Memories Treasure Chest

Koto Sanpo, Brisbane CBD The second restaurant that we recently tried in FudoDori was Koto Sanpo. I am a big fan of anything match a and was excite d to be checking out this place. We arrived early around their opening hour of 11.30 am and the y were already quite busy. We were seated and after brow sing their extensive menu, Mr went to the counter for our order. As we were there for lunch, we ordered savoury meals rather than their sweets or desserts. But first up, a drink of match a is a must and for a basic mat cha latte, there are options of white chocolate, yuzu honey, rocky road or even c aramel matcha latte . I think it is best to try their basic matcha latte and it came in a rather huge ceramic bowl. I could not fault their mat cha latte at all. The latte was creamy and most importantly, not overly sweet and there ' s still hint of bitterness of matcha which is how I like mine.  Now for our main meals, Mr tried their chicken karaage curry ($15.80) and surpri...

Freja's Cafe, Wilston There is a new cafe in Wilston and it is known as Freja's Cafe! First heard of this place from fellow Instagrammers and finally made my way there not only once but twice so far. Street parking is quite plenty and this cafe is around the corner and fairly recognisable. The design is fairly modern and almost Scandinavian like. On my first visit, I had their 'Eggs Benedict' which consisted of poached eggs, crispy bacon, hollandaise, herbed pesto, smoky crumble on sourdough bread. Freja's cafe served one of the most beautifully presented plate of meal and you can feel guilty by destroying the art... Everything on the plate was just perfect and well balanced, from the perfectly cooked poached eggs, to the crispy bacons, and the pesto adding some balance to the hollandaise sauce, and textural component from the smoky crumble. Delicious! Poached eggs, bacon, hollandaise, herbed pesto I brought Mr on a weekend, which can be quite a w...

Il Verde, Bowen Hills There is new development around the Bowen Hills area and Mr and myself was quite impressed with this new area. We visited Il Verde for our two year wedding anniversary back in December last year before I flew back to Penang for my cousin's wedding.  Il Verde is relatively big in comparison to its other counterparts along King St. There were indoor seating as well as outdoor seating, and with the cooler weather coming, I suspect most people would opt to sit outside. We were seated inside and directly opposite their big menu chalk board.  Il Verde Menu Service was prompt and soon enough we made our order. For entree, we had the ' Calamari fritti ' and ' Saffron E Fontina Arancini '. The salt and pepper calamari was delicious, still tender and crispy at times. The arancini was not our favourite, possibly because the cheese in the arancini was not too our liking.  Calamari fritti and Arancini Well, to the mains now... I was so tem...

B+C Lab Cafe Anyone loves matcha? Then you really need to visit this cafe. After seeing the matcha crepe cakes from B+C Lab cafe in Instagram, I have been waiting for the right time to visit it. Despite being so eager to visit, taking Grace there would not be a good idea because she would not be able to eat anything (lol, not allowed at this stage) !  So after lunch at Burger Urge, Mr and myself walked across the road to the cafe. You would miss this cafe if you do not focus. Follow the white tiles and you will find it. Once inside, you will not miss the glass cabinet display of their cakes selection. They had the Earl Grey crepe cakes special that day but I had to give it a pass for my matcha crepe cakes. Matcha Crepe Cake First of all, check out the vibrant green matcha colour. To me, that means B+C Lab do not skimp on the matcha (which is imported all the way from Japan). The crepe cake was heavenly with a very well balanced flavour of matcha and sweetness. It was c...

Newmarket Hotel, Newmarket   It is really lovely that Mr and myself get to go for dinner dates almost weekly now since the in-laws are able to look after Grace. That also means visiting more restaurants! As Grace has an early bed time around 7pm, we had to have dinner around 5 pm (ya, it is pretty early..) but we do not mind. 😀 This time we visited Newmarket Hotel and I am excited to see what will be in store for us over the next few weeks once the new building is completed! Anyhow, back to Newmarket Hotel. I have not been here before and this place is bigger than Brunswick Hotel (comparing the bistro/restaurant size). As it was fairly early for dinner, we were one of the two occupants there. Service was prompt and quick. Newmarket Calamari For starters, we tried their Newmarket Calamari ($15). It came with garden salad and garlic aioli. The calamari was tasty and tender. We certainly wished there were more pieces on the plate. Graziers Rump Mr had the Grazi...

Gerbino Pasticceria, Ashgrove One day I was craving for some baked goods particularly the dessert kind and after noticing that Brewbaker is closed on a Monday, I found Gerbino under my radar. Quickly with the little one while she is still awake, we drove there. Parking is by the street and thankfully quite adequate. Walking into the shop, you would not expect a lavish shop. Rather, it was quite old and I was quite comprehensive at first. They sell mostly Italian baked goods like biscuits of different sorts, to hot pies, quiche and even some cakes. There is also an ice cream stall attached next to the shop with a connecting door, and I wonder whether it is part of Gerbino's? Anyhow, that day my eyes were attracted to the dessert especially the different types of cannoli (chocolate, vanilla and ricotta). I chose the ricotta cannoli and I became a happy mommy. The pastry was flaky and crunchy and the filling was just delicious! Not overly sweet as well. As for my second dess...

Brewbakers, Albion Since re-locating to the North Side, I have been wanting to try out some new bakeries and finally located Brewbakers at Albion. As I am still new to the north side, I had to take few turns to finally find the entrance of the parking lot (in front of Brewbakers). You had to drive further past the building complex, turn left and go behind the buildings to get to the parking lot. Makes sense?? Hehe.. Well, I read that their bagels were really good so I opted for the poppy seed bagel sandwich, together with some random delicacies which include a sourdough doughnut, chocolate chip bagel and a blueberry custard like cake. Poppy seed bagel- ham Jam sourdough doughnut, chocolate chip bagel and the cake The service was warm and friendly, always so patient with the indecisive me. I really enjoy their bagels whether it's savoury or sweet, and the mini cake was so moreish too. Well, I am looking forward to returning soon. 

Flour and Chocolate, Morningside I heard that pregnant ladies have cravings and some people ha ve extremely weird cravings ! Luckily I d id not have any crazy cravings e xcept for the occasion al h unger for desserts. So, I made my way to F lour and Chocolate in Morningside and got myse lf some goodies. I had to resist m yself to finish all and await Mr from work so he can have his share. I f I hadn't had GDM (gestational diabetes ), I would have bought more ! Everything is just so tempting in Flour and Chocolate. F inally, afte r much deli b eration, I bought a pistachio eclair, custard doughn ut and an almond cake with raspberry. My fa vourite among those would be the custard doughnut. Th e soft pillowy doughnut with the smooth custar d was just so yummy ! While the eclair was good, I just found the pistachio flav ouring to be a touch artificial. The almond cake was good as well. As I am writing this, I co uld not wait to return and may have to try thei...

The Priory, Woolloongabba I have heard so much of The Priory and the Mr finally had a weekend off from work and we went over there for breakfast. As we were fairly new to the area, we just parked on the next street and walked there, not knowing there is on-site parking. I certainly utilised the free parking on my second visit. You could smell the fresh paint upon entering The Priory. The des ign and la yout are fresh and clean. It was not busy that morning, and we got seated fairly quickly and soo n made our orders. Their menu i s fairly simple with some specials of the day.  The Mr had the 'Eggs Priory ' with the be etroot cured ocean trout and I had the ' P an Fr ied M ushroom s ' as I was craving for mushrooms that day! My chai brewed with m ilk came in a plunger and I quite enjoyed it, although the chai strength can be stronger. Not long a fter, our meals arrived and th ey were pr esented beautifully. I was certainly satisfied with its portio...