Pizza Caffe, University of Queensland, St Lucia

Last night I picked up dinner from UQ's Pizza Caffe.  Pizza Caffe is a great destination for pizza.  The pizzas are of such quality that they could be compared to gourmet pizza places, but without the high price (the price is even cheaper for UQ staff and students).  There is a very large selection of pizzas to choose from; possibly the widest selection of pizzas I know of.  As I was buying for my parents as well as me, I ordered three pizzas:  Fellini, Histoires Extraordinairres, and Pasolini.  Fellini is smoked salmon and parsley, and works very well.  So well that I'm surprised salmon on pizza isn't more commonplace.  Histories Extraordinairres is pepperoni, anchovies, olives, garlic and oregano.  The pepperoni is probably the spiciest I have ever experienced on a pizza; definitely a plus.  Most pizzas that have anchovies on them only have one anchovy per slice.  However, Pizza Caffe gives you a better anchovy to slice ratio; another plus.  The only problem with Histoires Extraordinairres is that the toppings are not evenly distributed across the pizza.  Some slices were brimming with pepperoni and olives, others, less so.  Pasolini is pancetta and potato.  Potato is a good pizza topping, but I would have liked it to be seasoned a little more.  Still satisfying though.  A general criticism I have of Pizza Caffe is that the bases are of the thin and crispy variety, whereas I prefer a thicker, softer base.  Nevertheless, Pizza Caffe is one of the best pizza places that I know of in Brisbane.

Luv-a-Coffee, Buranda Village Shopping Centre, Buranda

On Thursday I had an appointment.  This appointment usually takes place in a casual setting, such as a cafe.  I was in the mood for a ham and cheese croissant, so I was planning to go to the local Swiss deli.  However, parking was an issue so we ended up going to Luv-a-Coffee in Buranda Village.  Luv-a-Coffee is your typical shopping centre cafe:  nothing special or trendy about it, but good for what it is.  To my delight Luv-a-Coffee had ham and cheese croissants, so I had one of these croissants and a cappuccino.  The cappuccino was exactly what you would expect from an establishment such as Luv-a-Coffee.  As was the ham and cheese croissant.  Both the ham and the cheese were of standard quality, but I could have got a better ham and cheese croissant from the Swiss deli for the same price.  However, there is nothing wrong with even a standard croissant so I wasn't too disappointed.

The Three Monkeys Coffee and Tea House, West End

The Three Monkeys is something of a mainstay in West End.  It has been there as long as I can remember.  It is a very attractive establishment, with great lighting, decor, ornaments, posters, and furniture.  It looks like what I would imagine a really classy opium den would look like.  Being out and about in West End yesterday, I popped in for tea and a scone.  With my student discount, this came to $4.95.  These days in Brisbane, that's a very good price.  For a place that is regarded as one of Brisbane's best places for tea, a pot of English breakfast tea consists of a teabag in a pot, which is a touch I have never liked about the Three Monkeys, but I knew what I was in for.  At least the pot gave me three decent cups of tea.  I was really there for the scone though.  I've never cared for jam and cream scones:  I always order buttered scones.  This time the scone was of good quality; slightly sweet, a little moist, certainly better than my efforts at making scones.  What I really liked though, was that the butter was room temperature, making it easy to spread.  All to often when you order something with butter at many establishments, the butter has been refrigerated, and you have to wait for it to melt before you can spread it.  As this was not the case, I was satisfied with my tea and scone.

Main Course Food Precinct, University of Queensland, St Lucia

On Monday I felt like a ham and cheese sandwich for my break at work, so I went to the Main Course Food Precinct at UQ.  This is the largest refectory on the campus.  They have a range of sandwiches, but rarely ham and cheese.  Unsurprisingly, there were no ham and cheese sandwiches, so I decided to give one of their other sandwiches a try.  I settled upon what was labeled as a "long crusty roll".  This was essentially a chicken Caesar salad on a roll.  On the plus side, this was a very generous roll.  It was full of chicken, bacon, eggs, and cheese, with surprisingly little salad:  certainly more fillings than what you would get from, say, Subway.  This suited my fine.  The drawback, however, was that there was little Caesar salad dressing.  I wasn't expecting the roll to be swimming in the stuff, but it really was lacking what really would have enhanced the flavour.  While this was a decent roll, I doubt I would try it again as there are number of better food options at UQ.

Coffee Guru, Myer Centre, Brisbane City

After my lunch on Sunday, I felt like something sweet, so I went to Coffee Guru, an establishment I have frequented many times.  I ordered a patty cake and a pot of tea.  There was a time when a pot of tea at Coffee Guru provided three cups worth of tea.  These days have since passed and my pot of tea only yielded two cups worth.  However, this was not the worst part of my experience.  I have had patty cakes from Coffee Guru before, and they were always fine.  On this occasion, the patty cake was too hard.  I don't know if this was the fault of the baker, or if I was sold a patty cake that was less than fresh.  This cake would have been quite unpalatable without the tea to wash it down.  Despite this, Coffee Guru have earned my patronage over the years and I'm hoping my experience on Sunday was a one off, so I'm willing to give them another chance.

Hungry Jack's, Queen Street Mall, Brisbane City

On Sunday I was feeling rather hungry after work, so I decided to get something to eat in the City.  I was tossing up about whether to get something substantial or something cheap and easy.  In the end, cheap and easy won out and I went to Hungry Jack's.  I had a "chicken royale" (a generic chicken burger) and large chips.  The thing about Hungry Jack's and similar chains is that you know exactly what you're getting:  nothing special, but adequate and cheap.  I've taken a liking to Hungry Jack's chicken royale because it is simple, yet tasty.  It's just a crumbed chicken fillet on a bun with lettuce and mayonnaise.  There could have been more mayonnaise, but the chicken had enough flavour for the burger to be satisfying.  This is something I could not say for similar chicken burgers.  The chips are of your typical "shoe-string" variety, which is not ideal, but OK in small doses.  I like a little more salt than these chips had, but I knew what I was in for, so I'm not complaining.  Anyway, this was about as good as an experience as you can have from a place like Hungry Jack's.

Soi 9 Thai, West End

Soi 9 Thai is a relatively new restaurant in West End.  Normally Thai cuisine is not my favourite, but I was walking past this place the other day and had a look at the menu.  It looked pretty good, so I decided to give it a try.  Last night I went there, and was immediately impressed.  The place has a nice atmosphere, and the aromas wafting from the kitchen smelt great.  I ordered the beef massaman, medium spicy.  The waitress warned me that at this restaurant, their "medium spicy" would be considered "hot" at other places.  I was a little concerned but stuck with my decision.  When my meal was served to me, I was a little surprised.  There was a lot more sauce, and it was thinner than I was expecting.  It was a this point I realised that I would need some rice.  Often with South-East Asian cuisine I don't feel the need to order rice unless it comes complimentary with the meal.  On this occasion, rice was a necessity.  This is because there was not an overly large portion of beef and potatoes in this dish.  Despite this, the sauce tasted great and the level of spiciness suited me well.  The beef was very tender; the potatoes less so, but still good.  The other issue with the potatoes was that they came in quite large chunks.  If they were smaller I think that the sauce would have permeated them a little better.  You could get a cheaper, larger beef massaman elsewhere, but in terms of flavour, this meal delivered.

Fiasco's Steakhouse, Morrison Hotel, Woolloongabba

Earlier this week, I completed my last assignment for the semester so I decided to celebrate by treating myself to a steak for lunch on Thursday.  I chose Fiasco's Steakhouse because it is usually my favourite destination for steak.  This is because the steak is great, but importantly, Fiasco's offer a good variety of side dishes.  This really compliments the steak.  On this occasion I had the grazier's rib fillet, medium rare, with mushroom sauce, chips, Caesar salad, and a Pilsener.  I was looking forward to this meal all week, and unfortunately, was disappointed.  I felt that the chips were great, but the serving was too small.  As for the steak, it was OK but was medium, not medium rare and had a little bit of gristle.  These are problems that I have never encountered at Fiasco's.  On the plus side, the Caesar salad was generous, and the mushroom sauce was, as usual. great.  The Pilsener was the lightest I've ever seen, but was not lacking in flavour.  However, forking over 30something dollars for a merely decent steak soured the experience.

On a Roll Bakery, University of Queensland, St Lucia

On Wednesday I purchased a bacon and cheese sausage roll from On a Roll Bakery at UQ to have on my break at work.  This is a snack I have enjoyed many many times.  I don't like On a Roll's regular sausage rolls, but their bacon and cheese sausage rolls are quite possibly the best I've ever had.  The bacon and cheese blend seamlessly with the pork mince.  The pastry is of high quality and is complemented with poppy seeds (I have wondered if my love for this snack has been influenced by a mild opiate addiction).  I have been eating these sausage rolls for years and I am still not sick of them and am always looking forward to them.  Very rarely I encounter a little bit of fat or gristle, but other than this, I cannot think of a single flaw.

The Carvery, Myer Centre food court, Brisbane City

On Tuesday I was passing through the city and was hungry.  I wanted something quick and cheap so I went to the Myer Centre food court.  After doing the lap of the court I decided that I would like fish and chips from The Carvery.  I did not have high hopes, but my hopes were actually exceeded.  The chips were better than expected and were beer battered.  The piece of fish was a decent size and also battered.  What I really liked about this experience was that The Carvery provided, in addition to salt and pepper, chicken salt and vinegar.  I love chips with chicken salt and vinegar, so I was happy with my decision.  Obviously, this meal was far from gourmet, but it was about as good as you could expect a food court meal to be.  The only drawback was that the fish batter could have been crispier, and it became soggy after I slathered it with vinegar.

On a Roll Bakery, University of Queensland, St Lucia

Yesterday I had a salmon and cream cheese bagel from On a Roll Bakery at the University of Queensland.  I have recently taken to On a Roll's bagels because I felt like something other than my usual order of a bacon and cheese roll (more on that in another post).  Anyway, the bagel could have been softer and the whole in the middle accumulated a disproportionate amount of cream cheese.  The salmon was of good quality and the cream cheese was tasty, so all in all, this was a very satisfying afternoon snack.

Sing Sing, West End

Last night I went to Sing Sing Chinese and Vietnamese restaurant on Hardgrave Road, West End.  I chose this restaurant because I was in the mood for an omelette and Sing Sing's combination omelettes do not contain squid or scallops which I usually don't like.

I had the satay chicken skewers as an entree and a combination omelette for the main dish, accompanied by a glass of Tiger beer.  The satay chicken skewers came as large chunks of chicken rather than a number of smaller pieces.  I liked this touch.  The satay sauce was a little on the sweet side, but not too sweet.  The sauce also contained pepper or chilli which gave a nice bite.  There were also crushed toasted peanuts which provided extra crunch.

The combination omelette came with a bowl of oyster sauce, allowing me to use the amount of sauce that I wanted.  There was more than enough sauce in this bowl, so that was good.  The combination filling of the omelette was chicken, pork, and prawns.  They were a little bit stingy with the fillings, but it was a relatively cheap omelette, so that wasn't a big deal.  The only real problem with the omelette is that I asked for no onions, but there was a small amount of onions in the dish.  Overall a good meal.