Good bread is here. Find it at Brewbakers, a nifty bakery cum café in Albion. Bread is arguably the most iconic and important element in the western pantry. It’s such a simple product yet it can be quite hard to find “real” bread. In his book, "Good Bread is Back" by the bread professor , Steven Kaplan he states that real bread -must have a certain inviting smell, unique taste, appearance and even intuition based on the look and the crack of the crust. I’m not sure about the intuition part (I’m no bread whisperer) but I’m sure even the bread professor would agree that the inviting loaves at Brewbakers fit the bill!

vonRosenlund Eat Me Brisbane and I ventured to Brewbakers to have a brunch graze. The menu at Brewbakers has expanded from when it first opened up the café side of the business. Once just bacon and egg rolls were on offer now the menu boasts your favourite breakfast moments showcased on Brewbakers bread products. I was tossing up between mushrooms and spinach on toast before my eyes spotted the breakfast ham cheese tomato bagel. Knowing how a good bagel is hard to find I went for that.. vonRosenlund Eat Me Brisbane, was struggling between avocado on toast vs a ham,cheese and tomato croissant. The HCT combo won us both over. As you approach the counter to order your eyes are enticed by a myriad of fresh loaves, tarts, friands, muffins, the most deliciously rustic looking jam donuts, croissants and almond croissants! Heavenly sights indeed. I’m weak willed when it comes to food and in the spirit of a good review also added; a light sour rye vienna loaf and an almond croissant to my order.

After ordering we found our way to cosy mismatched chairs and an old rustic table , our coffees arrived shortly after. The coffee here is ok- the flat white was lacking crema and the latte was lacking coffee. However the focus here is the bread. Both the bagel and croissant were fine examples ofbakery products so one can overlook the lack of great coffee.

After I got home Mr Eat Me Brisbane was served up a yummy ham, cheese, tomato and rocket sandwich on the light sour rye loaf. The verdict- perfect bread and actually filling compared to the insipid wonder bread recreations.

Boy the bread is good I sampled it by itself and it actually has personality a beautiful malty crust and perfectly airy innards – in all a perfect soured rye. When bread tastes good by itself you know you’re on to a good thing!

For the bread alone this is a must go culinary destination in Brisbane.

Few things in this world please me as much as deliciously fresh Sashimi. I love the simplicity of Japanese food-the freshest ingredients married with simple yet elegant saucing. I would argue that no other cuisine has influenced the way we cook and eat day to day more then Japanese. My favourite destination for Japanese is Sakura at Highgate Hill.

The Sakura dining room is unpretentious and purpose built. Immediately as you walk in you see the sushi bar and nestled behind the kings of knives- the sushi chef. My favourite place to sit is at the sushi bar- so to admire the fantastic knife skills and to eye off exactly what I’ll include on the sashimi plate. The menu at Sakura represents a very broad selection of Japanese cuisine everything from gyoza to sashimi, tempura to hot pots, teriyaki dishes and more.

Mr. Eat Me Brisbane and I often come here both to celebrate our successes and share commiserations as when you leave here your spirit is inevitably buoyed by deliciousness and the wait-staff here always make me smile. In saying that Sakura pricing means that for most it’s not an every day eat- this is higher-end Japanese but it represents not only the best Japanese dining experience in Brisbane but also one of the most consistent eating establishments in Brisbane.


On this occasion we ordered the Agadeshi Tofu, Isobe age (tempura scallops tied with nori…oh my god please, please, please have this dish it is divine), Sashimi Moriawase and a tempura prawn roll (perfectly cooked prawn, delicious roe, yummy fresh nori).



The Agadeshi Tofu here is the best in the business- silken tofu perfectly coated in a light cornflour based batter and fried, the tofu is then drizzled with a gingered Dashi broth accompanied with Bonito flakes, grated ginger and chilli. This dish is so perfectly balanced here.

Next up my favourite- Isobe Age-, scallops rolled in nori and finished by tempura cooking- these arrive with a very subtle dashi/sesame broth. Crunchy, fresh of the sea flavour total bliss. The are scallops cooked to perfection.



The Sashimi Moriawase arrives in a large boat with an array of fish and sea creatures. You can nominate what you’d like to include, tonight we left it to the chef. Our boat contained; Salmon, Tuna, Kingfish, scallops, and calamari. All were perfectly fresh, expertly sliced and refreshingly delicious. This also came with rice and miso.



To finish we had a tempura prawn roll- that was as you’d expect biting down into perfectly fresh nori, well seasoned and textured rice then the crunch delight of a perfect tempura prawn in kewpie lemony glory. Yum



Sakura is licensed with a great selection of Sake, Japanese export and domestic beers. Make sure your treat yourself and make your way here. Bookings are recommended.

Finding the ultimate braising conditions or marinade can indeed be a daunting venture often replete with a recipe list whose size on paper could double as a cravat for Matt Preston. I've recently been addicted to the dining and wine section in the New York Times, I was thrilled to read about finding alternate uses for the venerable stout. The author of the article laments the bitterness of some stouts for drinking and was inspired instead to exploit those lovely smokey, malty and chocolatey flavors present in many stouts for cooking- particularly in braising and marinating.

Simple and easy due to the layered flavour of stouts like guiness often all one would have to do is simply pour over your meat or replace the addition of wine with stout. Intriguing . I'm particularly imagining a beef pot roast simmering in malty glory accompanied with thyme, potatoes and carrots. Some very honest and comforting cooking. Get involved the next time your dad leaves a can of Guinness in the fridge you don't want- now you'll know what to do!

The NY times article linked out to two stout based recipes. I've included stout and citrus glazed lamb. Yum


Grilled Thick Lamb Chops with Stout-Citrus Glaze
Time: 45 minutes



1 cup stout of your choice
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Salt
8 thick (about 1 1/2 inches) lamb rib or loin chops
2 tablespoons olive oil
Black pepper.
1. Combine stout, vinegar, lemon zest, lemon juice and salt in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium and simmer vigorously until reduced to about 1/4 cup syrup, 20 to 25 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, build a fire on one side of a grill. When fire has died down, and coals are medium-hot (you can hold your hand 5 inches above grill grate for about 2 seconds), move enough coals to other side of grill to form a single layer, leaving most coals on hot side.

3. Rub lamb with oil, sprinkle generously with salt and pepper, place directly over hot part of grill and sear well, about 2 minutes a side. Move chops to cooler side of grill. Brush side facing up with glaze and cook for 4 minutes; turn over, brush other side generously with glaze and cook about 4 minutes more for medium-rare. To check for doneness, make a 1/4-inch cut in thickest part of one chop; it should be slightly less done than you like it.

4. Remove chops from grill, cover them loosely with foil, and let rest for 5 minutes. Brush again with glaze just before serving.

To celebrate a glorious Brisbane winter’s day replete with warm sun and a chill wind Mr Eat Me Brisbane, his mum, his nanna and I went to lunch at James St Bistro. The bistro is perfectly located on the James St precinct next to the Palace cinema and appreciably attracts the pre movie coffee and cake crowd. This is my fourth visit to the Bistro and I must commend them on being consistently pleasing. The food here is homely and well executed, the service is friendly, competent and efficient.

We were promptly seated and the waiter informed us of the specials – a tantalizingly tasty sounding rabbit ragout yum! First thing on the agenda though was wine! Although a concise wine list-, the key wine varietals are all represented and modestly priced hurray. I settled on a pinot grigio and my mother- in-law a sav!

The menu at James St Bistro is exactly what you’d expect from a modern Australian Bistro- a wide selection of meals designed to suit everyone’s palette with some more unique dishes to please foodies. I wasn’t ravenous so I had a squiz at the cabinet – there was a selection of freshly prepared wraps and paninis- I chose the Mediterranean vege panini. This was exactly what I’d hoped for plump marinated roasted vege with a yummy aioli- and not too oily as many med vege sangers can be!

Mr Eat Me Brisbane – satisfied his carnivore lusts with the Steak Burger- I had order regret as soon as I saw it – it was yum and the chippies with it perfectly seasoned and nicely crunchy!

M-I-L Eat Me Brisbane had the Peking duck rolls- which she loved- generous meat filling and the hoi sin was delish

Nanna Eat Me Brisbane decided on the Fish and Chips- the fish can be cooked to your desire- crumbed, battered or grilled. She chose battered- the batter was perfect and she declared she was happy.

We decided to take our coffee out into the sun and the bistro happily accommodated our wishes.

For a casual yet satisfying lunch with friends, great service and genuinely tasty meals- make your way to James St Bistro, I’d be very surprised if your disappointed.

James St Bistro

9 James St
Fortitude Valley, 4006
www.jamesstreetbistro.com.au