Duck Confit with Duck Jus

Duck confit is one of the classic duck dishes, right up there with peking duck and Chinese roast duck. By confiting the duck, it produces a luscious and soft off the bone meat which is rich in it's own juices. It is prepared by first salt curing the duck meat and then slowly poaching it in it's own fat.  Duck confit may seem like a time consuming process but your actual kitchen time is very minimal. If you plan in advance, it becomes a very quick and easy meal. I accompany my duck confit with a duck jus, crispy duck fat potatoes, a tangy and crispy salad and a glass of pinot noir. By all means it isn't a heart smart meal and not something you would have on a weekly basis but it's a great one to have up your sleeve for special occasions.

Duck Confit
(adapted from Gourmet Traveller)

Note: Begin preparations two days before your meal. Ideally you want to start the curing process on the first night, confit it the next morning and leave it overnight again to sit in the fat and further develop in flavour. This is an age old technique used to preserve food so do not worry about the duck going off by starting it so early. 

After 3 hours in the oven 
 

The Spaghetti House Trattoria

When asked to recommend good Italian food in Brisbane, I'm always struggling to provide worthwhile suggestions. Sure most of the Italian restaurants here have some decent dishes but I still think traditional Italian dining is missing in the Brisbane food scene. 

The Spaghetti House Trattoria has filled that gap. It takes you across the globe to Italy from the moment you step in. From the heavily accented waiters to the rustic decor. It reminded me of the restaurants in Italy that I've seen on SBS food and travel shows; with long wooden tables, covered with bowls of assorted olives, sitting it's oil and tall glasses filled with crispy mini bread sticks. I could easily see a big Italian family coming to sit at this table and sharing a meal together.

Fortune Well Sichuan Restaurant

My experience with Sichuan cuisine is very limited, partially due to the lack of Sichuan restuarants in Brisbane. I've heard good things about this place from friends who grew up eating Sichuan food in China so it sounded promising.

The menu had fairly non-descriptive english translations which made the dishes seem completely boring. Luckily I went with Chinese friends and they took over the ordering. We ordered 3 main dishes - all were spicy dishes and had it accompanied with steamed rice. 

Shui Zhu Yu - Chef's Special fish fillets

ChowHouse

As stated on their menu, Chow House is an "informal share food style restaurant". So really, it's tapas. It is located right in the heart of James St, New Farm and is sure to be busy any time of the day. Most of the seating is outdoors and overlooks the bustling shops surrounding it. It's the perfect casual spot for a weekend catch up.

I went here hoping to have their breakfast menu which looked amazing but was too late for the service and settled for lunch instead. Chow House's lunch menu has strong Asian influences with dishes like rice paper rolls, peking duck, sichuan quail and nasi goreng. Think Asian street food, cooked fancy and served in a casual dining scene.

Mango and Passionfruit Frappe, Pineapple Lime and Coconut Frappe

These were very nice frappes, adequately sweet and very creamy. They reminded me of the smoothies you can get from Boost. Kristine had the lime, coconut and pineapple frappe. She loved it. I'm not a fan of pina colada but this was pretty much a smoothie version of one.

Hanoi pork belly and prawn rice paper roll

Kapsali Taverna

Kapsali Taverna is located in a prime location behind South Bank's iconic pool and beach and also has promises of Brisbane's river views. It's a nice lunch spot for diners not looking for anything too fancy but a nice place to stop and relax in South Bank.

Seared scallop, prawn and mussel salad with garlic and chilli infused vinaigrette 

Shucked

Shucked was highly recommended to me for it's corn fritters. I was forewarned that there wasn't much to Shucked, very small, terrible service but great food. Sounded typical of any popular brunch spot in Brisbane these days. 

Shucked is located behind Austral Honda on a commercial street in Newstead. There were cars parked all along the side streets and seeing as it was outside business hours and the only cafe in sight, everyone must've been there for a Shucked breakfast.

The main seating area inside the cafe was completely full so I ended up in the outdoor seating which looked like it once used to be an alley way. The brick walls were now covered in quirky contemporary artwork. Some of the tables and chairs were a tad too small for the average bloke and some were just crates with cardboard on top. This all fitted in nicely with their trendy laid back fit out but wasn't very comfortable to eat at.

 Stone the Crows - Corn and feta fritters w. hollandaise, tomato relish and avocado

Ga Roti Recipe - Vietnamese Rotisserie Chicken

This is a typical midweek dish in my family's household. It's so easy to make, full of flavour and is a great leftover dish.

Milano

Milano has always been a restuarant that I've walked right by when shopping along Queen St Mall. To be honest, I used it as a quick short cut from store to store. But then I heard they had a new pizza chef - born, bred and trained in Italy. I immediately accepted an invitation to dine here since I'm forever searching for decent Italian food in Brisbane.

Situated in the middle of Queen St Mall, Milano is an outdoor restaurant with the bar and high table seating at the front. Towards the back end are lower tables suitable for more intimate dining. Brisbane is blessed with great weather and this style dining is perfect for the bustling atmosphere of Queen St Mall.

View from the bar end of Milano 

Upon arriving at Milano, I got to speak to a few of the staff and found out some things about their new chef. Chef Pierluigi has been living in Australia for 4 and half years now and has been making pizza since his days in Italy. I've been told he has won the best Marguarita pizza in Australia. This I believe is quite an achievement as you cannot hide behind a margarita and is a true hallmark of a good pizza. All the pizza doughs are hand spun and thrown above the head to get an even consistency throughout the dough, something a rolling pin can't do. 

San Danielle – san danielle prosciutto, Buffalo mozzarella, torn basil, black pepper and freshly made tomato base.

Phuc Deli Viet

Phuc Deli Viet is located on the bus stop side of Indooroopilly Shopping Mall and sits adjacent to Pig 'N' Whistle. I cannot believe I have walked past this restaurant for so many years and never stopped to try the food. Forget your cheap local Vietnamese cafe that drowns their stock with MSG - Chef Johnny Tran has a palate of a seasoned chef and doesn't need to cut corners to make a strong, standout stock. 

I was recently invited to try Chef Johnny's signature pho. The more I found out about his history, the more I understood why his food was so good. Chef Johnny came to Australia as a refugee and cooked in restaurants to support himself through school. He has worked at a number of noteworthy restaurants in Brisbane before being approached to open a Vietnamese restaurant next to Pig 'N' Whistle at Indooroopilly. This was way back in 1999.

Over 13 years later, he is still the head chef here, leading the kitchen everyday. There weren't many Vietnamese restuarants around back then and I'm impressed that Phuc Deli Viet stood so strongly when Vietnamese food was not as popular. Speaking to some of my colleagues at work, they recall only seeing asian herbs like coriander for the first time about 5-10 years ago in when they were in their late 20s. Chef Johnny has come very far and it certainly shows in his food. 

Hainan Chicken Rice with Chilli Garlic Sauce, Ginger Sauce and Chicken Broth

Burger Urge - Brisbane's Best Burgers. Stop 5

Continuing on with my burger search in Brisbane, I decided to try Burger Urge. It wasn't on my go-to list however BYOB was closed over the Christmas/New Years period and this place was just around the corner. I've heard mixed reviews about Burger Urge but tried not to let that affect my judgement. I find prior expectations of a place can really affect your dining experience.

Burger Urge is a chain restaurant with numerous branches in Brisbane including St Lucia, Kelvin Grove, West End and Fortitude Valley, which is where I ate. The decor had a grunge feel to it and the seating area was small. It was Saturday lunch time but we found the place rather quiet.

I thought the staff was friendly and was a bit suprised when they came to ask how our meal was. It's not something you would expect from a chain store burger joint but it was a nice gesture. 

Zorba the Greek -  Lamb patty, onion jam, haloumi cheese, mayo, pesto, cos lettuce, tomato