Gerard’s Bar — Brisbane Australia

The second of three Australian restaurants I’m featuring from my trip is Gerard’s Bar. I came here with my university friends for a night out hoping to get a table at Gerard’s Bistro, but unfortunately, on a Thursday night, they were fully booked and there was not a chance for them to fit us in. So, we walked across the courtyard in the back and ventured towards Gerard’s Bar, part of the Bistro, but with its own menu.

It is a gastropub of sorts with charcuterie hanging off hooks displayed in the window. It is extremely dark inside and not a seat available, luckily, we were able to find al fresco seating out on the patio.

I started with The Quiet Mexican (AUD14/$13) which made me chuckle because I don’t think I’ve ever met a quiet Mexican before. The cocktail was pleasant using tequila as its base. I chose this not only because I love tequila, but most of the menu comprised of absinthe or aperol — both of which I dislike.

The charcuterie is extensive and impressive. I had ordered Guanciale (AUD8/$7.40) salumi Australia, a pepper cured pork jowl and Longanisa Roja (AUD9/$8.35) a course ground salumi described as possessing spiced with pepper and garlic and Moorish accents, although I didn’t really detect much of the latter. Served with a baguette — not crusty — it was a nice vehicle for the meats. A plate of pickled vegetables accompanied, but I was perplexed by the lack of tartness and the abundance of saltiness from each of the items.

The thing which won me over was Quail Liver and PX Parfait (AUD16/$14.85) a creamy liver mousse which was light as air. Plated with it were the two cheeses I selected, one of which was Grandvewe Sappire Sheep’s Blue (AUD7/$6.50), the other was Cabra Pimenton (AUD6/$5.60) was possibly my favorite with lovely hints of peppers.. Crispy flatbread adds a nice component and good contrast to the baguette.

Since I’m not able to partake in the Moonlight Flat Oysters (AUD5 each/$4.65) I can only attest to the oohs coming from my son’s lips when he ate these.

One of my favorites of the night is Storm Clams and N’Duja (AUD9 each/$8.35). These large clams are flame grilled topped with spicy n’duja and fresh lemon. They are meaty and umami-filled that I wish I had ordered more.

The Cheeseburger (AUD14/$13) is a double wagyu beef pattie burger topped with bacon, relish, pickles and cheese. The bun was a tad dense, but overall, the flavors were perfect. The patties were packed with flavor and seasoned well. Even though it looked small, it was a satisfactory item even if you were only having it as your meal.

Mulloway Tartare (AUD10/$9.30) was a display of innovation. Bits of smoked lardo are placed in a sieve and held over the plate of diced mulloway (jewfish), Jerusalem artichoke chips, kimchi and shiso. A blow torch starts flaming the lardo, melting it away, allowing the unctuous pork fat drippings to drape over the fish tartare concoction. Beautiful presentation and a nice gimmicky interaction to have with the customers.

If you’re ever in Brisbane, Queensland, take some time to check out the blossoming food scene. I was delighted to find all these new restaurants offering a level of sophistication I had not previously experienced in this town. I hope it keeps continuing in this direction.

Gerard’s Bar
13a 23 James Street
Fortitude Valley, QLD 4066
(07) 3252 2606

the Ra Pour with Rancho Cucamonga

I don’t think I’ve ever been to Rancho Cucamonga, apart driving through it on the way somewhere. So when I was invited to a blogger event out there, it was an opportunity for me to experience it once and for all.

The event was a visit to one of the newer restaurants to the area, something different to the usual chain offerings which made up the culinary topography. Upon entry, I immediately felt like this was a restaurant reminiscent of LA, with a chic interior and trendy decor, rather than out there in the desert.

Ra Pour is the brain child of the Webb family who has been in the business for quite some time, and with Chef Greg Stillman at the helm. Stillman’s resume reads The French Laundry and The Patina Group — impressive for one so young.

We were invited to try the dinner menu with a reprise the next morning to sample the brunch menu. The first evening, the group of bloggers from all around southern California gathered for a shared tasting of appetizers and desserts with our choice of first and second courses.

Lobster pops were everyone’s favorite, with chunks of lobster hidden inside.

Tempura mushrooms was another favorite and the accompanying dipping sauce nicely enhanced the woodsy flavors.

If you’re in the mood for pizza, or if you have kids with you, the wood oven pizzas are decent. We sampled the Asparagus, Shrimp and Pesto, which is good if you like shrimp on your pizza.

For me, the Wild Mushroom pizza was a better choice for me since I love fungi.

Next came the first course and there were two to choose from. Luckily, I sampled some off my friends’ plates so I can tell you between the pork belly with greengage plums, rhubarb, marcona almond…..

and the ahi tuna in ponzu with rice crisp, avocado, sesame, toasted nori and togarashi, I definitely preferred the latter. First off, I’m not a big fan of pork belly, so you shouldn’t take my word for it anyway. Second, I love ponzu and togarashi, so the verdict was an easy one.

Entree choices included a lobster “mac and cheese” seemed a favorite among most of the bloggers, perhaps due to the lure of lobster. The butter poached lobster chunks were generous but the mascarpone enriched orzo threw me off. I had my mind set on mac and cheese and the orzo gave it a risotto consistency rather than mac and cheese.

Grilled duck breast was slightly overcooked for me as I like mine rather pink in the middle. The accompanying Japanese sweet potato, hedgehog mushrooms, passion fruit, micro cilantro and duck jus was interesting when combined into one mouthful.

The restaurant turns into a night club of sorts later in the evening. The music is louder and there are bouncers at the door controlling the crowds who enter. My little group at the end of our table decided to call it a night and returned the next morning for brunch.

We ordered off the menu this time so the portions reflect menu pricing.

We started with platters of Fresh Fruit of the Season ($9) at both ends of the table. Melons pineapple papaya, mango, splashed with champagne and sprinkled with freshly chopped mint made for a refreshing start.

Yogurt Parfait ($7) with blueberry compote, mixed fresh berries, yogurt, granola was another item we tried.

I think most of us were excited when we saw Chicken and Waffles ($14) on the menu. The chicken was nicely fried, tender and moist on the inside. A tabasco reduction with candied jalapeno was lovely, but I didn’t care for the malted waffle which was a bit overcooked and hard.

Biscuits, Fried Chicken and Gravy ($16) has the same delicious chicken I loved, but I didn’t like the sausage gravy because it was sweet — maple syrup perhaps? — but I’m not a fan of sweet in savory dishes. The buttermilk fried chicken was perfection though.

I’m an eggs Benedict ($15) fiend and this was definitely on my radar. Unfortunately, the poached eggs were hard and the truffle did not add anything to the final dish. I was disappointed with this item.

Duck confit hash ($16) was our favorite. Great complex flavors, albeit a little salty, but I like salt. The poached eggs on this was a hit and miss — one egg was runny while the other hard. 

A leisurely brunch is always a good way to start the weekend and Ra Pour manages to offer something different to the mix out there in Rancho Cucamonga. Whether you’re dining or brunching, if you’re out in that area, this would be the place to go. It is eclectic and definitely a breath of fresh air in comparison.

Ra Pour
7900 Kew Avenue
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91739
Tel: 909-899-7999

Girls’ Night Out — Beer Tasting

Did you know that the beers you love only consists of four major ingredients? Yes, only four! Do you know what they are?

This week, I attended a craft beer tasting event where Eagle Rock Brewery‘s Ting Su and Tony’s Darts Away/Mohawk Bend’s Paige Reilly gave a bunch of gals a Beer Class 101 “seminar” where we got to taste an array of beers while learning more about them.

The event was held at Tony’s Darts Away in Burbank, a dive bar at first glance, but when you look deeper,offers subtle nuances you’ll never find at your regular dive bar — I mean they have lavender soap and lotion in the bathroom for god’s sake — I LOVE IT!

To prepare our stomachs for the beers we were to receive, some nourishment were place on the table and what better way to start than with some crispy home made potato chips?

The bar serves some vegan offerings (owner Tony is vegan by the way) so on top of the regular poutine, there is also a vegan version.

We were also given a sampling of the sausages they have. My favorite was the chicken! It had a wonderful blend of spices and was a lot more flavorful than the pork — but we didn’t want to eat a bunch of spicy foods and mask our taste buds for the beer later on.

I didn’t care for the vegan sausage at all due to its strange texture, but that’s okay….. I’m not vegan so I wouldn’t order it anyway.

While we were lining our stomachs with food in preparation for the beers, little plastic tubs of malted barley and hops (two of the major ingredients in beer making) were passed around for us to smell and taste. — did you know that hops is from the cannibis family?

List of beers we sampled:

Craftsman 1903 Lager
Black Market Brown Ale
Russian River Blind Pig IPA
Cismontane/Tustin Brewing El Toro Trio Hafer Weizen
Iron Fist Dubbel Fisted Belgian-style Dubbel
Eagle Rock Solidarity Mild
The Bruery Trade Winds Tripel
Hangar 24 Orange Wheat
AVBC Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout

My favorites of the evening were Russian River Blind Pig IPA, Eagle Rock Solidarity Mild, Hangar 2 Orange Wheat and AVBC Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout. I was really impressed with how easy-to-drink the Solidarity Mild and the Orange Wheat were. Both were very mild but flavorful, former reminded me of a light version of Guinness while the latter had a faint orange at first sip but dissipates the more you drink it.

All the beers we tried are available at Tony’s Darts Away, and of course, at the brewery themselves. Eagle Rock Brewery holds a Brewing Women’s Forum every third Wednesday of each month. Join Ting and the rest of the crew in exploring different beer styles.

** By the way, if you haven’t figured it out yet, the four major ingredients in beer are malted barley, hops, water and yeast **

Eagle Rock Brewery
3056 Roswell Street
Los Angeles, CA 90065
Tel: 323-257-7866

Tony’s Darts Away
1710 W Magnolia Blvd
Burbank, CA 91506
Tel: 818-846-4501

>Lola Gaspar — satisfies my every desire

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Lola Gaspar, the name itself brings a smile to my face! This little bar in the heart of the artist village in downtown Santa Ana has been around for over a year now and still remains one of my favorite places to go for a drink and grab a quick tasty bite with friends. The atmosphere is goth-chic if there is such a thing. Personally, I love it! The people are beautiful, the drinks are sexy, the food is tasty and most of all, it is just a cool place to hang out at. I’ve never brought a friend here who hasn’t absolutely loved it! My favorite drinks here are the mojitos, margaritas (pictured) or my current crush, the Brooklyn Love! The food here is served tapas-style, order an appetizer or two — my addiction is the grilled calamari — such as bleu cheese stuffed dates wrapped in bacon, or get a few of the tacos for good measure. Whatever you decide, I can assure you it’ll be a great time all around. Make sure you don’t stop by on the first Saturday of each month when Artist Walk happens in downtown Santa Ana or else you will be very frustrated and angry when the wait can be up to 2 hours. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

 Lola Gaspar, 211 W 2nd Street, Santa Ana, CA 92701. Tel: 714-972-1172

>Haven Gastropub — beer beer beer

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If you’re under the impression that bar food can’t taste good then think again. Haven Gastropub has some decent food to accompany its array of beers — and when you come here, you have to have a beer — and a selection of Californian wines. The chicken drumettes are a bit dry and the chorizo flat bread wasn’t too appealing to me, but try the corned beef sliders — served with some yummy fries — or truffle-infused mac and cheese — and it’s not your kiddie style mac and cheese either. Service is always attentive and friendly. Lunch is less busy than dinner, but the dinner menu offers some items not available at lunch. For dessert, do not miss out on the bacon ice cream served atop of a brownie.
Haven Gastropub, 190 S Glassell Street, Orange, CA 92866. Tel: 714-221-0680

>Santora’s Hot Wings — hot or not?

>Been shopping and was wanting some wings and remembered there was a place up the road. Menu said sauces were mild, medium, hot, extra hot and nuclear. I said I wasn’t sure how spicy the extra hot and nuclear were so my server suggested getting them extra hot with nuclear on the side. Good idea! Took a long time for my wings to arrive, but that only meant they were made to order and fresh. They tasted okay, chicken was still crispy, but the sauce, oh the sauce, it wasn’t hot at all. Not even the nuclear. The nuclear was kinda on the mild to medium side. BUMMER! I couldn’t finish the order of 10 wings so I brought them home, but on the drive back the smell was making me feel sick. Bleh! I think if I’m hankering for wings, I’ll stick to BBQ Chicken’s Teri-Gold wings… thank you very much!

Santora’s Pizzas Subs and Wings, 28251 Marguerite Parkway, Suite 1, Mission Viejo, CA 92692. Tel: 949-364-3282