Welcome to a new category on eat me brisbane, "I want to go there" where I can share with you gourmet destinations to inspire your next trip abroad and give a heads up on quirky dining movements.

I came across this restaurant on the blog, Lost at E Minor, and am tickled pink by the dining concept at Proef in Amsterdam. As described on their website, Proef serves wholesome organic sharing plates that celebrate the best of the home garden. The food described on their page is honest and homely and who could possibly not be thrilled by their welcome message -i've copied it below

"We welcome you to come eat and drink at our beautiful location at Amsterdam’s Westergasfabriek.
Grab a blanket, a nice cushion, sofa or chair and enjoy yourself in our vegetable garden. Come and chat with the chickens.
We serve great food made with organic, seasonal and local ingredients in a picnic style.
We serve small dishes to combine and share. And did we mention that we serve the best cocktails in the park with edible flowers?"

Aha! I repeat I want to go there!. Proef is designed by Marije Vogelzang who specialises in defining the design of what it is to eat!
Love it

Flamingo is to the casual Brisbane dining scene like your offbeat smiling friend to your soul is; refreshing and pleasing!
This quirky cafe tucked away in Winn Lane wins on every level. A whimsical yet totally awesome and practical shop design- inside dining, outside dining, astro turf, bakerlite sugar containers is made perfect by equally fabulous food.

To some flamingo may appear to be all design and no substance, this certainly is not the case. The menu is full of temptations that makes deciding on your meal tricky- a perfect quandary.

I was at flamingo for breakfast, so i was deciding between avocado and labne on toast, a sausage roll (homemade, they look so very very good,i decided it was a bit too early) and was also tempted by the tasty array of home-baked muffins.

I settled on the avocado, tomato and labne on toast and a long black, although i also noted that the fresh juices and smoothies looked very appealing.

The verdict: I made a cracking decision, the fresh avocado on toast ticked all the boxes, a great serving size, the tartness of the labne cutting through the creaminess of the avocado makes this a well balanced and super tasty breakky item. Good coffee too.





Flamingo offers something unique to the needy valley casual dining scene, a bit of home-made loving feeling, honest inexpensive food and it goes far to remind us what the valley should be about- something a little bit different, surprising and thoughtful.

Love it

The fact that the Brisbane dining is on the up is vindicated by the very exciting results of GT 2011 Restaurant awards. Congratulations to Simon Hill and the team at Ortiga for winning the coveted gong of New Restaurant of the Year for their Iberian dream themed restaurant and bar. Also taking out top place in the awards, Woolloongabba's 1889 ENOTECA, which won the apt award of wine list of the year. Exciting indeed. EAT ME has not had the privilege of dining at the enoteca however had a very pleasing time at Ortiga, whose wine list is also totally divine.

For me Ortiga's upstairs bar is a quintessential Brisbane Friday night experience, take your favourite person, add a delicious glass(es) of wine and graze the bar menu at your leisure as you get cosy for the night. I totally recommend snacking on Char-grilled chistorra – whole artisan Basque country pork sausage while quaffing the divine ‘Orobio’ by Artadi Tempranillo. Also a trip to Ortiga is made worthwhile by sampling the lovely cured meats and Jamon.

Enjoy
Ortiga @ urbanspoon

1889 Enoteca @ urbanspoon

Hanaichi is a consistently good, value for money sushi bar with a convienient CBD locale to boot. I'm kind of always baffled how there aren't many good casual dining options in Brisbane's CBD- the choices are so limited.

Luckily - Hanaichi offers quick, tasty and satisfying japanese. My highlights here are the salmon, avocado, onion nigiri, those weird octopus balls, the mini sashimi plates (perfect dining alone option)and the fish tempura nigiri.

My only consistent gripe is how they cut the tuna for the sashimi, it's not always cut in a way that's pleasing to eat.

Service here is pleasant and exceptionally efficient. Be prepared to queue at lunch time, this place is always busy..

Simple and delicious "Nonna" inspired Italian - I like everything about Arriva at New Farm. This neighbourhood gem has an avid and loyal customer base and as such it can be difficult to get a table- so bookings are best to avoid disappointment.

So what is it that keeps me and a throng of others coming back to Arriva? The answer is simple, it is the best Italian in Brisbane. The menu at Arriva is as you'd expect- starting with breads, antipasti and favourites such as calamari. Crisp salads, pastas, pizza, risotto and classic italian dishes such as scaloppine beg for your attention as you browse the menu.

Without fail I always order the Calamari- perfectly seasoned in a light crisp batter and served on a bed of rocket - simple and delicious and tender.

On this occasion Mr Eat Me Brisbane and I were in a pizza and red wine mood. We decided to order a mushroom and truffle pizza and a prosciutto, mozzarella and basil pizza. The verdict; both delicious- and arguably the most important element of the pizza- the base, was spot on thicker on the crust and a perfect flavour cradle on the base. Not at all doughy and not too thin.

On previous visits to Arriva i've had the Risotto ai funghi and the Gnocchi Gorgonzola- both dishes were very pleasing. The gnocchi here is almost perfect.

Arriva is both licensed and BYO- the wine list here is short however the Italian Reds on offer by the glass are both very quaff worthy.

I was lucky to receive this book for my birthday 3 years ago and I find it to be one of the most useful books for both recipes and techniques relating to thai food.

The book is penned by the powerhouse team of Helen Brierty and Annette Fear whose Spirit House thai restaurant at Yandina has become a foodie mecca.

This book is a comprehensive guide to Thai cuisine, covering all elements of the thai pantry, thai sauces, thai curry pastes linking the freshest produce to the most delectable plated outcomes.

My favourite concept of this book unlike many other thai tomes is that you can find inspiration for any ingredient one might acquire as the repertoire is not limited to satays and red duck curries. For example if you happened upon cuttlefish at the market- the spirit house book has the answer (Cuttlefish, Snake Bean and Cashew salad with Chili and Coconut dressing). Have some yum steak in the house but don't want boring old mash and vege? Whip up a massaman inspired sauce and voila a modern oz nod to the delicious curry.

I have made several items from this book my favourites are Thai rare beef salad, Carrot and Kaffir Lime Salad (this is to die for). As you'd expect there is a rather large curry section - i must say my favourite from this is the Penang Chicken Curry with Green Peppercorns and Pumpkin.

Thai food is particularly inspiring for its use of fresh and vibrant flavours- I picked up some delicious live mussels from the market yesterday. I turned to the spirit house book for inspiration and found a divine recipe for Steamed Shellfish with Garlic, Coriander, Peppercorns and Basil.
It was simply perfect for the mussels. I've included the recipe below.


Steamed Shellfish with Garlic, Coriander, Peppercorns and Basil.


1/2 teaspoon of white pepper
2 red chillies , chopped
4 cloves garlic
1 tlbs chopped coriander root (i used a bit of stem too)
3 tlbs vege oil
1 tlbs oyster sauce (i omitted this)
1 kg black mussels
1/4 cup of chicken/fish stock
1 teaspoon palm sugar
1/2cup of basil leaves

optional:
I also added
3 strips of lime rind
a handful of snowpeas
chopped coriander leaves

:make a paste out of pepper chillies, garlic, coriander root and lime in a mortar and pestle
:heat oil in wok, add paste-fry til fragrant
:stir in fish sauce and sugar
:add the mussels and toss in the pan so to coat with the paste
: add chicken stock, cover with lide and steam until the mussels have opened.
Discard any that haven't!

Garnish with coriander and a good squeeze of lime juice. I served the mussels over rice and poured the broth over. yum!

It was with great delight that I read in Brisbane Times this morning that Brisbane is destined to have a fixed fresh food market a la Paddy's Market in Sydney. The planned location is the old Myer building in Coorparoo. The building has been abandoned for 3 years and will receive a refurb and face-lift prior to the establishment of the market. The first floor of the building will be dedicated to gourmet food- delicious fruit and vegetables accompanied by delicatessens, fishmongers and butchers. Do I hear a Hell Yeah?

The markets are scheduled to open in September with trading hours reported to be from 7am to 6pm Thursday through Sunday.

Excellent!