Tuesday 26 July 2011

Planet Matterz

684 Wynnum Road Morningside Ph: 3399 6008

http://planetmatterz.com/

Well its about time there was a extremely healthy option for everyone to eat out at in Brisbane. Please correct me if im wrong but Planet Matterz in Morningside on the Eastside of Brisbane is one of few organic cafes / restaurants open for business. Not only is Planet Matterz a cafe but it is also an organic supermarket, butcher, bakery and to a lesser extent clothing store, you can even arrange to see a Naturopath. Being as passionate about health and wellbeing as I am Planet Matterz is something truly special and unique in Brisbanes culinary market. Every time I have been there I have left the place with a smile on my face, feeling fresh as were my insides. You can order either off the menu or from the pre made deli food from the glass cabinet. I have had both, for something like breakfast I would suggest to  order from the menu and lunch from the cabinet. For an organic cafe you get great value for your money, Iam tired of paying top dollar at some places and get jipped in quantity and quality. That is certainly not a problem at Planet Matterz, for $20 I got a full plate including a piece of spinach and cheese pastry slice and well as a chicken croquette topped all off with combination salad of shaved carrot and sultana's as well as pumpkin and feta. Service is very chilled and relaxed and meals are always on time.
Judging from other reviews and surfing the net a lot of people dont realise Planet Matterz exists, so guys help me spread the word especially all of you that need gluten free options , it is a tremendous place to dine and shop and if your not a vegetarian or organic eater I dare say you might be turned. Also if I havent convinced you enough check out a pretty impressive web site.

http://planetmatterz.com/

D.


Friday 15 July 2011

Albertos espresso bar

462 Montague Road West End

http://www.albertosshot.com.au/

Well thank god for the Italians, Albertos shot espresso in West End proves that Italians really are the masters in coffee. If your looking for a relaxed atmosphere with a suburban feel get along to Albertos. I have always been envious of the residents in West End but now I have discovered Albertos I am even more, not everyone is fortunate enough to have such quality coffee walking distance from their homes. If you live far away it will be quite difficult for you to get to Albertos due the their hours, they are open from 6.30am to 2.30pm Mon - Fri and 7.30 to 2.30 on weekends. Machiatto drinkers will especially appreciate Albertos, my machiatto was so smooth and prefect I could actually sit back and sip on it and relax like every Italian does. Most cafes get their machiatto's wrong, I find them so bitter that I have to add sugar and throw it back, but at Albertos my machiatto was so good I ordered another straight after id finished my first. The crowd is trendy and quirky and you can tell all customers appreciate quality coffee, focaccia's, muffins and daily specials are all available to eat.

A lot of reviews on Albertos all agree that the coffee is amazing but the service is below par, I found it to be fine although one of the staff members was a little strange, the service is very quick and your coffee is  pretty much made by the time you are at your seat. Albertos would be ideal for business meetings and long catch ups with friends over a good cup of coffee.

Ciao Grazie.

D.

Tuesday 12 July 2011

The Hellenic Club - Cafenio

Yasuo followers,

THE HELLENIC CLUB in Brisbane's greek capital of West End on Russell street, is a tradition and a second home for Brisbanes Greek community. Im going to go straight out on a lim here and brand The Hellenic Club serves the best Greek cuisine in Brisbane, if not the best than definitely the most authentic apart from the Korean backpacker waitresses.  Located in a old greek style building The Hellenic Club is kind of hard to find, look for the white building with the big pillars out the front. The crowd is mostly old greek men, arguing and laughing over a game of Tavlie, the greek version of Backgammon. The walls are surrounded by old greek soccer team photos and vintage greek landmarks. The decor I dont think has changed since it opened which is okay because it adds character, see the hellenic club is more a cafe than a restaurant. Theres plenty of seating available but I suggest sitting on the balcony especially when summer comes around. The menu offeres limited options but I suggest the chicken souvlaki with greek salad, I get this dish every time without fail and it has yet to disappoint me, what i also like is it is greek tradition you eat with bread, so you should receive a unlimited free bread sticks with your meal, the food is so good here I am always stealing food of my friends plates. If you like a good iced coffee I always like a good frappe to topp of a great meal.

The hellenic club gives you a touch of Greece in our own backyard, theres no need to get dressed up or bring your credit card, just turn up and enjoy the brillant food. Hellas vlaka.

D.



Sunday 3 July 2011

Caravanseri

1-9 Dornoch Terrace West End, Ph: 3217 2617

http://www.caravanserairestaurant.com.au/index.html

I have heard mixed reviews about Caravanseri, so of course I had to try it for myself. Everytime I've walked past its been absolutely heaving with patrons and every time I have tried to get a table without pre booking there has been an hour to two hour wait. Caravanseri fast becoming one of Brisbane's most talk about restaurants. Last night was my long awaited much anticipated appearance at Caravanseri restaurant. The decor is really authentic and sets the mood, similar to what you would find in most Turkish restaurants. Parking though is a nightmare, if your lucky to land a park directly outside, otherwise street parking is the only way to go which in West End is always difficult. Tables are both inside and out but if you feel the cold like I do I would advise against eating outside as there is no to limited heating, after a table became available inside we snapped it up and moved in. Inside provides a great atmosphere, flames are firing from the kitchen, people are laughing and everything's quite loud. The menu is quite limited which isn't a bad thing really as I find some menu's are overcrowded with dishes and are complicated. We decided to go for the Istanbul Sublime, a platter for two involving lamb cutlets, chicken skewers, garlic prawns, chilli mussels, haloumi, fresh salads, dipping sauces, rice and warm bread. From experience platters are the way to go at Turkish resurtrants and to a starving stomach the bigger the better. When we eventually got our platter it was simply beautiful, the flavours and textures were so delicious except for one of my lamb cutlets which was a little underdone, with a pricetag of $63.50 I would had expected the Istanbul Sublime to be a little bigger. Still being a little peckish we just couldn't resist the dessert menu. Everything from baclava to turkish delights we tried it and they were aboslutley devine. Our desserts really hit the spot which topped off a wonderful meal, I was even more please with my skinny latte which was one of the better ones I have had for some time.

From the negative reviews I have read on Caravanseri they all complain about the service. We waited an hour for our meal to arrive and believe me that time went slow, I wouldn't normally mind waiting this long for food but both my girlfriend and I were starving so that hour dragged on, only once were we updated on the status of our order. Some Turkish bread would had been nice whilst we waited so long for our meal. In saying that the service was still pretty good, we had a fantastic waiter who thanked us for our patience on our wait for the meal. Caravanseri would be a great place to go in a big group of people, although I would expect a lengthy wait on the meal so defiantly order entrees. I will defiantly go back to Caravanseri although next time I will be with a lot more people, as a lover of Turkish cuisine I find Caravanseri to be different to Brisbane's other Turkish restaurants, its BYO and so for corkage you are charged by the person. Opening everyday apart from Monday Caravanseri is defiantly a restaurant worth going to just remember to book at least two days in advance.

D.

 Istanbul Sublime


Desert