Montville Cafe Bar Grill

Montville Cafe Bar Grill
Address: 126 main street, Montville QLD 4560
http://montvillepub.com.au/

Z and I organized a little getaway last weekend to the Hinterlands last weekend and based on raving reviews from my friend Kerstin, we decided to stay at Montville and visit Kondalilla Falls, the Eumundi market and squeeze in a visit to the beach to catch that last ray of summer sunshine.

We arrived in Montville around 8pm on Friday night and after checking in to our little Santa's Attic (very cute by the way, full of Christmas decorations and teddies), we were sufficiently hungry enough to find a place to dine and start our romantic getaway.

' Unfortunately, what we did not realise was that by 8 - 8:30pm, almost every restaurant (or at least their kitchen) are closed.

In the end, we were led to Montville Cafe Bar Grill because that was one of the last restaurants whose kitchen remained open.

The bar and grill is located on the main strip in Montville, on the top of the hill. The exterior takes after a traditional German house and has a lovely garden that lights up at night for outdoor seating.

As we walked in, we were welcomed by cheerful and helpful staffs and surrounded by music and laughter (which we later found out that there was a wedding pre-dinner going on upstairs at the bar and grill.

Given that I was past the point of being hungry, I decided to go for an entree (the pork belly glazed with spiced marmalade atop caramelized sweet potato and bok choy, finished with a sweet soy syrup), whilst Z went for the Guinness pie.

We both had a glass of Shiraz each whilst we waited for our food.

To be quite fair, I was somewhat disappointed with the selection of the wine. Given that it's a bar, I had expected more variety of a selection of wine (and indeed a better selection). However, our disappointment with the wine was quickly washed away when our food arrived.

The entree was of a decent size that I actually felt sated. The flavour of the pork belly mixed with sweet soy syrup, bok choy and sweet potato was superb. Although I wished the exterior of the pork belly was crispier, it is one of the better pork belly I've had in a little while.

According to Z, the Guinness pie was also delicious (sorry the picture came out a bit weird for some reason). The flavour was good and the meat inside was soft and tender.

The side of salad was also quite nice, although nothing too spectacular as quite obviously it was only there to support the Guinness pie (and make sure we fulfil part of our vegetable intake requirements).

Whilst Z and I thoroughly enjoyed our dining experience at Montville Cafe Bar Grill, I do have to admit that the prices they charge are on the expensive side. Although given that Montville is a holiday town, you'd probably have to expect inflated prices.

Recommended: I really enjoyed the pork belly

Fish Roe Seafood Cafe

Fish Roe Seafood Cafe
Address: 14 Park Rd, Milton QLD 4064

http://fishroe.net.au/

I have pondered for a very long time before finally deciding to put up a post about Fish Roe Cafe. I have always loved seafood restaurants and it pains me to have to write about such an underwhelming experience at such establishment.

Z and I visited Fish Roe Cafe when it first opened. With its location on Park Road next to so many fabulous restaurants, the contemporary nautical designs and the exquisite menu it offered on its website, we believed that the restaurant would hold great potential.

Certainly, the design of the restaurant was beautiful to behold, the crisp white background contrasted with the cobalt decorative wall pieces, it make you feel like you are in a ocean palace.

Onto the food, for entree Z and I had pan fried sea scallop to share. For the main, he had the king salmon whilst I choose the sword fish fillet.

The entree came out quite soon and we were both quite delighted. The combination of prosciutto, chilli jam and scallop was simply wondrous. Whilst we pondered on the flavour that the pea puree brought to the dish, the green of the puree did bring more colour to the dish.

Given a good start to the meal we've had so far, we were both looking forward to the main. However, our good experience with the Fish Roe Cafe seems to have ended there.

The wait for the main was much longer than we anticipated given how quickly the entree came out. By then, I had finished my wine and am on a good steady pace to finish Z's (as he didn't like his white wine). And I have to note here that I am generally a very slow drinker.

When the food came out, whilst the presentation was beautiful, the flavour and the texture of both dish was lacking.

The sword fish fillet was overcooked and dry and whilst the salmon had a bit more moisture (I guess the salmon itself tends to be fatty), it was also dry. Most unfortunate was the general lack of flavour and salt from the dishes. Whilst we attempted to fix this by adding salt and pepper on the table, the results were still disappointing.

In the end, we ended up finishing our vegetables and left most of the fish untouched.

As we left the restaurant, we notice that majority of the diners there tend to just order the simple fish and chips. Perhaps that is what we should have done also and just has it kept simple?

Recommended: Perhaps the fish and chips?

The Burrow

The Burrow
Address: 37 Mollison Street, West End QLD 4101
http://theburrowwestend.com.au/

The Burrow has always had a special place in my heart. It was one of the first restaurants my friend Tim took me to when I first came to Brisbane and it is also where Z took me for our first date. And both times, I thoroughly enjoyed the food and the experience The Burrow offered.

Hence, when a group of colleagues decided to go to The Burrow for lunch, I was excited to join.

The Burrow is located across the road from the West End Village (Coles) and of close proximity to the Glider bus stops.

The Burrow offers lunch specials with pizzas starting from $10 and at night, the dining menu use to have a more extensive list of dishes, taking casual dining to something a little bit more fancy (however, the last time I flipped through the dinner menu, many of the fancier dishes seems to have been taken out).

The rumour is, the Burrow initially made its name because of its super tasty rabbit meat pizza, which unfortunately has been rotated out of its menu along with some of its other terrific pizzas such as The Funguy (pizza with mushroom, rocket and cheese).

Nowadays, whilst the pizzas are still awesome, The Burrow is making a name for itself through the wide range of beers and ciders it offers.

Anyway, back to my little lunchtime adventure with my colleagues. We were fortunate enough to have made a booking on that particular Friday lunch time, as The Burrow had a full house and people were being turned away if there was no booking. As it is, the wait for pizzas was at least 30 minutes as the restaurant operated under full capacity. Even the fries, we waited for a good 20 minutes.

When it did arrive, the Gnarly Fries (curly fries) was tasty, as just enough of the chilli seasoning was balanced with the aioli and the perfectly fried potatoes.

However, I am sorry to say that when the main arrived, some of the dishes were disappointing.

One of my colleague ordered Steak Your Claim (steak burger), which the steak turned out more raw than what most people would have liked.

I ordered the Bad Motherfunghi (mushrooms, gorgonzola, mozzarella, pancetta, finished with rocket & parmesan), which turned out to be extremely cheesy and basically almost washed away the flavour of mushrooms and the pancetta.

However, some of others turned out alright, my other colleagues' X-rated Prawns was flavourful and The Big Voodoo Daddy (lots of different kind of meats there) was filled up with delicious toppings.

In conclusion, I've definitely enjoyed The Burrow much more in the past than my recent visits. Whilst I'd go back to The Burrow, I do wish they would rotate back some of their old menus (like the rabbit meat pizza) as it was certainly more enjoyable.

Recommended: The Gnarly Fries

Moray Cafe

Moray Cafe
Address: 158 Moray St, New Farm QLD 4005
http://www.facebook.com/MorayCafe

I have been to Moray Cafe twice since I hit Brisbane, once for brunch and the other time for dinner. And despite the restaurant's positive reviews, I have in general tend to be a little disappointed in the establishment as there were things that could be improved both times to greatly increase my appreciation of the restaurant.

The Moray Cafe is situated a fair distance away from the hustle and bustle of Brunswick Street (the main street), which generally meant that getting parking around the place is somewhat easier.

The actual size of the restaurant is quite small. However, they do have a rather large outside seating area which is lovely to people watch for brunch but not so great in the dark on a windy night.

Well, unfortunately, a cold winters' evening was the first time I visited Moray Cafe as a couple friends and I decided to take advantage of their 'tight-ass' Tuesday discount.

Whilst the waitresses were lovely enough to show us to our seats, the low temperatures and the gale wind meant that we were freezing to death whilst we awaited our meal - which to us on that day felt like it took forever to come out (was around 40 min in reality). I had ordered the steak that day and whilst everything was nicely cooked and the mushroom sauce was nice, it started getting cold before I was halfway done with the meal and that in itself, really ruined my experience at Moray Cafe.

Now, I do understand it was no particular fault of the staff (who also tried to move the heater towards us in bid to help with the cold and the wind), it was something that a simple thick plastic sheet (those used to shield rain) could have helped...

The second time I went there was for brunch. Whilst we were still seated outside, luckily, it much warmer weather and we really didn't mind the gentle winds.

This time, I had the gluten free toast with eggs, mushrooms and haloumi.

I know I am nit picking a little bit here, whilst everything was good, nothing was memorable other than how terrible the gluten free bread was (and I believe it again has something to do with being served cold dense bread).

I don't know about looking forward to going back to Moray Cafe, but I'd definitely go for indoor seating at night and stay away from the gluten free bread.

Recommended: The steak on Tuesday

Vingtage Bar & Grill - Hilton High Tea

Vingtage Bar & Grill - Hilton High Tea
Address: Level 6, 190 Elizabeth St, Brisbane QLD 4000 (Hilton Hotel)
http://vintagedbarandgrill.com/high-tea-menu/

High tea at the Hilton's came as result of a group of friends wanting to spend a leisurely afternoon in fancy dresses and sipping on tea and coffee whilst venting about our daily grind.

Hilton was nominated as the preferred choice as Stamford Plaza tends to be a bit more crowded (and we really didn't feel like buffet) and a few others such as Yi on Edwards and Keri Craig Emporium were a bit too small to fit a group of 10 who wanted to sit on one table.

Hilton on the otherhand was centrally located on the Queen St Mall strip. The interior beautifully decorated, with lovely high ceiling and well... not that many people so we can talk and laugh with freedom.

The Hilton high tea is generally between 11am - 4pm and given the amount of food that is generally available, my advice has always been to have breakfast early and forego lunch.

There are a few different tiers of high teas available. The cheapest is $35 with vintaged tea and the cost rises with champagne and cocktails (the food remains the same though).

For the food, the top sweets tier is filled with raspberry friand, opera square, praline choux bun, fruit almond log, sticky date and banana loaf.

Everyone's favourite was the opera square as it is filled with chocolate and coffee goodness. I also loved the praline choux bun but would have to say that whilst the other sweets weren't bad, I didn't particularly enjoy the banana loaf.

The second tier is (as you would have typically with any high tea) buttermilk scones with organic strawberry jam, vanilla clotted cream.

The scones were soft and fresh out of the oven and with the jam and cream; it is a delight for your senses.

The bottom tier is filled with the savouries. We had crab and smoked salmon salad sandwiches; goats curd, celery heart, watercress and walnut sandwiches; egg, mayonnaise and celery cress sandwiches and chicken, mustard mayonnaise sandwiches.

I particularly enjoyed the crab and salmon and the chicken mustard sandwiches. The flavour was great. However, the goat curd sandwich was difficult to stomach and most people who I went with left that behind.

All in all, the high tea was decently priced and the food quite enjoyable and it was a great afternoon spent at the Hilton's.

Recommended: The opera square

PJ's Steaks

PJ's Steaks
Address: 2/173 Boundary St, West End QLD 4101
https://www.facebook.com/PJsSteaks

Working with a few Americans in the company,PJ's came onto my radar as I noticed my colleagues disappear on long lunches, especially when it's game season. Later on, I found out that it is because PJ's shows the NBA and the baseballs during lunch time and offers decent philly cheese steaks.

So based on their warm reviews of the place, I've decided to join them for lunch one day and find out for myself what the philly cheese steaks are all about.

PJ's is located on Boundary St in West End, next to Atomica Eats and across the road from Spaghetti House.

The exterior of the restaurant has a glass window that they inherited from the previous eatery, however it allows curious passerbys to look into the kitchen and see what's cooking.

PJ's normally do a special during lunch, where you'd get a sub of the day, fries and a can of drink for around $10-$12. If you do work near th earea, it is a pretty sweet deal. Otherwise, to be honest, buying them separately are not that expensive anyway.

Despite being to US several times, I have never actually made my way to Philadelphia or have tried philly cheese steak for that matter.

But from my understanding, typically philly cheese steak is basically thinly sliced steak with heaps of cheese on a bun (this is probably over simplified, but you get the gest).

And PJ's, although I can't vouch for its authenticity, I have to say, it is pretty tasty, full of flavours and cheesy goodness (although probably not the healthiest thing on the planet).

I also had some their fries with rosemary salt and it is very delish! It is fried to perfection - crispy exterior and potato soft interior.

I am definitely looking forward to going back for more!

Recommended: Philly cheese stake with fries

Benihana

Benihana
Address: 158 Ferny Ave, Surfers Paradise QLD 4217 (Marriott Hotel Surfers Paradise)
https://www.facebook.com/BenihanaSurfersParadise

The girls and I went on a weekend trip to the Gold Coast last weekend. It was meant for a bit of r&r, which we ended up shopping our way through and gave our credit cards more exercise than we initially planned. :p

After a long day of feeding our soul/shopping, we've decided to go to Benihana to fuel our bodies.

Benihana is an American company founded in New York with chain stores around the world. It made onto my radar when one character from the recent Wolf of the Wall Street movie said "I'm never eating at Benihana again. I don't care whose birthday it is".

Call it trend chasing, whatever you will, I was excited to find out that there was a Benihana in Surfers Paradise.

Benihana Surfers Paradise is located in the Marriott Hotel, about 5-7 minutes drive away from the main strip of Surfers Paradise (which in my opinion is fantastic for you to walk off all teppanyaki after the meal).

Located on the 3rd level of the Marriott Hotel, the restaurant is spectacularly decorated - one of the best feature of the restaurant include the a shiny bronze wall imitating the waves of the ocean near the entrance of the restaurant.

The staff at Benihana was more than adequately friendly. We were shown to our seats in less than 5 minutes and an extremely chatty fellow took our drinks order and gave sound advices when we needed it.

For the meal, the girls and I decided to try the set menu, which came with miso soup, sushi, a salad, teppanyaki (with scallops, chicken and beef) and ice cream for dessert.

The miso soup, the sushi and the salad were all very tasty and seasoned just right, which we devoured whole heartedly (could be because we were starving at that stage).

Our teppanyaki chef Romeo came over to our table soon after and introduced himself. And the fun to our dinner started!

Amongst the set of tricks including "onion ring of fire" (where he stacked the onions and set them fire), catching and balancing the salt and pepper on top of the chef hat and making us catch our food (which we all failed spectacularly), to name a few, we were served our food.

Now whilst I enjoyed the tricks Romeo performed for us, I have to admit that I enjoyed the food somewhat less.

Whilst the stir fry veggies and the fried rice was very tasty and well seasoned. The teppanyaki scallop, chicken and beef really didn't shine.

With exception to the ingredients, there was almost a monotony to the taste of the food. And after such a great set of appetizers, having so much of the same tasting food just did not compare.

The greatest let down for the entire meal would have to be dessert.

For a restaurant in the Marriott and especially a Japanese restaurant, I was really expecting some specialized ice cream with flavours such as green tea, red bean etc.

However, all we were offered were - vanilla, strawberry and chocolate.

And they taste exactly like those neapolitan ice cream you'd get from the supermarket.

Admittedly, the set menu was quite a bargain in comparison to the a-la-carte. However, I did expect something better from Benihana.

Recommended: It's really up to you... but do try the fried rice, it's pretty nice