EAT STREET MARKETS | macarthur avenue central, hamilton

Eat street markets boast an international variety of market style food ranging from your standard German sausages to delectable paella to funky Japanese pizzas. My friends and I went out one Saturday to check this place out and we were certainly not disappointed. The markets has two big hangers that hosted almost 20+ food stalls with cute litter fairy lights on the roof for ambiance. There was so many food stalls and not enough stomachs to be able to try everything - I really wanted to try the paella and also some of the Asian cuisine. But alas, not enough stomach for so much food!

It's definitely great for grabbing a big group of friends and having a casual Saturday (or Friday) night out.

COLLE ROSSO RISTORANTE ITALIANO | Musgrave Rd, Red Hill

Nicole and I met up for our fortnightly catch up session. I got an invite for a 50% off discount at this Italian restaurant and decided to try it out since Ive driven past this place every Saturday when I was working at a vet emergency hospital during university.

We went on a weeknight and it was surprisingly full of diners! We ordered a entree to share which was the I Nostri Famosi Calamari Fritti which was presented beautifully in conical bowl and tasted just as amazing. For main, I ordered Gnocchi alle Cicale di Mare e Zucchini which was gnocchi with zucchini and moreton bay bugs. It was pretty good but extremely filling and the moreton bay bugs were a little bit dry. Nicole ordered Linguine ala Marinarai which looked delicious and if I ever go there again, I would definitely order hers. 

The restaurant attempts to emulate an Italian feel with red and white checkered patterns, appropriately accented waiters/waitresses and vintage mirrors/wall decor. I didn't order anything for dessert but Nicole ordered Creme Caramel con Frutti de Boso e Panna. Needless to say, she loved it!

 I wouldn't be in a hurry to come here again but for 50% off, it was well for the mid week dinner treat :)

SOUL PIZZA | Brunswick St, Fortitude Valley

Another cousins' night out! We chose this place because (a) needed something high carb for the boys and (b) who could resist cheap 18 inch pizzas! We ordered two starters of garlic baquette, spicy potato wedges with sweet chilli sauce and sour cream and three pizzas BBQ Hog Fest, Fiery Indian and Surf's Up. My favourite was definite Surf's Up with its garlic prawns ,tuna and shredded and mozzarella cheese and baked spicy dough. Below are some photos from the night :)

ANOUK | Givens Terrace, Paddington

Ellen and I had our monthly catchup lunch at Anouk. Now I've been here once before and sad to say it did not win me over despite the raves on numerous reviews, websites and also from friends. I was hoping this time would be better.

We came late Sunday afternoon for lunch and it was great to see the crowds gone for once. We got ushered to a table on the corner (ironically the same table that I sat the last time) and ordered our meals. After much deliberation, I ordered the open steak sarnie with haloumi, bacon, egg, onion, beet jam and sweet curls and Ellen ordered maple and tamarind wagyu beef, israeli couscous, salty lemon, apricot and almonds. For drinks I had a mango, passionfruit and pineapple juice and Ellen a skinny cappuccino. The drinks came out quickly. They say that the juices at Anouk is their signature but although my juice was really refreshing, it wasn't a particular standout compared to any other cafe in Brisbane. I forgot to ask Ellen how her coffee was but there was no complaints from her end do the table so I'm sure it wasn't too bad!

They said that the meals would take longer then expected but who was timing? I didn't realise it was a longer wait than usual but that could also be due to the fact that I had wonderful company and great conversation to pass time! The highlight of my dish would be the sweet potato chips which were absolutely delicious and addictive. The steak was a bit of a miss being overdone, dry and tasteless. The bacon, eggs and haloumi was so so- I've had better (cf Flute Fine Foods). Although the quality was not worth $20, the amount certainly makes up for it!

THE BURROW | Mollison St, West End

My sister and I went out one Saturday night to catch up over dinner and also watch the latest zombie movie out: World War Z. I love all things undead (oh The Walking Dead) and with the recent rise in popularity of zombie apocalyptic world, what more would you want than the gorgeous Brad fighting of the reanimated with his good looks and charm? 

Huldah and I went to The Burrow for dinner. I didn't book because we went there early and luckily we did because all the tables were already reserved. The friendly waiter squeezed us in. This is the second time Ive been here (the first being a Sunday lunch) and at night time, I was surprised to find the usual outdoor seating area at the front of the restaurant walled off by wooden colored panes of glass (perfect to shield diners from the Brisbane chills). Last time I was seated outside and didn't have time to appreciate the decor of the inside. I loved the comic wallpaper and wooden seating that it provided - very rustic feel indeed.

We ordered a Moons of Neptune  (seared scallop with cider braised pork belly, celeriac puree, apple jelly and fennel jam) and a Barbarossa pizza (Turkish style lamb, red onion, capsicum, mushroom, tabbouleh finished with yogurt dressing) plus a rekorderlig to share. The entree was sooo lovely! The scallops perfectly seared and the pork belly had just the right amount of fat (cf. the Alfred and Constance pork belly where after only one bite, i already felt sick). The apple jelly was a bit of a miss on the dish. I personally didn't feel  like it belong. Beautiful on it's own but with scallop and pork belly? Hmmm. The pizza was also fabulous. I always loved the pizzas at the burrow. Ive always liked the thin base with a mountainous filling. I'm usually not a bit fan of tabbouleh and yogurt dressings but together with the mushrooms, capsicum and lamb - I really enjoyed it! 

Definitely come here again ... next time I'm trying out the breakfast menu :)

SPAGHETTI HOUSE | Boundary St, West End

My lovely two girlfriends and I went out for our usual monthly catch up dinners. West End has been a long standing place for us to dine but I have yet to try out Spaghetti House! 

During the week, there is two seating one at 6pm and one after 8pm and we booked for the early one (Yaz needed to get home in time for NCIS season finale haha). The menu ordering system is reminiscent to Vapiano where you choose your combination of sauce and pasta. I ordered a pesce marina linguine in the piccolo (small) size but it was definitely enough for me. The seafood marina was juicy but some particular pieces were slightly over cooked. The clams were not opened when it came out so I had some trouble opening it while being graceful at the same time. The pasta was soft and the sauce wasn't too salty but could have done with a little less oil. After dinner, the girls both ordered a affogato al caffe (vanilla gelato served with strong espresso) which was presented exquisitely.

One interesting point was that all the waiters/waitresses seem to have an Italian accent. Now whether or not this was a prerequisite on the hiring process, I'm not sure but it was rather uncanny to hear all these thick Italian accents (coming out of cute looking European men no less) waft through the restaurant. The restaurant itself is rather small and they try to make good use of it by fitting in many tables (a bit too crowded in my opinion) and using mirror on the walls to make the place look bigger than it is. I do like the daily specials written on the mirror though- I think it adds a certain level of ambiance to this Italian restaurant.

RECOMMENDED FOR: casual Italian dinner. Nothing fancy and don't expect too much.