Wednesday, March 28, 2012

James St Cooking School

Despite my  inability/ unwillingness to cook anything more complicated and time-consuming than a salad I am not giving up on myself (so my Man can still  cherish his hope that one day I will spend hours in the kitchen creating culinary masterpieces) and went for a cooking class at the James St Cooking School
Brisbane Cooking School
Source: VisitBrisbane
The school offers  a wide variety of classes, ranging from BBQ/Sausage making class to Modern French, Mediterranean and even kids' lessons (where were they when I was 7??)! 
Inspired by our recent trip to Kuala Lumpur the choice fell on the Malaysian cooking experience. On one of the weeknights, after a long day at work I made my way to a lively New Farm to find myself at the Cooking School in the company of absolutely different people all united by the desire to learn something new, guided by a very energetic and knowledgeable Chef! 
Brisbane Cooking School
Source: Courier Mail
The Menu for the night consisted of: 
  • Chicken Kapitan  - traditional malay chicken curry
  • Nonya laksa
  • Satay, beef, chicken & pork with cucumber relish & sweet/spicy peanut sauce
I must admit, cooking for 3 hours, being very hungry after a full-on mental strain for 8 hours in the office was a bit of  a challenge - I constantly wanted to 'try' the ingredients and to 'taste' everything in the process, it took all my will power to refrain myself.

Brisbane Food
Source: Courier Mail
 The outcome, though, was totally worth waiting, cutting, chopping, frying and all  other million things we did in the process to create an authentic Malaysian dinner, whichI must admit was delicious. No doubt, it tasted even better due to a glass of wine that accompanied the dinner the fact that we created the meal ourselves! 
Brisbane Dining

Besides the full recipes, we got very handy tips and tricks that make the cooking process more productive and  in my case less dangerous! Working in groups was very helpful too, delegating work and sneak-peaking what/how others are doing kept the teams motivated and efficient, besides the participants get a great chance to meet and talk to interesting people in the process and conclude the night with a sit down dinner experience, where everybody gets a chance to taste the dishes and discuss it with the fellow participants! 

Cooking classes are great fun,  something different, exciting and yummy! Will definitely do other classes in a few months  and who knows maybe one day a chef inside of me will come out! 

xoxo 


Monday, March 26, 2012

Lady Lamington - Fortitude Valley

Lady Lamington is a relatively new edition to the famous Fortitude Valley party precinct. Offering breakfast menu, lunch, dinner and last but not least creative cocktails  - Lady Lamington is worth a visit regardless the time of the day you decide to pop in.

Menu is relatively simple and quite limited, however food is beautifully presented and tasty. But what sells the place the most is the decor! The interior design looks posh and a bit 'fairy-tale' like with the atique chandelier, gold-framed mirror and  a pink-lit colour scheme.


Another highlight of the Lady Lamington is a rooftop deck, that is located right opposite the Church (you'd  think that would stop me from drinking alcohol - but it wasn't the case neither for me nor for other patrons who were sipping on their cocktails on a beach-themed stools, enjoying a relaxing Sunday night).

Lady Lamington is a place with a character, boasting exquisite design, quite eccentric but not 'overdone' - just right  to make an  impression and establish itself on the Brisbane wining&dining scene.

I know this will be my place for a lazy Sunday afternoon or a buzzing Saturday pre drinks, ah, and possibly for breakfast the next day!

And did I mention that the service was great - the staff was welcoming and friendly, but mostly important -  our waiter spoke with the inimitable French accent - for that you can forgive a lot! ; )

Where: 483 Brunswick Street
Open For: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, 7 Days

Lady Lamington on Urbanspoon


 xoxo 



Sunday, March 25, 2012

Jam Jar - : Hidden Funky West End'er

On a lovely Saturday night I took my girlfriends to a place called Jam Jar, situated in the funky West End on the  Boundary Street.

The first word that comes to my mind when describing Jam Jar is quirky, it is a place with the character - unpretentious, but unique and stylish!
It is quite easy to bypass the place and initially the size of the restaurant/bar is very deceiving, as once you enter you only see the first half of the place  - the bar, open kitchen and a piano! We were nearly ready to walk out, thinking the place will be too crowded,  when we we were warmly greeted by the staff and offered to walk further down the corridor to our table. Oh My!- the creativity of the design and the idea of being almost on the 'backyard' of the house has totally blown our minds away!

Source:Hungry Kittens
The menu is very sophisticated and is created with sharing in mind, which is absolutely great when you come with a group and want to try a bit of everything. Jam Jar takes pride in its locally sourced food, promoting its philosophy of 'Food, Drink, Think'. 

'Heroic yet humble, jam jar offers an enticing experience for the taste buds and the mind' - is what the creators of Jam Jar say about  the place themselves, and I can't find a better way to describe it! 

Our food was delicious, beautifully presented and very fresh (special note to the freshness of  the oysters!). Wine was flavoursome and staff very attentive and helpful - what else do you need for a relaxing weekend catch up with friends! 

Jam Jar is creative, and alluring, boasting a unique vibe you almost can't communicate  in words - ultimately you just have to try it for yourself! 

Where: 138 Boundary Street, West end
 When: Wednesday - Friday 11 am  - 11 pm, Sat, Sun - 8 am - 11 pm 


Jamjar on Urbanspoon

Monday, March 19, 2012

Alice in Wonderland , Enrich Brisbane and South Bank

And another exciting performing arts event is on the horizon of the Brisbane's cultural scene - Alice in Wonderland is at QPAC!


Basing his ballet on Lewis Carroll's much-loved children's books, Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, François Klaus has created a captivating piece, brimful of wit, humour and charm. With its whimsical flights of the imagination, eclectic music and joyful dance, Alice in Wonderland is delightful entertainment for all ages.  The show is on from the 31 Mar 2012 - 14 Apr 2012 . 
You need to hurry up though as there are hardly any tickets left - I tried to book tickets for the last week the show is on - and there were NO TICKETS LEFT! Very disappointed!!!
Alice in Wonderland - Playhouse, QPAC, South Bank, Brisbane - Tickets & Packages

Now, being devastated from inability to see Alice in Wonderland, I might go and indulge in eating and wine tasting at the Enrich Brisbane, that is on next weekend (30th of March - 1st of April) .

Enrich is a 3 day event that showcases  delicious food matched with premium quality wine.



A lovely video about one of the favourite places in Brisbane - South Bank! Particularly liked the music! 






Sunday, March 18, 2012

My Winning and Dining Favourites in Brisbane

Sometimes I think how primitive I am, but a nice meal in an unusual  setting  makes me happy! I tend to get all excited about the way  a menu looks , the interior design, how food is presented on my plate.
Being in Brisbane  for only 2 years I have yet to visit many good places, and I  am really enjoying discovering the new favourites.
Luckily, this is a never ending process as Brisbane seems to keep surprising us with new unusual winning and dining places on a regular basis.
Still not being  successful at creating gourmet masterpieces at home (even though I did attend a cooking class, which I will write about in another post) , I had a chance to visit a few new places.
Some were great, some not so good and some were just average.

 My current  Favourites (this will change  soon, as we girls are so fickle!):

  • Wagaya - Can't get enough of ordering my sushi and sashimi from a touch screen! And of course the design and atmosphere are very soothing, excellent for a date and friends' get together as you  get that privacy.  MUST make a reservation - gets totally booked out!



  • Stokehouse - a fairly new dining precinct is a great new edition to South Bank dining, with Stokehouse definitely being worth a visit. Oysters are amazing! Besides, high attention to detail is felt in avery aspect of the restaurant - starting from attentive and knowledgeable staff and ending with unusual design of the menus and plates.

  • Super What Not - little hidden gem in the city is great for afterwork drink in a  bar with a character. My only BUT - gets too busy on Friday nights, which demonstrates desperation of Brisbane people for new places!



  • Canvas Wine and Cocktail Bar - Who would have thought that just 2 minutes from my house  there is such a stylish bar, that offers  a wide variety of  creative cocktails, wines, light meals and even live music! The design deserves attention too - posh leather couches, wooden tables, and eclectic paintings.


  • French Martini - and again back to my favourite Soutth Bank and its new addition to the Little Stanley dining options. 
  • Spring - new edition to the city 'all-in'one' spots: coffee, lunch, bistro, wine, gourmet food retail and even a cooking school! Moreover, Spring features a very unique design, with the abundance of whites, light wood and exquisite decorations - something truly uncommon for the CBD dinning! 







Back to life - What's Happening

I have been really slack recently and haven't  written any posts! To my defence though, I was busy with:

  • enjoying life with no assignments, exams and night lectures (go me!)
  • settling in the full-time working routine 
  • going through the visa application process (don't even get me started on this!)
However, there is no real excuse.  I have read recently in a book: There is no such excuse as  "I don't have time for this." We always find time for things we MUST do or really want to, so next time you think of saying "I don't have time" and start the never-ending procrastination process, try to say: "This is not a priority for me". Once you say it out loud you will either realise that this is really something that you can't see any benefit in doing or you will stop putting it off and finally find time to do it - it's all about setting your priorities right!

Anyway, finally instead of saying to myself I will start writing again, I made myself a cup of hot chai tea, lit a few candles, took my laptop and started typing (I am determined to stop my procrastination!)


Maybe the inspiration came from a highly productive and inspirational Sunday that kicked off with a 3,5 hour brunch with a girlfriend at a recently opened restaurant in the new South Bank dining precinct.
Jetty can boast great attention to detail in its thought-after design, beautiful river views, relaxed atmosphere and an extensive wine list. The only downside - it gets really busy and the service was really slow!
Jetty 
Sunday evening was marked with a dinner at the recently opened French Martini in South Bank again (located on the Little Stanley Street) - lovely atmosphere, French music and staff with the cutest and sexiest French accents, beautifully presented food and reasonable price - a very pleasant experience!  The highlight for me were the bright fuchsia umbrellas on the ceiling  - no way you can miss the place when you walk past! 
French Martini
The evening finished off with a movie with Johnny Depp - The Rum Diary. 
I wouldn't add the movie to my favourites list, but it is definitely worth watching just for the sake of watching a Hollywood hottie for 2 hours! 


This was a wonderful Sunday and I feel very pumped to start a new working week - besides, I have many ideas for the blog as well as a few other exciting things coming up! 

Next post will be devoted to my current 'favourites' in Brisbane and recently visited places! 

xoxo 







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