Saturday 27 April 2013

Devouring Brisbane...

I'm a big fan of good food! <3 And one of the things that really surprised me the first time I moved to Brisbane was all the amazing food being served up at café's and restaurants, especially in the South Bank / West End area. Although we do have some really good restaurants in Norway as well, I find the food there extremely boring and not very adventurous compared to Australia (perhaps with the exception of Svalbard, which I might tell you more about in a later blogpost).

I've had some truly amazing meals in Brisbane and I thought I'd share some of my absolute favourite restaurants with you guys! :D These are all located in West End and South Bank - and I think the restaurants in these suburbs simply have that extra something compared to the rest of Brisbane. 

1. Gunshop Cafe is definitely one of my favourites in Brisbane! This is where I went for my 30th birthday, it's the place I make sure to take anyone who's visiting, and the place where I can be almost certain everyone will have an excellent meal! They have a lovely backyard (my favourite) where you can enjoy your meal in the shade overlooking a cool water feature, pots of herbs and lanterns. It's also very romantic at night.


Gunshop Cafe on Urbanspoon
I really like their menu's as they simply list the ingredients of the dish and then you have to wait until you get it in front of you to see exactly what they've done with them, and what has been given the leading role. I love it! They're open for breakfast, lunch and dinner - and all of them are equally exciting and worth a visit! I also think they serve one of the best cappuccino's in Brisbane - and I'm picky. The only draw-back is that such excellent food sadly does not come cheap, so this is not a place I can afford to go very often, but that just makes it even more special when I do, right? 

2. French Martini - I absolutely LOVE French food! And this restaurant really gives it justice. I went to a fair few French restaurants in Brisbane until I found this gem located in South Bank - with sizable portions (it's still French though) and food to die for! They're not crazy expensive like a lot of other French restaurants I've been to, and they serve the best Lemon Merengue Pie I've ever had. Mmmmmmmm!


French Martini on Urbanspoon
The atmosphere and decorations are spot on and feels like taken out of a French movie. It's a small space though, so it might be a good idea to book ahead on weekends. They're open for lunch and dinner, and have an awesome lunch deal at $25 for 2 courses and $30 for 3 courses of mouth-watering French degustation. Excellent value for such good food and a nice treat on a special day!

3. Olé Restaurant in South Bank has the best Gazpacho in Brisbane. My partner had never had it before and now he's absolutely crazy for it. The restaurant has a real Spanish feel to it, with live music on the weekends and a loooong table along the sidewalk where they seat those of us who have not booked ahead. It can feel a bit cramped, but it also contributes to that authentic feeling - munching on delicious tapas and getting to know your neighbouring dining guests. I recommend trying it!


Ole Restaurant on Urbanspoon
They're open for lunch and dinner all week, and serve breakfast on the weekends. They also throw events such as Salsa Evenings or Sunset Tapas. Olé!

4. Tsuru Sushi Café in West End has the most amazing sushi! They opened about a year ago and quickly became my favourite spot for sushi. Their dumplings (I prefer them fried and my partner steamed) are just heavenly. Their maki pieces are gigantic though, so don't be fooled to think that 6 pieces won't fill you up - I always make that mistake, as there is so much good stuff on the menu - I just want to eat it all! Hehe :) More reviews: Tsuru Sushi Cafe on Urbanspoon

5. Siam Samrarn is my favourite Thai restaurant, also in West End. I'd gone past it a lot of times and never really thought it would be anything special because of it's location next to Coles. Boy was I wrong! The prices are good, the food is excellent and it's actually a really nice place to sit down and eat too - although I must admit I usually opt for take-away. I'm a big fan of their Massaman Curry, which is the dish I measure most Thai restaurants by (I love it!). More reviews: Siam Samrarn on Urbanspoon

6. Punjabi Palace cooks the most amazing cheese and garlic naan bread! This is the place I take all my Indian food loving friends. Their Butter Chicken is so tender and tasty it makes my mouth water just thinking about it. I've tried a lot of different Indian restaurants in both West End and around Brisbane, and none can measure up to Punjabi. If you haven't been there already, be sure to stop by sometime soon! You won't regret it! More reviews: Punjabi Palace on Urbanspoon
 
Mmmmmm. I'm getting hungy just thinking about all these wonderful places to eat - and that's not even including my favourite lunch / coffee spots! I'll have to do a post on that some other time. Meanwhile, I have listed most of them in the column to the right! 

I can't wait to get back to Brisbane and treat myself to one of these awesome restaurants!

What are your favourite foods or places to go? Have I missed our on some amazing meals?

2 comments:

  1. Hi ,

    Your first posts just appeared on Urbanspoon! Check it out:
    http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/337/1360522/restaurant/Brisbane/Gunshop-Cafe-West-End
    http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/337/1632206/restaurant/Brisbane/French-Martini-South-Brisbane
    http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/337/1620421/restaurant/Brisbane/Ole-Restaurant-South-Brisbane
    http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/337/1611149/restaurant/South-Brisbane/Tsuru-Sushi-Cafe-Brisbane
    http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/337/1431092/restaurant/Brisbane/South-Brisbane/Siam-Samrarn-West-End

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  2. Thanks Greg! :) The blog has been claimed! :)

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