The Cube Hot Pot

The Cube Hot Pot is located in the car park area of Sunnybank Plaza. Though we find ourselves searching for food in the Sunnybank area quite often, we rarely stray this far, until just recently.

A friend introduced us to this place and we have been there a couple of times since. The funny thing was that in the two times we went there we were with the same group of people, sat at the same table and ordered the same dish. Needless to say, we really liked the soup.

There are other soups and dishes to order, but we defaulted to the Spicy Fish Soup ($45.80) because it was perfect for the cold weather and enough to feed a party of 4. The soup came with 1 kg of fish fillet, chilli oil and Sichuan peppercorns. As it was a hot pot style dining, it also came with a side dish of mushrooms, vermicelli, wombok, corn, tofu and seafood sticks.

Whilst the soup is spicy, you can customise the level of spiciness by selecting Mild, Medium or Hot when ordering. We have tried both mild and medium spiciness and I preferred the mild - mainly because the ‘medium’ had so much chilli oil that it formed a thick layer on top and made it hard to drink the soup. The mild soup was still hot (not for those that can’t take chilli) but yet very enjoyable.

With winter having come to a close we will have to find an excuse to go back and try some of their other soups.




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Fortune Well SiChuan Restaurant

SiChuan cuisine is becoming our new favourite with the temperature dropping. The hot, spicy and numbing style dishes is well-suited for this cold weather.

Fortune Well is located in Sunny Park, across the road from busy Market Square.

We went there for a late lunch last weekend. Being the sick boy (thanks to me passing on the flu bug), D had the free reign to order.

We ordered his favourite dishes: Kung Po Chicken ($15.60) and Dan Dan Noodle ($5.8).

The Dan Dan Noodle soup was a bit watered down but we still enjoyed it.

The Kung Po chicken was tender and full of flavour. Yum!

We also had the Chopped Green Onion Pancake ($3.6) for entree. It was just ok...crispy but oily.

Whilst not our favourite SiChuan restaurant, the prices are reasonable and the chillis will warm you up this winter.


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Bamboo Basket

The Bamboo Basket reminds us of our favourite restaurant in Malaysia, Dragon - I.  Although it may not come close in terms taste, it is one of the best we’ve had in Brisbane.

To get your taste buds racing, the restaurant allows passers-by to see right into the kitchen where the chefs craft their delicious dumplings. Looking on, they make it look so simple as they churn out perfectly simmetrical dumplings one after the other.

My favourite is definitely the Xiao Lung Bao (soup dumpling). Delicious soup broth with succulent pork - a recipe for success.

Another pleasant surprise was found in the deep fried prawn wonton. Even though it is deep fried, we could still taste the freshness of the filling.

Next, we tried 'Shan Dong Style' pork dumplings which appear to be a steamed dumpling that has also been pan fried on one side, leading to an interesting mix of textures. Whilst not our favourite, we still give it a Thumbs up for the fresh, juicy pork and interesting and crispy pancake-like crust.

For mains, we shared a spicy hand-pulled soup noodle with sesame and peanuts (Dan Dan Mien). Simple but delicious.

Overall the meal was a bit pricey when compared to other Asian restaurants. But given the ambience and location, it's actually one of the more affordable restaurants around and definitely worth a visit.

This is our second visit to Bamboo Basket and it certainly will not be our last, as long as they keep serving up those delicious Xiao Lung Bao (soup dumpling) at least.


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