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.

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

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. 

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

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

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: $$

xoxo

Julie

Long Weekend - Tamborine Mountain

I think long weekends should happen  more often in our busy Monday to Friday mundane work lives.
The feeling of getting drunk  staying up till late on Sunday, knowing that you can sleep in on Monday  brings an utter feeling of freedom and happiness.

Going through our Let's Make It Happen list with My Man we took advantage of the warm and sunny weather and headed to Tamborine Mountain to drink wine and eat chocolate to  reward our urban- polluted lungs with some fresh air and enjoy the magnificent nature surrounding us.

The peaceful atmosphere combined with abundance of little cute shops selling hand-made chocolate, fudges and clothes made me think that we were somewhere in Switzerland (or at least the version that I have in my imagination since I am yet to explore the country).

Less than 2 hour drive and you find yourself in tranquil and harmonious heaven! Beware of wine tasting -  even though you are only 'tasting' the wine,  keep in mind that you do it at least 10 times and by the time you finish that last 'full-bodied dry red with a hint of melon'  the mind is not clear (the effect of the mountain air perhaps? ;)) and you  can't suppress a silly content smile on your face.

Oh, and don't forget to purchase a bottle of Moonshine Maddness -  a Coffee chocolate liqueur port made with a fortified wine base. It tastes yummy on the rocks! 

Next on the Lets Make It Happen list is a weekend getaway on the Coast - can't wait to wake up with the view on the ocean waves - perhaps one of the most powerful motivation boosters for me! 

Have a stress-free and productive short working week everybody!

xoxo
Julie

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Comfort At My Table - Sunday Brunch

Last Sunday my Man and I finally paid a visit to one of the unique gems on Cribb Street - Comfort At My Table. The 'oh so lovely' cafe is well renowned for its coquette atmosphere and extensive breakfast menu with a twist.

Having woken up well after midday we were lucky to avoid  the morning rush and get a lovely table inside and ordered our breakfast (God bless the places that serve breakfast until 2 pm on weekends!) hassle free.

It took quite a while to get our coffees, however we were so distracted by Facebook  the cute details in the design of the place that have hardly noticed the wait - it is quite nice to be surrounded by flowers in  vintage vases, cook books, jam jars  and other very homely pieces.

Those who made Brisbane home fairly recently  will probably share the feelings I had - Home Away from Home.

The food was yummy and beautifully presented - the plates, cutlery, cups - everything reflected the concept of the cafe. I would imagine it would be quite hard to get back to the office after having a coffee there during the weekday.

Where: Comfort At My Table, Shop 5,19-23 Cribb St 
Milton, QLD 4064

Design: 10/10

Food: 8/10

Service: 7/10

The highlight: The concept!

Disappointment: a bit slow service

Splurge: $$

xoxo

Julie

The Cove Bar & Dinning - South bank

This weekend my Man and I finally made a  visit to the GOMA  to have a look at some of the Contemporary Art displays. Gazing at the works of art made us somewhat hungry and we made our way to relatively new refurbished precinct at South bank and decided to have lunch at probably the only place we still haven't visited in that area - The Cove Bar & Dinning.

The place boasts prime riverside views and an exquisite bar design. The menu is relatively limited, however we easily made a choice, certainly including the Cove's signature oysters in bubbles, using Moet et Chandon champagne gel, salmon pearls and San Pellegrino emulsion.  

The food arrived promptly, was beautifully presented and was delicious. The oysters were very fresh and had a very special flavour to it.

Even though the food was good as well as  the views and the atmosphere, the place definitely is not going to be on our Favourites list. And the reason for it is bad service. 

The moment we arrived we were promptly seated at our table and then left there totally forgotten, until we had to indicate that we need some help. The staff did not offer us any water, and there was no salt or pepper on our table - we had to ask for those things. The employees were friendly but we were under the impression that they were quite disorganised and not  attentive to their customers. We constantly would get different staff members serving us and in the end when we got to the counter to pay we got very arrogant attitude from the guy who was sorting out our bill.

The service shortcomings left a very 'bad taste in our mouth' and I doubt we will go back any time soon, which is a shame as overall  the Cove is a nice place and I realise the chances are we were just unlucky and should we have come on any other day the service may have been impeccable, but at the end of the day we pay more so for the experience than for food and wouldn't want to risk it again.

Where: Sidon Street, River Quay South Bank 

http://www.covebardining.com.au/ 

Design: 8/10

Food: 7/10

Service: 3/10

The highlight: Oysters - a must try!

Disappointment: Service

Splurge: $$$

By the way, on a side note - you can now temporary enjoy a glass of wine or beer while having a picnic at the newest South bank green area, as alcohol consumption is permitted until 8 pm, so pack your picnic basket and head to South bank to enjoy the Sunday afternoon in beautiful surrounding!

xoxo