Bonsai Botanika, Brisbane CBD

Bonsai Botanika is a gorgeously decorated space that has recently opened in the Brisbane city. The wooden chic interior is extremely calming, creating a great and warm atmosphere. There are three levels, with Level 1 offering drinks, cakes and ice-cream, Level 2 offering food such as ramen (the restaurant level is Edamame, which is the same one located on Hawkin Drive in St Lucia) and Level 3 offering more dining space.

The drinks and food level are both counter service, and you are given a number after you order. The only issue with this is that they do not have separate menus aside from the board, and customers are congested at the doorway trying to figure out what to order.

Mocha Manchy

The Mocha Manchy is by far my most favourite drink at Bonsai Botanika, although the Single Origins Manchy comes to a close second if you are in need of a strong but delicious, caffeine hit.

CHEMEX Brew

CHEMEX Brew

The CHEMEX Brew is a coffee filtration process with the glass flask brewing over coffee beans. I would compare a sip of this coffee to taking a shot of tequila (or a big can of Red Bull), the caffeine hit was strong and fast. This was quite surprising as I have never ever had quite a strong caffeine hit before.

Cappuccino

The cappuccino was quite disappointing as it was extremely watery.

The food at Bonsai Botanika is quite overpriced compared to the other restaurants surrounding it. The drinks are however quite good, depending on what you order. They have a range of different flavours of drinks from salted caramel to dark chocolate & cinnamon pineapple (which sounds quite interesting).

I would recommend Bonsai Botanika if you were in need of a cosy coffee date destination, or even to have a look at their interior decoration.

In love and food,

Vivi

La Via, South Bank

With winter more than half way through, it is getting quite chilly in Brisbane. As with most people, the colder weather often equates to a growing appetite, which means indulging in some comfort food. La Via, located in South Bank, is the perfect Italian restaurant to settle with creamy pastas and aromatic pizzas without feeling like your waistline is increasing.

The pasta of the day, was a creamy pappardelle pasta with scallops, spanner crab and asparagus. The spanner crab was surprisingly bursting with flavours and the scallops were plump and meaty. Although infused in delicious creaminess, the pasta was so light and delectable. 

wagyu bresaola, roast garlic, truffle oil, parmesan

One of my most favourite dishes would have to be pizzas, from the fast food version to those that are a little bit more gourmet. La Via offers one of the best pizzas bursting with flavour but filled with simplicity. With only a few key toppings on each pizza, each element is a perfect accompaniment to one another. In the calabrese salami, green olives, basil and mozzarella pizza, the salami and olive give off distinct flavours whereas the basil and mozzarella are more subtle, making it extremely piquant (and tasting extremely light in the stomach). Although the pizzas at La Via are not wood fired, they are oven baked on a stone base which gives off a crispy crust. 

calabrese salami, green olives, buffalo mozzarella, basil

If you're wandering around South Bank during the day, La Via offers their pizza menu for nearly half the price of their dinner menu. Otherwise, La Via is the perfect place to drop by if you are looking for a casual but delectable Italian restaurant for dinner. 

In love and food,

Vivi