Wow! We had such a great evening with a few of our dear friends, the eve of Australia day. Fortunately, we booked ahead as the restaurant looked to be swamped of people sitting and standing shoulder to shoulder. Talking turned to par-screaming as we were saturated in a sea of noises....yep even the loud music was drowning in it too! In anycase, it somewhat brought out the feel good holiday mood.
Now onto the food...we ordered a Tuna Nicoise, a Munich Brewer's Platter, a Bavarian Tasting Platter, a Zurich Veal and a side of Bread basket and Sauerkrat. The Pork Knuckle was our friend's first choice but had sold out early in the night and so, she settled for a Roast Pork Belly instead.
The Tuna Nicoise had a nice subtle white vinegar dressing. The garden leaves and vegetables were all fresh and crisp. However, the tuna (first thought to be chicken tenderloins) was not "char-grilled" as stated on the menu. It was also a touch overdone.
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| Munich Brewers Platter, Heart Attack on a plate! |
The Munich Brewer's Platter is truly a meat lovers heaven. The chicken schnitzel was full of an indescribable flavour and perfectly cooked. This was the highlight of the plate and is a definite must try. There is a good selection of smokey sausages and ham combined with creamy mashed potatoes and crispy onions for texture. The only short coming of the plate was the crispy crackling pork. The crackle was stiff and hard with the pork meat underneath not tender enough either. Ideally when roasting pork, the skin should puff, making it light and 'crackle', while the fat layer underneath melts to keep the meat moist and tender. This seemed likely the case of wrong cooking temperatures?? Sadly all of our friends who had roast pork on their plates had similar issues.
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Bavarian Tasting Platter, Gentler on the Tummy! |
The Bavarian Tasting Platter is essentially the mini version of the Munich Brewer's minus the grilled Kassler. This would be the ideal choice as the latter, was a real feat to finish.
The Roast Pork Belly as a 'main' was served with a tasty green apple compote and sauteed potatoes. Like everyone else though the roast pork had the same letdowns. Our friend also mentioned that the meat layer was a bit thin. Thankfully everything else was alright!
The veal was slightly overcooked, but tasty nonetheless with the accompanying mushroom cream sauce. The rosti was perfectly crisp.
It was the desserts eventually, that gave a nudge up the food expectation laddar. Not perfect but still they were satisfactory sweet-endings...
The Apple Strudel was a delight. Warm crispy layers of pastry and thin slices of tangy apple in between, eaten with vanilla ice-cream...Yum! This is a must order dessert that is not overly sweet.
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| Easy to eat, Walnut and Date pudding |
Our friend had nothing but praises for the Walnut and Date pudding with honey ice cream. Perfectly cooked, moist with a delicious flavour. It's nice to get the caramel sauce in a bowl as opposed to some places which serve the pudding drowning in sauce.
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| Chocolate Delice with summer Berries and toasted Almond ice cream |
Death by chocolate sums up very well this dessert! Our friend who is a real chocolate/dessert fiend struggled to get her way through this supremely decadent dessert. In her opinion, she would have preferred a biscuity base and also more proportionate chocolate layers. Here, the mousse/brulee in between was a little too thick. This is a dessert best shared.
As mentioned, it was indeed full-house and service staff were kept very busy on their feet! So this time, we shall forgive the overcooked meats, the hard crackle and the melty ice-creams when served. And hey... there were some highlights to be remembered too! With such an extensive beverage and food menu plus an added bonus of a great interior and atmosphere, why not make Bavarian your next venue for gathering with friends?!
Note from the waiter....fridays and weekends are indeed busy (loud) days so avoid these days if a good conversation with friends is on the agenda.
Bavarian Bier Cafe
Level 1 45 Eagle St Pier
Brisbane
When Mr food hunter manages to get out with his brothers for a meal, you can be assured there will always be steak or a big heavy serving of meat on the menu. Its not surprising as Mr food hunter and his brothers have always been big eaters and nothing is more satisfying than a good steak! The Norman Hotel proclaims to be brisbane's worst vegetarian restaurant, the perfect place for Mr food hunter and the boys...
