Domino's, Somewhere on the north side of Brisbane

On Saturday I had pizza from Domino's for dinner.  The first thing I'm going to point out about this post is that I'm not sure which Domino's provided my meal as I was hanging out with friend who was house sitting in Wavel Heights who ordered the pizza.  As far as I can tell the pizzas could have come from any number of stores in the area.  With that out of the way I must stress that I don't normally eat Domino's pizza unless it's the only option.  On this occasion, I was with some friends and we were all settled in and didn't feel like going out again that day, so Domino's delivery was just the easiest thing to do.  We ordered three pizzas:  capriciosa, loaded meatlovers, and pepperonni, and some garlic bread.  The capriciosia was bland.  It was mostly just cheese and dough, with very little sauce, and sparse toppings.  The loaded meatlovers is one of what Domino's describe as part of their "chef's best" range.  According to the menu, this should have been full of meat, when in fact, all we got was mostly bacon and ham, with only small amounts of pulled and ground beef.  This would not have been insufferable if it weren't for the fact that there was way too much barbecue sauce on the pizza, which at the best of times, is not my favourite sauce.  The pepperoni pizza was probably the best of a bad bunch.  This is probably due to the fact that it's pretty difficult to mess up something as simple as a pepperoni pizza.  However, there should have been more pepperoni, and the addition of something extra, such as anchovies or olives would have been welcome.  Upon the insistence of one of my friends this pizza came with a cheesy crust, which I felt added nothing to the meal, but at least it was edible.  Finally, the garlic bread was actually pretty good, and possibly the only thing Domino's got right on this occasion, except for prompt delivery.  This experience was regrettable and only confirmed my policy of not eating Domino's (or Pizza Hut or Eagle Boys), unless necessary.

Red Rooster, Brunswick Street Mall, Fortitude Valley

On Saturday I found myself in the Valley, and not having had anything to eat that day, was feeling peckish, but not hungry enough for a proper meal.  Because I also had to be somewhere, I wanted something quick and cheap.  I felt like a chicken burger, so I decided to go the Red Rooster.  I had never had a burger from this chain before, and I'd have to say that out of all the fast-food type establishments I have reviewed in this blog, the Red Rooster chicken burger I sampled on that day is the best.  I ordered the classic crispy burger, which is a coated chicken fillet with lettuce and mayonnaise:  simple enough.  The first thing that I noticed was that it was bigger than a McChicken or chicken royale from Hungry Jacks, so that's one point for Red Rooster.  Second, the chicken fillet coating was probably the crunchiest I have experienced, without being too crunchy, so that's another point for Red Rooster.  Third, the chicken fillet itself was of better quality than any of the other fast-food chicken burgers found in this blog, so that's another point for Red Rooster.  Fourth, there was a lot of lettuce, but that's really neither here nor there.  Despite these positives, this burger did suffer from one of the drawbacks common to the chicken burgers I have reviewed.  There was not enough mayonnaise.  Overall, though, this was a satisfying snack, but it must be stressed that this burger is no substitute for a proper burger from a proper restaurant, bar or cafe, unless price and convenience are a consideration.

Riverwalk Tandoori, Highgate Hill

Last Friday, I felt like trying something new for my regular, end of the week dinner.  So I wandered into Highgate Hill and came upon Riverwalk Tandoori.  The food at Riverwalk Tandoori is a combination of Indian and Malaysian cuisine.  I had never heard of this before.  Is there a significant Indian population in Malaysia?  Are there numerous Malaysians in India?  I don't know.  I looked at the menu, and there were a number of items that looked appetising.  However, at the time I found myself to be in the mood for beef rendang, which is what I ordered.  I have experienced numerous takes on beef rendang; all positive.  So I was curious to sample Riverwalk Tandoori's interpretation.  I was not let down.  First of all, this being a Indian/Malaysian restaurant meant that I could order naan over roti to accompany my meal.  This worked in Riverwalk Tandoori's favour as I find Indian naan to be a better absorber of flavour's than south-east Asian roti.  The naan itself could have been cooked a little longer, but was overall fine.  The beef rendang itself was interesting.  Some restaurants' beef rendang resembles a dry curry, whereas some are more saucy.  This particular beef rendang was somewhere in the middle.  I would have preferred it to saucier, but happily there was enough sauce for me to mop up with the bread, which was certainly a pleasant experience.  The sauce had a nice melange of flavours, some of which reminded me of the other beef rendangs I have sampled.  Others, however were new to me, most notably the presence of sweetness.  With few exceptions, I am generally hesitant when it comes to sweetness in a main meal.  However, this sweetness was noticeable, yet subtle, and very welcome.  Another positive concerning the sauce was its spiciness.  I am of the opinion that dishes, such as beef rendang, should be spicy.  However, many restaurants do not cater to this preference.  On this occasion, I believe Riverwalk Tandoori got the level of spice just right for my tastes.  Finally, the beef itself came in large chunks.  This can sometimes mean that it is not tender enough.  However, this was not the case, and I really enjoyed the beef's texture.  In conclusion, in many ways, this was a quality beef rendang, reminiscent of others I have encountered in the past.  In other ways, there was a welcome uniqueness to the dish.  If I ever go back to Riverwalk Tandoori, I'm hoping that the same can be said about their other dishes.

The Red Room, University of Queensland, St Lucia

Last Thursday I went to The Red Room for chips and gravy.  I think that chips and gravy is an excellent combination.  Unfortunately, most of the places that serve chips and gravy are refectories, cafeterias, and food courts, and therefore suffer from the drawbacks endemic to such eateries.  The Red Room might not qualify as fine dining, but it is a proper bar and grill, which means that their chips and gravy are above average.  The fact that chips and gravy is such a basic dish means that there is not much that can be said on The Red Room's take on it, other than it being good.  The Red Room serves less than excellent beer battered chips.  This might sound like a negative, but the fact of the matter is that I have never had a negative experience with beer battered chips.  They are inherently good.  I just recognise that some are better than others.  The gravy was fairly unremarkable, but tasty enough for my purposes on that day.  Other observations about the dish are more or less common to chips and gravy.  Some chips get more gravy than others, and by the time one gets to the bottom of the bowl, the chips with more gravy become soggy.  In conclusion, could The Red Room's chips and gravy be better?  The answer is yes.  However, the fact that there is a place I can go to get better than usual chips and gravy made this experience a positive one.

Grill'd, West End

The Friday before last I went to Grill'd for dinner.  Grill'd is one of the better burger chains operating in Brisbane.  On this occasion I ordered the Caesar's Palace, which is a chicken burger inspired by a Caesar salad and chips.  I have reviewed a number of chicken burgers in this blog, and I would have to say that Grill'd's Caesar's Palace is the best.  It is not perfect however.  To start with, I think that the Caesar's Palace is a good combination of ingredients for a burger.  There is a chicken fillet, bacon fried egg, cos lettuce, and Caesar salad dressing; all quality.  Sometimes with larger burgers, there is more filling than the bun can reasonably accommodate.  This means that you have filling falling out and it makes the eating process quite messy.  This is not the case at Grill'd (at least in my experience).  The bun to filling ratio is just about right.  I mentioned that all the ingredients in this burger were quality, but there was a slight quantitative issue surrounding the Caesar salad dressing.  There was not enough of it.  Chicken, bacon, and egg are tasty enough on their own, but when Caesar salad dressing is added, it really enhances the flavour.  The fact that this burger was slightly lacking in Caesar salad dressing meant that some bites were tastier than others.  Despite this, it was a generally pleasant burger.  Grill'd's chips are good, but not great.  They come seasoned with sea salt and herbs, which is a plus.  However, the batter is slightly lacking in crunch, but at least it's not soggy.  The potato itself is a little floury for my tastes.  These slight negatives are mitigated by the fact that the herbed mayonnaise that can accompany the chips is big on flavour.  So, if I ever find myself dining on this particular burger again, I will have to ask for extra dressing, but I don't think that there is anything I can do about the chips.

Fish Kitchen, Dutton Park

On Thursday I went to Fish Kitchen in Dutton Park for lunch.  I had never dined there before, but many years ago the place was known as Rocky's Seafood, where I have had fish and chips on a number of occasions.  I don't know if Rocky's changed their name to the Fish Kitchen, or if someone bought Rocky's and then turned it into Fish Kitchen, or precisely what happened.  What I do know is that Rocky's was a traditional fish and chip shop, whereas Fish Kitchen is more of a seafood restaurant that also serves traditional fish and chips.  Anyway, when I got there I ordered my usual fish and chip shop fare:  battered cod, chips, and a potato scallop.  Before my food even arrived I was disappointed.  First, I was not asked if I wanted salt and/or vinegar, and when I sat down, I found not a salt shaker, nor even salt packets, but a poxxy little dish with salt in it.  Furthermore, when I asked for vinegar, I got a little tub with a small amount of vinegar inside.  This was a similar situation to the one I encountered at A Salt and Batter in St Lucia a couple of months ago.  I said it then, and I'll repeat it now.  If you serve chips, you should automatically add salt to them.  The onus is on the person who does not want salt to state this preference when the order is placed.  Failing this, you should ask your customer if they want salt.  Even failing this, you should provide salt shakers or at the very least salt packets to your customers.  A little dish with salt in it makes it very difficult for diners to evenly distribute the salt across their meal.  I swear that if this ever happens to me again, I'm going to start bringing my own salt and vinegar any time I go to get fish and chips.  All of this aside, at least the salt was of the good sea salt variety rather than simple table salt.  The food itself was for the most part quality however.  The chips were nice:  beer battered and a good level of crunchiness.  However, by the time I got to the last few chips, the salt and vinegar had dissolved the batter, rendering it soggy.  I can't recall a time that this has ever happened to me when the chips were otherwise quality.  The potato scallop was possibly the smallest I had encountered, but not insultingly small.  Unfortunately, the potato itself was a little underdone, but when it comes to properly deep fried potato scallops, I am not fussy.  As for the fish, I can't really fault the fish.  The batter was sound, crunchy, and held the fish together during the eating process.  The fish was well cooked and not flaky at all.  Despite the negative comments I have made, this was a genuinely good fish and chip shop style experience that could have been improved by correcting some very basic flaws.

Stellarossa, Toowong

On Tuesday I found myself in Toowong and wanting a light meal.  I wasn't extremely hungry and I thought some sort of rice dish would sate my desire.  I wandered around for a while and found that Stellarossa (an organisation with which I was not familiar) served risotto at what, in my opinion was a competitive price.  I don't think I've ever had risotto from a restaurant or cafe before, but it is a dish that I have prepared and enjoyed a number of times myself.  I ordered the mushroom and prosciutto risotto and was soon impressed.  It is my understanding that risotto is a difficult dish to master, and I believe that Stellarossa did a great job.  The rice was not soggy or gluggy and had really absorbed all of the flavours of the dish.  When I make risotto, the mushroom is just a filler ingredient.  But in Stellarossa's interpretation of the dish, the mushroom flavour really asserts itself.  The prosciutto was of incredibly high quality.  I can't recall a time I have encountered prosciutto this good.  The risotto was topped with Parmesan cheese, whereas when I make risotto, the Parmesan cheese is mixed in with the other ingredients.  I suppose that this is a case of six at one and half a dozen at the other, but it meant that by the time that I got to the last few mouthfuls, I had exhausted my supply of Parmesan, and missed its presence in the last few bites.  Had I been charged more for this dish, I would have felt that the portion was too small, but for its price, I think it was right on the money.  Given that this was my first restaurant risotto experience, I am curious to see if Stellarossa are masters of the dish, or if risotto can be enjoyed to this degree anywhere that serves it.  I guess I'll have to find out.