Nagomi

The concept of Nagomi is quick food for either eating in, takeaway or on the go. Nagomi offers the usual fare of sushi rolls and what sets them apart from places like Hanaichi, are their bento boxes rather than donburi bowls. Their bentos are offered with a choice of mains i.e. teriyaki chicken, teriyaki hamburg (beef pattie), karaage (fried chicken), katsu or crumbed.

We ordered a teriyaki hamburg bento with an additional $2 of curry sauce atop the rice, a pickled vegetable sushi roll, teriyaki chicken salad and a miso soup. All meals are served in recyclable-like wooden type lunch boxes.

Straight up, the food was disappointing. The only saving grace were the leafy greens and the potato salad. We found the beef pattie to be mediocre, gyozas to be a tad salty, potato croquettes were not creamy but rather weak in flavour and oily. The curry tasted powdery and pales in comparison to that of Hanaichi curry bowls!

We were given a choice of either a sesame dressing or spicy soy dressing for the teriyaki chicken salad and it was the latter that we chose. The salad greens were fresh, the soy dressing was alright but not quite enough for the amount of salad greens and alas, the chicken was dry despite being served the "dark" parts of the meat.

The rice in the sushi roll was overcooked which is often the problem in majority of the sushi roll joints and for the first time, the pickled oshinko (daikon) was flaccid!

Nagomi will cater well for the office crowds who are looking for a quick bite and good variety. For the meantime, a simple donburi from Hanaichi will satisfy most easily!

Nagomi Restaurant
Shop 7 Eagle Street Pier
45 Eagle Street

Dandelion & Driftwood

It was sometime ago that we visited this little coffee institution. Upon entry, we were wowed simply by the interior decor and displays of the cafe. The staff were all dressed smartly. I was immediately impressed and it already feels good to have stepped in.

This isn't really only for the coffee snobs. It is a great place to relax and be educated by the knowledgeable staff around, feel free to ask questions about the various origins of coffee beans or the several different ways of extracting your cuppa coffee or brews. We were even provided with laminated cards to note while sipping coffee.

We ordered a cappuccino Driftwood blend and a Guatemalan on the Trifecta as well as a light lunch of hot pressed sandwiches; a turkey and a salami. The presentations were as expected neat and pretty!

Both coffees were good and the Guatemalan on Trifecta was truly something different. There was this strong temptation to try another but we just had to cap the caffeine intake for the day. The sandwiches were scrummy with quality deli meats and cheese. The grain bread in itself was good, it was somewhat stretchy and spongey. Next visit will have to include some of their delectable sweets on display!

Dandelion & Driftwood
1/45 Gerler road
Hendra
Opens Mon to Sat 8am to 4pm
Sun 8am to 2pm

Rouj

Rouj is a modern lebanese restaurant located at Rosalie, a few doors away from Grill'd Burgers. It was from another blog that introduced me to this place and the positive comments prompted me to pay an early visit to this little eatery opened only 4-5 weeks ago. Rouj is a family run business; the husband manages the restaurant floor while his wife and mother runs the back kitchen.

We were probably the first to arrive for lunch, received a friendly greeting and were shown to the display cabinets shortly after we perused the menu. There we were introduced to an array of dips, salads, savoury bites and pastries, marinated meats and sweets. All of which you can find in the menu and the mere sight of them stimulates the appetite!

We settled with the Shisk Kebab set that comes with a choice of either taboulie or fattoush salad and chips (fattoush we chose), the Eggplant salad, the Silverbeet roll and a skewer each of the prawn and fish.

Wow the eggplant salad was great! This is a definite first for my tastebuds. The smokey mushy eggplant with a good lemon acidity contrasted nicely with the sweet burst of pomegranate. The serve of lightly charred pita was good for mopping up this salad.

The silverbeet roll was packed with more chickpeas than rice and once again had a strong lemon acidity. The labneh (yoghurt dip) served alongside it served as a better accompaniment to the savoury spiced fish and prawn skewers. The marinade was garlicky and the spice blend is different to that of the Turkish and Greeks. "New" flavours are always good! The fish and prawns were grilled beautifuly though there was a little fishy-ness detected with 2 of the 5 pieces.

The Shish kebab i.e. the lamb back strap was tender and juicy. Though it was lightly marinated, the tahini sauce helped with the overall flavour of the kebab. The flatbread was lightly charred, crispy yet soft. The Fattoush salad was fresh with a good flavour punch from the spices used and the fried bread pieces were served atop the salad greens. The chunky chips were an unusual addition but were crispy-good nevertheless!

Good food and friendly service. Will certainly return again with friends!

Rouj Modern Lebanese
Shop3, 21 Nash Street
Rosalie
3367 2210

Parkland Chinese Restaurant

This yum cha place is actually the sister restaurant to Landmark located across the road in Sunnypark shoppping centre. So no surprise to find that the menu is similar to Landmark's. There are a few items though which aren't listed on the menu so keep a keen eye for them when the food trolleys come around.

To start we ordered the scallop and prawn dumplings, prawn rolls with wanton wrappers, chicken feet with black bean sauce and chinese vegetables also known as chinese kale. The prawn meat in the dumplings and rolls were a touch overcooked but generous in their quantity. A real sticking point for us when we have yum cha is the quality of the dumpling wrappers. They must be thin yet resilient and delicate. This time around they were rather thick and firm. The kale retained its crispness. As it isnt cooked to order, you may get a cold plate of vegetables which is sad considering you pay $9 a plate.

Prawn rolls with wanton wrappers.

Chicken feet with black bean sauce

When it comes to chicken feet you either hate it or love it.  Those that can get pass the thought of eating feet can apprecitate what this dish has to offer.  The softness and flavour of the braised skins and tendons are infused by the black bean sauce and are just simply delicious as you suck and chew on the bones to get all the goodness out.  Yum!

Stuffed eggplant with prawn

The sauce at first tasted a bit salty but when eaten with the mushy eggplant it eases and you taste the dark soy flavour which lifts this dish.

Lotus leaf glutinous rice with chicken

The rice had absorbed the fragrance from the lotus leaf but was not as robust in flavours despite the dark appearance.  We would have appreciated more than half a shitake mushroom, a small piece of chicken and some mince enclosed within the rice ball of this size.

As far as the overall quality goes, our preferences for Yum Cha restaurants lie between The Manor and Shangri-la.

Parkland Chinese Restaurant
SunnyPark Shopping Centre
Mains Road
Sunnybank

Our Haus

We had planned for a late morning movie at Balmoral and thought it would be perfect opportunity to grab lunch at the much talked about new cafe at Hawthorne which is close by. As it was a rather warm and humid day we opted to sit indoors. Our Haus is a cosy little cafe brimming with not only mouthwatering deli offerings and sweets from the glass cabinets but also art pieces, paintings, knick knacks all lining aside lengthway of a wall.

I started with my default order of a skinny cappucino and it was good. We then placed our orders for a roast pumpkin salad with feta with an extra side order of Levain sourdough and a cajun chicken burger. The salad was a generous serve. The pumpkins were roasted perfectly with the char that you don't always get, the balsamic dressing was truly emulsified and there was a good sprinkling of pine nuts. Simple but satisying.

There was no real cajun-ess in the chicken burger. There was just hints of spicy paprika. The bun assuming to be from Levain was nice and rustic. Overall the burger was simple in its components and just wholesome to eat.

Our Haus
93/97 Riding Road
Hawthorne
Opens daily 8am to 5pm