Sunday, February 26, 2012

foodie weekend! yes!

I love when I get to indulge in a food inspired weekend! It started with Grill'd on a very wet and rainy Friday night. I missed the BrisStyle Twilight market due to said wet weather and boy, did it set in! I quickly ran from my car with the brolli, picked up my take away and ran back to the car! I enjoyed the crispy bacon and cheese with the tasty rosemary salt chips! yum!
On Saturday morning, Sam and I made our way to One Drop Coffee.

These guys really know their coffee and I was served a delicious El Salvador Piccolo. The atmosphere was relaxed and friendly. I'll definitely return now they are open on Saturdays 8am-1pm. The breakfast menu looks very appealing too! mmmm...
                            

On Saturday night, Sam and I booked a table at The Crosstown Eatery in Woolloongabba. I have been wanting to try this place since it opened. 


Sam and I enjoyed 3 courses of gorgeous bistro-style cuisine in a welcoming and cosy environment. We started with the sticky pork spare ribs and pan fried haloumi with beetroot, quinoa, lemon and almond. One word for the ribs - AMAZING! The meat was falling off the bone and coated in a sweet and rich sauce that tasted like heaven! I would go back just for that as (consistently) good ribs are hard to find these days. The haloumi was a generous size with the lemon providing the great acidity to cut through the salty cheese. The nutty quinoa was well paired with the earthy beetroot. 
My main was the spatchcock and it was enormous. I didn't realize I would be getting the whole bird! It was beautifully cooked in a rich, meaty jus and served on a bed of cavalo nero with a side of duck fat potatoes. Sam ordered the lamb cutlets with tzatziki and served with beetroot puree and israeli couscous in a tomato sauce. It was tasty, but not as good as mine! It was also on the smaller size, but that didn't matter as I had spatchcock to share!
For dessert, I chose the mini vanilla bean panna cotta which was perfect - in size and flavour! Lovely texture and topped with a thin chocolate layer on top which added an extra somethin' somethin'. Sam enjoyed the chocolate nut brownie with vanilla bean ice cream and toasted coconut. This was so yummy and had a bitter chocolate taste - not too sweet :). The service was attentive, but not over the top as well as friendly and fun. We left The Crosstown very happy and very full! We will be back again!

Unfortunately, the menu on the website is different to the one currently in house and I forgot to take pictures as I was so involved with eating the food! D'oh! Thankfully, the reviewers of Urbanspoon remembered to take pictures!

haloumi

sticky pork spare ribs - must try!

dining rooms

bar

Sunday was fairly low key. For our morning coffee, we went to see Naomi at Shucked in Newstead. I enjoyed their new signature blend "Shuck n awe"- smooth and well balanced. I love the breakfast menu here and would've dove in had I not eaten so much the night before! :P


For afternoon tea, Sam and I went to visit Bien at Dello Mano. They opened up on Doggett st, Fortitude Valley last November and have enjoyed growing success ever since. I tried the signature hot chocolate (filled with spices) and a peanut butter brownie. Sooo good! Dello Mano really does make the best brownies EVER! Sam had the iced chocolate which had the same spicy, chocolate base as mine, but mixed with ice cream. Delicious!


I hope you enjoyed a fun, foodie weekend too! x



Saturday, February 11, 2012

Honestly...wtf

This a freaking cool website, and the name is even better: Honestly...wtf. I have just spent so much time gazing at its delicious pages. Take a look.









Divine.

J'espere que vous passer un bon week-end!
Bisous.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

I had to share.....

Cake Pops! Have you heard of them?? I can't wait for the day that i finally make them - I just need the right occasion! For future reference, the lovely girls at A Beautiful Mess have put together a "How to" for the amazing cake pop! (I think I'm a bit obsessed.. :P)




An afternoon with tea and cake pops would go perfectly with the dress I received today from People Tree. It's a lovely dress made with organic cotton :) So cute!

It has coffee cups on it! *squee!*

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

more headband-ly goodness!

little bee for little Lola!

floral head band with buttons! 

You can find these lovelies and more at this weekend's Young Designer's Market on Sunday - Little Stanley Street, South bank 10-4pm. I'll also have a little sale going on, so come by and check it out!  yay!

Here's to great weather in Brisbane!


Friday, January 27, 2012

introducing.... hair bands for little ones!


Isn't she cute? But to divert your attention for a moment, the hair band is one of 3 that I sent down to my little niece, Lola, in Sydney. She had her nappy bag stolen while on holiday in the UK recently, which had all her cute little hair accessories.. I was quick on the case to whip up some more for her, but I forgot to take pics of the other 2! Oops! I also made a little bear with blanket stitch detail and a bumble bee :)

Sunday, January 22, 2012

northey st organic market


Just checked them out and I bought some great things - coconut flakes, nut butter, fresh veges, bananas and I enjoyed a raw food brownie! There is also take-away Di Bella coffee for sale, organic meats, breads, jams, honey and tea! Plus there is a dog park nearby so they get some exercise too. It's right around the corner from me in Windsor (yay!), near the netball courts and is a lovely way to spend a sunday morning. These markets are on every sunday 6 - 10:30am
See more info here

Jessiedex: Best of - worldly delights!

Want to know a great place to eat in the suburbs of Brisbane? Here are my favourites according to food genre :D

Best Thai: 
  • My Thai Restaurant, Auchenflower. Amazing Tom Kha Gai and Duck pad prik king!
  • Mons Ban Sabai Thai restaurant, Camp Hill. The Mussaman beef is gorgeous, as is the Red curry with chicken
My Thai - photo source

Best Indian: 
  • Punjabi Palace - fantastic naan (try Punjabi delight! spinach and cheese) and delicious chicken mahkini in the Chef's specialties

Best Mexican: 
  • Tuckeria for great fresh mexican. The burritos are huge and flavourful and the tacos are full, fresh and super tasty!
Favourite Greek:
  • Ouzeri, West End. This Place is always full and once you've tried the food, you know why! The skordalia dip with warm turkish bread as a starter is sooo good and followed by the meat and potatoes oven baked in a bag, you're sure to eat well! It has been a while since I have eaten here, so I hope they still serve the same great food. I must re-visit!
Best Burger:
  • Burger Urge, New Farm. With the recent menu change and renovations now complete, Burger Urge is a fun casual spot for a bit to eat. I love the Cheese Louise with bacon and the sweet potato fries with lime aioli! The Zorba the Greek burger is also pretty amazing.
  • Grill'd also gets a mention for consistently providing great burgers and chips. I love the rosemary seasoning on the fries :D I'm never disappointed when I leave here.
Best Sushi:
  • Sushi Train at Indooroopilly is a tasty suburban find. The chicken and avocado nigiri is awesome, as is the gyoza. I am also a  hug fan of the fresh salmon and avocado sashimi. For a dinner that provides all the well loved Japanese(/Westen!) favourites, Sushi train hits the spot! Be prepared to wait, though, as it is very popular.
Best Chinese:
  • I always love Super Bowl, Chinatown, the Valley. See my blog post here
Best Vietnamese: 
  • Trang's, West End. I love the rice paper rolls! Very basic decor, but cheap and tasty food! win/win!

Best Turkish: 
  • Caravanserai, West End. The Ottoman meze was a great starter - so much delicious fresh food - dips, meat skewers, turkish bread, haloumi.. and more!

Best Bistro style:
  • Continental Cafe, New Farm. I finally found a delicious French Onion Soup here! The Spring lamb with root vegetables as a main was perfect.
Best German food:
  • The German club (Zum Kaiser), Woolloogabba. The pork belly is fantastic and the atmosphere is always fun and friendly. They also do Pork Knuckle! Yes! I love the beer hall too!


New places I'm keen to try: 
Portabella in Eaton's Hill. Apparently the pork belly is amazing!
Sake, Eagle street pier, City
Moo Moo Restaurant, City
Crosstown Eatery, Woolloongabba
Organic Char, Eagle street Pier, City

Hmmmm... the city seems to have a few places that I want to try! 

I'd love to hear where your favourite restaurants are :D