Paw Paw (Woolloongabba)
We made a repeat visit to this very busy breakfast joint. Again, the wait time for meals was on the slow side but we were more prepared this time and ordered an extra coffee! My corn fritters with chipotle sour cream, avocado and tomato relish were light and flavoursome, but the winning dish of the day was my Dad’s choice of the Israeli breakfast: a delightful combination of falafels, hummus, dukkah, a boiled egg and flat bread.
La Rotisserie (Gasworks, Newstead)
There is little in life that is more comforting than a freshly cooked, rotisserie chicken. They remind me of the sidewalks of Paris, where one can find the plumpest poulets cooking to perfection on every corner. So when La Rotisserie opened down the road, I was keen to sample its goods. Their menu is simple, with a choice of rotisserie chicken or rolls with various meats, including slow cooked lamb and BBQ pork. The front counter has a large selection of salads including our final choices of zucchini, mint and pea; and roasted cauliflower with dates. With the option of dining in or taking away, we opted for the latter on this occasion for a couch-bound meal. The rotisserie chicken was well seasoned, moist and with the added freshness of the salad made for a lovely, no-fuss dinner.
Sing’s Asian Kitchen (Rosalie)
We popped in to Sing’s for a casual mid-week meal. Luckily I thought to book ahead, as by 7pm the place was overflowing and the kitchen was pumping out a steady stream of meals from its extensive menu. My choice of a Vietnamese noodle salad with calamari was simple, fresh and yummy. My two sisters ordered the Vietnamese beef noodle soup and whilst happy with the overall flavour of the broth, they were left somewhat disappointed with the beef component. Unlike the usual wafer thin slices you’d expect, it was cut quite thickly and became tough as it sat in the warm soup. On a positive note, the beef in the massaman curry was lovely and tender. Next time you can’t decide whether you’re in the mood for Thai, Chinese or Vietnamese food, Sing’s can meet your indecisive needs with great examples of each!
Buzz (Gasworks, Newstead)
This latest branch of Buzz has a nice and relaxed vibe. With tables outside and an order at the counter policy, it makes for a great weekend breakfast spot to sit back, have a good coffee and read the papers. The food is consistently good, with this week’s standout being the chilli con carne served with refried beans, sour cream, shavings of parmesan and toast. The menu includes all of the other breakfast staples and has a build your own option, which always takes my fancy. I haven’t been in to try their lunch or dinner menus yet, but no doubt both of those involve the impressive pizza oven sitting behind the counter, so I must put that on my list.
Gerard’s Bistro (James St, Fortitude Valley)
Gerard’s Bistro specialises in Middle Eastern and northern African food. The menu reads well with loads of interesting flavour combinations. We ventured there on a Friday night as a group of 4 girls and we shared an array of dishes. My standouts were the smoked eggplant with yoghurt, onions and mint; the Iranian style wild rice with chickpeas and pomegranate; and the slow-braised lamb with radish. In fact, I intend to try and re-create the eggplant dish as it’s lovely smokiness would be a beautiful accompaniment to any red meat! We kept the wine simple with a Te Whare Re Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough (NZ). We saw fit to finish off the meal with an amaretto sour (my first ever) and an espresso martini, both of which hit the mark. While the meals were packed full of flavour, it should be said that the portion sizes for the meat dishes were quite petite, but due to the richness of the food we still left satisfied. I apologise for my photos; the restaurant is quite dimly lit and I didn’t want to bother the other diners by trying to get the perfect snap!
themoderndaypantry 