Plan B, Sydney

What can I say about Plan B! This is a long overdue post but one of delicious memories permanently etched in my memory bank, including a degustation at Becasse.

Having to write up a list of recommended eateries for some friends headed to Sydney recently, this delicious memory resurfaced at the speed of lightning.

Plan B is not a restaurant but it is a café that is open in the mornings for breakfasts and afternoon for lunch.

Located in a quiet street just off the hustle and bustle of the Town Hall area, a well-known haunt only for those either in the know or the nearby office lunch crowd.

It became a frequent haunt for me when I was working 5 minutes away and got the chance to sample their breakfast and lunch options.

Savoury muffin of bacon and onions for breakfast

Yummo, this may be calories galore but how different is that to a regular bacon and egg roll or muffin from the cafes or McDonalds? Rich and robust in flavour, and really like the sweetness of the caramelised onions.

Drumroll…..here comes the famous Becasse Wagyu beef burger!

A 600g grain fed full-blood Wagyu beef burger with beetroot and caramelised onions.

This is not a burger that you want or can afford to (unless you are one of those who just never puts on weight) eat everyday. This is a shameless decadence! It is at least a ten minutes wait for this burger and that is with me putting in an advance order by calling ahead.

Eating it while it was still warm in my hands, the succulent and richness of the Wagyu beef enveloping all your tastebuds in its glory. Add in the melting cheese, beetroot & onions with toasted buns…I am in heaven…

The last time I checked (which was 2 weeks ago), is a bargain at AUD10 compared to the new place that Justin North (of Becasse and Plan B) where variants of this is served but at a tad higher $$$. Check out the review from Helen of Grab Your Fork of his new venture.

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Selah

A colleague was leaving and we decided on Selah for the farewell dinner. Hearing the name of the restaurant my impressions were high, and upon being seated in the restaurant my mood improved and I couldn't wait for the food to be serve.

Entree - Seared scallops with cucumber, daikon, snow pea salad & ponzu dressing $16

Entree - Spaghettini with chorizo, prawns, concasse, pinenuts & basil pesto $16

As an entree, I had the seared scallops. It was rather cold and tough. The salad was an interesting mix which didn't quite compliment the scallop but didn't clash with it either (I thought the salad would have been better if there were less plain greens. It was lacking in a driving flavour which was partially compensated by an underlying herb whose taste was rather non complimentary to the scallop).

Main - Slow roast lamb rump with cannellini bean, thyme & tomato ragu, salsa verde $28

A friend of mine ordered the slow roast lamb rump. His comment was that he was fully aware that the lamb was medium done but didn’t anticipate that it was also going to be rather tough for something that is medium cooked. Despite looking rather lean, the lamb fat certainly flood through the leaner parts of the meat. Normally a fan of lamb and can definitely appreciate how the fat of lamb if done right can add to the flavours of the meat. The cut of the lamb rump was clearly of low quality or ill-prepared because it was still rather tough and absorbed the bad flavours of it host animal’s fat… The beans were still hard and the thyme & tomato ragu (that was simmered with the beans) was plain tasting turning the whole tomato beans combo into something rather very plain tasting and difficult to swallow because the beans was still hard! He found the salsa verde rather oily as well.

  Main - Boneless chicken confit with potato fondant, watercress, mushroom & tarragon duxelle $28

I had the chicken confit as the main. I know that chicken confit meant that it was cooked in fat but that was more fat that the chicken meat. I was cutting away tons of chicken fat from the meat. The potato fondant and the rest of the ingredients was rather complimentary with the right texture and the potato fondant wasn’t too bad as a base to the chicken. With better quality chicken the dish could have been something.

We had a rather large group (25 of us) and the service was as accommodating as a group of that size could ask for considering some of us were just walking from table to table talking which was rather hectic. So commendations for the staff’s patience and the reasonable warm ambience that the restaurant provided.

(Shared review with T.B)

Total Score ~ 11/25
[Taste - 3 (10) , Presentation - 2.5 (5), Service - 3.5 (5), Value for Money - 2 (5)]

Location:Selah

12 Loftus Street
Circular Quay
Tel : 92470097

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Cha Cha Char Wine Bar and Grill

We tried out Cha Cha Char which we had to make reservations for. We got ushered to our table and we decided to order drinks. I remember seeing a drink which I really wanted to try while at the bar. So, I told the waitress that we wanted the drink called "Cookies n Cream' I believe which was written on the glass panel near the bar. She didn't seem to get what we were saying and when I kept pointing to her where it was, she just doesn't seem to see it! Oh MAN!! That didn't go too well. I spent like at least 5 minutes trying to tell her. She still didn't get where I was pointing or referring to. She finally got it and she apologised, saying that the glass panels were installed only a few weeks ago so she doesn't know the drinks of the menu.

Hmm...well, if you're supposed to be an award winning restaurant, shouldn't the staff be trained to know?

Strawberries n Cream

Our drinks finally came and I sampled my drink! It was different to the one that was written in the glass panels. There wasn't any cookies. The drink was more of a strawberries n Cream. Somehow, the drink seemed to lack something and wasn't too good.

Beef Gravy, Tomato salsa and Butter

We were served with bread rolls a while later and this came with a plate holding a cow jug carrying beef gravy, with tomato salsa and slices of butter on the side. The waitstaff told us that this was one of the signature dishes. It looked really cute with a cow jug to hold the gravy. Presentation wise, this was good. Tried the gravy but felt that it could be thicker in texture as it was a little too runny to fully enjoy with the bread. The tomato salsa however was really fresh and full of flavour.

Beef Tasting Plate

Things started to go downhill from here. We were waiting for ages for our entrees to come. By the time it arrive, the couple who arrived at the same time as us sitting at the next table had already gone through their entrees and were on to their mains. Isn't that a little too long to be waiting? I got the Beef Tasting Plate. I can't remember the exact names anymore but it was quite good. Another guy ordered the Salt n Pepper Squid. It was extremely salty and he literally felt like he was crunching on salt. That was bad!

Lamb Shank

We finally got our mains after another long wait. How long? Well, the couple next to us had finished their desserts and were paying the bill! I had the lamb shank which good but somehow, you don't feel satisfied after eating it. It is definitely of a standard that you would expect of an award winning restaurant who boasts to have the best steak in Brisbane. Somehow, my friend and I felt that it lacked that something! It was that sense of joy or warmth that you get when eating the food. It just felt like the chefs just plunk a pile of ingredients together onto a plate but there was no love put into it! Now I understand when people say that when food is not cooked with passion and love, you can taste the difference. I got the same comment from my fellow diners. The poor guy who was eating salt rather than squid couldn't really taste his mains after the entree. Even his wine taste different as his taste buds were swamped with saltiness!

Sandcrab Lasagne with Crocodile Meat

After trying the Sandcrab lasagne at IL Centro which was to die for! One of the other guys ordered the Sandcrab and crododile meat lasagne here to try. It wasn't as good and the same comment applies as in there was no warmth or love coming from the food. The guys ordered steaks. It was good but they weren't ready to comment that this was the best in Brisbane.

By this time, we were tired from the long wait as well as not being too satisfied with the food. We decided not to have any desserts.

I left wondering what happened! Cha Cha Char after all came recommended, did I just come on a bad day? Later, when we tried a new restaurant called Bacchus did we realise that the head chef and owner was the head chef who resigned recently from Cha Cha Char.

Total Score ~ 13/25

[Taste - 5 (10) , Presentation - 3.5 (5), Service - 1.5 (5), Value for Money - 3 (5)]

Cha Cha Char Wine Bar and Grill

Shop 5 Plaza Level

Eagle Street Pier

Brisbane QLD 4000

Phone: 61 - 07 - 3211 9944

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Bistro Lilly

I was recently at Bistro Lilly with some mates and got to try out the food from there.
We were there for dinner and there wasn't a huge crowd. The decor and atmosphere was really nice and it exudes a nice ambience for a nice meal.

I got the whole works - entree, mains and dessert.

For the entree - crab salad with rocket and avocado. It was only so so and the crab didn't seem to be as fresh as it can be.


For the mains - seafood bouillabaisse. As I've never had bouillabaisse before, I wasn't too sure what to expect. However, I thought that it will be more soup base but there wasn't much in this.

Dessert - 3 different desserts with zesty lemon. I can't remember the title but I have to say that the dessert is really good though. Very tangy and refreshing.
They have a new menu now due to a change in season, you can check it out at their website.
Total Score ~ 16.5/25
[Taste - 6 (10) , Presentation - 3.5 (5), Service - 4 (5), Value for Money - 3 (5)]

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