002. One of my favourite food groups is dumplings: Harajuku Gyoza

[Editors Note: Not sure what's happened here but a very old post has decided to pop up to the top of my blogs list. At time of writing, HG has been opened for quite some time and still a favorite of mine]

One day, whilst walking through the Fortitude Valley with a friend, I nearly went into cardiac arrest when I saw the above sign plastered on a shop window. "Oh my fucking God, Tash, LOOK!" I was in a daze. Like the fat kid from Willy Wonka, I had found my sweet, sweet confectionery. Only that it wasn't open yet (and still isn't). 

Harajuku Gyoza is a restaurant bar opening mid-October. It combines two of the best food groups; dumplings and alcohol. Need I say more? 

I am a huge fan of dumplings. There's something so satisfying about a warm, meat and vegetable filled thin dough smothered in tangy vinegar that make dumplings wonderfully delicious. I am eagerly awaiting the opening of Harajuku Gyoza. Stalk their Facebook and Tumblr pages with me:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Harajuku-Gyoza 

Tumblr: http://harajukugyoza.tumblr.com/

Website: http://www.harajukugyoza.com/

Once this baby opens, I will be there with arms, mouth and belt buckle wide open. The oh-so-cute Gyoza dumpling beckons me to try it. Stay tuned for a review. 

027. Birthday Celebrations: The Euro

Editor's Note: So I have been particularly tardy in the last few months with blog updates and subsequently may or may not have photos which accompany the next few updates. I sincerely apologise if the lack of photographs that accompany posts tarnish your food-bebe experience. 

The Euro is another one of the Urbane Groups' lovely venues. This one is a little less formal than Urbane but still an elegant spot for a mid-ranged price meal. European inspired food and decor are combined for a classy dining experience. 

On my visit with some girl friends, we were shown to our table by the maître d' who was friendly and polite. One of the girls knew our waitress and subsequently were graced with impeccable service. So although we knew our waitress, the service was consistent and graceful. I ordered an orricette dish which is an Italian word for 'little pasta' I believe and it was superb, fresh and light. The feedback from the girls was that their dishes were amazing and they would definitely come back to try out the other meals. 

The Euro is a classy little spot and is perfect for a fantastic meal. You are in good hands at when you dine at an Urbane Group establishment.

Website: http://www.urbanerestaurant.com/the-euro/

026. Birthday Celebrations: Public

Editor's Note: So I have been particularly tardy in the last few months with blog updates and subsequently may or may not have photos which accompany the next few updates. I sincerely apologise if the lack of photographs that accompany posts tarnish your food-bebe experience. 

I went to Public a few weeks after they opened up shop in Brisbane so this has been some months now but I have been back a number of times and my impressions have not changed one bit.  I have been back a number of times and as expected, the menu changes seasonally. My first experience was again, for my birthday as part of my birthday dinner week extravaganza. 

First of all, I wanted to note that prior to Public, the space was occupied by a Groove Train restaurant. From when I first discovered that general area, I noticed not as many people frequented that Groove Train compared to their other locations like King George Square or the Eagle Street Pier restaurant. So I wasn't sure how Public would fare. The area is right near the law courts and it is a side of town where a lot of 'suits' work. 

My first impression of Public was that the decor was beautiful, elegant and classy. I was hoping for the same dining experience and it did not disappoint. The Public style of fare is tapas style, small plates of dishes designed to share. The dishes were crafted beautifully and it seemed like no matter what you ordered, they would compliment each other well. I love dining tapas style, it gives me the opportunity to try all the different flavours and combinations which you would otherwise have to come back multiple times to try the entire menu. The food is fresh and absolutely made with the finest quality with amazing flavour combinations. I highly recommend the Texas Brisket with Flour Tortillas and Chilli Sauce, the Asian Slaw and if they still have it as a special, the Scallop Pie. It is simply just amazing, high quality, stylish food. 

The staff were kind, polite and accommodating. I am in love with venues where the lighting is just enough, not too much that you feel like you're in a dining hall or not too little where you feel like you're dining in a closet. The lighting adds to the mystical elegance of the place.

As I mentioned earlier, I have come back a number of times since and I have loved every dining experience. When I find a place I love, I tell the whole world and his dog about it. I am sure that Public will be an establishment that will make its mark into Brisbanes culinary landscape for many years because it truly deserves to. 

Website: http://www.lovepublic.com.au/

025. Birthday Celebrations: The Laneway

Editor's Note: So I have been particularly tardy in the last few months with blog updates and subsequently may or may not have photos which accompany the next few updates. I sincerely apologise if the lack of photographs that accompany posts tarnish your food-bebe experience. 

The first of my birthday dinner ventures began with some close friends from work at The Laneway. This was a casual get together after work for a cocktail and burger to kick off my birthday week. 

The Laneway is one of the four classy establishments housed under the Urbane Group of restaurants. It is much more of a casual affair in comparison to its fine dining sibling, Urbane.   Primarily, The Laneway operates as a bar, however, I would actually just go there for the bar food. Now, it has been some months between this post and when I actually was at The Laneway and thus they have updated their menu. Nevertheless, I am sure that their quality has not waned. So on my particular visit to the venue, my friends and I were greeted with the most polite of barmen and swiftly given food and drink menus. I ordered the 'Brigitte Helm' cocktail and it was delicious. I ordered a burger (from which they had many to choose from when I was there) and you know when you can tell if the meat of high quality or not and flavours just ooze out of the patty, well that was my burger and it was fabulous. The general consensus from my friends were that their burgers were some of the best they had ever had. 

Now, as I mentioned earlier, it has been some months between this post and my visit and I believe The Laneway were closed for a period of time. Checking out the website, the menu has changed, incorporating more tapas style dishes than mains. Still sounds delish though. Look like I'll have to go back for another visit. 

Website: http://www.urbanerestaurant.com/the-laneway/ 

024. Birthday Celebrations

About a month ago, I celebrated my birthday by gathering smaller groups of friends together to try out a number of places that had either recently opened up in Brisbane or places I was yet to trial. Below is the list of places that I went to and will be subsequently reviewing.

• The Laneway 
• Public
• The Euro
• Glamorous Wok
• Popolo
• The Survey Co

023. Lyrebirds nest together for a beautiful meal: Uccello

First of all, you may have seen the post below was a little out of the ordinary in terms of formatting and whatnot. That's because I've just downloaded the Blogger app for my phone so I will be posting more via computer and phone. So please, excuse the formatting and lack of numbering :)

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[Editors Note: alas, my blog as been corrupted by Internet gremlins and thus my photos have disappeared :( ]

My visits to Sydney without a doubt, ALWAYS include a new food adventure. I visit Sydney quite often and it is always surprising me with new gems. On my most recent trip a few days ago, I had dinner with a colleague at one of the Ivy's many restaurants, Uccello. 

I love the Ivy. I've only ever been to the main bar a few times but it never fails to impress. It certainly is a place of prestige among the suits of Sydney with their flashy bars and expensive drinks. So I definitely had high expectations for their restaurants, especially as Uccello is a 'hatted' restaurant. Boy did Uccello deliver.

Firstly, I felt sooo bad for being late to the reservation. Our flight had landed a tad late therefore resulting in us being late to check into the hotel and late to arrive at Uccello. But the maitre d was so lovely and ushered us straight to our table without a look of judgement or disgust (as I would expect a classy establishment would). The waiter was exceptional; warm, friendly and catered to our needs very efficiently. 

As we had pretty much just stepped off a plane, we were starving and went straight for the mains. I ordered the Roasted spiced Pyrenees lam rack, Sicilian minted cous cous, almond and currants and my colleague ordered the Pan roasted Kurobuta pork cutlet, brussel sprouts, pancetta, pumpkin puree and sage jus. First of all, both dishes came out so much quicker than expected. The restaurant itself was probably at half capacity, even still I expected a longer wait. Secondly, lovely presentation. The food looked inviting. As I went for my first bite, my colleague was over the moon about her dish. "Best pork ever" she exclaimed and I think she only had one bite so far. It certainly looked and smelt awesome. Although my lamb was superb, I take my hat off to the minted cous cous. It was divine. So many flavours, it complimented the lamb so so well. I just wanted to keep eating the cous cous. Beautifully fluffy with an array of textures from the soft, sweet currants to the crunchy almonds, it was a perfectly balanced meal. 

So by the time we were finished, we were actually quite stuffed (the started bread and a glass of bubbly usually help with that). But there's always room for dessert. Unfortunately, we were way too excited for dessert to take photos but you will just have to try for yourself. I ordered the Rhubarb strawberry tiramisu with almond praline and it was phenomenal. Not your average tiramisu, this was a fountain of flavours. Loved every bite. I think I nearly cried when I physically could not finish it. We were intrigued by the biscuit-y base of my colleagues dessert and the waiter was even kind enough to ask the chef for us. Wonderful service!

Uccello in Italian translates to bird. Lira Uccello is lyrebird. This beautiful little lyrebird of a restaurant can surely take you away to a far away food heaven. 

Website: http://merivale.com.au/uccello/

I don't even know what number post this is but i just had to blog: the best sausage I've ever had in my life so far: The Snag Stand

Okay, so I'm in Sydney for the weekend and I've just stopped my shopping for a bite to eat. Usually when I come to Sydney, I make myself try new places to eat because that's what you do right, when you're away from home. So, I walk into the Westfield Pitt St food court and am completely overwhelmed by the choices. I've been here a few times but never end up having anything because I usually have reservations elsewhere. First of all, this "food court" is pimp. I put food court in inverted commas because this is like the Kings food hall or something. It's quite fancy. I have a hard time deciding on what tl eat because when I'm hungry, I want to eat everything. In situations like this, I opt for classics. In this case, a hot dog place called The Snag Stand catches my eye. A sign on the wall says "gourmet sausages and haute dogs" aka fancy hot dogs. So I go for it.
The hot dog has come from humble beginnings to become a haute dog. Different variations in flavour, spice levels and even textures take the classic pig-in-a-blanket to a gourmet meal fit for royalty (you totally imagined the Queen downing a hot dog didn't you?).
So I'm now faced with the dilemma of what kind of hot dog to get: the Americano, the Greek, the this, the that. Overwhelmed but also rushed by the people in line behind me, I order a Spicy Chorizo dog (and a side salad of half rocket and balsamic and half potato salad). The hot dog is a Chorizo sausage with sundried tomatoes, rocket, grated goats cheese and an aioli type sauce. It was heaven in a soft brioche bun. I, then and there decided I was moving to Sydney due to being sick of mediocre food. The goats cheese compliments the sauce which affectionately smothers  the sausage which is hugged by a soft bun that sandwiches this heaven in a food item together. In one word, amazing. It's a little pricey at $9.50 for a hot dog but the quirky ingredients that go on top of said hot dog are well worth the cash.  I think I would be a very wealthy lady if I had enough business sense to take some of these Sydney chains and restaurants up north.
Check out The Snag Stand. Just do it.