Welcome to an Amazing 2013

Happy New Year! I hope 2013 is filled with more food, love, happiness, opportunities, friends and family. 

At the end of each year, I sit down and compile a list of resolutions and goals I would like to achieve. Some resolutions are broken within the first week of the new year, and some are never even attempted at, at all. This year, I've decided that my resolution is to live life without regret. To jump through every window of opportunity, find the positive in every situation and to pursue everything with a passion. 

I also have a separate foodie-resolution which is to immerse myself into the culture of the food I eat and learn how to be a better cook. There is nothing more satisfying than being able to recreate a favourite dish from a restaurant.

I wish you all the best year yet! Keep the smiles and laughter flowing throughout the year. 

In love and food,

Vivi

Christmas Eve

It's Christmas Eve today and with the year coming to an end soon, I thought that there was no better time to restart this blog than now. It has been a busy few months filled with uni, work, boyfriend, friends and family but now, the holidays are finally here! Working in retail during the busy Christmas season entails long hours, some cranky customers and a lot of patiences so I'm glad it's finally drawing to an end and I can get ready to relax on Christmas Day and burn a big hole in my bank account on Boxing Day.

Do you have any plans for Christmas? J and I will be cooking a three course lunch for my family tomorrow and most likely spend the rest of the afternoon playing games. We haven't had time to cook together in a while so I'm absolutely ecstatic for our date in the kitchen tomorrow.

In the last half year, I've been travelling interstate and consuming basically everything so I can't wait to start blogging about it. A little bit late than never right? As well as that, restaurants have been popping up everywhere in Brisbane which is extremely exciting as I have new places to visit, try out and get my waistband expanding. 

I hope you all have a wonderful, feasting Christmas and a happy new year!

In love and food,

Vivi

UPDATE: 7-8 Cafe Restaurant

I have been quite neglectful of this blog due to an incessant amount of uni assessments but one of the most exciting events happened less than a month ago.

7-8 Cafe Restaurant has REOPENED!!! 

this is how happy and excited we were *grins*

As most of you know, I am a big big BIG fan of 7-8 for it's food, drinks and atmosphere. The new location is situated on  3/152 Station Road, Sunnybank which is a few minutes away from it's old spot. This new restaurant is alot smaller than the last one and looks hastily put together although the food and drinks are still as spectacular as before.

Pumpkin Spaghetti

Kimchi Hot Pot

Fried Chicken

These dishes are undoubtedly my favourites from 7-8 Cafe Restaurant. Can't wait to settle back into my second home again.

In love and food,

Vivi

Starberry, Surfers Paradise

Starberry, situated in Surfers Paradise along Elkhorn Ave, offers a delectable range of frozen yoghurt and smoothies. Advertised as a 'healthy' alternative, the simplicity and interaction at Starberry is enough to draw in curious customers.

J and I stumbled across this little dessert bar in a Japanese tourist magazine where after seeing it, quickly made our way to Starberry to fill our sweet-starved tummies. 

There are 8 frozen yoghurt flavours at one time, with over 35 flavours that changes seasonally. When J and I went to Starberry, there was forest berries, mango, passionfruit, creme caramel, chocolate, wild cherry, coconut and original yoghurt flavours. 

The tub of frozen yoghurt is charged by the grams so you can put as much or as little as you want.

I definitely had to try some of the creme caramel as it is my all time favourite in dessert and ice-cream flavours.

After choosing from the selection of frozen yoghurts (yes, you are allowed more than one flavour *yay*), we moved on to the topping station where there is an array of toppings ranging from fruits to lollies to chocolates and nuts.

J went all out with chocolate and mango frozen yoghurt topped with nuts, sprinkles and crushed cookies.

I went for a more healthy approach and chose passionfruit frozen yoghurt topped with passionfruit syrup pieces, lychee and kiwi alongside creme caramel frozen yoghurt topped with nuts and chocolate pieces.

The passionfruit frozen yoghurt, although  more on the sour side, was absolutely delicious paired up with the lychee as it balanced out the flavour, bringing along some sweetness. The creme caramel frozen yoghurt was heavenly sending out orgasmic sparks to counteract my brain freeze.

Starberry is worth popping by if you're enjoying a sunny day out at Surfers Paradise and need something sweet to cool you down.

In love and food,

Vivi

MeetFresh, Sunnybank

With more than 100 stores worldwide, MeetFresh  has finally arrived in Brisbane, targeting the Asian suburb of Sunnybank. Set out in a spacious modern interior, MeetFresh offers a range of desserts and drinks with something there for everyone.

The desserts at MeetFresh are prepared fresh and are seemingly 'healthy' as they are all made from natural and fresh ingredients.

The Signature Herbal Jelly consisting of herbal ice, herbal jelly, hand made taro balls and cream is one of the more popular dessert item on the menu. The herbal jelly, which is made from natural plant extracts, packs a punch in yummy goodness.

Herbal Jelly 6 packs in herbal ice, herbal jelly, pearls, noodle jelly and glutinous cake (which was sold out) so red beans were replaced instead. The different textures mixed with the cold ice left a refreshing feeling on the palette.

The Supreme Mango Milk crushed ice was a brain freeze delight oozing in sweetness. The only downside was the canned mangos, which was however still delectable in being an accompaniment to the entire dessert.

With an amazing frothy, sweet coolness that refreshes all the taste buds with every sip, the Herbal Tea with whipped cream is a must try item on the menu.

Opening until late every night, MeetFresh is the perfect place to revive and delight the tummy with the refreshing and delectable desserts and drinks on offer.

In love and food,

Vivi

Jam Jar, West End

Along a dedicated strip of restaurants in the heart of West End, Jam Jar is a little quirky cafe that is more than meets the eye.

Reknown for its coffee and extensive dining menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner from locally sourced food, Jam Jar is the embodiment of quality deliciousness. The atmosphere and service is friendly and relaxed, with an array of portraits along the walls promoting local artists.

Slightly becoming quite the coffee addict of late, I found the latte at Jam Jar to be creamy, frothy, mild but sweet in flavour and absolutely enticing to the taste buds. Also awakening to the brains on an early morning.

Their Big Breakfast came highly recommended consisting of sourdough toast, bacon, poached eggs, mushrooms, pork sausages, caramelised onion, grilled tomato, spinach and potato and feta cake. The sourdough toast was abit too toasty and hard but the rest of the food on the plate was utter deliciousness. The potato and feta cake in particular was delectable in which a small part of me wished that there was a meal where an abundance of it was served up.

Jam Jar is one of the many cafes in West End that should be paid a visit simply to bring amazing company and bask in their relaxing atmosphere and delicious food. 

In love and food,

Vivi

Guzman y Gomez, Carindale

With the grand opening of the new wing at Westfield Carindale, a new dining precinct was unveiled. Among the many new eateries, Guzman y Gomez stands out with their bright interiors, loud music and the long lines of people that wind down and outside the eatery during the peak lunch periods.

With a few stores opening up around Brisbane in the recent weeks, Guzman y Gomez is fast becoming a popular destination for Mexican food that bursts with traditional mouthwatering flavours.

As always, J and I shared a chicken nachos. The meat was marinated and tender on a bed of crispy nacho chips. Although there was a lack of sour cream, the juicy tomatoes and guacamole were enough to cause a flavour-some taste explosion in the mouth when served with the chicken on top of a nacho chip. 

The hard shelled taco is my favourite dish to order when coming to a Mexican joint. Guzman y Gomez did not disappoint in terms of crunch, flavour and taste. When eating a hard shelled taco, I have always found it to start cracking or break unceremoniously half way through. However, the tacos at Guzman y Gomez stayed intact through the entire meal. I ordered one steak and one beef taco, with the steak taco being more delectable than the latter.

J ordered a spicy steak burrito which is rolled in a soft tortilla with a helping of rice, cheddar cheese, black beans and tomatillo salsa. While stealing a few bites from his meal, I found the burrito to have the perfect ratio of meat, rice and beans. The steak was juicy and tender bursting with a spicy tinge that complimented the savoriness of the rice and beans.

Guzman y Gomez with it's upbeat and bright atmosphere, is an affordable Mexican food joint that will cater to any hungry tummies out there. They even have a membership card if you find yourself gravitating back to their eatery time and time again.

In love and food,

Vivi

Saké, Eagle Street Pier

Nestled on the waterfront of the Eagle Street Dining precinct, Saké is a chic, earthy and intimate restaurant that offers contemporary Japanese cuisine. A fusion of traditional ingredients with a twist.

For starters, we had sashimi tacos which consisted of tuna or ocean trout sashimi with chilled tomato salsa in a miniature taco, which was washed down with Kozaemon Junmai sake shots. The sashimi was fresh, mixing delectably with the tomato flavours. 

The tuna tataki salad was tossed with satoimo chips and tataki which was sweet and crisp, cleansing the palate.

The prawn tempura pieces were rolled inside out with torched spicy mayo and spicy tobiko. The sweetness of the spicy mayo heightens the flavours of the prawn tempura, leaving you wanting more. 

With a penchant for soft shell crab, the spider maki did not disappoint. The spicy tobiko, chives, cucumber and mayo fused beautifully with the soft shell crab, sending the spider maki to sushi heaven. 

With dessert essentially being the most important part of the meal, I ordered a deconstructed Russian cream which is in essence, buttermilk panacotta with raspberry coulis. 

The staff at Saké are attentive and extremely knowledgeable in every aspect of their dining and drinks menu. As a contemporary Japanese restaurant serving fresh sashimi and delectable sushi, Saké is a fine dining restaurant that would make a great place for celebrations. 

In love and food,

Vivi

Geláre, South Bank

Situated in the dining precinct of South Bank, Geláre is an amazing modern cafe that offers ice cream, drinks and to die for freshly baked Belgian waffles.

When J and I decided to try out Geláre, I was eager to try their premium ice cream which is created as a fuse of American and Italian style ice cream, blending in the creaminess and strong intense flavours. However, upon entering the cafe, I was taken away by the mouth watering smell of their waffles. The waffles at Geláre are light, fluffy, crispy and fresh. Being freshly baked, they smelt absolutely delicious. I ended up ordering waffles with added cookie dough ice cream, fresh cream and waffle syrup. The fusion of the light crispy waffle and the creaminess of the cookie dough ice cream melted together into dessert heaven.

J ordered an affogato, which is a shot of hot espresso with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Although the flavours of the coffee was strong, the melted ice cream made it creamy and sweet.

On Tuesdays Geláre offers a half price deal on their waffles, an offer too good to resist. This cafe is definitely a destination to try if you're out dining in South Bank and need a place to relax with some coffee and desserts.

In love and food,

Vivi

Carolina Kitchen, Cooparoo

Hidden on a corner in the middle of suburbia, Carolina Kitchen is an American style joint that boosts to have food for the soul. Specialising in hoagies, ribs and wings, this joint is quite popular with the locals.

With an American style decor, Carolina Kitchen is quite small, seating approximately 10-15 people. The restaurant itself is not fancy, but more of a place where you can feast, pig out and get sauce all over your fingers to your tummy's delight.

J and I decided to have a try of everything saucy and meaty so we order a rack of ribs, buffalo wings and a side of New York fries.

The New York fries were simply amazing. The fresh crispiness of the chicken salted fries topped with melted cheese, salsa and sour cream was like a hot hot hot sibling to nachos. But I personally think anything would taste good with melted cheese, salsa and sour cream.

The buffalo wings were seemingly succulent, although J and I could have gone up a notch in the chilli scale. The blue cheese dipping sauce that is traditionally accompanied with the buffalo wings worked with the palette to build up a burst of flavour.

The BBQ ribs, slow cooked in Carolina Kitchen's special sauce, was tender falling off the bone quite easily. Their BBQ sauce was bursting with flavour and dripping in delicious sauciness. The highlight of the meal however, was definitely the New York fries.

Being very affordable, Carolina Kitchen is worth the visit if you are in the area, or just looking for a big saucy meat feast. The buffalo wings and ribs were extremely appetizing, definitely one of the better BBQ joints that Brisbane has to offer.

In love and food,

Vivi

Ribs & Rumps, Marina Mirage

Situated on the pier overlooking the waters at Marina Mirage, Ribs and Rumps is the destination for delicious, mouth watering meat, meat and more meat.

As a growing steakhouse franchise in Australia, Ribs and Rumps is renowned for its mouth watering steaks, juicy ribs and flavoursome buffalo wings, all served up on a wooden board in large man-sized portions.

J and I ordered buffalo wings as an entree. These wings were smothered in a tangy BBQ relish, which quickly made the tongue salivate for more as we polished them off.

Half a rack of pork ribs, half a rack of lamb ribs, a 220g rump steak, fries and a very satisfied stomach. The rump steak was char grilled to a perfect medium rare with the meat being very tender and juicy. The ribs were slow cooked and then grilled with a zesty sauce leaving the meat tender and soft, falling right off the bone. Both meats were filled with finger-licking flavour that leaves your palette wanting more.

With friendly and fast service, Ribs and Rumps has your stomach filled with mouth watering deliciousness. This place is perfect for those with a hearty appetite and for those that may want to try the challenge of eating their way through a 1kg man-o-war rump & fries and a full rack of juicy ribs & fries.

In love and food,

Vivi

Hot Dog Style, Fortitude Valley

Wiener anyone?

Tucked away in a tiny store in the Valley, Hot Dog Style offers a variety of hot dogs. These aren't your typical sausage, bun, tomato and mustard sauce kind of hot dogs, but something more adventurous. As described by Hot Dog Style, a bite into their hot dog is like being "transported to a wondrous gastronomical experience". This statement perfectly describes the hot dogs. 

Offering a large variety of styles including traditional American, Mexican, Greek, Caribbean, Hawaiian and the good old Aussie flavoured hot dog, each hot dog is sprinkled with crunched up original flavoured potato chips. The saltiness and crunch of the chips add a uniqueness to the hot dog which works splendidly with the  chosen style of ingredients.

I ordered the Aussie Style hot dog, which is smothered with sauteed onion, bacon, soft melted cheese and shredded potato chips. Truely a mouth watering experience.

In love and food,

Vivi

Bazaar, QT Hotel

Situated on the outskirts of Surfers Paradise, Bazaar is a newly renovated interactive marketplace buffet located at the QT Hotel. The newly renovated interior of the hotel is fresh, vibrant, retro but still modern, tastefully fitted with a sunny Gold Coast beach theme.

Upon arriving at Bazaar, one of the friendly staff gave J and I a private tour of the restaurant and explained how their interactive buffet worked. Particular meals could be ordered, made on the spot and then swiftly brought to your table otherwise you could choose from the vast selection of food already presented in the buffet. The food ranged from fresh organic salads, oven cooked pizzas, hearty roasts to fresh seafood and a mixed variety of Asian dishes. The desserts available at Bazaar are dainty bite sized pieces which are all made by a French chef located on site.

The seafood station included mouth watering oysters, scallops, prawns and crabs.

As always, the seafood left a tantalizing smile on my taste buds and a happy sigh in my stomach.

A tasting plate consisting of delicious pork belly, soft shell crab, zucchini and fig. The pork belly meat melts in your mouth whereas the soft shell crab was crispy but still with a soft texture. I can not say I was too much of a fan of the zucchini however, the fig was sweet and delicious and if possible, I would have loved a whole tasting plate of just the fig.

J also ordered a steak cooked to medium rare. The steak was amazing as one found at a reputable steakhouse, however it lacked some side sauces. One of my favourite was the yum cha dishes which included the prawn dumplings and pork dim sims. Made on site, and steamed to order, they burst with flavour and freshness. 

Oyster Shots

The desserts were absolutely to die for. The mini velvet cupcake was moist and sweet and the macarons. Oh the macarons. They were perfect in every way possible, not too sweet, not too bland, the perfect amount of gooey softness and crunch and the fillings inside complimented the macaron flavourings.

During our visit, the French dessert chef came into the restaurant and was available to create desserts by requests on the spot. We unfortunately had just filled ourselves up to maximum capacity and could not fit in another sweet delight.

The service at Bazaar is absolutely amazing. Every waiter, waitress and chef was constantly smiling, being very helpful and informative with any questions thrown at them. They were also amazing at remembering orders and somehow finding you in the busy restaurant to deliver it. Bazaar is definitely a buffet worth experiencing so next time you find yourself at Surfers Paradise, have a visit and see what dishes the chefs have ready to serve you.

In love and food,

Vivi