Dined 6/4/09
Aquila, Aquila, Aquila. What you have done to the humble chicken Caesar almost defies description.
Every element of this tangy, delicious salad was destroyed in a serious bout of mediocrity.
At $14.90, I could have had the crispy chicken at McDonald's twice over and received a better meal.
The worst part is, you're normally so good. You scrambled eggs are delightfully fluffy, your bacon so crispy, the lamb pizza resplendent, your coffee spoken of in reverent tones.
But this was a soggy mess of non-descript muck.
For me, the heart of the Caesar salad is the dressing. There wasn't even the faintest resemblance to the traditional tangyness in this salad. There was no Parmesan wafting lazily on top, rather it was swimming around the bottom of the plate in the white muck of the sauce. The bacon appeared to be of the same standard used on $5 take-away pizzas. This horrible mixture was held together by chopped up pieces of boiled egg...this sentence cannot sufficiently describe why boiled egg doesn't belong in Caesar salad; coddled if you must, but not boiled.
The tasteless, if tender strips of chicken where one of the few saving graces. The use of two pieces of grilled sourdough(?) rather than croutons an affront to a purists heart.
I should however put this in the Fussy perspective. My dinning companion thought his was just fine and definitely isn't wallowing in disappointment like I am.
The best part of the salad was the LLB - delicious and comes in a huge glass and at $3.90 a bargain.
Aquila, for me, is becoming one of those places where the trick is to know what to order. For those unaware the results can be very disappointing.
Food excellence 0/5
Ambiance 3.5/5
Cleanliness 4/5
Price 3/5
Showing posts with label Cafe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cafe. Show all posts
Sunday, 5 April 2009
Sunday, 10 August 2008
Era Cafe - South Brisbane, Brisbane
http://www.erabistro.com.au/index.php?MMID=194 Dined: 9/08/08
I'm a bit fond of Era and have had some excellent nights here in the bar having wine and tapas but I hadn't ever been to the cafe.
A late brunch with a couple of other Fussy's was on the cards after a morning with Picasso. I love the feel of the cafe here and it almost seems like a bit of secret cave that you can't see from the street. Even though it was a sunny day they had the braziers out which pleased the cold blooded Fussy's of the group no end.
I do tend to order scrambled eggs or eggs benedict when dining out for breakfast as I can't cook them very well myself. On Saturday there was Tasmanian Smoked Salmon, Swiss Cheese, Scrambled Eggs & Sour Dough Toast ($16) on offer and I couldn't resist.
The service was a bit strange with our waiter not seeming to want to say anything although the it was efficient.
A lovely hot, very strong cappuccino for me, a tea and two soft drinks for the others. The tea was beautifully presented in a plunger with loose leaf tea.
The meals were bought promptly and I have to say I was disappointed. Although the smoked salmon was plentiful it was all clumped together and the eggs had been overcooked and had none of the soft, creamy fluffiness that good scrambled eggs have. The sourdough was fine although I must admit the Swiss Cheese didn't work as well as I thought it would (and I have a fairly passionate relationship with cheese). I didn't finish the meal which is always a very bad sign. Again, I'm sure for most people it would have been fine, but I am Fussy and I was disappointed. I don't like paying for a breakfast I could have cooked better myself.
That being said, the chips were very good although very, very oily and the panini's seemed okay. The other breakfast (Bacon & Eggs… ‘as you like it’ with Toast 9 and a side of mushrooms) looked beautiful although the mushrooms were apparently on the ordinary side (there was also shell in the eggs).
My benchmark for breakfast will is always Cirque and their smoked salmon & scrambled eggs in in another league compared to this (and cheaper!).
As breakfasts go it was pretty forgettable.
I'm a bit fond of Era and have had some excellent nights here in the bar having wine and tapas but I hadn't ever been to the cafe.
A late brunch with a couple of other Fussy's was on the cards after a morning with Picasso. I love the feel of the cafe here and it almost seems like a bit of secret cave that you can't see from the street. Even though it was a sunny day they had the braziers out which pleased the cold blooded Fussy's of the group no end.
I do tend to order scrambled eggs or eggs benedict when dining out for breakfast as I can't cook them very well myself. On Saturday there was Tasmanian Smoked Salmon, Swiss Cheese, Scrambled Eggs & Sour Dough Toast ($16) on offer and I couldn't resist.
The service was a bit strange with our waiter not seeming to want to say anything although the it was efficient.
A lovely hot, very strong cappuccino for me, a tea and two soft drinks for the others. The tea was beautifully presented in a plunger with loose leaf tea.
The meals were bought promptly and I have to say I was disappointed. Although the smoked salmon was plentiful it was all clumped together and the eggs had been overcooked and had none of the soft, creamy fluffiness that good scrambled eggs have. The sourdough was fine although I must admit the Swiss Cheese didn't work as well as I thought it would (and I have a fairly passionate relationship with cheese). I didn't finish the meal which is always a very bad sign. Again, I'm sure for most people it would have been fine, but I am Fussy and I was disappointed. I don't like paying for a breakfast I could have cooked better myself.
That being said, the chips were very good although very, very oily and the panini's seemed okay. The other breakfast (Bacon & Eggs… ‘as you like it’ with Toast 9 and a side of mushrooms) looked beautiful although the mushrooms were apparently on the ordinary side (there was also shell in the eggs).
My benchmark for breakfast will is always Cirque and their smoked salmon & scrambled eggs in in another league compared to this (and cheaper!).
As breakfasts go it was pretty forgettable.
Food excellence 2/5
Ambiance 4/5
Cleanliness 4/5
Price 2/5
Monday, 4 August 2008
The Gun Shop - West End, Brisbane
31/7/08 http://www.thegunshopcafe.com
A breakfast institution in Brisbane, I had mixed feelings about eating at this cafe. The food was generally good but the service had ranged in the past from indifferent to insulting. My heart for breakfast has forever been lost to Cirque (even if you can hardly get in the doors these days) and I hadn't eaten here since the original owner apparently left to go to Tongue and Groove.
On Thursday night things seem to have a done a complete reversal - the service was very good - attentive without being overwhelming, prompt and friendly.
The food was a different story. At around $30 for a main my expectation were reasonably high and my meal was a big disappointment. I had the 300g Hereford Gold Rib Fillet, duck fat roasted baby potatoes, broccolini, pancetta, blue cheese butter, jus. Technically, I guess there wasn't anything wrong with it but it was just dull. The meal was literally a piece of steak on steamed brocolini and 3 potatoes. The blue cheese butter was flavourless and I don't recall the jus nor the pancetta! It sounded so good on the menu and I do love ordering steak when I'm dining but this was stuck in the middle of the road.
My dining companion's Margaret River Lamb with pistachio & lemon crust, kipfler potato, dutch carrots, sugar snaps and jus was significantly better. The lamb was melt in the mouth and the lemon an unusual flavour.
We didn't have starters and I think there is an expectation that you have a starters as the mains were a modest size.
What saved the night for me was the wine as it was sensational , so good in fact I called the next day to see what it was (their website is out of date). Semillon Sauvignon Blanc from Margaret River called Stella Bella. So very tasty.
I will admit at being a bit oblivious to the surrounds as I've eaten their so often.
We did get overcharged for a bottle of wine that we didn't order which unfortunately I didn't pick up at the time so dinner for 2 (2 glasses of wine and 3 beers) came to $90 (the actual bill was $130).
A breakfast institution in Brisbane, I had mixed feelings about eating at this cafe. The food was generally good but the service had ranged in the past from indifferent to insulting. My heart for breakfast has forever been lost to Cirque (even if you can hardly get in the doors these days) and I hadn't eaten here since the original owner apparently left to go to Tongue and Groove.
On Thursday night things seem to have a done a complete reversal - the service was very good - attentive without being overwhelming, prompt and friendly.
The food was a different story. At around $30 for a main my expectation were reasonably high and my meal was a big disappointment. I had the 300g Hereford Gold Rib Fillet, duck fat roasted baby potatoes, broccolini, pancetta, blue cheese butter, jus. Technically, I guess there wasn't anything wrong with it but it was just dull. The meal was literally a piece of steak on steamed brocolini and 3 potatoes. The blue cheese butter was flavourless and I don't recall the jus nor the pancetta! It sounded so good on the menu and I do love ordering steak when I'm dining but this was stuck in the middle of the road.
My dining companion's Margaret River Lamb with pistachio & lemon crust, kipfler potato, dutch carrots, sugar snaps and jus was significantly better. The lamb was melt in the mouth and the lemon an unusual flavour.
We didn't have starters and I think there is an expectation that you have a starters as the mains were a modest size.
What saved the night for me was the wine as it was sensational , so good in fact I called the next day to see what it was (their website is out of date). Semillon Sauvignon Blanc from Margaret River called Stella Bella. So very tasty.
I will admit at being a bit oblivious to the surrounds as I've eaten their so often.
We did get overcharged for a bottle of wine that we didn't order which unfortunately I didn't pick up at the time so dinner for 2 (2 glasses of wine and 3 beers) came to $90 (the actual bill was $130).
Food excellence 2/5
Ambiance 3/5
Cleanliness 4/5
Price 3/5
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