The Rare Pear for Brunch

The Rare Pear
http://therarepear.com.au/

As much as I loved eating local specialties throughout China, by the end of our trip I was desperately craving "western food". Almost as soon as we landed, I scheduled a brunch outing with Jenny.

California Native for Dinner

California Native
420 Cavendish Road, Coorparoo

I've written at lengths about how much American food is trending in Australia at the moment. California Native is another development on this front with a focus on Mexican influences. Kat and I arranged to have dinner there last Wednesday night.

I thought it was really quiet when I walked in but it's because I had made a ridiculously early booking and they had only just opened. Even though California Native is quite a large restaurant, it was nearly full by the time we finished eating. That's not bad for a Wednesday night.

Flour and Chocolate for Baked Treats

Flour and Chocolate Patisserie
http://www.flourandchocolate.com.au/

This is the story of just what length I would go to for good food. I follow Flour and Chocolate on Instagram and their feed is like baking inception for my mind. Every day, I log on and check their uploads and get drawn in by tantalizing photos of freshly baked brownies, golden cronuts (they call them gonuts) and sugar-crusted donuts. Seeing them on screen is one thing. Actually buying them is a whole other ball game. I was most interested in the donuts and gonuts and these are made on Wednesday and Thursday respectively. Furthermore, due to demand they tend to be sold out quite early on so you aren't guaranteed anything. It was a work of tactics and timing to score what I wanted.

Flour and Chocolate is located on Wynnum Road in Morningside, which is a bit of a drive for me, made worst by the fact that it's not really on the way to or from anywhere else that I go to. I made a special trip there last week after learning on the down low through Instagram that they would be making donuts on Friday as well. It was quiiiiittteee an adventure. Imagine driving through East Brisbane opposite morning peak traffic, which would have been FINE if I didn't miss a turn and then have to go WITH the peak traffic for a block. Argh, what a nightmare.

Lunch at A Slice of New York

A Slice of New York Pizza
http://www.asliceofny.com.au/

In an obvious display of lack of self-control, Kat told me about a new pizza place that had opened in Westfield Carindale; I said "ok let's look at the menu but we won't eat there today because I want a healthier lunch" and we stopped by and ended up eating pizza and chili fries. I challenge anyone to step into this shop, see the menu, smell the air and not stop in for a feed. It's impossible!

We parked ourselves at one of the tables inside. There was a peak hour rush when we got there and soon there were no tables and a bit of a queue to boot. I'm glad we were two people because I could guard our table while Kat ordered.

Getta Burger for Dinner

Getta Burger
1396 Creek Road, Cannon Hill

Over this past year, Marc and I have managed to transform our quiet 2 bed apartment into a animal-saturated family home. We've had our puppy Odin for just over a year now and this week, welcomed his new sister a balinese kitten by the name of Zaria.

The relevance of this is that pet-related situations lead me to first discover where Getta Burger was and to then try it out. Odin's obedience class was nearby and when we drove past Getta Burger one day, I realised it sounded familiar because I had heard it mentioned on The Urban List. We arranged to eat there last Saturday, on the way to pick Zaria up.

Getta Burger (combined with That Coffee Joint) is the brick and mortar establishment run by the masterminds behind That BBQ Joint food truck. This is where you can guarantee some satisfaction for your burger craving without having to chase a van around town. The shop front is small but there are a couple of cute searing options available. We noticed that most people got takeaway. The shopping plaza it's located in is small but very, very busy.

Picnic Cafe for Breakfast

Picnic Cafe
12 Martha Street, Camp Hill

Because I'm on Instagram every 5 minutes, I'm finding that a lot more of my food inspiration comes from that. I follow Picnic Cafe (@picniccafe) and their sumptuous desserts and gorgeous breakfast photo uploads catch my eye every time I scroll through my feed. I linked a couple of posts to Kat and she wholeheartedly agreed that the food looked irresistible.

We arranged to have lunch there last Sunday but I ended up skipping my morning hot yoga class (too lazy) so we brought it forward to breakfast instead. I didn't make a booking or anything so I was relieved when I was shown to a table right away. Recently, I've had a bad run of being made to wait for tables at hotspot cafes so it was nice to be able to sit down straight away and grab a coffee.

Brekkie and Treats from Butter Cream

Butter Cream Cafe
http://www.buttercreamcafe.com.au/Butter_Cream/Home.html

OOPS! I was tipsy and leafing through my blog when I realised I had a whole heap of posts from a couple months back that I forgot all about!

This one was from May and now it's nearly August. I hope everything is still relevant.

Passiontree Velvet for Macarons

Passiontree Velvet
http://www.passiontreevelvet.com/

When I was a care-free uni student, I lived between the CBD (where I studied) and Westfield Carindale. I was constantly exposed to clothing and food stores and daiily window shopping was the norm. Now, on my rare days off I can't be bothered to drag my tired bum to either catch public transport or drive and fight for parking at a shopping precinct. Shopping centres are a new novelty to me.

The recent times I've made it to Indooroopilly and Carindale shopping centres, I've been like a kid in a candy store; mouth open and glaze-eyed trawling past all the shiny renovations. To be fair, I do still go to Carindale every now and again because my parents live there but enough time had passed since my last visit that a whole new dessert store popped up.

Baalbek Lebanese Restaurant

Baalbek Lebanese Restaurant
http://baalbakrestaurant.com.au/

My favourite thing to do on lunch breaks at work is online shopping. That includes online coupon shopping. Brandsexclusive is now my most used iPad app and a day is not complete without a scan through the offers on Allthedeals.com.au. Earlier this week I spotted a meal deal at a Lebanese restaurant in Morningside and I jumped on it. Marc and I ended up going last night for dinner.

The restaurant is called Baalbak located along Junction Road. The premise was more casual than I expected with an almost takeaway store vibe but the menu is comprehensive. Our host (the owner?) was extremely friendly and accommodating. I had a bit of trouble deciphering the menu and choosing what mezze plates to try but he made the process easy and painless.

Mama Korean Kitchen

Mama Korean Kitchen
Ground Floor, Westfield Carindale Shopping Centre, Carindale

I know that the major renovations at Westfield Carindale were completed a long time ago but somehow, in my mind, it still seems new. I guess it's because I'm not a Carindale resident anymore and don't stop there every day on my way home like I did during my uni days. Shopping at Carindale is now a rare treat and when I do make it there (and manage to find parking), I can't help but be wowed all over again, especially when I compared it to the tiny Carindale shops of my childhood memories.

One of the additions is the second food court near the library. Since its opening, I haven't once eaten at the old food court. With additions like Guzman Y Gomez, Yum Cha Cuisine and Ginga Sushi, it's got all my favourites covered in one area and there's no reason to traverse to the other side of the mall. Mama Korean Kitchen is located here in the middle of the new food court. It's the first introduction of Korean food to Carindale that I know of. It's a good idea though because Korean food is rad and there's something for everyone.

Shady Palms Cafe and Bar for Brunch

Shady Palms Cafe and Bar
http://shadypalmscafe.com/

I've only been to Lady Marmalade once but I had a good enough time there to be excited by the owner's next venture into dining: Shady Palms. This time, the venue is cafe by day and bar by night. As keen as I am to see how the team go at approaching an evening service, I am still primarily a brunch girl so my first visit to Shady Palms was always going to be for brunch.

Bestie Kat and I met up for a morning feed this weekend. There's no onsite parking so you'll have to scope around. I used to live in Stones Corner so it wasn't an issue for me but Kat had a bit of trouble finding a spot. Even though it as a rainy, dreary morning, quite a lot of people were out for breakfast. I noticed that Shady Palms has further seating as you advance into the building but I played it safe and plonked myself at the first vacant table I spotted, right by the front counter.

Piefection for Lunch

Piefection Gourmet Pies
http://www.piefection.com.au/

Pies and pizza fall into the same category for me. The thought of a greasy frozen meat pie with fake mince slop, or a fast food puffy-based pizza drowned in cheese both make me want to hurl. On the other hand, gourmet, crafted pizza and pies always draw me in. I promise it's not because I'm an uppity snob. I genuinely feel that with these two groups of food, the variations are on entirely different planes.

I first heard about Piefection on my own blog, via a comment by a reader (thanks Audrey!) While I was living in Toowoomba, it wasn't easy to plan a trip there. I remember one day, I finished work at around 4pm and rushed to Brisbane in an attempt to stop by at Piefection before it closed. I think that timing-wise, I would have been fine but it just got too stressful so I went home instead.

Breakfast at Vintage Kitchen

Vintage Kitchen Cafe
http://www.vintagecloset.com.au/

After a fairly dramatic week, both Kat and I were glad to have a girly catch up over breakfast last Sunday. I picked Vintage Kitchen because it was located almost exactly half way between our houses. The café concept is a fusion of food with the sale of vintage clothing and wares.

I’ve been to so many popular cafe hotspots recently that it was refreshing to go somewhere that wasn’t teaming with people queueing for tables. Vintage was nice and quiet so Kat and I took up a choice spot near the windows.

Breakfast at Bungalow 4171

Bungalow 4171
http://bungalow4171.com.au/

Sometimes fate works in strange ways. I was pounding my way through the city from South Brisbane to E'cco one night when I ran into my old highschool buddy Tracy. We used to have art class together and this girl did some of the most amazing pieces. It was one of those "why have we not caught up yet" moments and after a few months of getting our act together, we finally made it out to a long overdue brunch.

I chose Bungalow 4171 because my sense of Brisbane geography is warped and I thought it would be easy for us to get to, not knowing that Tracy resided far away and had to drive through unfamiliar territory to find the place. Bungalow is a small cafe located on Hawthorne Road in Hawthorne.

Stomp Espresso for Breakfast

Stomp Espresso
109 Holland Road, Brisbane

I don't see how it is that I've driven past this cafe so many times in the past without even thinking to stop by. It's en route between Marc's place and my mum and dad's so I literally see it all the time. My theory is that once I'm out of the inner suburbs, it just doesn't occur to me to keep an eye out for good cafes. I think I was actually starving one morning and NEEDED to get food so I pulled over at Stomp and headed in.

If ever I thought that cute, tasteful cafes with un-boring menus are only in existance in Paddington and the likes, I was about to be proven wrong. Stomp was all those things and pet-friendly too to boot. I've even gone so far as to take photos of the vintage table to remind myself how I want to decorate my home in Toowoomba.

Has Beans for Coffee

Has Beans
Samuel Village, 152 Boundary Road, Camp Hill

When the majority of my food outings are centralized around South Brisbane and the Brisbane CBD, it's refreshing to get the opportunity to try something in the 'burbs. I was staying at mum and dad's place in Carindale one night so I started Googling popular breakfast destinations nearby. I found a couple around Camp Hill so I plucked one at random and ended up at Has Beans.

What surprised and slightly disappointed me is that Has Beans is almost entirely a coffee vendor with hardly any breakfast options. I suppose it all worked out alright because I was going out for lunch and dinner later on in the day anyway and didn't need a big breakfast. The shop front is small and the pace is fast. I 'dined in' at one of the small outside tables. There weren't many sit-down customers but there was an ongoing supply of people buying takeaway coffee. It was interesting because it had an inner city vibe to it, with the rush of people linging up and coffee orders being yelled out, but it was (in my mind) the middle of nowhere with hardly any commercial buildings in sight.

The Coffee Boutique

The Coffee Boutique
Shop 1102, Level LG, Westfield Carindale Shopping Centre, Carindale

This is a post that I should have written up a long, long time ago but with all the eating I've been doing, it got lost at the bottom of my unfinished blog post list. Westfield Carindale has undergone a phenomenal make-over. It's now HUGE. It's not quite Chermside huge but it's almost unrecognizable from what I remember as a child or teenager loitering around there after school. There are entire new wings and what isn't brand new has been renovated.

One such renovation was done on The Coffee Boutique, which is a cafe that mum and I sometimes go to when we're at the shops. I don't know how I feel about shopping centre cafes anymore. I used to be fine with them but now they make me anxious. What's changed between then and now is that I used to catch public transport and frequented shopping centres just for fun, whereas nowadays not only do I drive everywhere but I never have time to do physical shopping (my shoes, clothes and even groceries are purchased online and delivered to work/home). The driving part is relevant because I'm terrified of parking, especialy at unfamiliar shopping centres, ESPECIALLY at Carindale because it's so bloody competitive and ESPECIALLY now because they have this annoying new ticket system.

Treat Frozen Yoghurt

Treat Frozen Yoghurt
http://www.treatfroyo.com/

After our lunch at Noodle Haus, my parents and I wandered around Westfield Carindale to make the most of our dramatic parking spot (we were on our way home after circling the parking lot for half an hour with no luck when bam, a car reversed out right in front of us... and dad honed in, but not without competition from another car trying to get in through the front!) I spotted Treat Frozen Yoghurt and recalled a recommendation from C at Brisbane Devoured to try it.

Froyo is one of my favorite things to consume, like, ever! There's nothing more refreshing in summer and it's so delicious that I'm often in the mood even in the winter months. I have had many fond memories slurping up Yogenfruz in the city when I did uni there. That franchize has unfortunately closed down but I feel reassured that there are other froyo establishments around.

Lunch at In a Pickle

In a Pickle
http://www.inapickle.com.au/

My old highschool buddy Bee came to visit Brisbane over the Christmas break. We arranged to meet up for lunch on Christmas Eve. I figured that anywhere too close to the city or near a large shopping centre would be packed with people making last minute shopping trips so I found a cafe in the suburbs that sounded promising.

In a Pickle is located in Camp Hill amongst a stretch of other boutique cafes, gift shops and bakeries. I've been to Mia's Coffee Bar near there and enjoyed that. I didn't research much into what In a Pickle was, figuring it was just another cafe. It was quite different to what I expected, in that it's predominantly a catering business. If I had read the website properly I would have known that!

Lunch at Noodle Haus

Noodle Haus
Kiosk 207, Upstairs Food Court, Westfield Carindale, Carindale

Mum and I had a positive experience eating yum cha at the new Yum Cha Cuisine in Westfield Carindale. She discovered that the same group responsible for that restaurant had also opened a noodle kiosk in the food court. One day, when we were feeling lazy and didn't want to venture into Sunnybank for a feed, we decided to give it a go.

Noodle Haus is very much a fast food outlet, located amongst the other fast food restaurants in the upstairs food court. The menu is limited but cheap and there aren't any designated tables or seats. We went at a fairly busy time (lunch hour during the Christmas peak period) so mum and I ordered whilst dad went off to hunt for tables.