Dumpling Republic for Lunch

Dumpling Republic
Wintergarden Shopping Centre, 179-201 Queen Street, Brisbane CBD

If Jamie's Italian was a boy, I'd be the repeatedly rejected girl with a delusional amount of unrequited love. Ever since it opened its Brisbane store, I've been DYING, absolutely DYING, to get in and try it. Months on, it seems like every single person in Brisbane has been except for me. As I write this, I STILL haven't been because when Marc and I tried to pop in last week for lunch, there was a 30 minute wait to get in and we didn't have enough time.

In my depressed and forlorn state, I was ready to throw a "FINE I WILL JUST SKIP LUNCH" tantrum when we stumbled across Dumpling Republic in Wintergarden. It looked interesting enough that I no longer felt like I was missing out on something. Horray the day was saved!

Cafe O-Mai for Breakfast

Cafe O-Mai
http://www.cafeomai.com.au/

Living in West End gives me close access to some awesome and great value Vietnamese eateries. Marc and I are literally at Trang's at least once every fortnight. It suits us perfectly because we love Vietnamese food. I went through a phase when I was crazy over banh mi. It then follows that when I heard there was an East-meets-West Vietnamese inspired breakfast cafe in Annerley, I was very keen to try it.

Cafe O-Mai is a cute corner cafe that introduces some typical Vietnamese breakfast fare in a manner that might be less daunting to the uninitiated. For those who are familiar with Vietnamese cuisine, yes there is pho.

Hana Zushi for Lunch

Hana Zushi
Shop 24/27 Sunny Park Plaza, Sunnybank

Sunny Breeze Restaurant had been a part of Sunny Park Plaza for so long that it felt almost like an icon. Unfortunately, nothing lasts forever and when I noticed Sunny Breeze had closed down, I was curious to see what it would follow. Hana Zushi opened in its place and I was instantly drawn in by the elegant dark decor and photos of attractive Japanese dishes on display. It was marked away as 'something I need to try' and last week we made the time to try it.

Over the new year long weekend, Marc and I developed into pure sloths, getting out of bed close to noon, napping throughout the day and then sleeping well into the midnight-AM bracket. Last Friday, we planned to have lunch out but because breakfast was around 11am, lunch didn't end up happening until 2-3pm. As it happens, Hana Zushi still had a few tables of diners then but I imagine it would have been busier during more regular eating hours.

Dinner at The Charming Squire

The Charming Squire
133 Grey Street, South Brisbane

Trying to find a place to have dinner on a public holiday is a pain. We probably shouldn't have picked Boxing Day to have a date night out but the truth was, there was no food in the fridge, the grocery stores were closed and it was either head out or starve. I wanted to try Jamie's Italy because I feel like everyone in Brisbane has been there except me. The online booking said they were booked out and we didn't want to pay for parking only to be told we couldn't get a table or had to wait over an hr.

After tossing up and declining a few other options, we went for a random drive around West End and became disheartened by how many restaurants weren't open. We ended up in Southbank and to our relief, almost everything was open. We made a beeline for The Charming Squire because that's a venue I've been meaning to try since it first opened.

We had predicted that The Charming Squire would be packed with people drinking up before the weekend. It was busy but it wasn't crazy busy, which was a relief to us. There's a more casual bar area but we decided to try out the restaurant section. We didn't realise at the time but the two sides have different menus.

Vanilla Pod for Lunch and Sweet Treats

Vanilla Pod Cake and Deli Cafe
http://www.vanillapod.com.au/

I have a strong (and possibly irrational) fear of going to the Northside. I'm sure I've mentioned this on the blog before but it's what keeps me from venturing to certain food places that I would otherwise be all over. Vanilla Pod is a perfect example. When I first saw mention of this, I knew it was exactly my type of cafe. A focus on cute cakes and simple and fresh lunches sounded like the best combination. Even their website looks cute and appealing.

All the same, I stalled, unable to garner the courage to drive North just in case like all the other times I've tried, I got lost and have a panic attack. Luckily for me, one of the major perks of wedding planning is cake planning. To me, cake planning is the perfect opportunity to trial a large number of bakeries, taste different flavours, and be annoyingly indecisive until I've eaten my fair share. My first destination within project Death-From-Cake was Vanilla Pod Cafe. And I dragged dad along as driver.

3 Bamboo for Lobster Feast

3 Bamboo
Shop 10, 17 Barrett Street, Robertson

It seems that my Korean food addiction has passed and been (temporarily, at least) replace by cravings for Chinese food. I'm Chinese-born but once I moved out of home, I lost touch with Chinese cuisine. Mum's no longer available to cook it for me and as much as I love cooking, I just find Chinese cooking too hard to grasp. Too many types of ingredients are involved, most of the delicious dishes require deep frying, and everything has to be done quickly and 'to taste'.

On the weekends when I visit my parents, I still get them to take me out for lunch at Sunnybank but in recent weeks, I've been a slack daughter and haven't had as many opportunities to catch up. I took matters into my own hands and asked Jenny to suggest a Chinese restaurant we could go to with a group of friends.

Raw Pawpaw for Lunch

Raw Pawpaw
http://venzingroup.com.au/our-restaurants/raw-pawpaw/

With 8 months to go until my wedding, I am (to nobody I know's surprise) transforming into quite the Bridezilla. I'm naturally a very OCD and detailed planner and with wedding planning, it's no exception. I went into the whole thing with an attempted relaxed attitude but as the big day gets closer, I find I'm starting to obsess over every tiny detail.

One thing that became a minor headache was hair and makeup. Not to bore everyone with details but basically I had one place booked but I've since lost confidence in them and had to find another. I went for a consult in New Farm last week and dragged Jenny along with me for moral support (non-brides have a much clearer head when it comes to decision-making). Because everything is made better with food, we continued on for lunch afterwards.

$3 Taco Tuesdays at Beach Burrito Company

Beach Burrito Company - West End
http://beachburritocompany.com/

I'm eating out less and less these days because I'm so broke it hurts. The wedding next year is seriously making us bleed. My friend Hien suggested meeting up for dinner last Tuesday and I declined to save my wallet. Ever the ideas-man, he informed me about Beach Burrito Company's $3 taco Tuesdays. Even a broke-ass Cora can afford $3 tacos!

We met up at the West End location. It was a dark and gloomy night and when the sky turned purple I felt sure that I was going to get hailed on. In the end, it barely even rained.

Vapiano number 5, plus YOUR CHANCE TO WIN

Vapiano, Westfield Garden City
http://vapiano.com.au/

Vapiano Australia has just opened its 5th restaurant in Australia, and it's the first one located outside a city centre. This Vapiano store is opposite the cinema at the newly renovated Westfield Garden City Town Square. Last night, Marc and I were lucky enough to be invited to try their menu, along with a group of other Brisbane food bloggers.

We given some background information about the Vapiano group. I knew it had an international footprint because Marc and I actually spotted a Vapiano store while we were traveling through Europe. It turns out that Vapiano started in Germany and due to the global love of Italian food, has blossomed across the world since then.

Fresh herbs available for use as garnish

The key approach to dining at Vapiano is its relaxed and flexible attitude. Unique to this restaurant is a post-pay system where you receive a card upon entry, bill all your purchases onto this card and pay the total when you leave. This solves all the awkward problems of splitting bills and trying to grab a waiters attention for payment. You don't have to feel inconvenienced about getting up to buy a second drink or extra side dish because it just gets added to your card tab.

Dinner at Julius Pizzeria

Julius Pizzeria
http://juliuspizzeria.com.au/

Sometimes the best nights come unplanned and unexpected. With a full on work week, Marc and I weren't planning on any social events on our school nights. I suggested heading out for a cheap and plain dinner at Jackpot but in the last moment, heard about this new pizza shop in West End and redirected ourselves there instead.

Julius Pizzeria is by the same guys behind Beccofino in Tennerife, which has the reputation of being one of Brisbane's best pizza joints. I had dinner at Beccofino once back in 2009 and loved it but haven't been back because it's just a bit too out of the way. We tried once and it was too busy so we went next door instead. The best point of difference with Julius Pizzeria for me is that it's in my neighbourhood.