Thai Terrace for Dinner

Thai Terrace
http://www.thaiterrace.com.au/

I was in a burger mood a couple of weeks ago and Marc suggested we try this burger place we saw that had just opened in Rosalie. When we got there, we realised it had already closed down and after lamenting over how fickle and competitive the hospitality industry is, we settled in for some Thai instead.

Thai Terrace is a restaurant I've walked past numerous times and always found inviting but never actually ventured into before. The external wall has these lit up pink window panels that I really like the look of. It's like... a classy lounge bar setting for Thai food.

Dinner at Spaghetti House Trattoria

Spaghetti House Trattoria
http://www.spaghettihouse.com.au/

Marc and I stumbled across Spaghetti House once, many years ago when it was in West End. I enjoyed the food we had that night and kept meaning to go back but things got in the way and suddenly there were all these new other restaurants to try. Before I knew it, Spaghetti House had relocated to South Bank.

Revisits continued to alude me and once we then moved to Sinnamon Park, South Bank was a chore to get to. Last weekend, our group of friends caught up over dinner. When brainstorming for dinner locations, dozens of new establishments jumped into my brain for attention but for whatever reason, I got hooked on the idea of Spaghetti House. It was an irresistible combination of nostalgia, promise of carbohydrates and their limited edition lobster gnocchi that drew me in and blocked off all other suggestions.

Bare Bones Society for Brunch

Bare Bones Society
http://barebonessociety.com/

Moving to the west of Brisbane, the restaurant I was most keen to try was Bare Bones Society. It has been on my radar for a long time but always felt too far away. Now, it's barely 5 minutes drive so there were no more excuses.

I've been to Bare Bones twice now for weekday brunch. They're also open for dinner on Friday nights with a changing menu. The restaurant is smack bang in the middle of the Homemaker Centre in Jindalee, so there are lots of parking spots.

Spanish Feast at Toro Bravo

Toro Bravo
http://torobravo.com.au/

Last week my close friend Blossom had a showcase at the RAW artist exhibit. We all hopped along to show our support and afterwards, wandered through the valley for a bite to eat.

Lunch at Woka Woka

Woka Woka
Shop 20-22 Warrigal Square, 261 Warrigal Rd, Eight Mile Plains

Sometimes when I'm bored on the weekend I'll pop over to mum and dad's and see what they have to offer. Their solution to entertain me is usually to feed me and I'm not one to complain about that.

Melbourne 7 - Brunch at Trunks

Trunk American Diner
http://www.trunktown.com.au/

It's shocking to think that I've taken a month to blog only 4 days worth of eating in Melbourne.  I guess it shouldn't come as a surprise considering how much we ate but I'm somewhat relieved that I'm up to the last post for this particular trip.

We had checked out of our hotel and it was about 3hrs till our return flight... just enough time for a spot of brunch.

Melbourne 6 - Dessert at Spring Street Grocer

Spring Street Grocer
http://www.springstreetgrocer.com.au/

After our meal at Warra Warra, I found myself craving ice-cream. This might have something to do with the in depth dinner conversation we had about the quality of gelato in Brisbane versus Melbourne. Obviously my Melbourne buddies were adamant that what we considered good gelato in Brisbane was ass water compared to what they had on offer. I got a bit offended at first but the promise of top quality gelato lured me into wanting to try a place they suggested. We headed for a night time stroll through the city and ended up on Spring Street.

As the name suggests, Spring Street Grocer is a gourmet grocery store complete with its own veggie section and cheese room. I had a quick look around but my main focus was on the gelataria, which was outside at the front of the store. Apparently one of the 'disadvantages' of getting ice-cream here was lack of choice in flavours but because I'm very simple with what flavours I like to taste, this wasn't a problem for me at all.

Melbourne 5 - Dinner at Warra Warra

Warra Warra Korean Kitchen
http://warrawarrakitchen.com.au/

After one failed attempt to meet my friend Doc for brunch (I simply couldn't wake up in time), we rescheduled a catch up, this time at the safer evening time slot. We were both in the mood for Korean and he suggested Warra Warra.

Melbourne 4 - Shabu Shabu Lunch at Momo

Momo Sukiyaki and Shabu Shabu
http://www.momoshabushabu.com.au/

Fast forward to the Sunday of our friend's wedding. We were in holiday mood so we probably got out of bed around noon, just in time for lunch. The hotel Marc and I stayed at was just a street away from Chinatown (Little Bourke St) so that's where we headed.

There were restaurants galore but I wanted to make a decision before we became overwhelmed with options. We thought that Japanese sounded good and gravitated towards Momo. Upon studying the menu further, Marc was disappointed that it specialised in hot pot. As an addict of hot pot and all things soupy, I couldn't be more over the moon. Marriage may be about compromise but on this occasion I put my foot down.

Melbourne 3 - Lunch at Carmine's

Carmine's Bistro
http://www.carminesbistro.com.au/

Marc and I did the touristy thing while we're in Melbourne and decided to take a stroll along Lygon Street. Most online articles reported the Italian strip along there to be a bit of a tourist trap with inauthentic pizza/pasta combos churned out for unsuspecting interstate/international visitors. I could picture my true Melbournian friends rolling their eyes at how naive we were but I ignored that mental image and focused on enjoying my day. Marc and I like walking as a means to take in new cities so for us, it was a chance to venture away from our hotel.

I had been to Lygon Street once before with Kat for our weekend away in Melbourne, many years ago. I even spotted Stuzzichino, a cafe we visited at the time. I'm sure lots of things have changed since 2010 but I felt a bit of nostalgia all the same.

Melbourne 2 - Banquet at Rumi Restaurant

Rumi Restaurant
http://rumirestaurant.com.au/

Perhaps the most urgent meet up I had arranged in Melbourne was with Mochi, my old housemate and long ago co-eater on this blog. I told her as soon as our flights were booked to think of a restaurant we could try. Because this is such a vague request (especially considering how much Melbourne has to offer), I narrowed it down to middle-eastern cuisine.

We ended up trying Rumi which is a modern Lebanese restaurant in Brunswick East. This was a Saturday night and every restaurant we drove past was busy, busy, busy. Despite having a booking, our table wasn't quite ready but the Maitre d' was very apologetic. Honestly, we were just happy to all be catching up so there was no huge rush but I like when restaurants acknowledge service flaws.

Melbourne 1 - Lunch at Laksa Bar

Laksa Bar
108 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne CBD

It's the season for weddings! After Marc and I headed to Noosa for some friends wedding, we spent the following weekend jet setting to Melbourne for another friends wedding. Hey, it's an excuse for me to travel, eat and have time off work so I'm not complaining.

Melbourne is a good stop for us because as the years have gone on, more and more of our friends have dispersed out of Brisbane and moved interstate. The wedding itself was the highlight but we also took this opportunity to catch up with some old friends.