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

Moose and Gibson, Woolloongabba

Moose and Gibson, located down from the Gabba, is a small quirky cafe with an extremely chilled and relaxed atmosphere. It is the perfect place to slowly sip on your cup of coffee whilst browsing through the newspaper, or to go with a group of friends to catch up before the day begins. As I have mentioned in previous blogs, brunch is my favourite meal of the day and there is nothing more exciting than finding a place that does breakfast type lunch dishes with a twist. Moose and Gibson is definitely the perfect hotspot for this.

With no qualms about growing some winter fat, I ordered the Potato & 3 Cheese Croquettes which is crumbed and lightly fried, with tomato chutney and cucumber salad on the side. I tend to find croquettes quite bland after a few bites, but these potato and cheese croquettes were however, absolutely exquisite with the freshness of the cucumber salad. The portioning looks quite small but there is just enough to fill you up and long for more.

The highlight of Moose and Gibson has to be the Potted Eggs. Filled with chorizos, olives, spinach and baked eggs in a tomato like paste, this dish get the palate salivating. The baked eggs are gooey and are so delectable in the tomato like paste. As well as this, the chorizo and olives mix so splendidly together, adding a burst of flavour and texture. Add into the mix, the turkish bread smothered in garlic butter, and you've got yourself a swoon worthy dish.

Moose and Gibson offers an all day breakfast and lunch starting from 11:30pm. With their quirky decor, statement antler chandelier and vertical garden, it is definitely worth checking out. I would definitely recommend coming and trying their Potted Eggs as I can not get enough of it.

In love and food,

Vivi

Little Larder, New Farm

Brunch, on any given day of the week is probably the most exciting meal. Being able to linger between a late breakfast and an early lunch, it is the perfect opportunity to indulge in something that may be a little bit too cheeky for breakfast but does not constitute as a wholesome lunch. Little Larder, which has been relentlessly raved about, is the perfect hotspot to settle down with a coffee, meal and watch as the morning slowly passes by.

The crispy polenta with poached eggs, spinach, avocado and dill mayo is probably my favourite meal at Little Larder, opting for it whenever I feel like a less greasy start to the day. The polenta is crispy on the outside but starts to melt in your mouth with the first bite. It is perfect paired with a touch of avocado and a dab of jam.

The pesto scrambled eggs with smoked salmon and spinach is just as delectable. I tend to find scrambled eggs to taste quite bland and monotonous after a few bites but with the pesto infused in it, it is quite flavoursome, especially with the smoked salmon.

The larder plate is definitely a meal reserved for the morning after a big night out. With eggs, bacon, sausages, mushroom, onions, potato rosti, tomato and sourdough it is the quintessential meal to grease up the appetite and fill you up until the afternoon.

On top of their delectable menu, Little Larder offers delicious aromatic coffee. If you haven't already been to this breakfast haven, I would definitely recommend a visit. However, be warned that it can get quite busy on the weekend due to its popularity.

In love and food,

Vivi

MIA

There is really no proper reason as to my absences on the blogosphere for the last few months aside from laziness and lack of motivation. I however, decided to come on here tonight to release some stress and to my surprise, there has still been an abundance of views each day. So to those that come back to this site day after day for some food adventures, thank you!

I will include some pictures which will hopefully get your appetite salivating through the night.

In love and food,

Vivi

Ben & Jerry's, Surfers Paradise

After one too many tubs of Ben & Jerry's ice cream over the past few years, and stumbling across a Ben & Jerry's store in Manly, I've been quite ecstatic for Queensland to open up a store (not including the one secluded in Movie World). Finally, the epitome of all things deliciously happy has opened its doors in the heart of Surfers Paradise.

There is an array of ice cream flavours to choose from including sorbets, strawberry cheesecake, chocolate therapy and chocolate chip cookie dough (my favourite). As well as that, Ben & Jerry's also offer waffles, sundaes, smoothies and shakes.

As the store is quite new, the staff are still getting trained and are not quite as proficient. After ordering my tub of chocolate chip cookie dough and triple caramel chunk, I proceeded to the counter with my tub to pay for it. The staff that served me however, stayed where he was to continue serving other customers and did not come over to put my transaction through. After looking at him for awhile, he finally glanced back at me but still did not come over to charge me. My friends had all paid for their ice cream and had left to sit at the seating area, but I was still left standing there waiting to pay. No one came over to serve or help me so I somehow luckily scored a free tub of ice cream!

Ben & Jerry's also offer the scoops of ice cream in plain waffle cones as well as waffle cones with chocolate sprinkles, hundred & thousands, oreos and nuts.

                   

Ben & Jerry's in Manly

Ben & Jerry's in Manly

I would highly recommend coming by and getting yourself a delectable treat.

In love and food,

Vivi

New Shanghai, Queens Plaza

Having waited months for the opening of New Shanghai in Brisbane, the new restaurant in Queens Plaza has been hyped for delectable Shanghai cuisine. Being situated in the Brisbane CBD, I was curious to see whether the food at New Shanghai would be Westernised or whether they would stay true to their traditional taste. 

The dish that immediately caught my attention whilst browsing the menu was the xiao long baos (mini steamed pork buns). J and I have been avidly hunting down xiao long baos in Brisbane that could be comparable to those at Din Tai Fung for months now. After many failed attempts and cursing at Brisbane's lack of palatable xiao long baos, we were extremely excited to see what New Shanghai had to offer. 

My mounting excitement was pleasantly surprised as I took the first bite into the xiao long bao. It was absolutely mouthwateringly, delicious! The broth surrounding the tender meat was hot and flavoursome and the pastry was thin enough to still taste and to hold everything together. 

The pan fried dumplings and wontons were both very flavoursome. With all the dim sims made in store (you can watch the chefs create these dim sims at the restaurant's front window), they were both fresh and delicious. 

As an entree, J decided on the shredded jellyfish and raddish tossed in soy sauce. This dish felt very light and fresh, a perfect accompaniment to the dim sims and drunken chicken. 

The drunken chicken was perfect for snacking on, with the alcoholic taste not too overwhelming.

The deep fried crispy skinned chicken was very tender which balanced perfectly with the crispy skin and chilli garlic dipping sauce.

New Shanghai is a reasonably priced restaurant with an enjoyable variety of dishes. It is the perfect place to meet in the city with friends to share a few entrees and main dishes, which gives you an opportunity to have a taste of everything. I would highly recommend trying their xiao long baos and the other dim sims that they have on offer.

In love and food,

Vivi

KU-O, Sunnybank

When a new restaurant opens up in Brisbane, I have a proclivity to get over excited and wishful that it could potentially be the next place I call my second home. A place that I can always turn to for quick delicious meals or for mouthwatering desserts and drinks in the company of friends. KU-O, a restaurant that has just opened its doors at Market Square may just fit all these criteria.

The interior of this restaurant is aesthetically pleasing. The owner noted that they had shipped all the wood used to construct the restaurant, along with the artwork and decorations from Japan to replicate the authenticity. This creates a relaxed, almost soothing atmosphere.

The drinks at KU-O are comparable to any cafe that specialises in Asian drinks. I ordered a Lychee Twist which turned out to be a lychee frappe with a hint of mint. Not being a big fan of mint at all, I was surprised that I enjoyed the drink. The subtleness of the mint blended well with the lychee frappe giving it a refreshing flavour. 

J ordered the Chocolate Supreme which was delicious and chocolatey. The accompaniment of the oreo and pocky stick served to make a simple chocolate frappe even more yummy.

N ordered the Super Matcha which came with red beans. From the speed that he finished his drink which resulted in a brain freeze, I can assume that he enjoyed his frappe.

KU-O has a large selection of food on their menu which includes set meals, donburi, yakitori, udon, agemono and teppanyaki. The Salmon Don came with slices of fresh salmon on top of a bed of rice. The rice had a delectable wholesome taste and smell to it which I haven't come across before dining at a Japanese restaurant.

The Sashimi Set included fresh salmon, tuna, kingfish and scallop which was fresh and palatable. The set also included side dishes and a soup.

The crumbed oysters were crispy and golden on the outside with a delectable rich and creamy flesh on the inside.

The Teriyaki Don which N ordered was probably the most exciting meal. Being from Osaka, N is quite critical of Japanese food, but he found the Teriyaki Don to be quite piquant. The chicken was cooked to perfection, with the outside slightly charred making the flavour more distinct. 

The chicken cartilage is something I have never tried before but found it to be surprisingly appetising. The slight flavour and crunch makes it a snack that you will want to keep munching on. 

M ordered the Maguro Natto Don which consists of fresh, raw tuna along with fermented soybeans. 

After finishing our dinner, we were happily surprised by the Summer Snow dessert being sent complimentary to our table. The tantalising dessert consisted of vanilla panacotta layered in raspberry compote with a topping of lychee jelly, strawberry and frozen lychees. It was absolutely heavenly, and a perfect way to end our dinner.

With such a lovely atmosphere, mouthwatering food and delicious drinks and desserts, KU-O really has made a big impact in the midst of the restaurants currently located at Market Square. It is definitely worth coming in and having a taste for yourself.

In love and food,

Vivi