Dinner at KU-O Japanese Restaurant

KU-O Japanese Restaurant
Shop 39B, Market Square, Corner Mains Rd and McCollough Street, Sunnybank

While others get ready for a break over Christmas and new years, I've been gearing up for the busiest time of the year for me. School holidays plus other dentists taking leave means I work a lot more hours than I'm used to. For the most part, the temporary nature of it keeps me reassured and sane but I still need to plant extra indulgences to balance out a heavier working schedule. Last Saturday night after a busy 6 day week of work, I convinced Marc to take me out for dinner. There's little in the way of life difficulties that can't be solved by food.

I tossed up a few options and ended up going with KU-O because I was surprised I never heard of it before. Online reviews sounded good and feedback from friends was also good so my enthusiasm grew. KU-O is located inside Market Square, next to Malaya Corner. I must have not been to Market Square for a long time because I haven't seen KU-O before and I also can't remember what used to be there.  The restaurant is quite small and narrow but I feel this adds to the authenticity. We got a table without a booking but I noticed some other tables were marked as reserved and I heard some people leaving their name and number on a waiting list for a seat. I guess we were lucky.

Dinner and Drinks at London Fields

London Fields
http://londonfields.com.au/

In an effort to stay relevant and not fade away from the Brisbane dining scene, I figured I needed to visit more fresh and newly established venues. London Fields opened up not too long ago, ironically near where I used to live. Well, I no longer live there so it took a bit of a journey to get there but that's something we expect after moving out from the inner city ring. I had heard some positive feedback about London Fields and was curious to make my own assessment.

We visited last Friday night without a booking. There were a few functions going on (birthday? Christmas parties?) but we were able to find a spot to sit without dramas. I don't think there's too much in the way of actual dining tables but we scored a low tabletop with stools surrounding. For finger food this is fine but you would definitely want a proper table if you had something that required knife and fork.

My Pho Bar for Lunch

My Pho Bar
6/19 Kooringal Drive, Jindalee

Familiarising ourselves with the new neighbourhood, I did a search on Zomato for nearby Vietnamese restaurants. It's hard not to miss being a 2min drive from Trang's in West End. A few expected results came up for Darra and Inala but I was intrigued by My Pho Bar which won by being closest to us.

We headed there just before 2pm on a weekday and as expected for such a suburban area, it was fairly quiet. I was quite impressed by the cleanliness of the place. A large mirror near the back of the restaurant fooled both me and Marc into thinking there was another room there. It was spotless! I couldn't see a single smudge mark.

Dinner at The Persian Restaurant

The Persian Restaurant
http://www.thepersianrestaurant.com/

I was surfing through the interwebs looking for dinner inspiration when I came across The Persian Restaurant in Bardon. Vague memories from my past started stirring. I'm pretty sure I visited a restaurant called 'The Persian Restaurant' many, many years ago but that one was in Coorparoo. It might even be by the same people because I notice the website mentions they are 'now' located in Bardon. Presumably it had a previous location. I tried to search my own blog for any previous reviews but couldn't find anything.

In any case, new location means new things to write about. We made a booking for dinner last Friday night at 8pm. It was quite busy when we got there so we were glad to have a booking. The restaurant is nice to look at with a dark interior, generically 'ethinic' decor features and pretty fairy lights across the outside windows. The lighting inside is dimmed but not so much that my poor eyes couldn't read the menu (which is my idea for uncomfortably dark).

Lunch at Goodness Gracious Cafe

Goodness Gracious Cafe
250 Oxley Road, Graceville

The good thing about moving out west is that I finally get to try a lot of cafes and restaurants that have been sitting on my 'to visit' list but never bothered to go to because they were too far away. Now, I live in the 'far away' and whilst it's vastly inconvenient for anything in town, there are some notable gems in this part of Brissie.

One cafe that I'd been following on Instagram for aaaages is Goodness Gracious in Graceville. Jenny occasionally passes it on her drive and commented that it is always busy. The photos they posted looked amazing so I was keen to give it a try. Yesterday, Marc and I were both home with nothing to do so we headed there for lunch.

Peking Duck at Lucky Corner

Lucky Corner Chinese Restaurant
1/660 Oxley Rd, Graceville

I feel like I've raved so much about Peking duck in recent times I could compose a passionate love ballad about it. Happily for me, food sister Jenny shares my enthusiasm so I don't have to worry about not having anyone to enjoy duck with. A friend of hers recommended Lucky Corner as the best Peking duck in Brisbane. It seemed like an obscure pick but in the name of research, we're always willing to taste test.

Lucky Corner is a small Chinese restaurant off Oxley Road in Corinda. There's easy street side parking but there's a bit of construction going on nearby so we accidentally drove past it. The menu is entirely in English which doesn't speak strongly about authenticity but I was happy to reserve judgement until after eating.

Ole Fuego for a Spanish Tapas Feast

Ole Fuego
http://www.olerestaurant.com.au/fuego-about-us/

Marc and I rarely go to the movies because I have the attention span of a goldfish and find it hard to sit still and not talk for close to 3 hours (aren't all movies these days just so LONG). However, we obtained some free tickets and when something is free, that changes things so despite my misgivings we made a date night out of it.

Indooroopilly shopping Centre is our new local shopping hub so that's where we headed for dinner and movies. It wasn't late night shopping night so the centre was fairly quiet but the dining strip along Station Rd still had some activity happening. We got a table at Ole Fuego and managed to get our order in before the kitchen closed.

Pop Up Degustations by Prodigy Chef Cody McKavanagh

Pop Up Degustations by Cody McKavanagh
http://experimentalchicken.com/tickets

I thought last Thursday night was just going to be another non-event pretending to be Friday night (but ending with disappointment). I was trawling through Facebook when a random message alert came up. A Sydney-based chef, Dre Kang alerted to me an incredibly special series of food events happening in Brisbane early 2016.

Chef Cody McKavanagh of Warwick upbringing (Queeeeeenslaaaanderrrrr) is not an average teenager. Rather than being proficient at sleeping in, late night Maccas runs and computer games like I was at that age, he has already trained at some of Australia's top restaurants including Quay, Aria and Rockpool. Most impressively (at least to me), he has done a stint under renowned fantasy chef Heston Blumenthal at Fat Duck, one of the most highly rated restaurants world wide. That's mighty impressive for a 19 year old.

Bao's Shanghai Restaurant for Dinner

Bao's Shanghai Restaurant
Sunnypark Plaza, Sunnybank

It's a sad state of affairs for me as a food blogger when even my dad is more in touch with new restaurants than I am. He told me about a new Shanghainese restaurant opening up in Sunnybank and we were curious to check it out. We actually popped in on its second day of service and encountered chaos. Kitchen staff were unable to keep up with orders and patrons were being turned away because the owners were losing control of the situation. Dad and I managed to get a table but it was about an hour before we were fed. I thought about blogging Bao's based on that but I assumed (and hoped) that the service would improve once they found their feet and I didn't want to give an unfair report.

Red Lotus, Annerley for Dinner

Red Lotus Vietnamese Chargrill, Annerley Location
3 Cracknell St, Annerley

Jenny mentioned to me in passing a restaurant near her called Red Lotus. It flashed up a feeling of reminiscence and when I searched the dregs of my tired and aging memory bank, I realised I had been to a restaurant called Red Lotus on one of my first dates with now-husband Marc. That was its Fortitude Valley location and it appears the same owners have also got a restaurant of same name at Annerley. In further Brisbane-is-a-small-city news, they are again the same owners behind Cafe O-Mai, which is located right next door to Red Lotus in Annerley.

It seemed fitting that I visit this Red Lotus with Marc. We're not sentimental people but we do enjoy a good feed so it's a case of any excuse will do really. I made a booking for a weekday night but whilst it was fairly busy, I'm pretty sure they could have squeezed two people in without a booking. I would recommend you book for a weekend or larger group though.

From the outset, Red Lotus doesn't look like your typical Vietnamese eatery. I described it to Jenny as a nice date spot because it's got lovely decor but is still reasonably relaxed. The menu is packed with detailed descriptions and photographs so even Vietnamese food novices will have some guidance as to what dishes to order.