About mej
somewhere, Australia
there is a new barista at the nest - and he sure knows how to make a great coffee! Had a flat white today from him, and it actually had only the thinest layer of foam on top - none of this "i'll make a flat white exactly the same as a latte".
Fantastic!
The only downside is that he seems to take much longer than the previous girl - went off to process a credit card transaction while I was trying to quickly grab a coffee before work.
Other than the coffee and toasted sandwiches tho, I wouldn't bother going there unless you're desperate. The Valley is close by and you can get much better food which is more reasonably priced.
A couple of mates and I went to Vespa to catch up on Friday. I've been to a few pizza places in Brisbane, but few come close to Vespa. Admittidly I'm a big fan of the crispy base and Vespa does them perfectly! They also have a wide range of pizza - not the standard meatlovers, vegetarian, hawaiian and the like. I had the pizza Bianca, can't exactly remember exactly what was on it, but it was fantastic!
On top of great food, the service is really good. We bought two bottles of wine with us (another great thing - its BYO!) and once one had run out they asked us if we wanted the other rather promptly. The staff were also very friendly and are always ready to have a joke.
Will definitely be going back.
| Reservation Not Required | Good Wheelchair access |
Sunday morning I woke up not feeling much like breakfast, but my partner was going crazy without his morning coffee. After a bit of discussion we went off to Vue.
I'm so glad we did!
I had bruschetta with haloumi, rocket, mushrooms and tomato. It hit the spot perfectly - I haven't eaten that much for breakfast in a while! And although I originally wasn't going to even have coffee, I had to have two because the first was so fantastic.
The wait staff were great. I love it that they make jokes with you and can be quite sarcastic - especially if they know you.
The other great thing about Vue is that it has an all day breakfast. Some other venues about the place finish breakfast around in the morning, which definitely doesn't suit my "Sunday starts at midday" attitude.
we'll be back soon!
Loved the: Food, Service
Nice: Atmosphere, Drinks, Value
Overall: Nice
| Good Wheelchair access | Great with babies | Great with kids |
| Great with a large group |
On a recent trip up to visit a friend in Townsville, she suggested we visit Cactus Jacks. Not being a fan of franchised restaurants (there being a Cactus Jacks in a number of north qld towns) I wasn't expecting much.
We turned up at just after 7 pm on a Sunday evening. Although most tables were filled, we were seated in a prime outside location on arrival. The atmosphere was good - lots of conversation happening but not too loud. We had drink orders taken straight away - definitely a must given how thirsty the weather is in Townsville. Although there was an extensive cocktail list, I opted for Sangria to drink. It certainly hit the spot.
We took a while to choose our meals, there was just so much to choose from! After a few false starts and a very patient waitress, I opted for a half size of the fajitas. I'm glad I didn't get the full sized one! They came out with the meat and vegies sizzling on a place with the sauces and wraps on a separate plate. They were very delicious and I was a bit over-full on just the half serving! Admittedly I'm not a big eater, so go the full serving if you are.
I would definitely go back when I'm next in Townsville!
Loved the: Food, Value
Nice: Atmosphere, Service
Overall: Nice
| Good Wheelchair access |
I decided to expand my horizons and go see a preview of Sex:Cubed - the current La Boite production at Roundhouse Theatre. I was expecting something different with a title like that! And I wasn't disappointed.
I found sex:cubed to be an interesting piece of theatre - I don't think I have enjoyed a production at La Boite quite so much in the past. While they pushed the envelope with some of the themes (don't go if you're uncomfortable talking about sex, that's for sure!) I felt they never overstepped the boundary and resorted to crudeness.
Sex:Cubed is meant to be an annual production with different short works each time. Can't wait for next year!
Overall: Loved It!
| Reservation Not Required |
On Saturday morning we decided go outside our comfort zone (ie. cafes around New Farm) and try something at Paddington. After a squiz we decided on having breakfast at Pandemonium. I'd heard good things about it in the past and thought it was time I checked it out.
The interior of Pandemonium is, i guess, quite Paddington. Theres old school mis-matched dining chairs and tables which gives the venue charm. I decided to have my usual of scrambled eggs, bacon and toast. The scrambled eggs were very nice - the best part of the meal! I was disappointed about the amount, they were more a side size rather than being half of the meal. There was a lot of bacon but it didn't taste quite right and was very fatty. The toast was average - nothing fancy, just thick sliced white bread. For $10 I expect a little more. The coffee was ok, nothing to write home about but nice enough.
The service was good - we were served quickly and our main waitress was very nice. Another girl dropped off a couple of coffees for us and she gave us the impression that she really didn't want to be at work. Which is a shame since all other staff members were happy and friendly.
Overall, it was a nice breakfast, but nothing special. If I'm in the area in the future I'd probably try some of the other cafes further up Given Terrace.
Nice: Atmosphere, Service
So-So: Drinks, Food, Value
Overall: So-So
| Reservation Not Required | Good Wheelchair access | Bad with babies |
| Bad with kids | Good for after-work drinks | Bad for a romantic drink |
| Great with a large group | Good place to meet people | Good for watching sport |
On Friday night, a few friends and I decided to mosey on down to Bar Zuka for a couple of after work drinks. We had a couple of cocktails each and enjoyed the great specials they had on that night. The atmosphere was great and the music was at a perfect. The only downside was that it was hard to get to the bar while the extra specials were on, but that is understandable.
We're all definitely going to go back.
Loved the: Atmosphere, Cocktails, Door Staff, Food, Music, Value
Nice: Bar Service
Overall: Loved It!
I saw the film Ten Canoes this afternoon. After a night out on the turps last night, I really felt like sleeping all day. Don't know how I managed it, but I went to see it at the Fortitude Valley Palace cinema.
I wasn't sure what to expect - being the first film spoken in Australian Aboriginal language (except the narration) and there was a lot of buzz surrounding it at the Cannes film festival. I was pleasantly surprised - I really enjoyed the story and it was quite funny as well! I think it would have caused a bigger deal in Cannes, considering I doubt most people who go there would have heard any Aboriginal stories in the past like I have. I know I enjoyed it because I didn't look at the time once during the film (and I normally do).
| Reservation Required | Good Wheelchair access | Bad with babies |
| Bad with kids | Bad for a Romantic Evening | Great with a large group |
Koh-ya is a Japanese restaurant on the edge of China Town with a difference. You have to cook your food yourself! My friends and I made a booking for 7 pm on Friday night. Though they didn't have a record of our booking, they still managed to seat us within 5 minutes of arriving after shuffling around some other guests. We were seated at a large table with about 20 people. The table had a number gas bbq pits which were lit when you arrived at the table. Once your order of meat arrived, you cooked in on the bbq pit. The main frustration of it was that you had to wait longer for your meal than at a normal restaurant. My friends and I ordered a buffet each. This mean that we had unlimited food but had to eat it within 90 minutes. Unfortunately since the service was so slow, we had problems getting replacement rice and meat, also our soup never arrived. The food was fantastic and the novelty of cooking it ourselves was fun. The restaurant was understaffed, if you are going to limit the amount of time people are allowed to eat, you shouldn't have to wait for half an hour to get food. Lucky for us we managed to fill up in under the 90 minute limit. Overall, it was pricey but we had a good time.
Nice: Atmosphere, Food
So-So: Value
Dodgy: Service, Wine List
Overall: So-So
| Bad Beer Garden | Reservation Not Required | Good Wheelchair access |
| Bad with babies | Bad with kids | Perfect for a Romantic Evening |
| Good for after-work drinks | Good for a romantic drink | Great for Late-Night Food |
| Bad for watching sport |
I went to the London Club for some after dinner cocktails and cake the other saturday night, and I wasn't disappointed. My friends and I were welcomed at the door by the bar manager with a friendly smile, directing us to a table in the middle of the bar. We browsed the menu and when he came back asked for some suggestions. He was very informative and we weren't disappointed in the end result. They were fantastic! Two of my friends decided to share a piece of chocolate cake and they were fought over it - apparently it was devine! I didn't get to try it because they weren't going to share. The atmosphere at the London Club is amazing - intimate yet lively at the same time. From the wall paper to the wide variety of books on display to the satin menus, a lot of thought has gone into the London Club. I can't wait to go back and take all of my friends with me!
Loved the: Atmosphere, Bar Service, Cocktails, Door Staff, Food, Music, Wine List
Nice: Value
Overall: Loved It!
| Reservation Required | Good Wheelchair access |
I went to the larder for brekkie on the weekend and it was fantastic! My scrambled eggs and bacon on turkish was delicious and the coffee was also very good. I've been there on several occasions with a few different friends and have never once had someone not like what they ordered. The service is always friendly and you don't have to wait very long for your food. The larder also has a great, laid back atmosphere which makes it the perfect place to grab some food and watch the world go by.
Loved the: Drinks, Food, Service, Value
Nice: Atmosphere
Overall: Loved It!