Sunday, July 22, 2012

Bucci Ristorante: James St

Just minutes away from the tackiness of the infamous Fortitude Valley, which is notorious for Brisbane's not so classy night life (don't get me wrong, there are great places in the Valley, but they are tucked away in the dominance of the beer stunk nightclubs)you can find yourself wandering around luxurious boutiques, spas and trendy restaurants of a quirky James Street, which has turned into an independent precinct.

On a Saturday night my girlies and I went to check out the newish exquisite modern Italian  restaurant Bucci (my IPad keeps  autocorrecting the name to Gucci, only reassuring me of the Italian class of the venue).

Thinking we are amazing chicks, we rocked up without a dinner reservation on a Saturday night to be greeted by a very polite manager with a sexy French? accent: 'Sorry, ladies, we are fully booked for tonight'... but guess what.. he went on saying ' but let me see, what we can do'  - just like that - no arrogant attitude, no  "Who do you think you are, coming like that?" glance, just a sincere desire to welcome unexpected guests.  "There is a table, that I can give you , ladies, until 7:30 pm, which will give you about an hour, our kitchen is pretty quick, so you definitely will have time to enjoy your dinner, and then you are more than welcome to have the digestives and desserts at the bar." 


Just like that we got the dinner 'problem' solved. The service was impeccable - attentive - but not intrusive. The wine glasses were never empty, the food arrived promptly. 


The food was absolutely delicious. This is definitely not your usual Italian with extremely creamy sauces and plates overloaded with pasta. No wonder Bucci is synonymous with light contemporary Italian cuisine using freshest ingredients. 

We started with Assagini - a fancy word for starters to share - ordering Burata Tartufata - Stretched curd cheese from Vanella cheese factory with crisp pancetta, truffle honey, blueberries & walnuts - just the description alone sounds deliciously mouthwatering - the flavour definitely got all my taste buds working, feeling the combination of sweet and sour, soft and firm.



Not surprisingly, the mains were no less than delicious as well, after all  Bucci is the brain child of a head chef Shaun Malone and the executive chef Spencer Patrick- both well known in the culinary world. 

Next time you a wandering around James Street, pop in to Bucci, but make sure you make a booking ;)

Bucci on Urbanspoon


Design:   
9/10
Drinks:   8/10
Food: 9/10
Service: 10/10
The highlight: The concept, and the food
Disappointment: If I have to come up with one - the coldness at the bar
Splurge: $$$

xoxo
The Foreigner

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Three Monkeys: West End

With my  crush for  West End and its funky eateries oddly enough  The Three Monkeys has never been a topic of a discussion in the Foreigner's Diary..and yet, it just seemed unnecessary to bring up  a West End Iconic coffee place that is so well known to the Brisbane crowd that even I have known about it for a while.

The Three Monkeys has been around since early 90s if not earlier, and  the menu probably hasn't changed much since, and the options perhaps are not as exciting and sophisiticated, as expected, but, realistically, who cares when there are all these cakes! :
  • the place is open 7 days week from morning till late,
  • the selection of teas and coffees is great and a Chai Tea is to die for... and the size of the bowl easily replaces dinner,
  • the prices are more than reasonable
  • and the most important reason for every 'respected' Brisbanite to  pay a visit to the 3 Monkeys - the ambience and the vibe of the place!
If you have been there before you may as well not  waste your time reading any further, as the rest of the post is dedicated to me raving on about the utter cuteness and uniqueness  of the West End Monkeys. 


To put it simply - Three Monkeys  is  a calm place. On the days when the world is particularly evil to you and you hate everybody   3 Monkeys  is peaceful and kind, even when the rest of the humankind is not , nobody there seems to be worrying or rushing - it is one of the few places in Brisbane, where you can come alone get yourself a bowl of cofee and get immersed in reading 50 Shades Of Grey a book ...
 


Design:  
9/10
Drinks:   8/10
Food: 6/10
Service: 9/10
The highlight: Ambiance!
Disappointment: The food is on the ordinary side
Splurge: $

Three Monkeys Coffee & Tea House on Urbanspoon

xoxo
The Foreigner

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Green Papaya

During the cold winter nights (yes, I do think it is cold in winters in Brisbane) the utter laziness prevents me from  leaving my apartment exploring distant precincts  in our city, forcing me to look for interesting places in my own neighbourhood.

 Green Papaya is in no way a newbie for the Brisbane locals,  having  been operating for many years, but a visit to this Thai & Balinese restaurant in Woolloongabba was a debut for me -  and I definitely wasn't  disappointed. 


Having made a booking for 6:30 we rocked up 20 minutes late(rude, I know!) - starving - to find our reservation under the name  July -smiling to myself I thought,  IT is July now after all now, isn't it?


After being seated at the lovely table in a quiet corner of a restaurant we ordered our food. We decided to go with entrees and one main to share.. just so that us, little piglets, can order two desserts in the end!




The service was very attentive and non- intrusive. The restaurant got quite busy by 8 pm, with no single table available - but it was still rather quiet and tranquil. The food was tasty - we went for the Balinese grilled fish  with Secret (??) sauces - and the chef has definitely not let us down.


Both desserts were delicious - in fact we finished every tiny bit of it , which made me to wake up early and walk(!) to my yoga half - asleep, hoping that the sticky rice coconut ice cream with the mango gelato will be burnt off!



Design:   7/10
Drinks:   7/10
Food: 8/10
Service: 9/10
The highlight: close to home! & a dessert
Disappointment: The secret sauce on the main wasn't that special
Splurge: $$$

Green Papaya Balinese & Thai on Urbanspoon

xoxo
The Foreigner


Friday, July 6, 2012

Brew CBD

Friday in the CBD is usually a day when everybody is Out & About, having 'catch up' lunches, coffees, and wines.  On a normal fifth day of the work week Queen street turns into a nightmare with crowds of people strolling along, window shopping, while you are running around like crazy bumping into every second jovial pedestrian.
Finding a decent, fairly quiet place for lunch in the CBD under those extreme conditions can be a bit of a challenge. And if the eatery serves tasty food, good coffees, wide selection of drinks and does not rob your bank account - you have discovered a hidden treasure! And Brew is undoubtedly the one!



Brew is one of those hidden gems that you will never find unless you look for it, and even if you do, you have to be curious enough to walk down the alleyway to find yourself inside a tiny coffee shop, funky, but minuscle with just one or two tables...Now, don't turn around just yet...paraphrasing a famous quote, the best things come to those who keep walking - going through the back door you will suddenly find yourself in a fairly spacious seating area with a few cosy couches, low tables and wooden benches - unique interior with its own, unconventional character.


Brew is always busy, particularly on Friday nights, hence the recommendation to start Friday afternoon 'beer o'clock' early and secure a convenient spot. The lunch menu is quite limited, but will be able to cater for the majority of the city dwellers with a selection of toasted sandwiches, salads and a couple of mains.

 My today's experience at Brew, however, was only limited to a 45 minute lunch catch up with  a girlfriend (big thanks to her for suggesting the place!) and consisted of a Green Salad and a Roibos Ginger Tea ( I am heaving a healthy month, in case you are wondering).
The food was nicely presented, fresh, slightly blunt in flavour but salt & pepper easily fixed the issue - overall lovely nutritious lunch, quickly served and of a decent size. Service was quick and attentive, despite the business. Overall only positive things to share, so you can safely head to Brew for your next coffee/lunch or after-work drinks!


Design:   9/10
Drinks:   8/10
Food: 7/10
Service: 9/10
The highlight: It is a hidden funky gem in the CBD!
Disappointment: Somewhat limited menu
Splurge: $$

Brew on Urbanspoon


To all  the fellow Office Plankton Workers: Happy Friday and xoxo
Julie


Wednesday, July 4, 2012

+4C inBrisbane with Mulled Wine and Hot Choco!

Before you keep reading any further, I have a confession to make: this post is being typed while the QLD and NSW inhabitants  have their eyes pinned to the screens watching closely the Maroon and Blue teams  competing for the State of Origin tonight, if only the person who approved my visa knew that!.To my excuse I follow the score online ad drink my hot tea out of the maroon mug! 

Anyway, as many of you  freezing living in Brisbane would know, it is 4C - pretty cold winter, even to my standards, and I am from Ukraine! 
All I want to do is to RUN AWAY TO THAILAND   stay in drinking hot chocolate and  never leave my warm bed.
Such  a passive waste of my young years has reminded me of a wintery drink, that will keep your bones warm and your mind relaxed - Gluhwein or Mulled wine. 

Mulled wine tastes great and needs to be consumed with caution, as heated alcohol  is very effective!, unless the motivation is to get drunk so as not to feel any cold all together, in that case feel free to drink untill the RSA authorities would have felt ashamed for you being so irresponsible with the alcohol consumption. 
Next time you are contemplating with the choice of the evening drink try the Mulled wine: 

Ingredients (serves 4)

  • 10 cloves
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar or honey
  • 1 roughly grated nutmeg
  • 1 orange (roughly chopped)
  • 1 roughly chopped apple (skin on)
  • 750ml light, fruity red wine, such as a merlot (or any other cheap wine as it will all taste like cinnamon and fruit!)

Method

  1. Heat cloves, cinnamon, sugar, nutmeg,  orange and apple in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add water. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
  2. Add red wine and simmer for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Strain and divide among serving glasses.

The main point is not to let the wine boil - other than that feel free to experiment with the ingredients. Prior to serving Mulled Wine in make sure nobody is allergic to any of the ingredients!


Considering that Queensland is bound to be a Sunshine state mulled wine is not a commonplace here, but if you are too lazy to make it at home, you can get a couple of glasses (or maybe a few more?) at the  Woolloongabba hotel.




Hope you are  keeping warm!
xoxo
Julie

Sunday, July 1, 2012

FIT Brisbane: RBWH Run, Mind Body & Spirit, Rock Climbing

Since My Man left on a long 5 week business & leisure journey 8 days ago (and, no, I am not counting!) I promised myself to become  a tiny bit more disciplined and get doing things that have been in the "Let's Make It Happen List". The hardest bit is to actually start, so here we go:

  •  Exercising - you would have already read my ramblings about my Yoga classes at the Australian School of Meditation & Yoga, but at one point my enthusiasm burst out into signing up for the Royal Fun For Research (am still wondering if I was in sound mind) to raise money for clinical research at the RBWH - it's an 8km run or a 6km walk - and unless I break up with wine & chocolate  get serious with my running routine I will have to do the latter. 

They say you need to start small. The first step has been installing a 'Magic' App on my phone
 - I had a Moment of Revelation when I heard a woman from the Magic App informing me in a stern teacher - like voice the distance, speed, pace and calories burnt - what an Intelligent woman has moved in my phone (mental note: I wonder if the Stern Teacher can be substituted with Ryan Gosling's voice?)


Today I even went to the Mind Body & Spirit Festival after my Yoga class and discovered the 'best quality" supplements, juicers, blenders, 'healing jewellery', met avoided  mind readers, life coaches, fortune tellers - I left the place wondering Why there are still sick and unhappy people on our Planet  - the answers to all your problems have been been found long ago and can be ordered online with the Today Only 20 % Discount  . 

Sarcasm away, the Festival was unexpectedly big with a multitude  interesting stalls and great products!

  • Mountain Climbing - we are finally doing it! - next Saturday (fingers crossed it doesn't rain!) - very excited for the Riverlife adventure at the Kangaroo Point Cliffs - next week's blog will feature photos of clumsy me hanging on to the Safety rope attached to the top of the Cliff. 


Happy New Financial Year and a positive Monday for tomorrow! 
xoxo
Julie

Saturday, June 30, 2012

Spring (CBD)

Continuing the topic of the CBD dining let's talk about Spring... and I don't mean the season, even though I wouldn't mind a bit of warmth and sunshine in our Brisbane lives...Spring is that restaurant that has created a lot of buzz since its opening a few months ago  and many of you have heard of.

My first visit to Spring was not long after its opening. The design and unusual interior decorations sculpted heads and arms resting on the nearby table definitely made a pleasant impression -white crisp colours,  lots of light, wood, fresh pastry and salads displayed in glass cabinets and fancy bottles of wine prominently displayed, sneakily unveiling the action happening in the kitchen - an exquisite design with a twist, yet 'cosy' and welcoming and not at all intimidating. For a moment I felt like I was back in Europe in one of my back then favourite cafes.





During my fist visit the food  was good, but nothing too impressive. What deserves special credit is the service. While I was eating a nasty insect landed its tiny body in my salad and died right in between the spinach leaf and a piece of beetroot - the waitress reacted in a glimpse of a second and my dish was replaced promptly, which I haven't even requested as the appetite was gone as the wine tasted too good!

Anyway, this week I had to pick a place for a dinner in the CBD with a special person - a lady who was partially responsible for my  move to Australia 3 years ago -  sure thing I wanted to go to a nice place, where we would be able to enjoy good food, pleasant atmosphere and be able to have a decent conversation without having to shout to beat the crowd noise (and I wanted all that on Friday, when  the majority of the city workers start drinking at 3 pm!). After  a careful consideration  a google search at work  the choice fell on Spring!


My guest approved of my choice and we had a lovely time chatting for a couple of hours while enjoying our meals. Again, food was good, but nothing over the top exciting - maybe I am becoming spoilt or choosing not the best things off the menu, this time I went with the Salad with Pumkin and Haloumi cheese (it sounded a lot more fancy on the menu, but you get the idea) ? Service was attentive and the  coffee was yum!

Overall - a lovely experience, and definitely a unique place in the CBD.
Spring on Urbanspoon



Design:  
10/10
Drinks:  9/10
Food: 7/10
Service: 9/10
The highlight: The atmosphere
Disappointment: The line to the ladies!!
Splurge: $$$ 

xoxo
Julie






Thursday, June 28, 2012

Peony Asian Fusion:CBD Casual Dining

I have been meaning to write about the Peony Asian Fusion for a while now, as this is one of the places that has pleasantly surprised me the first time I went there a good few months ago and hasn't left disappointed ever since. 

Peony is one of those 'easy' places that would fit pretty much anybody's taste, featuring Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese cuisines,  wine, cocktails and Sake  and is perfect if you are aiming for a 'safe' option - nothing over the top fancy, but nonetheless nice and pleasant, with no damage to your bank account  (save the money for the End of Year Sales!!)

The atmosphere is calm and relaxing, tables are positioned at a fair distance, allowing for a decent conversation, the service is prompt and attentive. 

Now the food. If you are as bad at decision making as me you probably will struggle, as there are quite a few items to choose from, the menu features mouth watering photos of the dishes and the prices are so reasonable, that for a moment you feel like ordering half of the menu  (the items are ordered by  ticking the dish number on the piece of paper, saving you from the waiter's judgemental look), but beware! - portions are generous, ordering a 'light meal' salad made me wonder wether I would have had a need to eat the next day have I ordered the main as well. 
Prawn & Chicken Salad


Anyway, I think enough said. If you are looking for a place for casual lunch a dinner in the CBD Peony is the place to go. 

Peony Asian Fusion on Urbanspoon

Design: 7,5/10
Drinks: 7,5/10
Food: 9/10
Service: 9/10
The highlight: Great variety
Disappointment: trying hard to think of anything....
Splurge: $$ 
xoxo
Julie

Sunday, June 24, 2012

What's On Brisbane:Beat the Procrastination

I have been guilty of being slack recently, with both my blog writing as well as a few other commitments, and oh, I wish I had a serious excuse for that someone, delete Instagram from my phone! , like saving the world from the invsion of weird creatures from the Prometheus or something a bit more useful down to earth like cleaning my house and sorting out my wardrobe.
 But no, I have been stuck in pure Procrastination, and apparently ' it's cold,dark and gloomy out there' is not a good enough excuse.

It's not all that negative of course, a few great things happened in the past couple of weeks, that I can't help to booast about to share.

First of all, Winter Festival is on in Brisbane - tag along to King's George Square for some winter comforting food, mulled wine, and of course ice skating (and the rink is not even melting this year!)

Make sure you jump online to book though, as Brisbanites are keen for some winter experience and the tickets are selling fast.
http://winterfestival.com.au/

Lady Gaga concert.
I was lucky to go to the Gaga's last show in Brisbane last Saturday and see for myself the amazing perofmance of the Pop Star, I am not her biggest fan but , oh my, that woman knows how to create an incredible show! Great entertainment, even though she probably was a bit exhausted coming towards the last show, judging by how many times the F* word was said out loud!Nevertheless - great show!

The Nutcracker on Ice

For something a bit more conventional we went to see a Nutcracker on Ice at the QPAC.
The 25-strong cast of World, European and National Championship ice skaters performed their unbelievable stunts on stage - the performance is just breathtaking - most of the tricks are hard to perform on the ground, never mind on Ice!http://www.qpac.com.au/event/Nutcracker_On_Ice_12.aspx

Yoga.
I have been doing it for nearly 3 weeks now and I am just loving it - I think it is the reason why I have started my war with winter procrastination! The school of Meditation and Yoga in West End is a truly tranquil place - very peaceful,non-judgemental and professional and they give away sweets in the end of the class htttp://www.asm.org.au/locations/qld/brisbane/west-end/


xoxo
Julie

Monday, May 21, 2012

Bar Revolution in Brisbane - Our Place

I believe that Brisbane is currently experiencing  the Bar Revolution - over the past year The New World  City got quite a few quirky additions to its Winning scene. Think Brew, Super What Not, Dragonfly, Kerbside,  Survey & Co and ... Our Place - a relatively new edition to the Fortitude Valley's party precinct.


Our Place is a bit like Comfort At My Table, but for drinking - homely and cosy, as if you are at your grandma's sitting on a floral-print couch, watching a non-plazma TV and drinking tea...except your Earl Grey has Chambord with a hint of Cointreau in it. Pouring your cocktails from a  tea pot into your friends'   shot glasses is a great way to get drunk on a Saturday  to feel like you are at home having a party, only it's nicer and you don't have to clean up after.



Atmosphere at the Our Place is warm and friendly and the music is great  - what else would you want from a bar?

Where: 299 Brunswick St Mall, Fortitude Valley  


Design: 10/10
Drinks: 9/10
Service: 9/10
The highlight: Tea pots
Disappointment: nothing really..except got a bit too crowded
Splurge: $$

Our Place on Urbanspoon

xoxo
Julie

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