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

Thai Wi-Rat

Thai Wi-Rat is a Thai/Laos restaurant in Chinatown which serves authentic food true to it's culture. You don't need to ask for Thai Hot here, just ask for normal hot and it will bring tears to your eyes. The spiciness slowly increases in intensity and doesn't hit you until about halfway through the meal. The medium is probably best if eating in large groups. Try hot if you're not too concerned about your appearance after dinner.

What I didn't like about Thai Wi-Rat was that the ordering was done individually at the front counter. We wanted to order extra dishes halfway through our meal but when we looked up at the counter, there was a long line of people so we decided against it.

Yum Nuea - Grilled Rump Steak with Thai Salad Sauce  

COYO - Coconut Milk Yoghurt

When I came across Coyo from a colleague, it opened up a new healthy breakfast option for me. Finally I can enjoy yoghurt for breakfast. Not only is it naturally sweet, it is dairy free which keeps my stomach at bay in the morning. I know that most health fanatics are reaching for Greek yoghurt as it carries hardly any calories and keeps you full. But I find its sour taste makes it harder to enjoy as a regular yoghurt. I tend to only use Greek yoghurt in smoothies or cooking. I am also weary of 'greek style' yoghurt which uses gelatine as a thickener, rather than the traditional strained method. So Coyo is a great alternative for people like me.

Ole Restaurant

Tapas is fast becoming the new dining preference in Brisbane and why not I say? It's a great way to try more items on the menu and this sort of dining sets a very relaxed and extended meal for your company. I find in big groups, even if a restaurant's menu isn't set in a tapas style, it's easier and more fun to get multiple dishes to share.

Ole Restaurant is in Southbank towards the Piazza end. Like all Southbank restaurants, it has great outside seating where you can enjoy a leisurely lunch or dinner (and I hear they serve breakfast too?). The menu has a great selection of tapas and raciones (more substantial plates to share) and wine and cocktail menus as well.

Red Sangria - Red wine punch

You can't have Spanish tapas without a jug of sangria. I was surprised that they offered white and red wine sangria. I've never tried white sangria but I'm not a fan of white wine so Cora and I opted for red. The amount of wine was only slight, so I definitely recommend this for those non red drinkers as well. It was fruity, refreshing and ice cold. Best one I've had to date. The jug works out to be about 4-5 glasses so for us two it was a bit of a struggle to finish.

(Tapas) Pulpo Con Chorizo - Grilled octopus, chorizo, fresh lime, parsley and tomato

Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup - Pho Recipe

Pho has to be the quintessential Vietnamese dish. Every household has it's own version and of course everyone claims their mums' is the best. But why is it that there's so much variation in the quality of pho? Well, there are many 'secrets' to making the ultimate pho broth and each restuarant has their own little extra something. I've heard some interesting stories about the pho in Vietnam. My parents claim the top restaurants use a special type of dried seafood which can only be found in Vietnam waters. They're not sure what this seafood is, and even then, it's only a rumour. How well guarded! If I ever go back to Vietnam, I'll definitely try to weed this information out.

What makes this particular pho recipe so good is because of the quality of the ingredients, quantities and grilling of the stock vegetables and spices. When I make this at home, I don't skimp out on the amount of bones and I also buy the soup bones from Woolworths. I find the bones have more meat than from your butchers and the bones are well trimmed of excess fat. As for the spices, I don't buy the premade bouquet garnis but instead buy each spice individually so I can control the amount of each spice.

This may seem like a daunting recipe with so many ingredients but it's actually dead easy to make and tastes much better than restaurant ones (and minus the msg too). This recipe was adapted partly from my parents recipe and from Luke Nguyen. 

Little Lamb - Charcoal BBQ and Hot Pot Buffet

Little Lamb is a combined hot pot and charcoal grill buffet situated in a small shopping complex in Eight Mile Plains. It is in the older complex opposite Warrigal Square. As to how new this place is, I'm not certain. The staff speak mainly Chinese so there was a language barrier. I let my friend Peter do most of the talking here.

This place was big, loud and very busy. Customers are constantly getting up to grab food from the buffet area so it can get a bit overwhelming. This is a place you go to with a large group of friends and spend all night there cooking and eating. Bookings are a must otherwise you will find yourself waiting for a table.

Each table has an inbuilt grill box which they top with hot coal when your table is seated. Beside the grill is an induction cooktop for the hot pot. They offer spicy soup and normal soup and they have a split soup bowl so the table can order both types.  

Charcoal Skewers - (from the far right - sweet potato, taro balls, chicken wing, lamb)

 

Beastie Burgers: Brisbane's Best Burgers - Stop 4

Beastie Burgers is a small licensed restaurant on Little Stanley Street in South Bank. This place has few seating and most of it is outdoor, like the other restaurants on Little Stanley St. We've tried the burgers here in the past and from memory, they were good and worth trying again. I remember really enjoying the flame grilled patties which they specialise in. Think hungry jacks flamed grilled but not as oily and with real, wholesome beef mince patties.

Like most burger joints, the burgers had fun and creative names. I was tossing up between Cicciolina and Spice route. The Cicciolina had roast eggplant, capsicum, haloumi, rocket, pesto and aioli. To keep my burger choices more streamlined, I chose the Spice Route, which is similar to the Clacker Cracker from Just Poppy's and After Burner from FaB.

Spice Route - Flame grilled beef burger, roast sweet potato, haloumi, chilli jam, hummus and tomato relish

Kale Chips Recipe

If you're ever craving potato chips or want something crunchy to go with your sandwich, try having kale chips as a healthy alternative. Ever since making them for the first time a month ago, I've made a batch every week. Everyone who has tried these think they're deep fried because of how insanely crispy they are, but the crispyness comes from dehydrating the kale. In its raw form, it is very stiff so instead of wilting under heat like most green vegetables, it crispens up. And for those of you on a low carb diet? Here is your mid afternoon fix!

Have a go at these and if you don't like them, I'd like to hear from you because I'm yet to find someone who doesn't like it.

Popolo Italian Kitchen and Bar

The strip of restaurants at the new River Quay precinct at South Bank are the trendiest new places to have lunch. It's located just under the Goodwill Bridge with riverfront views.

What I love about Popolo is the relaxed ambience, outdoor seating and tapas style dining. Most of their dishes can be accommodated to the number of people at your table which makes sharing much easier. Cora (her review here) and I were seated at the very edge of the restaurant so we were literally a footstep off the pavement. It was so bright we had our sunnies on the entire meal. The view was fantastic, the Brisbane skyline and river was in front of us, the sun on our faces and a glass of wine in hand. Everything was promising of a good meal.

View from our seats

Bun Mobile. Brisbane's Best Burgers - Stop 3

Now I know this isn't what pops into mind when you think burgers, but the buns here to me look like a burger, just with a soft white bun instead of your typical seeded bun. Harold and Christine are the masterminds behind this, and they've got themselves a great social media campaign going on. They are very active on Facebook and Twitter and are also representing Brisbane as one of two food trucks on WhereTheTruck.at. It's about time Brisbane steps up in the foodie world and catch up to its' sister cities. I hate that we're always two years behind everything (Max Brenner's, San Churros, Ribs and Rumps to name a few) so it's great to see we've already got a successful and trendy food mobile.

The Bun Mobile sets up camp at various inner city spots, usually a different one each meal time. Their favourite spots are typically West End and Kangaroo Point. They are closed Sundays, Mondays and Saturday lunch which has made it almost impossible for me to catch them. I've tried on numerous occasions to track it down but it's never been convenient for me. When my friend Cora from Hungry Kittens managed to catch them the previous week, I asked her to give me a special mention on her post because there was no way I'd catch this elusive truck. This Saturday night however, Will and I didn't have any plans and lucky for us they were just at Kangaroo Point which wasn't too hard for us to get to.

Healthy Breakfast Muffins Recipe

With all the rich food I eat on my weekends, I have to try and maintain a healthy and balanced diet during the week. Given our busy lifestyles, it's so easy to miss breakfast. And we've heard it all before, DO NOT SKIP BREAKFAST. This is not a myth, I always want a toasted cheese sandwich instead of a healthy salad come lunch time if I skip breakfast. By making a batch of these on Sunday, it can last for the rest of the week and are easy to grab and have on the go in the morning.

I do not believe in eating boring and tasteless food for the sake of being healthy. If you play around with healthy ingredients you can definitely make a winning dish. These muffins are low fat, low sugar, high in energy and taste almost like a normal banana muffin. I usually have two of these in the morning, plus a handful of almonds (12 to be exact) and it keeps me going until lunch time. Because I store them in the fridge, I usually pop them in the microwave for 20seconds before eating to soften them up. I added fruits in the picture below, these were leftovers from my berry salad.