Vespa Pizza - New Farm, Brisbane

http://www.vespapizza.com.au/index.html
Dined 23/8/08

Fussy BF and I dropped into Vespa Pizza for a rushed bite on Saturday night. It had been highly recommended by Fussy's brother and even though he had had pizza the night before he and KC manned up and went for the double header.

Fussy BF was on her own as she is from the enemy camp that eats chicken on pizza. Due to the time constrainst we opted out of having starters (and it can be a rookie mistake to fill up on breads) and went straight for the mains.

The waitress was very gracious about our admittedly annoying wishes to change the menu to suit individual tastes. I opted for the Capricciosa: pancetta, salami, olives, mushrooms, anchovies, red peppers 18 but had to get the anchovies taken off. Fussy brother opted for the Salami and mushroom w/ basil, mozzarella and truffle oil 18.5. KC went for Vespa reigns supreme: pancetta, artichoke hearts, buffalo mozzarella, olives, capers, anchovies and vine tomatoes w/ fresh basil and roasted peppers with extra mushrooms and truffle oil. Fussy BF's was too complicated to list (her food specifications are quite specific) but it involved chicken so who cares.

They were all delicious! Pretty close to what I call an authentic Italian pizza - thin base, not too much toping. The salami and mushroom was my pick of the lot.

The were doing a roaring trade on Saturday and we ended up sitting outside. Vespa manages the outside dining well and we were toasty warm under a braisier.

We did have a bit of a wait for the pizza and it seemed that the table next to us got tired of waiting and ended up leaving but waiting for good food doesn't bother me.

It won't make the best ever list but overall pretty damn good pizza.

Food excellence 4/5

Ambiance 4/5

Cleanliness 4/5

Price 3/5

Tandoori King - New Farm, Brisbane

http://www.eatout-brisbane.com.au/Tandoori-King.htm Dined: 2/8/08

Fussy's brother recommended Tandoori King and he and I have the same exacting standards and rules (ie chicken not belonging on pizza).

Here's some of what we ordered although I must admit I can't remember everything perhaps due to the amount of wine I had drunk.

Saffron Prawns 13.50
Succulent Tiger Prawns marinated in saffron. special house spices and cooked in the Tandoor

Chicken Tikka 10.50
Tender morsels of boneless chicken in a special tandoori marinade, cooked in a tandoor

Lamb Somosa 10.50
Lamb mince, peas, herbs and spices in pastry parcels

Goat Masala 21.50
Selected pieces of boned goat meat cooked in fried onions, freshly ground spices and
seasoned with fresh coriander

Kashmiri Naan 05.50
Sultanas, coconut and crushed cashew nut

this was all eaten under a bit of a wine haze but it all tasted fantastic and I can't wait to go back again and remember everything!

The food was absolutely divine. Piping hot, freshly cooked and not swimming in grease (one of my biggest dislikes with Indian food).

The reviews on the website listed say it all - best Indian in Brisbane.

I do have one bugbear though - I can't find any Indian restaurants in Australia that offer Prawn Puri? Puri is really common in Indian restaurants in the UK but I've never been able to find it here?

Codpiece - New Farm, Brisbane

http://www.codpiece.com.au/ Dined: 29/07/08
I ended up at Codpiece with a friend as Tuesday Taco's was too busy at Alibi (yes, I know I'm too old).

I have eaten here once before and the 2nd showing was fairly similar to the first.

They do get automatic bonus points for BYO but the service is a little...indifferent. It's not that the staff aren't friendly, because they are. It's the small details such as filling up water glasses that seem to go unoticed (by the 3rd time I'd asked surely you would figure out I'm thirsty...??).

The main menu here doesn't particularly appeal to me but I do love a good entree and as I did the first time I ended up sharing a selection of the entrees as an expensive tapas.

Here's what we had:

• Crabcakes - these are delicious, really light and not at all greasy.
• Oysters Kilpatrick - these took forever to come out but they were delicious and piping hot when they got there
• Moules Mariniere - I will admit to not being a huge fan of Mussles, however my dining companion is a conissuer and as she polished of the bowl assured me they were delicious.
• Salt & Pepper squid with chorizo - theoretically I should love this dish as it combines 2 of my favourite foods however whatever the squid is crumbed in (we couldn't pick it - anise or cinamon perhaps?) become overpowering quickly. The first few pieces were tasty and then I was far more interested in the other offerings.
• Scallops - we had these to start with the oysters and we did wait a good half hour for them but when they did come out they were absolutely beautiful - i think if you're contemplating licking the shell that's a good sign.
• The chef's salad - this was beautiful - simple and flavourful and the capers in it were a magic addition.

How anyone can contemplate a deep fried mars bar after battered fish is beyond me but we were assured they're delicious - I'll take Codpiece's word for it.

Overall not a bad choice for a weeknight and certaining one of the better fish places to chose from without going seriously upmarket.

The total was $80 for 2 not including the wine.

Food excellence 4/5

Ambiance 2/5

Cleanliness 4/5 (The restaurant was fine but the toilets are communal and less than fine)

Price 3/5