fairly new addition to the area and hopefully will stick around long enough for those locals starved of coffee culture to discover it. Worth closer investigation!

By Alice B.

Cantina

172 Hardgrave Road, West End

Ph: 3846 2211

A word of forewarning to readers - I don’t know if this is so much a review as an article of appreciation!

Cantina is situated on Hargrave Rd in West End, just past Mondo Organics (sigh) and Lefkas Taverna (on my to-do list!).

Cantina has outdoor seating as well as booths and tables inside. If it happens to be a wintry day and every table is full, then a seat outside will win you a smile and a second cappuccino for free (thank you lovely staff).

The restaurant has polished floors, Mexican wrestling posters plastered across its walls and on most weekends a lively atmosphere - this is partly created by people enjoying their food. I always feel welcome when I eat there - I guess because the staff are friendly and I can be quiet among the bustle and rush - if that makes sense?!

I can’t tell you about Cantina’s dinner menu simply because I’ve never been there for dinner (BYO by the way) but I can tell you about their fantastic breakfasts - of which I’ve had way too many, I expect.

Breakfast comes in the form of Spanish Omelettes on Sourdough with Rocket and Salsa Pancakes (actually, this is one huge pancake) with Bacon, Melon and Maple Syrup or Fruit Salad, Yogurt and Honey (Yummy yummy yummy!). For something a little more savoury a Trekker’s Breakfast offers Chicken Omelette with Coriander on a Bed of Rice, or Smoked Salmon with Scrambled Eggs and Toast with Creme Fraiche. Breakfast also includes a tapas menu.

On Sundays there is always some kind of special on, for example Tomato Baked Eggs Cheese Filled Tortilla or Lime Cured Atlantic Salmon or Corn Fritters with Bacon - beautifully tasty bacon - with Guacamole and Rocket and Sour Cream.

I’ve never been disappointed with anything I’ve eaten at Cantina, whether it be for breakfast or lunch and, while some would say that means I have no taste, I say it’s because of the quality and consistency of the various dishes.

Coffee is always good and, in my opinion, the world’s best cappuccino-maker works there. I think she’s the floor manager too! The lunch menu is pretty memorable with Trinidadian Lamb Curry, Mussels in a Pernod Sauce, gorgeous Beef or Chicken Burgers and various pastas and pies. It’s all simple food but cooked with lots of care and attention.

Meals are relatively inexpensive ranging from $6 to $18 a dish, coffees are $3, and fresh juice combos are $4.50. And, in case you’re not the driving sort, Cantina can be reached by bus, ferry or foot.

I’d recommend Cantina as the ideal place for a second or third date - but not a first date – it’s way too noisy. It’s the kind of place I’d go with a big group of friends or, for that matter, after a big night out.

Opening hours are Wed-Sat-7.30am to 9ish and Sun 7.30am to 2.30pm. Cantina doesn’t take reservations but does have EFTPOS and accepts credit cards, children and pets!

Words by Matthew Bacon.

Piccies by Pipe Dream Graphics.

The Met Nightclub opened up late last year and ever since the opening weekend, I’ve been meaning to write a review, however I have always put it off, continued to think of an excuse not to write this review, not because I am lazy, but because I was hoping that my next experience at the Met would be better, and so with every visit I kept saying “next time it’ll be better”. Months passed and the experience got gradually worse.

The Met Brisbane
256 Wickham St Fortitude Valley QLD 4006
Phone 3257 2557
Fax 3252 5324
info@themet.com.au

Nonetheless, being the optimistic person that I am and a huge fan of Deep Dish (country men and all), when the Met announced that they had secured Deep Dish’s Sharam, I was amazed. I was amazed because somehow The Family had let this slip (more on that later) and that the Met of all places had managed to secure one of the worlds most famous DJs.

So with that mind, my girlfriend and I anxiously bought our tickets prior to the event from HMV in the city. Now before I continue, I would like to point out that, we paid $38 per ticket, and The Met had reduced the price to $15 a few days prior to the main event. Unfortunately for us and a few others who bought their tickets from HMV, the Met had forgotten to call up and inform HMV of this change. So we paid double the price.

Having previously seen Deep Dish (the both of them) at The Family, I knew it was going to be a good night. We arrived at the Met at 11pm, hoping that Deep Dish would start by 1am at the latest (but secretly hoping for midnight). The Queue was long, but as we had previously bought tickets, this wasn’t an issue. When we got to the door, I asked the door girl why our tickets were $38 and our friends (whom bought tickets from Rocking Horse records an hour before us) were only $15? She completely ignored me, and pretended I didn’t even ask the question. I was trying hard not to let that ruin our night, but it wasn’t the best start and things only got worse.

Once we got it, we chilled out for a while as we waited for Deep Dish to start. It’s important to point out that the Met is an awesome venue as far as Venues go. With a massive dance floor and a bar in every corner, the Met does tend to produce that sort of “wow” response upon first visit. The VIP area (which isn’t much of a VIP area given that anyone tends to be able to go up there as long as they look the part) overlooks the entirety of the second floor whilst two surrounding balconies stand tall side by side encompassing the dance floor. At the same time the downstairs area gives heaps of room to sit around a nice lounge and chill out with your mates, and if smoking is your thing, than the upstairs area in the smoking section overlooking Wickham st is always available.

I would rather be stuck in a closet watching the same episode of Neighbours for 72hrs straight than to go to the met again…

There are at least 6 bars in the Met (as far as I could count). The service is generally fast and the crew (apart from the tatooed door staff) are pretty reasonable and friendly. One of the rather peculiar themes to the met is a room about the size of large bedroom hosting a rather large fish tank. Now as much as I hate fish, I do tend to feel sorry for the poor fish stuck inside since the glass tends to vibrate to the music and the hordes of drunken patrons tend to tap on the glass as if it was a zoo.

Nonetheless, a good venue doesn’t make a good nightclub. Even more so, although the Met as a venue is better laid out and thought out than the family, it is not anywhere near Family quality in all other respects. In fact, I am going to go out on a limb here and say after my experience on Saturday night, I would rather be stuck in a closet watching the same episode of Neighbours for 72hrs straight than to go to the met again. For all the hardcore met fans, I am sorry to say this, but the Met is an awful nightclub.

Firstly, I’ll start with the patrons. Back when The Family first started, the dress code was enforced and those who didn’t fit the part weren’t allowed in, whilst this sounds snobby and pretentious, the difference was that idiots weren’t allowed in and the rest of us had a great time. Whilst Family has relaxed their dress code over the years, there is still some sort of quality control.

Now the Met has this brilliant idea of not allowing anyone in who is below 20, making them the first 20+ nightclub in Brisbane. Does it work? No, the venue is filled with drunken morons and over zealous and angry patrons. At one stage my girlfriend got deliberately pushed in the back for no apparent reason and numerous times throughout the night fights broke out and the bouncers simply stood around and watched.

Second, the nightclub part of the Met, isn’t that great. Sure the venue is great, but the actual nightclub aspect is not up to scratch. The sound system is awful, and the Family’s laser and light system leaves the Met for dead. The atmosphere of The Family (and hell, even the Monastery) is one filled with happy patrons dancing to great tunes, whilst at the Met its one filled with those more accustomed to The Victory, jumping up and down like a bunch of Neanderthals. There really isn’t much in the Met for me to call it a nightclub, I am sure after a while they will put some permanent LaserPro 1000s (same system in the family) on the dance floor, but at the moment, they have a temporary setup disco ball that wouldn’t even light up my room, and speaking of light, its simply just too bright.

Third, and most important problem is the Music. It is horrible - I can’t think of a better word. I haven’t been to a nightclub that has played such god-awful music in years. Everything from Will Smiths “Shake the room” to the worse remix of “Sweet Dreams” in a decade is at hand. This is the biggest problem with the Met, either they are too stupid to find good DJs or The Family and Monastery has got all the good ones locked into contract. Either way, the worse resident DJs at family are still leaps and bounds ahead of the best that the Met has to offer.

Who is the history of Nightclubs has the audacity to charge $38 for a ticket, then drop the prices to $15 at the door, then plan the main act to start at 3am and lie about it all through the night! The Met does!

So back to saturday night. I wouldn’t have come back to the Met after my last visit had it not been for Deep Dish, and needless to say, I never got to see Deep Dish! For those of you who actually made it out on Saturday, you would have noticed (at least I hope you did) that Deep Dish didn’t show up till about 2:30am-3am (after we’d left). The reason? I am glad you asked. Remember how I mentioned that I was amazed the Family didn’t get to host Deep Dish? Well there was a good reason for that!

Deep Dish was playing in Sydney the same night, and the plan was to catch a plane up to Brisbane after that gig and start at the Met. Yep, finished in Sydney around midnight, drive to the airport, wait at the terminal, catch a plane, drive from the airport to the met, unload all equipment and start. Of course the crew at the Met never mentioned this (would have been great on the ticket - Main event starts at 3am - maybe) .

Who is the history of Nightclubs has the audacity to charge $38 for a ticket, then drop the prices to $15 at the door, then plan the main act to start at 3am and lie about it all through the night! The Met does! I asked the door staff 3 times through out the night when Deep Dish was set to start:

12:30am “Aw mate, it’ll be around 1 for sure”

1:15am “Absolutely at 2am”

2:15 “He’ll be here soon, he is coming from Sydney don’t you know?”

No I didn’t know, and nor did 99% of people in there waiting and waiting for Deep Dish to start. Towards 2:30 am (when I was assured once again that Deep Dish was set to start) we gave up, none of us were in the mood anymore and we were not the only ones. We sat upstairs near the smoking area and as we sat and chilled out, countless others walked past us describing their utter disappointment to their friends.

There is only one real nightclub in the valley and its The Family.

I can’t think of words to describe my anger over Saturday night. $40 per ticket to see perhaps the worse DJ in Brisbane and then have to wait till 2:30am and still be disappointed over a no show by Deep Dish (although the blame is absolutely on the hands on the Met as they were the organizers). What annoys me the most is that organizers failed to mention the “flying up from Sydney” situation. Even if they had simply said “Deep Dish Starts at 3am” then we would’ve got there at 2am and possibly had a great night, but the greed to firstly charge those of us who decided to buy tickets early 2x the price and then not even mention that Deep Dish was going to be a no show till about 3am was simply unacceptable.

I am writing this review, knowing full well that I am not going back to the Met for a very long time. This was my 6th visit to the Met and I had given it as much chance of changing my mind as possible. There is only one real nightclub in the valley and its The Family. To the organisers and managers of the Met and those who were responsible for Deep Dish’s gig on Saturday night, I can honestly say that Saturday night at the Met was the worse night out in the valley I’ve had in the last 5 years. Oh, and I want a refund!

Vespa Pizza

Eat in/Takeaway/Delivered (via Vespa, of course)

148 Merthyr Road, New Farm

Ph: 3358 4100

Opening hours: 7 days, 5pm to late.

 

Vespa Pizza rescues gourmet pizza lovers from the likes of Castelli’s and Pizza Capers with a bit of pizzazz and quality to boot. The restaurant has risen to the challenge several times `gentrifying’ my meal of cheap wine with its takeaway pizzas, and taking `pizza joint` to new heights with its HQ/ restaurant.

The restaurant itself is cosy with red booths for early bookings and windowed front benches perfect for last minute perching. Outside dining has a shadowy, open-air ambience with tables cuddled up against the surrounding wooden fences. Wooden stools mill around each table creating an intimate dinner setting lit by fairy lights sprouting from creeping vines.

Pizza delivery is made on Vespa scooters - hence the chic name - and these can be heard, sporadically zooming off into the distance, distributing the restaurant’s flavoursome, wacky pizzas around New Farm and beyond.

I use the description wacky because some of these heart (and hunger)-stopping pizzas have the most unlikely combination of ingredients. The dining set aside, Vespa is seriously about the pizza (and personally I would sit out front in the gutter and still enjoy the food just as much).

Vespa Pizza’s website proclaims, Preludes, Pizza, The Rest. Preludes include a range of salads and calzones. The Chorizo, Olives and Tomato calzone ($9.50) in particular is a steamy, spicy mixture of flavours, oozing from folds of thick crust. The calzone is like a pocket pizza, hoarding its ingredients away from prying eyes, until teeth tear them free.

The Streaky Bacon and Red Current with Camembert pizza ($18.50) came highly recommended – much to my surprise. The resulting pizza was a cocktail of subtly sweet current spread topped with the salty overtures of bacon and rich, creamy slips of camembert. It was quite a light pizza, not heavy in ingredients, but using a wide range of flavours to compensate for this. The result was a naughty but delicious pizza.

The Vespa Reigns Supreme pizza ($19.50) is decked with goodies like pancetta, artichoke hearts, buffalo mozzarella, olives, capers and the list goes on. This pizza is a good middle ground for everyone. The taste? Will not disappoint. It serves almost all (non-vegetarian) preferences with an intension to please. Ask no more, just try it.

Other crazy pizza specials include the Possible Side Effects with chilli paste, hot salami and roasted peppers with parmesan and chilli flakes (phew!), $19. As well, the Cinnamon Roast Butternut Pumpkin with Dried Chilli, Sage and Fetta; and Sesame Chicken with Yoghurt, Mango Chutney, Coriander and Dried Apricots ($19.50). For a more tame, but tasty choice the Mushroom Ragout with Spinach and Fetta pizza ($19.50) is a simple combination of reliable (ie. spinach and fetta) flavours, topped with mushrooms for a nice edge.

As for ‘the rest’, I haven’t made it past the calzone and about two pizzas. But I hear rumours of an intriguing banana pizza that mysteriously disappeared from the menu. Maybe a dish such as the Nutella and Marshmallow Calzone with Ricotta Gelato ($9) will be enough to tempt. Although I can vouch for the Flourless Chocolate Cake with Icecream and Cream ($7.50). I taste-tested this little number and it had some seriously thick, rich flavours and textures – the sort that leaves you feeling light headed.

I would recommend Vespa on the sort of night when you can’t make up your mind where and what to eat; on the sort of night where you’re in good company, on a veranda somewhere under the stars with a bottle of red to hold down the table. I also recommend Vespa for dinner after a few after-work drinks on a Friday. The restaurant also has seating for larger parties.

A final note, the skittles on the counter a nice touch. Sweetens the bill!

By Alice B.

Photo by Pipe Dream Graphics

Isis Brasserie

446 Brunswick Street,
Fortitude Valley

Bookings: Ph 07 3852 1155

For one of Brisbane’s more renowned and prestigious restaurants, Isis appears rather understated from the outside. Save for the very large Eye of Horus on its heavy glass door it appears small, cosy and quiet_but first impressions can be deceiving.

Upon arrival, the maitre de swept the large glass door aside and ushered us inside. We had an early booking (which I had been lucky to get), and so it was not as busy as I expected.

The interior of the restaurant was suffused in a warm, dim glow, given off by the waning light outside and low-hanging elaborately-shaded lamps inside. Maroon sunblinds, which shaded the outside seating, doubled as blinds across the windows, secluding the interior from the to-and-fro of Brunswick Street traffic and pedestrians. Shimmery brown curtains cornered parts of the dining area in, while strategically angled mirrors opened the space out. The overall effect was an elegant, discreet setting, with a vibe of calm and retreat.

We were directly seated at a table to the right of the waiter’s bar. Comfortably firm and ergonomically curved couches lined one side of the table and backed onto the kitchen. From here we could watch the industrious chefs work in near silence as they produced dish after elaborate dish for the wait-staff to distribute. I’ve never seen a kitchen work in such harmonious silence - a factor which was essential because the kitchen, hidden behind a wall of see-through blinds, opened out to the dining room.

Glasses were filled with water, menus and extensive wine lists were brought out and an appetiser_a single, succulent piece of beetroot and feta-filled ravioli_was served as a taste test while we decided on food and wine. The wine list alone occupied us for ten minutes. A section was devoted to every type of wine: Pinots, sparkling reds, sparkling whites, Rose, Riesling, Chardonnays, spirits, beer and much more. All wines were priced from about $50 a bottle to $500 a bottle.

Eventually we chose a Rocheford Pinot Noir ($58 a bottle), a light and round flavoured wine that didn’t overwhelm the palate and served as a good accompaniment for both the entrées and mains. Light jazz music played in the background as we lounged back, tested our wine and observed our bread being served from a basket that never seemed to leave the waiters’ sides.

The service was faultless, very discreet, conscientious and friendly. The staff took care not to interrupt guests but anticipated their every need. Water was refilled, beers replaced, napkins refolded while absent.

Entrees features a range of delectable goodies (for example,
Sautéed gnocchi stuffed with wagyu beef, a honeyed turnip puree and black cherry vinegar [$21.50];
Savoury goats cheese cheesecake, pickled mushrooms, spaghetti of zucchini and thyme grissini [$21.50];
Herb crusted veal, stracchino tortellini, tomato and olive dressing [$21.50]).
But the main meals took precedence on this occasion.

Main meals sat at $34.90 and offered a selection of meat-based meals with the assurance of a vegetarian menu upon request. The Slow cooked duck in pomegranates, roasted sweet potato, yoghurt and coriander proved to be the most delicious on our table. A rich, dark sauce filled the plate, two duck wings delicately perched amidst softly-textured sweet potato and zesty splices of coriander. Best of all were the pomegranate seeds, those sweet, crunchy fruits which contrasted so pleasingly with the rich duck flavours, drizzled in saucy juices. The simple combination of ingredients united into rich flavours.

The baby chicken stuffed with soft polenta and caponata of vegetables was also a delicious dish, warm and rounded in flavours. Presentation was immaculate with a ring of roasted vegetables sprinkled precisely around the golden-brown roast chicken (served whole).

The Rare seared peppered S.A. venison, red wine poached pear, jellied consommé, sautéed root vegetables was yet another masterpiece.

A cross-hatched stack of venison oozed tongue-melting flavours accompanied by a pear. The pear, sweet and saturated in its own juices and red wine secreted away a gelatinous consommé - equally saturated in juices and wine. This was encased in its core. The lightly-roughened textures of the pear met with the melting texture of the consommé imbued with wine, creating a lethal combination. It also added a little spice to the butter-soft medium rare venison.

A curving set of wooden stairs descend from the main dining room to private dining, lounging areas and a bar downstairs. The long back-lit bar housed a single barmaid and lonesome figure swirling his ice cubes and spirits around his glass. The scene made me want to slip into a backless, slinky black cocktail dress and a pair of elbow-high gloves, tease my bee-hive and elegantly smoke from a long cigarette holder.

I entertained this fantasy while waiting to ‘powder my nose’ before returning to our miraculously cleared tables_with napkins refolded of course.

Desserts (all $14.50 each) included simple but luxurious-sounding dishes such as an Amaretto soufflé, roast peach and almond milk sorbet; Simple Lindt dark chocolate tart, fresh orange and white chocolate sorbet; Fresh figs, whipped ricotto, roasted pistachios and homemade vincotto. I’m sorry to say we opted for a chocolaty selection of petit fours ($28) instead. For the life of me I could go no further and had no wish to ruin my entirely satisfying meal by eating myself into unconsciousness. The petite fours were a sweet retreat from the serious deserts and more than sufficed.

Isis was a restaurant for serious dining. By serious I mean it was the experience as much as the food, the place served to please more than just the appetite. By serious I mean remarkable and impacting, designed to make an impression on the diner and their dinner companion/s. My advice for Isis is book ahead, dress nice, be prepared for fine wine and many forks and knives.

By Alice B.

Piccies thanks to Pipe Dream Graphics

I took a leap of faith today and ate somewhere I’d been warned against. My faith was rewarded with mixed feelings, a heavy stomach, a walk uphill and a consolation coffee.

Bella Notte
Italian Restaurant & Bar

Shop 6, 165 Baroona Rd, Rosalie
Ph: 07 3505 0990

The name Bella Notte Italian Restaurant & Bar exudes the confidence of a professional who knows their business well. Located in the Rosalie Village (and also on Park Road, Milton - within 500 hundred metres of Rosalie), the restaurant has literally placed itself among the popular, heavily-patroned restaurants that litter Rosalie’s social hub. (It is almost as if popularity is to be achieved through association.)

I was resoundingly warned off Bella Notte, for some reason or other. However, that night I couldn’t decide where I wanted to eat and when I’m indecisive, I tend to opt for Italian food or choose a really unremarkable restaurant.

There sat Bella Notte, innocently empty at 8pm on a Friday night. That should have been warning enough, but I was distracted by my concern at getting seats without a booking. The menu appeared comprehensive and the specials board demonstrated some variety. Admittedly the interior did not look particularly Italian with metal-legged outside furniture and unmemorable table settings inside.

My companion and I (ok, ok, my mother!) opted for outside seating so we could eyeball the passing menagerie. We ordered glasses of wine to start, me a moderately priced Cab-Sav, my ‘companion’ a similarly priced Merlot. To accompany this we ordered bruschetta ($6.90) from their extensive selection (ok, only 3) of bread dishes. Our waitress, an almost over-attentive but friendly girl served this quickly, announcing our ‘brusheska’ had arrived.

The ‘brusheska’ was satisfactory. I’m assuming it is hard to ruin salsa on crusty bread slices. Our wine, served alongside this was less then satisfactory. The merlot (brand omitted) was a vinegared number, sour to the tongue and producing a eye-twitching recoil. We decided it needed time – perhaps an eternity – to breathe. The cab-sav was fine… but unremarkable.

The menu offered a seemingly large array of pasta dishes which actually turned out to be a large array of boring and unadventurous dishes (choose spaghetti, fettuccine, penne, ravioli ricotta and add bolognese, napoletana, carbonara, puttanesca… am I exciting you?). I chose Penne con Pollo ($13.60) and decided to spice it up by asking for fettuccine instead. The Fettuccine con Pollo would feature a sauce of sliced chicken, mushroom, onion and seeded mustard sauce.

My companion ordered the Spiced Yoghurt Chicken Kebabs ($7.50) and Spanish Meatballs ($8.00) from the meagre tapas selection. A word of warning: When a tapas menu offers you only 7 dishes to choose from, it’s time to start looking doubtful. Tapas should be a speciality and not a tack-on as it appeared to be on this menu. In fact the entire menu had something ‘Italian’ on it, but didn’t seem to specialise in much of anything.

My Fettuccine con Pollo came out, steam rising. A quarter way through the dish I realised that I had liberally seasoned it with salt twice (this is very rare for me, I’m not a salt person). The chicken, which was too perfectly square to be fresh, was dry and unflavoured. The creamy seeded mustard sauce had no flair to it. It tasted like cream with mustard – and two rounds of the salt shaker. Just a side note here: I think when a low/no salt diner has to heavily season their dish, it’s a sign the chef/restaurant has put little effort into the food’s flavour.

My companion’s meal was the same. The chicken tasted like chicken, rolled in a satay-coloured sauce. Unfortunately the chicken did not taste as if infused with the sauce, nor did it taste as if it suited the sauce. The salad was very green with thick wedges of tomato. The meat balls tasted like meatballs, in tomato sauce. Both dishes lacked flavour; they were just different components served side-by-side.

We agreed the food tasted like take-away and, upon further perusal of the menu, we realised the restaurant did offer take away. Our ever-timely waitress reappeared and asked if we’d like the remainder of our meal packed to take away. This confirmed our suspicions.

While the food provided little entertainment, I found the service quite interesting. The waitress was sweet but lackeing experience and intuition, pre-empting us throughout the meal, offering to take our plates away before asking how were progressing (we were breathing between meatballs), offering to bring the bill as soon as we had finished chewing. I almost felt rushed, except for the fact that she was amicable, obviously meant well and was taking her work seriously.

When promptly offered the bill we promptly accepted, paid and took a lengthy walk around the block, which incidentally included a small uphill climb. After this my spaghetti had moved from the pit of my stomach and I could consider the idea of a consolation coffee – elsewhere!

By Alice B.

Urban Grind
33 Latrobe Terrace
Paddington

0408 10 11 40

7am - 4pm Monday to Friday
7am - 3pm Saturday
8am - 1pm Sunday

It’s about 11am, the caffeine-crash has hit and you’re in dire straights if you don’t get a hot little shot in your hot little hands straight away. No time for massive line ups or long waits. You need somewhere quiet, where you can pull out a paper or look into space while you experience an instant espresso-induced restoration.

Urban Grind is neatly tucked in behind Endo’s and snuggled rather unassumingly next to the book/gift shop Cherry Blossom on Latrobe Terrace in Paddington. Those looking for breakfast or lunch had better keep walking down to Sassafras or Sol Breads, but if you need a sweet little snack and a recuperating coffee then this place has the lot.

It’s a rather refreshing little café after the glitz and glamour of Park Road and Rosalie Village. The décor is nice with a dose of no-fuss. Wooden stools are supplied to seat tushes, and small intimate tables provide enough room for papers, computers and confidante-style conversations.

The beauty of this small space is the counter and coffee machine, which are right in there with the customers. Still, there’s enough room to sit on the sidewalk and enjoy the circus from beneath a big shady umbrella, room to escape the sidewalk show and sit inside where the counter action is, and even space to sit out the back- if you’re in for an intimate setting.

Customers can walk past the counter and through to the rear and, if in luck, grab a cushy sofa and wooden coffee table. If already occupied, you can head out to the veranda and pull up a wooden stool. My personal favourite is the veranda area which is a quiet little escape with easy access to the toilet (an important factor), the back entry to Cherry Blossom (another important factor), and views of the garden/landscape shop below. A bit of late morning sun broken by the shadowy branches of surrounding trees, overlooking a backyard of fountains and pot planty things while clocking up coffee time- now that’s serenity.

Seeing as coffee is their main game, Urban Grind tend to do it rather well, with temperate flat whites, latte’s sporting nice thick foam coats and even cringe-less soy cappuccinos, all for moderate prices (ie. around the $3.00 mark). For real coffee-conscious fanatics Urban Grind use DiBella coffee and even have a BYO breakfast and lunch policy- as long as you drink their coffee with it.

As for the snacks, you can set yourself up with biscuits, slices and other small nibbly things and equip yourself with the free mags and daily newspapers to assist with digestion. Fellow Urban Grind-goers may have noticed their café in West End on Boundary Street as well.

A final word of warning, as stated on their website www.urbangrind.com.au, `please do not ask for decaffeinated as refusal may offend’!

By Alice B.

West End has gone mad. Seems like West End is the place to be these days, and more and more businesses are taking notice. Sure not all survive, (case in point : Zomba having shut its doors for one reason or another) but that doesnt seem to matter as more and more restaurants and bars are opening up everywhere.

The latest? Lock ‘n’ Load Restaurant/Bar/Cafe has opened up in West End with what appears to be a very decent reception. West Enders have welcomed Lock ‘n’ Load and having driven past it a few times in the last few months, we finally decided it was time to make our way and review West End’s newest venue.

Lock ‘n’ Load Bistro
142 Boundary St
West End, 4101
Tel: [07] 3844 0142

I have to admit, I am really not a fan of the name, Lock ‘n’ Load? I mean we already have the Gun Shop cafe, surely they can come up with something slightly more creative? But there is only so much in a name, from what I hear the name is derived from the owners own name, Lachlan, but still!

From the outside, Lock n Load seems a little odd, there is an auro of relaxation that beams out which makes the place seems like you can go there for a nap. Its quite, its dark and its relaxed, but don’t let that fool you because its by no means empty! As we walked in and informed the staff of our booking and name, we were taken to a table outside as requested. Why outside? Well, why not, it goes on the same principle that I use for 3 monkeys, you really need to sit outside, the inclosed space doesn’t do the venues justice.

Nevertheless, unlike the 3 Monkeys were columbian ‘rice’ bags cover the walls and the seats are about as comfortable as a gymnast’s balance beam, Lock ‘n’ Load gives a far better atmosphere. I wish I had some interior photos to show you, but unfortunately I don’t think the other patrons appriciated the few photos that I did take so I won’t post them for now.

My suggestion, sit outside, its nice, its relaxed and the massive trees covering the backyard makes it feel like your sitting out the back of your mates place. So as we sat down in the corner on the bottom half of the venue, we noticed a few things that could do with improvement. Firstly, and probably most importantly, we couldn’t read the menu! A candle was our only source of light and as romantic as it felt, being able to know what you are actually going to eat is an essential part of the dining experience. 20 seconds later and the phones and beaming lights broke the darkness and we starred at the menu.

The mains are not too expensive, you can get a good steak for $18 which is very reasonable. Some interesting choices included char-grilled eggplant ($15) which was tempting, but the steak and the sausages gave way. We decided to a get side dish of beans to go with the Sausages and I have to say at $6 for about 50g of beans, it is probably the most I’ve ever paid for beans in my life.

Essentially, the most important factors of the dining experience, peace and exclusitivity, was ruined by some little 4 year old kid who was destroying the gardens behind us and then dancing around like a little retard! You know, I shouldn’t get too upset about these things, but sometimes, children are either best left at home with a baby sitter of if your going to bring them out to a restaurant make sure they are not annoying the crap out of other patrons.

Admitedly, the staff were trying to get the kid to come out and go back to his parents, which he did, for all of 1.58 seconds. Putting that aside, the food was great, not fantastic, but great. My steak was beautiful but my girlfriends Sausages.. well… they could be better.

All in all, to be honest, if i was going out for dinner, there are better choices in West End. However if you have already been everywhere and like a change of scenary, I would suggest you check out Lock n Load and make sure you book for a seat outside. Oh and I put my word on this, they make the best Chai tea in Brisbane!

Alright guys, here is the deal, we are looking for people to review venues and clubs. Sure we are not exactly going to pay you, but it gives you the chance to not only have your say but we the new brisbane crew get invited to different events and venues and as part of our team you will be invited to come along.

Click here and fill out the form!

Being what I like to call a Professional Blogger has some benefits, you get invites togo to things and they are usually free and come with all the perks. However, invites only extend as far as Restaurants, Festivals, Bars, Nightclubs and the odd event here and there. Last week though, the New Brisbane crew were guests of Lion Nathan, the guys who make XXXX. I wouldn’t usually write about something like this had they not put so much effort into the whole event. Before I start, lets get the facts out there first, the whole night was setup to promote the new McKenna Bourbon (pictured) brand being launched QLD wide in the next week or so.

Having arrived at the venue, I was a little baffled. Here I was, on the corner of Breakfast Creek Road and Montpelier road in the Valley wondering why on earth the event was hosted there given that I and most people there had never been there before. Why is that? Because there is nothing there! Its like an abandoned warehouse that Lion Nathan had converted into a nightclub just for that night! Everything from Spotlights searching the sky to the McKenna girls wondering around, the whole place was alive with the media (and by Media I mean fairfax and news corp). And then, there was us.

Having included bloggers as part of the Media, Lion Nathan was on the right track, with free alcohol flowing through out the night, I was a little pesimistic at first. I am not one to get bought out, the only reason I even said yes to coming to the whole event was because Paul Mac was the main DJ. Yes, Paul Mac was playing in Brisbane last Thursday! You missed it? So did 99% of Brisbane clubbers who had no idea. There was some word going around through out the night that Lion Nathan had spent upwards of $75,000 for the event. They must really have high hopes for McKenna.

So after some deliberation, I decided to try the McKenna Bourbon. Being a very no-bourbon type person, I wasn’t exactly looking to be impressed, and other XXXX owned beers were also available for those with a faint heart. Unlike my girlfriend who had decided to take it on herself to drink some 10 bottles of McKenna plus shots, I was taking it a little easier (driving and all). However I really have to admit, and this almost hurts me to say it, the McKenna Bourbon, the premixed bottle that I have a photo of here, was simply fantastic. I have to hand it to Lion Nathan for filling that gap for guys who don’t really want to drink Smirnoff Blacks but are just a little sick of the old Beer.

As far as the Pure McKenna Bourbon goes, mixed with coke, it was still horrible, It really didn’t matter what it tasted like though, I simply hate Bourbon, and after a little while I simply switched back to the premixed McKenna Bourbon bottles which are a lot different to what you’d expect. Lion Nathan says that the brand is being launched initially only in QLD but I’ll say given some time it will find its way around the nation.

Apart from the Bourbon, Paul Mac was awesome. You can always expect someone like Paul Mac to bring out the best of the night. The whole stage they had setup for Paul Mac was great, I don’t know who owns that warehouse but if it was mine, I would turn it into a nightclub because heck, if Lion Nathan can do what they did for McKenna, that venue deserves to join the Brisbane Nightlife scene.

Unfortunately, given that the whole event was on a Thursday, I didn’t have too much time to stick around and goto the after party at Alhambra (next to family), nevertheless for the time that I was there, I have to hand it to Lion Nathan for being awesome hosts, I guess with the Alcohol industry being a multi-billion dollar business, an event like this is meaningless in the wrong. Nevertheless this isn’t a promotional plug, but if you see McKenna (Labelled as McK) on the shelves in the coming weeks don’t take my word for it, give it a go, let me know what you think!