my name is Food.: South Brisbane

Bacchus Restaurant | South Bank, Brisbane

Bacchus June 30, 2021

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The Spaghetti House Trattoria - South Bank, Brisbane

Australia March 11, 2019

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Zeus Street Greek - South Bank, Brisbane

Australia December 21, 2018

When Zeus initially opened a few years ago, it definitely caught a lot of people's attention, even mine. It was packed a few times we had wanted to go but we finally was able to get a seat during lunchtime when it was surprisingly quiet. Only a couple of tables were filled when we came in with a few others ordering take away while we were there.

The interesting thing is that although it's a restaurant, you do order at the counter and get your own cutleries and serviettes as well as any water or condiments at a table corner.

Since this is a delayed post, please note that the menu has changed but the below was the menu they had when we dined there.

Uncle 'Tzimmy' Chicken was one of their classic pitas where you could pick your choice of meat out of chicken, pork or lamb, served with tomato, tzatziki, onion, paprika and their famous chips all wrapped up in a fluffy pita.

Once it reached our table, the disappointment started. The size of the pita was small. In all of the images I looked at previously seemed to be a lot bigger but then again, it may have just been the angle.

The pita bread was dry and coarse, not fluffy but a bit tough chewy texture. The amount of chips in it was only a few at the top and does not go till the bottom. The chicken was also dry and did not have any distinct flavour but had a slight smokyness aroma. The onion, tzaziki and paprika was there but again, it didn't really complemented the whole pita to make it better or great. The chips weren't crispy as we thought it would be seeing that it was freshly made, it had the slight soggyness already maybe due to the tzatziki and the humidity being cooped up in the pita. The paprika was mostly found on the top of the pita which was on the chips and a little bit on the tomato. The tomato was basically two thin slices through the whole pita.

It wouldn't be something we'd order again and instead, we would have gotten their other dishes. That could've been a better portion and fill us up.

It just felt and tasted like a fast food setting kind of food although I know it's not and not aiming to be.

Soft Shell Crab served with Aegean slaw, preserved lemon mayo, caramelised onion, sweet chilli and coriander. This was one of the items I really wanted to try when looking through their menu and seeing images online. However, it was also a sad pita. It was dry, the Aegean slaw was mostly red cabbage with bits and pieces of carrots. The coriander was only about two picks. I was unable to detect much of the caramelised onion nor the lemon mayo which was a let down. A good thing would have been that yes, a full soft shell crab was given but then again, for those who's eaten one, we all know they're not that big. The pita was also not as fluffy but was rather a bit tough chewy and dry. The sweet chilli was so tiny I couldn't even taste it.

Would it be somewhere we would visit again? Maybe not. Their customer service was also not that great either. No friendliness throughout. Only a Hi when we entered and that's it.

For the price of these pitas and their portion, it wasn't worth it.

Up the size or lower the price would be my suggestion.

*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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Izakana-ya Okuman, West End, Brisbane

Asian December 05, 2016

On a busy Melbourne St lies a few Japanese eateries and one of them is Izakana-ya Okuman, bringing a modern twist to the Japanese cuisine and their dining room. Ordering is done via Ipads and the waitresses wearing Kimono makes you feel like you are sitting in a little bar eatery in Japan. Having bar seating, a traditional dining room out the back with the normal dining area being wooden tables and chairs throughout the rest of the venue. A range of traditional dishes are served on handmade Japanese pottery makes the dining much more elegant and enjoyable.

Though ordering is all done through Ipads, the waitresses are there to help you if you are unsure of how to order. Although their lunch menu isn't as extensive as their dinner menu, there is about 7 varieties of Bento boxes as well as a few other rice or noodle dishes to choose from.

'Sashimi Bento' (AUD$18) was what I ordered but all Bento boxes consists of warm rice, your choice of mains, sides including salad and Agedashi Tofu, assorted pickles and a small bowl of cold udon. Ordering a Bento box is always great if you're aren't sure of what to order or what to eat. Being able to taste a bit of everything, having meat as well as tofu, salad and rice will definitely satisfy your tastebuds.

Cold udon served with wilted seaweed and a little bit of spring onions on the side topped with tempura flakes. When it arrived on our table however, the soup was limited, absorbed by the noodle and the tempura flakes were not crispy as they were already soggy. The broth was refreshing and calming throughout the meal, allows you to have a break from eating the main meat of your choice and the rice.

Having chosen sashimi as the main dish of the Bento box, it included of Salmon, Tuna, Kingfish and Squid with a dollop of wasabi and also some seaweed.. The sashimi tasted fresh and the slices were also not bad meaning that it wasn't as thin as some other Japanese restaurants.

Agedashi Tofu is silken tofu cut into cubes, lightly coated with either potato starch or cornstarch then deep fried. What's unique about this is the thin layer of the deep fried coating yet still capturing the silkyness of the tofu. The broth has a light salty soy sauce base and is always a good dipping sauce as well for it. Just be careful when eating it as it does get hot when you take a bite.. Assorted pickles were also given on the side.

Potato croquette was topped with a drizzle of some sort of soy sauce based placed in the same box as a cold pasta salad. Mixing the hot croquette and the cold pasta salad may not have been such a good idea as either the croquette might get cold quicker and the fresh salad may be warmer..

'Chicken Schnitzel Curry' (S: $9, L: $12) was served in a big handmade Japanese pottery bowl which looked liked a coral shell. A pretty dish indeed when served and presented to our table, served with red pickles. The curry itself was not bad, full of flavour but there could have been more chicken katsu as it seemed at first it was enough but then when you start eating and mix it altogether, more chicken would be better as there would be more balance within the dish.