my name is Food.: Queen St

Hokkaido Baked Cheese Tart | Myer Centre, Brisbane CBD

Brisbane September 30, 2019

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Otto Ristorante - Queen St, Brisbane CBD

Brisbane February 21, 2017

Otto's parent company, the Fink Group, actually operates Quay Restaurant, the famous and most awarded restaurant in Sydney. So no wonder, when Otto opened, there was quite a hype and even getting their first Hat for it already.

Located in the new 480 Queen St, you have to be able to try and find your way there as you can get a bit lost. But simply go up the long escalator and on your right, will be Otto. The interior design is rather unique with a magenta coloured twisted ceiling fans, wooden wall screens and an open kitchen.

Our meal commenced with complimentary sourdough bread and olive oil, which I did not fully enjoy as the bread itself was rather hard and crusty. Once you break it however it was soft on the inside but densed. We both quite enjoyed the olive oil as it had a pepper undertone.

Zucca Arrosto, roast pumpkin served with sage, parmesan, muscatels, pine nuts and burnt butter. Hands down, this has to be the best roast pumpkin combination and dish I have had for a long time compared to other places.

Everything worked well, adding that notes of crunch from the pine nuts, the saltiness from the parmesan, sweetness from the muscatels and the charring taste and smoky flavour from the burnt butter. The burnt butter was just right, lovely and delicious. I wouldn't even mind picking up my leftover bread and dipping it into the burnt butter sauce, it was just aromatically flavoursome.

Strozzapreti, twisted pasta served with banana prawns, garlic, chilli, black olives, tomato and calamari sauce. Although ordering a seafood pasta isn't something I would usually get unless there was scallops or crab in it, I thought I'd give this a try. When it first came out, you could automatically see the big banana prawns smothered in the sauce, garlic, chilli and herbs. The twisted pasta was nice to see for a change from the typical long or penne pasta.

The black olives and the rest of the condiments went well with the whole pasta dish however I did feel that the tomato and calamari sauce seemed to just have been tomato sauce. It wasn't fishy nor calamari taste-like. The pasta was cooked al dente and the prawns were not overpowered by the tomato sauce. It was a nice pasta dish overall, however not something I would go back again for.

Maiale, a Byron Bay Berkshire Pork Cutlet served with cauliflower, char-grilled cos, garnished with balsamic. The pork had the right texture, not overcooked and had a good balance with its moist meat and not too sickening fat area. It had the slight charring also on the outside which gave it that extra smoky flavour overall. The char-grilled cos was nice as a side but felt that it was somewhat out of place in a way.

What's special about Byron Bay bred pork was that it had the Berkshire marbling, being fed a special mixed grain diet. A quality pork with a sweet and juicy flavour along with its tender texture. Berkshire pigs originated from England and is one of the oldest pigs breed known, with its high levels of marbling to develop within the muscles.

The cauliflower turned out to be incorporated into the mash and wasn't an actual cauliflower as what I originally thought. Smart idea to incorporate it however the mash seemed slighly gluggy however you could taste the slight hint of cauliflower creamy-ness.

Although we didn't have enough tummy space to fit in more food, desserts or coffee, we will sure be back to try other items on their menu. A traditional yet modern Italian fare using Australian produce, it's lovely to see when restaurants do support the local community.

*Please note this is a delayed post and as such, the menu may have changed since my visit to the establishment.

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Jo-Jo's, Queen Street Mall, Brisbane CBD, Brisbane

Asian February 05, 2017

Jo-Jo's will be closing soon as rumours said so I thought a final review would be nice before they move to the new venue at West End. It will be moving after being in the same location for 37 years owned by Stefan, the same owner as Stefan Salon. This place has always offered many diners various dining options from Modern Australian to Italian to Asian to Mediterranean.

'Sirloin Special' (AUDR18.5) was a 200g Beef city platinum MSA grain fed from Darling Downs region served with fresh salad, steaming baked potato with sour cream. Add a garlic and chilli prawns or USA pork BBQ ribs if you prefer your meat served with a topper.

Choosing Mushroom sauce is always somewhat safe, also for Pepper. However the Mushroom sauce here seemed to be creamier than the usual, though the creamy had a good consistency and simply just needed more mushroom. Yes, there were chunks of mushrooms in the sauce pot but in the sauce itself, it seemed to have had much more cream and not much mushroom. For those who do prefer a not so strong mushroom taste, then you would enjoy the sauce. But for those who do prefer a strong mushroom taste, you may feel that it was cream with a hint of mushroom.

The beef sirloin was cooked to what we wanted, juicy and nicely char grilled. The steamed potato was okay, topped with a dollop of sour cream but was not seasoned overall. The fresh salad had a mix of greens, red onions and tomatoes with a drizzle of creamy sauce.

'Big Brissy Burger' (AUD$18.5) was a combination of Wagyu beef patty, melted cheese, pickles, bacon, tomato, melted cheese, cos lettuce, aioli, caramelised onion and chilli jam relish on a freshly toasted brioche bun. The brioche bun looked slightly dry when it first arrived on the table and it seemed to not have been sliced in half properly as the top bun was much more thinner than the bottom. However, I did feel that it worked as no one likes a soggy bottom bun as you always want the juices of the beef patty and the sauce all dribble down without ruining the bottom bun.

Add in a side of chips for AUD$3.5 for that extra crunch and to accompany your burger. The chips were fried well and perfect served with a side of aioli sauce.

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Pig 'N' Whistle, Queen Street Mall, Brisbane CBD

Brisbane January 07, 2017

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Jimmy's On The Mall, Queen Street Mall, Brisbane CBD

Alcohol October 16, 2016

One of the places in the CBD to take relatives or friends when they're coming from either interstate or overseas is somehow here at Jimmy's. There are other options such as dining at Riverside and so on, but when wanting a place to relax and enjoy good food as well as people watching then this is just the place. Being open 24 hours also helps with the fact that when you're out late at night and wanting to have coffee and cake and so on but still be able to enjoy the environment.

'Roasted Free Range Pork Belly' (AUD$34) was nicely laid out allowing each of the elements of the dish to shine on its own while having the different colours pop out. Served with pumpkin, green beans, chorizo sausage and sauce vierge, there were two generous cuts of the roasted pork belly.

What seemed to have been a spoonful of Bruschetta mix was refreshing to have within every few bites here and there. The pumpkin puree was delicious while the slightly grilled chorizo sausage was a nice touch though not sure how it would've worked together with the pork belly as the main element of the dish would be the pork belly. The green beans was not overcooked and soggy but instead crispy and was the only crunch in the dish other than the crispy skin of the pork belly.

The roasting of the pork belly was done quite nicely, having that crispy skin and the right amount of saltiness. Though, when slicing through the pork belly, the crispy skin was hard and tough, making it very hard to slice through and even bite it without having your teeth hurt a little here and there. You would have to bite it slowly and softly if possible. The pork belly meat itself had the right amount of salt absorbed into it and seasoning. It wasn't too oily but felt that most of the meat itself was just pork fat.

'Wagyu Beef Burger' (AUD$22) served on a wooden chopping board served with lettuce, tomato, beetroot relish, pickle, mozarella cheese and chips. It didn't seem overwhelming in a way as it was just okay overall. The bun was not soft but was rather hard and the wagyu beef pattie was slightly dry.