The Euro

181 Mary St
Brisbane 4000
p) 07 3229 3686

The famous & well renowned Urbane Restaurant on Mary St now also runs The Euro. However, unlike her older sister, is younger, hipper, & much more money conscious.

We got there early in the hope of a quick beverage upstairs at the Laneway bar (compared to those of Melbourne) , which on a busy Friday night was pumping. Definitely different to the usual Brisbane bar, with a super cozy/hidden set up and bizarre 1930's drama all over the bars screens. Luckily I was in a good mood so the crowded space and people vying for the bar didn’t bother me. After downing a Pisco Sour Cocktail – which was lovely, we made our way back downstairs to Euro.

The restaurant had a really nice atmosphere, with thanks to some pretty lighting and muffled chatter of the surrounding bars and restaurants.

Starving we quickly ordered:

Entrée

Calamari fritti, lemon, chilli salt   22.5

Mains

Risotto of Gold Coast tiger prawns, hand

picked spanner crab & avocado mousse 28.50

Private selection yearling, grass fed, dry aged

27 days

Fillet 200g   32.5

W Béarnaise Sauce

W Sides of

Kipfler potatoes roasted in wagyu fat, garlic &

Rosemary 9.5

&

Broccolini, sugar snaps & garlic oil 9.5

To be honest I wanted to order the Arancini balls of prawn, green peas & truffle veloute, but I was overruled. Turns out however, the Calamari were crispy dreams, coated in an amazing salty seasoning & spice from the chilli. Two thumbs up.

To team with the order, the waiter recommended Crittenden Estate Savagnin, a crisp sauvignon blanc which suited me well as I was about to enjoy a seafood dish. My partner was also influenced by the waiters recommendation of a wine, this time a Waipara Hills Sth Cross Pinot from Tassy, which sure packed a punch!

When the risotto came out, I won’t lie I was a bit disappointed in the appearance. I imagined big chunks of crab and king prawns..BUT once I tasted it..I soon realised it was nothing short of spectacular. Never judge a book by its cover! The luxurious sauce of the seafood risotto and avocado broth worked so well together that every bite got better & better. It was obvious that the risotto had been brewing for hours in a pot full of shellfish, given its rich, oceanic flavour. During the meal, the fillet of beef across the table kept teasing me with it’s strong, grassy waft..so eventually I took a bite and realised it was also a true delight. Cooked to perfection, tender and oh so juicy. The Béarnaise sauce and sides took it to the next level. Very satisfied.

The Experience

The good

Simple Euro food, with a twist. Cooked well and with a lot of care. The menu was impressive and with so many tantalising choices screaming at you if made it hard to choose. That goes for the beverage list also, so many types of beer..it was off tap! SCuse the pun..Another worthy mention is the service, with all wait staff extremely knowledgeable & helpful.

The Bad

Minimal. Possibly the large portions (a bit unnecessary) for main meals. They could have warned us!

Scores /10

Food 8

Service 8

Atmosphere 8

Value for money 6

Verdict
No hesitation here-  I highly recommend it.

Love,

the amateur foodie xxx

Brew Bakers

1/337 Sandgate Rd
Albion

Hidden a street back from Sandgate Rd in Albion is an amazing bakery- come - cafe.

Basic- but homely

I go here every bustling Saturday morning & wait in a line that extends into the car park. With good reason! They serve up almost every bread imaginable, from classic sour doughs & grainy rye rolls to parmesan bagels and delicious mediterranean foccacias. Don't get me started on the sweets! Fluffy almond croissants, berry & white chocolate swirls, caramel tarts, carrot, apricot & coconut slice..the list is endless..and the most naughty of them all- freshly baked cinnamon donut's filled with cream & home made jam...oh my god I die. Melting hot, gooey goodness everywhere...

The coffee is also great, with the barista usually taking your orders as you stand in line. Worth the wait & in fact I think the line is a good thing- as there is so much to choose from you may need time to think!

Much of the time I get the seasoned avocado on sourdough, simple but perfect way to truly appreciate the warm, freshly baked bread. When I've completely fallen off the health train I go for the proscuitto & cheese bagel, a bit greasy but goooorgeous.

This bakery could easily be the best in Brisbane, it's just that not many people know about it...

I don't know why I'm sharing this with you! For the love of food...Check it

 Love,


the amatuer foodie
xxx



Hosokawa

Shop 3 / 53 Racecourse Rd

Hamilton, 4007
Japanese

There has been talk about a new Japanese restaurant to have opened on Racecourse Rd, so Friday night we decided to go check it out. With a craving for some serious Japanese food, I was anticipating a new value for money find- cheap & authentically delicious. In fact, so excited that we could only pronounce it hasakaaawaaaaaaaaaaa!!

Upon entering we soon realised that every table was reserved or taken which can only be a good sign?! Luckily a table outside popped up.

The first thing I did was of course pick up the menu, which led me to to order the following;

Entrée

Spicy tuna roll

Pork Gyozos w spicy dipping sauce

Agadashi tofu

Main

Prawn & mayo roll

Hot pot of Prawn tempura & udon noodle soup

Booze

BYO

A highlight for me was the first off the menu. The pork gyozas (4) which came out as an entrée were extremely tasty and went beautifully with the sweet dipping sauce, which had strong punches of ginger & lemon grass. The agasdashi tofu was also a winner, with melt in your mouth pieces of tofu in a rich Japanese broth.



Agadashi Tofu- yum!





 



Pork Gyozas- bursting with flavour



Hosokawa Experience 

The good

The entrees yes were great and the atmosphere was bustling & inviting. Good spot to park with a bottle of wine, on a busy Friday night. 

I must mention a  highlight of the Hosokawa experience..being a conversation at the adjacent table between a bunch of stiff ascot parents and a young man (‘mate of their son’) who wouldn't stop chewing ( noring!) at their fragile oh-so-posh ears whilst they attempted to eat. Putting us on edge..but nonetheless entertaining. With the father at one point saying “How’s your pizza coming along mate”? Gesturing to the young boy to pick up he’s awaiting pizza next door (and piss off).  But the young man continued to talk for a good 15 minutes. Excellent.

The bad

I have to say that I was slightly disappointed, as the menu neither surprised or tempted. Look I'm all for no nonsense, no fuss sort of restaurants, but I believe that the menu lacked in imagination, flair and to be honest..a bit of love. My partner and I actually found it hard to order, as nothing stood out from the menu and would have definitely benefited form a ‘Chefs favourites’ section or something similar. What's more, is that both waitresses couldn't recommended something off the menu, an easy task you would think. In the end the bill came to $95 dollars including a bottle of white wine. A bit steep I thought. Given the tempura prawn soup had only one measly prawn on top..which was just downright mean! If it was cheaper I would probably be giving the ‘value for money’ score a little more lenience.

Scores /10

Food 5

Service 5

Atmosphere 7

Value for money 4.5

Verdict
Go check it out for yourself..
Everything was certainly edible but hasn't left me wanting to go back for more.



Love,

the amatuer foodie xxx

 

My first blog

For the love of food. This is a food blog without the wank.

For those self confessed (amateur) ‘foodies’ out there. A blog filled with restaurant reviews (not to be taken too seriously), tasty recipes, ideas & everything food....

I see myself as one of the youngest and most dedicated foodies out there, with a mouth penchant for salivating morsels and spine tingling culinary delights. With this, comes another passion that goes hand in hand with ‘foodie’ and this is of course… Wine…and lots of it. 

This blog is a place to share so I welcome any comments, news and all kinds of food-related insight..

Remember it's just a hobby.. so please don't take anything I say too seriously..just enjoy..

Love,

the amatuer foodie
xxx