Morning After

Morning After got massive hype when it opened up for their breakfast carbonara and being super cool. So I went out to see if that hype was true and before you scroll down to see my verdict, I basically found the food to be super pretty but a bit expensive. A great place to take someone to impress them though!

It's located further down the road on Vulture Street. Snag a park nearby if you can, otherwise probably park around Nandos and leg it.

This place!

This is their website menu! I wasn't able to take any pictures of the interior due to the sheer number of people in the cafe. It's a very bright and open cafe though, I liked the furniture used, lots of blonde wood and giant tables.

View from where I was sitting

My table

I ordered this coffee, it was a drip coffee that came in a glass beaker and a little pitcher of soy milk. If this was the first coffee I ever had, I would never drink it again. Bland, sour water to say the least. It had no body and you can really taste the lack of textured milk to top up the espresso.

Gross

I got the breakfast carbonara! Slow cooked hen's egg, mushrooms, fresh papardelle, guanciale and pecorino. Guanciale is a cured pork cheek or jowl, so think of it as a bacon like meat. I quite liked this dish, I really wish there were more pieces of the crispy guanciale and a larger egg or a second egg to better coat the pasta. Hen's eggs are traditionally the first egg ever laid by a chicken, they tend be tinier and I don't know why that's appealing. Give me a second egg, a duck egg even! The pasta was wonderful, silky and with a firm bite to it.

The highly vaunted brekkie carbonara

I went back with VGirl later in the week for our regular breakfast get together. VGirl got this green juice, kale, celery. mint, apple, lemon and ginger. She loves green juices but hates the taste of mint, so she goes around Brisbane finding the best green juices. She felt that this one was a particularly good one and says that the one at Chester Street is her all time favourite though.

Such a bright colour

VGirl got this zucchini and corn fritters which came with sauteed Swiss Brown mushrooms, kale and poached eggs. She said that this was an okay dish but said there wasn't anything particularly good about it. That is all she told me, thanks VGirl for your sterling attention to detail.

Plus cheese

I got the good ol' eggs benedict, two poached eggs, smoked salmon, sauteed spinach, sourdough bread and an overly lemon flavoured hollandaise sauce. I have nothing more to say about this eggs benedict, all the flavours work well except the hollandaise could be more balanced in flavour.

Classic

Morning After
Atmosphere:7, well light place with nice furniture and decorations. Also every time I went there, all two times, there were tons of cute dogs present.
Service: 5, nothing spectacular.
Food: 6, I like the breakfast carbonara. Generally the food was super pretty but not to either my or VGirl's tastes. Give the place a shot, but the hype is half hearted.

Haoke Seafood Restaurant

N., demanded that we go to yum cha one day, she was feeling a bit homesick and sick of European style breakfasts. Unfortunately Brisbane doesn't have many early morning yum cha places, we only have lunch time or late night yum cha so off we went for lunch! We had actually tried going to another location before this that I won't disclose. We arrived there at the exact time that the venue was stated to open, waited half an hour, in which time no staff or customers arrived. So we decided to high tail it to Haoke instead!

We pretty much just tried the classics that everyone orders at yum cha. So first off we have har gow! Your standard prawn dumplings, these were large plump whole prawn dumplings with a thin, finely pleated skin. A standard dumpling done well, onwards!

Ol' faithful

Siu mai dumplings with a small cube of carrot at the top to visually imitate the crab roe you can get on siu mai in fancier places. Also nothing flash, I think we ignored this dumpling after we each grabbed one.

Back up~

Chicken feet! This was much better than the one I've had at Landmark, the colour is much darker, the garlic much more potent and the flavour had soaked in a lot more into the silky chicken skin. I like that they serve it in even numbers, otherwise as Mama Pham says, how will the chicken walk?

Mama Pham always makes that joke

This is a prawn and garlic chive dumpling, its not all that different from the har gao dumpling really, there a bit of additional freshness and garlic punch from the inclusion of the chives.

The tend to be a bit bigger than har gao too

N., ordered this for us since she said it was really good. We got some deep fried tofu puffs covered in fish paste with mushrooms on top of that. The serving lady helpfully cut everything in half for us. I think due to the cooking method, the mushrooms had the least exposure to heat and were still very firm/fresh tasting. You know that uncooked flavour that you can get with mushrooms, I find it an odd taste and can't eat mushrooms that way.

I just ate the fish paste

These were a deep fried thingy with barbecue pork on the inside. I have no idea what this stuff is, its white, slightly sweet, super chewy and even after being fried its quite pale. I have this weird feeling it might be made out of rice flour? Who knows.

?_? whats the English name for it?

Lacklustre barbecue duck, shiny skin that wasn't salted enough. We packed this up for lunch with the noodles below, we barely ate any of it.

I love noodles but I did not love these soy sauce fried noodles. They were literally just soy sauce, some onion and egg noodles but they left a very greasy puddle of oil when you lifted them up.

Pass

I love salt and pepper calamari like I can't even describe. These were quite good, no chewiness, a light batter, a good saltiness and a large serving to boot.

Noice

Xiao long bao! These looked almost suspiciously perfect, all the pleats look completely the same don't they? We got a good blast of some red vinegar to go with these but I still prefer the ones you can get at New Shanghai.

Perfectly pleated

Haoke Seafood Restaurant
Atmosphere: 5, your classic Chinese restaurant done up in red and gold.
Service: 5, your standard subpar service. 
Food: 7, definitely better than Landmark and its open for late night yum cha. Unfortunately the parking situation is a lot more dismal. Pick your poison I guess?

Ashton and Old

N., and I went to Ashton and Old as a quick lunch before work! We were entranced by the sounds of pork belly fried rice and so off we went! I really enjoy working with N., like me, she rarely has plans and if so it's planned so far in advance that she can easily join me in my random food adventures around Brisbane. We're both notorious in our work place for having lunches together and going to Korean fried chicken joints late after work ends haha.

Anyway, Ashton and Old is located on Old Cleveland Road, it has 1P parking in the front and some parking at the back if you're lucky! Just hope that you're on the right side of the road approaching, or you might have to leg it across busy traffic!

This place!

Here is their menu!

We went agesssss ago!

I like the set up of the cafe, but you know by now that I love open plan restaurants with an airy appearance. I like sunlit rooms!

I like succulents!

View from where we were sitting

Lots of seating space

Those photos are olden day Camp Hill!

I went there for their pulled pork eggs benedict, cause both those things massively appeal to me! I love the silky creaminess of this hollandaise sauce. I adored that doorstop wedge of bread that soaked up all the juices from my tender pulled pork and the yolk from my perfectly poached eggs. This meal was a dream come true and everything I expected and more, when it came to pulled pork eggs bene!

Yessss

This is the dish that made us come here in the first place! Sticky pork belly fried brown rice with fried egg, fresh Asian coleslaw and lots of crunchy deep fried onion garnishes. The pork belly was tender and cooked enough that the fat had rendered nicely but despite that we didn't really like the fried rice. N., noted that she felt like it was way too healthy for her with the inclusion of brown rice, we both felt like the plum sauce used in the fried rice made it way too sweet and made the rice clump together. It looked great but fell flat in execution.

Meh

We also got giant hand cut sweet potato chips to share, you can tell they are lovingly hand cut because one is the size of an entire sweet potato. They had a nice crunchy exterior and soft sweet fluffy interior. I love sweet potato chips. They also gave us a dish of garlic aioli to dip with!

Giant chip

N., got this fluffy strawberry, apple and orange juice drink.

Fluffy drink

I got this coffee frappe, without sugar syrup like a dummy. So it was just a fancy iced coffee really. Note to self, don't get it without sugar syrup.

Bleh needs sugar

Ashton and Old
Atmosphere: 7, I love the look of this little cafe.
Service: 5, not bad, nothing special.
Food: 7, pretty good! They have an inventive menu that constantly changes and I would go back to try some other stuff on their menu.

Ze Pickle

I went out with JGirl to Ze Pickle cause we love dirty burgers, it had also been having great photos all over Instagram. Also I was still salty about it being closed when I tried to go with Dr H. This time we parked on the outside of the Emporium and we legged it across the four lanes of road to get to Ze Pickle.

Here is their website! We went on a Friday night and I had to go to work straight afterwards. We waited for almost 45-50 minutes for a table, it was freaking crazy. I was getting twitchy paranoid that I would show up late or I wouldn't eat. We ended up sitting at the bar and it was great, TABLES ARE OVER RATED. I just want a spot to eat food at!

We got the Ze Chips! Jesus H., Christ, this is the standard by which I measure loaded fries now. The excellent Ipa beer cheese sauce, the hand chopped maple bacon bits, the fresh green onions to cut through all that richness and those crispy, crunchy chips! Ahh this was so good, I was scraping the sauce off the plate with chips, then my fingers, then licking my fingers and rubbing them on the plate when I thought JGirl wasn't looking. 10/10 would eat again.

Omg so so good!

I got the Double Double, two hand pressed wagyu beef patties, double cheese, double maple smoked bacon and ZP sauce. For a place that touts itself on the awesomeness of its real wagyu beef burgers, I think they should've bothered seasoning the stuff, it was blandly medium rare beef. Even the cheese and bacon didn't help that much with how freaking thick the pattie was. Kudos on generosity, boo to the lack of seasoning.

>:

JGirl got the 3pm burger, wagyu beef patty, maple smoked bacon, guacamole, mozzarella sticks and more ZP sauce. She struggled to finish this burger due to the immense greasiness of the burger, she was trying to down it heroically but to no avail. She ate the patty and continued to breath heavily for a while before admitting defeat.

:(

Ze Pickle
Atmosphere: 5, dark and dingy pub hole!
Service: 8, excellent! They were very polite despite the hum of activity in the place, quick to take drink orders and clear tables. I always find that bar staff are always the best at service no matter where you go.
Food: 5, pretty average burgers. I was really disappointed by their burgers and the lack of seasoning too. If giant, greasy, over indulgent burgers are your thing, have at it!

Next Door Kitchen and Bar

Oh man, I went to Next Door for my first date with Sir A., literally last year! I remember this day really well because I was a dickweed who left my wallet in the glove compartment of my car, so when we went to split the bill, I had nothing. Sir A., paid for me without complaint and then took us out for milkshakes. I was absolutely mortified and made a huge point of showing him my wallet when he walked me back to my car. He still refused to accept my money as he said guys are used to footing the bill. I'm a strong, independent woman who earns bank! I don't need anyone to pay for me!

Look out for this place!

Its a lovely little place, right in the centre of Gray Street looking out into South Bank.

Lots and lots of tables

They have a massive bar section!

Nice!

We instantly got a bottle of ice cold water to start with.

Reused booze bottle!

Here is their menu! We got their shoestring fries with a wonderful truffled aioli. V., told me that this was really good and she wasn't wrong! Super crispy, well salted shoestring fries and a super truffley, garlicky aioli!

Yesssss

I got this as my entree, a pan fried calamari with crispy onion bits and a salsa verde sauce. It was a very light and refreshing taste, the calamari was super tender. Ehh, I prefer crispy calamari all the time, I would've preferred it that way for sure.

Sir A., got this New York style sirloin steak, it came with thick cut smoked bacon, red wine jus, mashed potato and colcannon aka an Irish dish with mashed potato and crispy kale bits. The steak was a perfect medium rare and melted on the tongue like pure butter, oh man that was a good steak! Even as good as that, the thick smoky chunks of bacon were an absolute delight as well, you can't see any in the picture but they're as thick as your finger nail! Sir A was desperately hoping that I wouldn't ask for any.

Really delicious!

I got their BLT, fancy as anything with its delicious crunchy bacon, ripe tomato, lettuce, bacon jam and aioli on toasted white bread. I really enjoyed this BLT and its the standard by which I measure them now! Every single ingredient was perfect and I would happily go back and order this if it was still on the menu.

Bacon!

Next Door Kitchen and Bar
Atmosphere: 7, I quite liked the physical breeziness of the location. You can do some great people watching there.
Service: 6, really prompt service.
Food: 7, pretty good! I would definitely go here again if I ever remembered that it was there. I don't know why I've never gone back considering I liked nearly everything I ate here.

Sing's Asian Kitchen Cooparoo

Jubi told me about this place a long time ago. Before when she lived up here in Brisbane before her family relocated to the Gold Coast, it was her local Asian takeaway joint!

This place!

Dr S., C., JGirl, VGirl and I all went together and we had to wait a while for a table since we hadn't bothered getting a reservation despite it being a Friday night haha. The restaurant was packed and they were also doing a roaring trade in takeaway food as we watched. I wish that they did delivery but I guess they would be incredibly busy doing that! Here is their menu!

Bamboo styled cutlery

I got the salt and pepper calamari as an entree. It was crispy tempura coating with five spice powder mixed, the onions were well caramelised and add some sweetness to the dish. Did you know JGirl doesn't eat seafood DESPITE BEING JAPANESE? She eats sashimi and that's it, everything else makes her nauseated, she understands the appeal but can't stomach the taste no matter how often she tries it. I pretty much ate this myself after I gave everyone a piece.

I also got wing wings aka deboned and pork mince stuffed chicken wings that have been deep fried. It tasted like someone had shoved a spring roll inside of a chicken wing, it consisted of pork mince, mung bean noodles, water chestnuts and coriander. The technique is wonderful but I'd rather eat something else for my entree.

Blurry

VGirl got the vegetarian pad thai, she said it was a touch sweet but hoovered it down very quickly. There were cashew pieces, carrot, zucchini, baby corn, green onions, kai lan and onion in this pad thai. It's an interesting mix since vegetarian pad thais are usually just chockers with tofu pieces, this is kinda like when your mum wants you to eat more veggies and adds whatever in.

Your basic stir fry mix

I got green thai curry fried rice, I really like the idea of frying in spice pastes into fried rice like how Indonesian fried rices are. I love that spicy tomato based paste. Anyway, I quite liked the heat in this green thai curry fried rice, it had a great aroma just like the regular curry. It had pieces of chicken breast, egg. kaffir lime and Thai basil pieces. I ended up taking this back to work for my dinner. The rice was a touch gluggy though.

A giant chunk of rice

The other girls, Dr S., C., and JGirl got this beef red curry to share as they had already eaten and really just wanted to chat and hang out with us. This had the same vegetables with the addition of broccoli, capsicum and snow peas so I guess that's actually a bigger change. The beef was tender and the sauce was average.

I've had better

I got the soft shell crab salad, I thought I had ordered the soft shell crab papaya salad so when I received this I was absolutely furious. I cannot review this at all because all my thoughts were tainted by the fact that I got a garden salad instead of a papaya salad. It's been over eight months and I still get angry thinking about, I don't know why I didn't send it back.

Stupid ThatSeriousGirl

Sings Asian Kitchen
Atmosphere: 5, busy Asian restaurant.
Service: 5, nothing spectacular. 
Food: 5, I didn't really enjoy my meal here and neither did the other girls. We were wondering why it was so busy considering what we got. Maybe we picked the wrong food, but there's plenty of other Asian/Thai restaurant other to go to.