http://www.peelstkitchen.com.au/
Continuing on with my theme of online coupon shopping, I was thrilled when I found an offer for Peel Street Kitchen. The excitement stems from the fact that Marc used to live right around the corner from Peel Street and even though it's no longer a neighbouring building, it still sorta feels that way. The new kid on the block, so to speak.
I made a booking for Monday night this week and remind me to never organize dinners out on Monday ever again. It's the most unromantic night of the week and we both had work/tonnes of other things to do so it felt stressful to have to go out rather than nice and fun. Luckily, our dinner itself more than made up for this.
The restaurant is located at the ground floor of The Capitol building, which is a new set of residential apartments in South Brisbane. It's all walking distance from GoMA.
Marc and I recently booked a trip to Fiji and I had Fiji on my mind when we walked into PSK. The decor is distinctly islander with murals of tropical foliage. I really liked it! It definitely took me out of 'Monday zone'. When we arrived there were a few other tables finishing their meals or having quiet weekday drinks.
The deal we had entitled us to a shared starter bread, 2 entrees, 1 main and a dessert. Everything was clearly itemized on a special laminated menu. We were also brought out a couple glasses of wine to get things going.
Steamed free range pork buns
For our bread, Marc and I agreed on the chef's special pork bun. Whenever I read 'pork bun', I think of a filled steamed bun like a char siu bun you get from yum cha. I suppose these are definitially also 'filled steamed buns'. They ressemble what you get from The Bun Mobile and the filling reminded me of peking duck wraps, probably because of the hoisin sauce. They were really yummy and devoured within seconds.
South Australian lemon pepper squid - with green papaya salad and lime coriander chili dressing
I had wanted the eggplant entree but Marc looked absolutely uninterested due to the lack of meat. He ended up picking both the entrees. I'm not complaining because they were both delicious. I tried the lemon pepper squid first. I had my doubts because the food was being brought out so quickly but the squid was crispy, fresh and not too oily.
Grilled angus beef salad - with vermicelli rice noodle salad, crunchy peanuts and chili dressing
The angus beef salad was even tastier. I was expecting dull chewy beef (I've had bad experiences with beef in salads before) but the beef here had a great charred aroma and was juicy and tender with a luxurious wagyu-like fattiness. The tart salad dressing was the perfect compliment to this. Both the entrees were expertly balanced. Marc expressed that he could eat a whole big bowl of the beef salad and require nothing else.
Duo of salt bush lamb - slow-cooked lamb shoulder with baked rump and lamb onion sauce
Our shared main was the salt bush lamb. It had a nice flavour that reminded me of braised lamb in the Chinese countryside. The lamb was a tad tough; not sure if that's a cooking issue or due to the lamb itself.
Sticky rice pudding - white chocolate laced pudding, roast pineapple and caramelized milk ice-cream
I was super keen on the dessert because it combined a few of my favourite naughty sweet cravings: white chocolate, rice pudding and condensed milk! If that sounds like a sugar overload, it sure was but I loved it all the same. I fought Marc's spoon off with my own until he gave up and let me eat the dessert on my own. It was creamy and sweet and cloying but irresistable all at once.
You never know what to expect from a new restaurant, particular one that showcases fusion Asian. There are so many disasters in that genre and I'm skeptical whenever I see a new venture. Peel Street Kitchen succeeds in bringing forward dishes that are distinctly Asian with true flavours but that are still innovative and interesting. The style of food is comparible to nearby Chop Chop Chang's but the venue feels more intimate and I'd say the dishes are more refined. We had a lovely chat with one of the friendly waitstaff too. Definitely recommended!
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