westrella

Reviews

Cafes, Cake Shops and Patisseries, French, Wheelchair Access

Overall 8 2

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food 10 Ambience 10 Service 8 Value 7

Being a patisserie, you would come here for one thing really, the baked goods. A larger selection of sweet things than savoury. The beverages are far from your mind. The only infuriating thing is that it shuts at 12.30 pm on Sundays, which is my lazy coffee day.

I had very delightful and light eclairs, tartlets and the most heavenly macarons here. The apple and cinnamon macaron was divine. Unfortunately, very limited seating, only 4 tables with 3 seats around each, one window seat. I can't really comment on the service. There were 2 staff and not too many people so it was efficient. So delightful.

Feb 23, 2009

Lab Bar + Restaurant, The, Brisbane

Restaurants, Modern Australian, Has Bar, Licensed, Outdoor Dining

Overall 7.7 9

7.8 Recommended

Food 8 Ambience 8 Service 9 Value 6

The Lab is a smaller, intimate space marred by the oversize bar that overlooks all the tables. There's not much romantic ambience when faced with waiters preparing drinks, writing up orders, giving orders, and patrons coming in to sit at the bar.

That aside, the fine dining aspect is in full swing. The meals are competent, although I struggled to find anything I really wanted on the limited menu. I settled for the lamb shoulder which was well presented and cooked in a rich reduction. The desserts looked amazing, but both of us were overcome by the richness of our food to attempt anything but gelati at gelatissimo. I really liked the menus, handbound square affairs with a metal tag sporting their logo. Fine papers. Very well presented.

I'm really over clipboards with laser printouts, even though it provides flexibility for the chef to change meals on a whim. The staff are quite effective. I didn't mind the price point of the place, but just found the bar disconcerting. Probably coming in for a drink only would have changed the tone of my review altogether.

Feb 14, 2009

The Walnut Restaurant and Lounge Bar, Brisbane

Restaurants, Hotels, French, International, Modern Australian

Overall 7.5 1

7.5 Recommended

Food 8 Ambience 5 Service 10 Value 7

The Walnut had a good reputation and some write ups as far as I knew. Having never been to Royal on the Park I hadn't the chance to examine it. I took a date there as the menu seemed interesting and it had recently received a very good review. What a let down. Let me jump forward and say that the food was excellent, even though my fancy fish of the day appeared on an oversize plate.

We're talking a plate resembling an A3 sheet of paper in dimensions. The fish was dressed in foam (also a feature of a dessert) and was accompanied by various tiny tidbits of other food. It was a work of art, but more so, absolutely delicious and spot on in cooking. I rarely have fish steaks that are the texture and warmth that I like and I was blown away by this.

My dessert was the tiramisu, also assembled like art work, each element carefully balanced on the plate. It was delicious too. The service was bouyed by an energetic older waiter (I do like those) who excelled in his role and left us wanting for nothing.

My complaint is solely on the setting. Unfortunately, this can be the way with hotel restaurants. As we stood waiting to be seated, we were in the view of the lobby walkway and guests toing and froing in their shorts and thongs while we were dressed up. People walking around with their luggage. Inside as well, not too much of a dress code and the buffet was on, so people getting up all the time, a very casual feel. Not at all in keeping with the tailored, upholstered, intimate surrounds we were in.

In this regard too, the price point was therefore dear. I felt like I was fine-dining at a family restaurant, and therefore the $30-40 mains seemed out of place.

Feb 14, 2009

Viet Hoa, South Brisbane

Cafes, Vietnamese, BYO, Serves Takeaway, American Express

Overall 5.6 7

6.3 Average

Food 6 Ambience 4 Service 7 Value 8

Very cheap asian food but it's, unfortunately, hit and miss. There is the standard selection of chinese and vietnamese meals. We had the salt and pepper ribs which were dry but acceptable, the chinese style fillet steak which tasted overmarinated, a very strong bi carb taste. Their teapots never work, leaving puddles on the table. It's also glass encased and small which very quickly means the place gets noisy at lunch and dinner.

Nov 25, 2008

Adam's Oriental Restaurant, South Brisbane

Restaurants, Asian, Serves Dinner, Serves Lunch

Overall 7.4 3

6.8 Recommended

Food 8 Ambience 7 Service 6 Value 6

Adam includes a few things on his menu which are hard to find anywhere else, including his own inventions. Try coffee spare ribs, the naked angel's chicken (a spicy peanut, sesame and cucumber tangy sauce) and as far as I know, Brisbane's only location to get deep fried Mars Bar. There is free karaoke, a VIP room if you want to host a private party and plenty of parking.

It's not so far from West End's hub which makes it great to have a group of people without being crammed into a small strip restaurant, and still be able to take your friends down the street later for drinks and music. This place can easily cater for large groups, having one of the biggest floor areas and table sizes of the asian restaurants in West End.

Nov 25, 2008

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Member since 2008

Last updated on 1st Jun 2012

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Displaying: 1 - 10 of 17 reviews

Chouquette, New Farm

Cafes, Cake Shops and Patisseries, French, Wheelchair Access

Overall 8 2

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food 10 Ambience 10 Service 8 Value 7

Feb 23, 2009

Lab Bar + Restaurant, The, Brisbane

Restaurants, Modern Australian, Has Bar, Licensed, Outdoor Dining

Overall 7.7 9

7.8 Recommended

Food 8 Ambience 8 Service 9 Value 6

Feb 14, 2009

The Walnut Restaurant and Lounge Bar, Brisbane

Restaurants, Hotels, French, International, Modern Australian

Overall 7.5 1

7.5 Recommended

Food 8 Ambience 5 Service 10 Value 7

Feb 14, 2009

Viet Hoa, South Brisbane

Cafes, Vietnamese, BYO, Serves Takeaway, American Express

Overall 5.6 7

6.3 Average

Food 6 Ambience 4 Service 7 Value 8

Nov 25, 2008

Adam's Oriental Restaurant, South Brisbane

Restaurants, Asian, Serves Dinner, Serves Lunch

Overall 7.4 3

6.8 Recommended

Food 8 Ambience 7 Service 6 Value 6

Nov 25, 2008

Below 7 Lounge Bar, Brisbane

Bars, Serves Dinner, Serves Lunch

Overall 6.8 1

6.8 Recommended

Drinks 8 Ambience 10 Service 6 Value 3

It's an intimate place to meet someone with great ambience, but what a let down in other areas. Everything is expensive, but without good cause other than the now fading "Hilton" name. Oh yes, this cocktail bar is in the foyer of the Hilton on Elizabeth Street. Expect to pay $10 for a glass of wine. There is an interesting and extensive cocktail list.

You can get coffee, snacks and also high tea. Usually I skip the food with good reason, but I had a change of heart today. What a mistake. Had the cheese platter. It was touted as home made oatcakes, red wine soaked figlettes and fine Australian cheese. It was $16. We got 10 Arnott's water crackers. Two small strawberries that looked like they were on sale at Coles (wrinkled and going pink, bruised). 3 normal sized figs (dried, not soaked). 3 bars of cheese. A cheddar that was nothing grand, a quite tasty brie, and blue.

My disgust was mainly centred on the crackers. Service here is not great. The waiters choose who they are going to give water to. I've been here 3 times this month (such a pity its so central) and only got water once. Even that time, had to wave desperately to attract attention for a refill. The staff are also somewhat terse if you approach the bar and tell you it is table service and to sit down.

The only other thing its got going for it is that it is generally quiet, no blasting top 40 radio. This makes it really good to catch up with someone. Just make sure you go there with plenty of cash and a full stomach. BYO water bottle.

Nov 23, 2008

Chinahouse, Fortitude Valley

Restaurants, Chinese, Seafood

Overall 5.2 4

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food 7 Ambience 9 Service 9 Value 8

Here is an upmarket chinese restaurant in the valley. Well lit, clean and devoid of melamine. Situated upstairs, it is a roomy location capable of hosting large tables of guests. Impressively kitsch is the shelf on one side hosting dozens of wine bottles, mainly St Henri. Food starts at $17 for mains, which is slightly higher than the butcher paper set along the rest of the street.

However, I was not spared from the goopy factor, and refrained from finishing my taiwanese drunken chicken after it turned warm and gelatinous. There would be a point spending close to $20 per person if the food was above average. Simply providing a better environment does not warrant the extra $$ in my books. Service was smart with minimum wait time and eyeballing.

Nov 20, 2008

Cafe Mondial, Brisbane

Cafes, Italian

Overall 6.1 14

5.8 Average

Food 6 Ambience 2 Service 10 Value 5

I have been here twice for dinner (out of desperation) and a few times for coffee. It's in one of those good luck/bad luck positions, smack in town and close to cinema, right next to a main road. That is, if you sit outside, you are literally a metre from passing cars. I'm sorry, "Brisbane outdoor dining" was never about grit being sprayed from passing vehicles, fumes and more.

There are only a handful of neatly packed tables inside. The food, both times I really wanted pasta. Both times I was utterly disappointed. I had a tomato based one and a cream one. The cream one was gluggy and eventually set into an unattractive mass. I'm not sure if they used enhancers or some other processed ingredient, but I spent the rest of the night gassy. Attractive when on a date!

Coffee is fine, but there is a handful of other good cafes on the same street. I had forgotten that all the pastas were between $18-25. You can get a very decent pasta at Verve (cheaper), a mere block away, or even at Pane e Vino just diagonally opposite (although they are exxy too). I'm really not sure what keeps Mondial going, it's been there for years. It certainly has no intimacy. Don't have a date there, you will never hear what the other person has to say.

Nov 14, 2008

Black Forest, Highgate Hill

Cafes, German, BYO

Overall 6 13

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

7.8 Recommended

Food 9 Ambience 9 Service 7 Value 6

Black Forest is certainly an experience in international dining. The very cosy interior sports all manner of Bavaria and kitsch. Dolls, maps, artifacts, posters. There is piano too (but not sure how often the guy plays). We were there on a Friday night. As expected, the menu is meat meat meat, with meat sauce. Surprisingly, there is an extensive menu and I found it hard to decide what I should get. I settled for the venison.

The meals are quite $$$ with the entrees around $15 and the mains all at $30. I ordered a sprite also, but got the diet version served in a glass. The venison was 4 medallions, extremely juicy and tender, drowned in a rich, mushroom filled gravy, and accompanied by spaetzle (german noodles, panfried). Also a wedge of stewed red wine pear, which was served with a dollop of sweet custard (!?). The atmosphere was lively and the place soon filled up.

However, we were given dessert menus and left alone for over 20 minutes, by which time I was over the whole thing and we decided to head to a cafe for sweets instead. The pianist played beautiful classics by German composers. All in all, it was an expensive but pleasant outing. Everyone was extremely friendly, including the chef who said hello each time he walked past. Oh, of course, the menu also sports a whole page of beer.

Nov 14, 2008

Azafran Restaurant, Annerley

Restaurants, Modern Australian, Fine Dining, Romantic and Intimate, Licensed

Overall 8.3 7

9 Highly Recommended

Food 9 Ambience 10 Service 10 Value 7

Boutique dining, a tiny place tucked away in a quiet road. This is the typical fine dining. A good range of wines. A decent menu including dessert range. It's had many good write ups in press. Ambience is very good, a great date place. Intimate and polished. Food was near perfect, we're talking small portions here. I don't agree with the idea that fine dining has to be small. While places like Cha Cha Cha overfeed you, this place ensures that you can manage the entree, main and dessert. Too bad that I usually just get mains and dessert.

Nov 11, 2008