Kindly Yours

Moreton Bay Bug Ravioli. Gip was a beloved companion, soul mate and the apple of his master's eye.    He was a Jack Russell and he lived with the family of James and Sara Taylor, who with nine children, occupied this manor from 1869.    Gip lived until 1894, before the outbreak of the twentieth century.  One can visit the stone memorial of Gip on the manor's western lawn. Jon and Julanne McCorley have operated the restaurant in Gip's name for at least 12 years from the year 2000.       This is a mansion with many rooms.   The space we went through was an evening meal with grace, with carefully crafted dishes for us to saviour and with a most relaxing ambiance throughout.   It was a relatively nippy night outside but we did not feel the elements of the outdoors, only the regional country culinary delights. With a wholesome and elegant menu presented to us, it was both delightful to go through them and yet not easy to decid...

Smashed avocado on sourdough with the 63 degree Celcius eggs. Okay I have heard enough about not going for the Matcha waffles here. However, a Wollongong based mate strongly tipped me off about trying the coffee at Anthology, which opened two years and have been earning accolades, which made me reflect on Ground Up in Toowoomba,  Proud Mary in Melbourne, Opus in Wollongong and Coffee Alchemy in Sydney.   The La Marzarcco Strada EP  is used by Anthology as the main man, together with Mythos One grinders. Anthology is within walking distance from George Street and not far from the Queen Street Mall and the Brisbane river side.   The cafe has a fresh and contemporary look, provides both indoor and outside seating and strikes me as spacious.   The food menu may seem limited, but I reckon here it is a matter of quality over quantity.   As with many contemporary cafes, the layout is one of openness, with the baristas and their mach...

It was a day when two Hollywood stars were in town -  but all we wanted to do that mid afternoon was to sample the premium burgers from Miel Container. This unassuming place, true to being like a part of a parked shipping container, is just off the intersection of Mary and Albert Streets in down town Brisbane.   It was a rainy day, so things looked more cluttered at the front of this burger joint.   Oh well, not just another burger joint!   The servings are large like in the USA.   The garnishing is fusion, well, like in good young Australia.    The flavours and sauces are gratifying and meet expectations.   The service is fast, no nonsense and allows you to dig in as soon as possible.    There are different kinds of buns for variously named burgers. Under a slow drip-drap, and amidst the excited screams for actors Chris and Tom around the corner,  we were shown a more conducive seating table at the side of a lan...

Nutella and Ferrero Crunch  Milk shake, with Chocolate Ganache, hazelnuts, vanilla bean ice cream and a dash of whipped cream. Toscani's has several restaurants in the greater Brisbane area, including Victoria Point, Riverlink, Loganholme and Carindale, and with a Robina outlet on the Queensland Gold Coast.  It has been 18 years since Toscani founder Chris Maggachis commenced in Garden City. Friday night at the South Bank outlet of Toscani's.    Despite some  long wait experiences I read in cyberspace media, my group of four adults and an infant did not encounter any issues with the service.   I rather found the blonde haired staff interacting with us doing his best with customer engagement, even located in a touristy area after a long day.   Did I find the Italian cuisine here watered down to suit the passing parade of South Bank visitors?    Pasta, pizzas and the usual menu for a quick bite may have first given me some impre...

Business rush hour, but on a Thursday, in the so called banking precinct of Brisbane city centre, on the other side of the River from South Bank.   We just followed the trail of office workers and the presence of banking corporate offices.  Then we entered a fresh looking interior, with outdoors visible to Adelaide Street, and felt the vibes of people seeking a quick pick me up or slow business lunch.    The wait space was like a long corridor, Creek Street Corner outside was more of a lane and the ambiance is light and airy but with a buzz.   We chose a table on the pavement under stand up foldable umbrellas but with protection from the road traffic. The menu is a balance of practicality, so called more healthy and office crowd favourites.  Yoghurt, pasta, wraps and Mediterranean salads are offered along side burgers, steaks, Parmigianas , sandwiches, chips and calamari.   Much of the food is already prepared before  hand and laid out in wa...

Eggs Benedict, first dished up in New York, is now a commonly found staple in breakfast cafes across Australia. We were looking for breakfast and were diverted from visiting the Anthology Cafe in downtown Brisbane, due to the road blocks set up for Chris Helmsworth and Tom Hiddleson doing their stuff on location shooting their movie Thor: Ragnarok.   I always find magic when something is preventing achieving a plan but then we get to discover something else.    This early morning it was not exactly going on the less trodden path, as the shut off for foot traffic at the junction of Mary and Albert Streets on a working day did cause traffic diversion of both vehicular and human versions spilling on to the nearby city centre roads. And this was how we discovered Mr. Edward's, aptly named right alongside the road's namesake.    I sensed we were sort of in a tourist visitor area but I could be wrong.  The Verve Hotel was just a stone's throw away...

We did get our Grappa to close off our meal.    John came up with this idea and we appreciated this, as we felt content, like back on an island village courtyard with the ambiance and buzz with mates and family. Greek cuisine are a community thing, so share plates are always a good idea with these Mediterranean restaurants.  The menu may be male skewed, but then that could be related to the cuisine.    There is Haloumi but perhaps more salad creations can be valued by anyone of both genders to balance the meaty stuff and chips.   Greece was part of the Ottoman Empire for many years and at times I am blurred in my understanding of what is Turkish, Greek and Lebanese. It was a packed Friday evening and the mostly young wait staff were quick on their feet. Starters were to warm up the palate and we had the only salad then - the usual olives, tomatoes, Fetta Cheese and the like.    There was this pink salmon dip which was gent...