The Bun Mobile

I have wanted to visit The Bun Mobile for quite some time and finally managed to track them down a couple of weeks ago at Kangaroo Point.

I think they have brought a revolution to street food in Brisbane. Their concept is simple; it is just a mobile truck selling buns. The location changes daily, but thankfully they have a good social media presence and constantly update their locations on the website and Twitter.

We ordered the Wagyu Bun ($8) and Chicken Bun ($8) from the standard menu and decided to try their specials of the night: Taiwanese Pork ($10) and Mango Parfait ($10).

We were not quite impressed by the wagyu bun: Slow Cooked Wagyu Beef, Butter Lettuce, Soy Pickled Shitake Mushrooms and Red Dragon Sauce. We found the wagyu to be a bit tough and the flavour combo slightly odd to our liking.

Our favourite was the chicken bun: Char Grilled Teriyaki Chicken, Slaw with Julianne Carrot and Mint, Japanese Mayo and Hoisin Sauce. It has good combination of flavours and a delight to eat.

The pork bun is very much similar to the ones we get at the Taiwanese breakfast shop at Market Square, except a bit fancier: Braised Pork Belly, Pickled Mustard Greens, Sugared Peanuts, Coriander and Ginger and Orange Hoisin. The flavour was great, meat was tender, but there were too much fat on the pork (it’s pork belly after all).

 

Finally the dessert bun, mango parfait: Fresh Cut Mango, Greek Yoghurt, Mascarpone Cream, Macadamia and Ginger Crunch. It was fresh and refreshing for a hot night and the perfect way to end the meal.

It was a bit messy to eat with food and sauces going all over your face and hand....but again, who cares? We enjoyed a bit of casualness once a while in our dining experience.


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High Tea at McMahon's Restaurant

Continuing on our food journey and post-exam celebrations, a couple of girlfriends and I headed to McMahon’s Restaurant at Quay West for high tea. The normal price was $38 each, but thankfully we had a Spreets two-for-one voucher.

There was a big storm when we arrived and it was quite hard to get parking closer to the place (street parking is off-limits on weekends). Therefore, we decided to give ourselves a treat and used the valet parking at the hotel. We drove right up to the entrance, handed the key to the valet and off we went. The valet service costs $30, but since we carpooled and shared the cost, it worked out alright.

Unlike some other tea houses that provide a more Victorian style setting, the restaurant is quite modern but still has a classy touch. There is even a little leaflet with tea-etiquette information. It was quite informative and we had a good time ‘scoring’ ourselves against it.

 

High tea was served on a three-tiered stand with an additional plate of scones.

The first tier had a selection of assorted sandwiches. We found the sandwiches to be just average.

 

The second tier was quiches. The pastry was short, crumbly and very buttery.  I loved it!

The third tier had a selection of assorted desserts. The downside was that there was only one of each, so we had to cut it three-ways for sharing. All I can say was that cutting delicate desserts three-ways was a little messy. My favourite was the white chocolate cheesecake with lavender cream. The lemon tart and lemon meringue pie were both too citrusy for me.

The unanimous favourite that day was the scones – light and fluffy, not too crumbly or cakey.

Overall, we enjoyed the experience as it was a good change from having high tea at a traditional tea room.



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Kooroomba Lavender Farm and Vineyards

Kooroomba Lavender Farm and Vineyards is one of my favourite places in the Scenic Rim. 

I have visited several times and each time the beautiful mountain scenery just had me in awe: gazing at the breathtaking backdrop and admiring the beautiful natural landscape created by God. I couldn’t help but enjoy the peace and tranquillity the place has to offer.

It is located just over an hour from Brisbane. It is close enough to get away for a short weekend trip, but far enough to enjoy a taste of country life. The journey from Brisbane takes you along the majestic view of Scenic Rim Mountains and eases your mind from the busy city life.

The restaurant is open from Wednesdays to Sundays offering a range of Modern Australian dishes. Do keep an eye out for the dishes containing lavender as a key ingredient. Personally, I loved the baked potatoes with lavender honey mustard dressing. The lavender scent was subtle and did not overpower the dish.

On the other hand, I wasn’t very keen on the lavender ice-cream or sorbet. It was too strong and reminded me of hand-wash :(

I have always found that dining with this surrounding makes the food taste better. Eating lunch while looking out at breathtaking scenery is what I would call a great weekend away! I recommend you try it for yourself!

Pork Loin, Braised Green Lentils, Caramelized Baby Onions and Brandy Jus

 

Lamb Back Strap with Semi Dried Tomato Couscous, Green Beans and Pink Pepper Jus

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Post exams celebration @ ARIA Brisbane

Dear friends and readers,

I am finally back in blogosphere. The past month has been very hectic with work, study and other commitments. I am glad to announce that I completed my final exams last Friday and have regained my freedom. Hooray!

Since Friday, I have had multiple post-uni celebrations with family and friends, starting with lunch at ARIA right after the exam.

ARIA does lunch 'specials' for $36 for 1 course, $56 for 2 courses and $72 for 3 courses.

Whilst D settled for two courses I was greedy and went for three.  It was a celebration for me after all :)

We started with entree of twice cooked pork belly with apple puree and endive salad and seared scallop served with smoked pork, watercress and almond gazpacho.  Pork belly was very tender and went very well with the apple puree.  Pork and apple, definitely the perfect match. 



Twice-cooked Pork Belly with Apple Puree and Endive Salad

The smokiness of the pork covered the entire scallop dish, but surprisingly tasted good. D wasn't a fan of scallop, but enjoyed the smoky taste of the scallops.



Seared Scallop served with Smoked Pork, Watercress and Almond Gazpacho

For mains, I had the roast lamb cutlet and confit breast with caponata, baby peppers and spinach puree and D had the sirloin steak. The lamb cutlet was really tender and tasty.  However, I find the lamb breast a bit too gamey for me.



Lamb Cutlet and Confit Breast with Caponata, Baby Peppers and Spinach Puree

The steak looked simple, but it was cooked to perfection - medium-rare, just as how we wanted it to be.  The waitstaff brought it out with a selection of sauce: bearnaise, chimichurri, mustard and horseradish.  D asked for the bearnaise and chimichurri.  Personally, I preferred the creaminess of the bearnaise and secretly wished I ordered the steak instead =P



Sirloin Steak

For desserts, we shared the black forest with cherry sorbet, mascarpone and chocolate jelly.  The dish looked more like a deconstructed black forest.  The individual elements looked pretty on the plated, but tasted better when combined together.



Black Forest with Cherry Sorbet, Mascarpone and Chocolate Jelly

To finish off, we were served with a complimentary petit fours.   The theme was 'orange': orange flavoured turkish delight with a really strong blood-orange gel, orange truffle and some-sort of an orange cake.



Petit Fours

I went to ARIA a couple of years ago for dinner and was a bit disappointed.  I must say that this lunch experience has changed my mind about ARIA.  I really enjoyed the food and service (or I could be really tired after a long week and grateful that my exams was over).





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