Frozen Yoghurt!

Recently, I have noticed that many frozen yoghurt stores have opened up in Brisbane/Gold Coast. Must be a new trend or something? The first one I had noticed was 'Yoghurt City' located in Cavill Mall, Surfers Paradise. It's all self serve, so what you do is grab a cup and then fill it up with soft serve like frozen yoghurt and top it up with toppings like (fruit, chocolate, nuts etc). There are many flavours to choose from. Once you have filled your cup with the yoghurt and toppings, the staff weighs it and you pay! They charge you $28.50 per kilo, so the more you put in your cup, the more expensive it will be. It's tricky, because the cup they provide is quite large, so it's very easy to spend a lot! On average, half a cup would cost around $6-$7. I didn't take any photos of my frozen yoghurt from Yoghurt City, but the flavours I tried were pomegranate, mango, strawberry, coconut and banana. My favourite was coconut, pomegranate and strawberry. Being the first frozen yoghurt place I've tried, I didn't have anywhere else to compare it with.

Not long after, I discovered 'Noggi' which is another frozen yoghurt store! Noggi is located in Myer Centre, Brisbane City.

Noggi

Noggi works a bit differently, as it isn't self serve. There are three sizes to choose from (Mini - $4.20, Regular - $5.50, Maxi - $7.20). You can mix flavours or just choose a single one. Each cup comes with 3 toppings (you can choose from their display cabinet).

Regular Size Mango & Pomegranate yoghurt with mango, strawberry, blueberries

Maxi size Green Tea Yoghurt with watermelon, strawberry & kiwifruit

The frozen yoghurt at Noggi was smooth and creamy! I just loved the green tea one!!

The plastic spoons you get are of very good quality, so good that I took them home! It would be a waste to throw them in the bin.

About a week after trying Noggi, I visited Berryme in Sunnybank Plaza to try their frozen yoghurt. Berryme is also self serve. But it's slightly cheaper, only $26.50 per kilo.

Toppings station & counter/register

Frozen Yoghurt self serve station

Left: NY Cheesecake, Pomegranate & Strawberry yoghurt with mango, strawberry & honeydew melon. Right: Green tea & Hazelnut yoghurt with honeydew melon, strawberry & watermelon

I found that the frozen yoghurt at Berryme was too icy and not creamy enough. The flavours were also quite 'light'. I liked the NY cheesecake & Hazelnut flavour the most out of the ones we tried. Maybe because they were slightly creamier than the fruit flavoured ones?

So, out of the 3 frozen yoghurt stores I've tried in the last couple of weeks, Noggi is definitely my favourite. Creamy, full of flavour and I think works out to be the best value for money.

Wagaya

Wagaya is a modern Japanese restaurant located in China Town, Fortitude Valley, Brisbane. They have a very extensive food and drinks menu, where you can ONLY order from a touch screen. Even if you just want a glass of ice water, you still have to select it from the touch screen menu and can't order from the waitress/waiter!

I've been to Wagaya several times for dinner (most times I called to make a booking because they can get so busy), but a couple of times I just tried my luck and turned up early (say around 5:30-6pm) to have an early dinner without any booking.

There's good and bad with having the touch screen menu...... it's easy to order because you can see a picture of all the food. The touch screen also gives you a running list of what you've ordered and how much it costs so far. But because it's so easy to touch and order, you may end up ordering too much and it can end up being very expensive!

I think most of the food items are reasonably priced, but some things can be quite expensive. So you really have to pick and choose what to order if you don't want to spend too much! It is quite possible to order and try several different things without it costing too much, you just need to choose wisely.

All the tables are booths, which creates privacy for the diners.

About a month ago, we visited Wagaya for dinner and this is what we ordered.........

The touch screen

Takowasa - $6.90

 Takowasa is a starter that I always order. This is basically raw octopus cut up into small pieces and then marinated in wasabi sauce. Very good to nibble on while chatting with friends and drinking!

Spicy Chicken Wings Fry- $6.50

 Next came the spicy chicken wings! The serving size was ok, there was basically two whole chicken wings (drumette and wingettes x 2). The flavour was good and it was crispy.

Scampi Sushi - $7.90

 Scampi!!!! One of my favourite! The sushi rice was just right and the scampi on top was fresh and tasty

Iced Green Tea Latte - $4.50

 Iced green tea latte is very good value because not only is it a drink, it can also act as a dessert because it has a scoop of green tea ice cream inside! I say it's good value because the drink can last for the whole meal, as the ice and ice cream melts.

Assorted Yakitori (Ox tongue, chicken, salmon, prawn) - $13.50

 This was the first time I tried yakitori at Wagaya. The yakitori menu in my opinion is quite expensive in general (starting from $7 for 2 skewers). We decided to try the assorted yakitori because it seemed to be better value for money! And also, you get to try a few different things. Out of the 4 meats, my favourite was the ox tongue and the chicken! Both were tender and juicy. The ox tongue was a thick cut, which meant plenty of meat!

Grilled Salmon Wing - $7.90

 The grilled salmon wing was quite nice! Sprinkled with salt and then grilled until crispy. It is served with lemon and grated white radish and soy sauce. I also thought this dish was quite reasonably priced as something similar at other Japanese restaurants would cost from $9.00.

Scallop Sashimi - $7.90

 Normally we would order the Assorted sashimi and sushi platter, but because we wanted to try other cooked food that we, we opted to only have a little bit of sushi/sashimi instead of a huge platter! The scallop sashimi was cold and fresh.

Lightly Grilled Salmon Sushi - $9.90

 Aburi salmon nigiri! If you order this from sushi train it would cost you $4.50 for 2 pieces! So at $9.90 for 5 pieces, it is extremely good value!

Mentai Mayo Chips - $5.50

 OK, so this was a 'special' menu item. The small picture on the touch screen doesn't really show clearly what this was, so I thought I'd order it and try. Afterall it was only $5.50.............. When the dish arrived, it was basically potato gems mixed in mentaiko flavoured mayo. Let's just say, this will be the last time I order this dish........ because I think it's something that I can make at home.

Salmon & Avocado Hand Roll - $3.90

The salmon and avocado handroll never disappoints. Whenever we have already eaten quite a bit and can see that the bill is getting expensive, but we are still a little bit hungry....... we order a hand roll! It is cheaper than most sushi places but it tastes way better! The seaweed is always crispy!

Even though there isn't much 'service' from the staff, I really like dining at Wagaya because I prefer the non-intrusiveness. The touch screen menu eliminates any language misunderstandings and incorrect ordering, either by staff or customers. The food is brought out very quickly too! Although I must say, if you order sushi/sashimi it could be that it's already cut/made and just put in the fridge and brought out to you when you order. But if you order hot food, it is definitely freshly made for you.

Wagaya Website

CreativiTea

CreativiTea is a teashop/cafe located on the first floor of Oasis Shopping Centre in Broadbeach. When you step into the store, there are tables and shelves filled with teapots, teacups, ornaments, decorations and tea!

Last weekend, I went to CreativiTea to have high tea with a girlfriend. I had purchased an online deal, which cost $38 for two people. As soon as I received the voucher, I called immediately to make a booking!

I have previously been to CreativiTea just for 'tea' and I quite enjoyed the experience. They have a very large selection of specialty teas available, which is quite similar to the Tea Centre.

The tables were set up with crisp white tablecloths. As soon as we were seated, the waitress brought us some table water and menus. The high tea included a tea or coffee each. I browsed through the extensive list of teas and settled with the 'French Earl Grey' while my girlfriend selected the 'chocolate truffle rooibos tea'.

The food was divine! All the finger sandwiches were fresh and tasty. The scones are one of the best I've had and matched perfectly with the cream and fresh raspberry jam. The icing sugar on the scones added a sweet taste. The desserts on the top section of the high tea was not too sweet. The portion was just right and we managed to finish everything. We were even able to refill our teas with hot water!

Overall I was very happy with this high tea experience and would definitely recommend it.

The High Tea Set!

Creme Brulee, cherry slice, caramel tart, jelly

Scones with fresh whipped cream and raspberry jam

Gourmet Sausage Rolls, Savoury Scones, Finger Sandwiches (ham, curried egg, tuna)

French Earl Grey

Pearls Bar - High Tea

About a month ago I made a booking for High Tea for 7 people at Pearls Bar, Sheraton Mirage Gold Coast. I sent an email enquiry to make the booking and received a prompt response from the restaurant manager himself. He assured me that my booking has been entered into the system and that the dietary requirements were noted (one of my girlfriends is vegetarian). I thought, that's great! All organised!

We turned up today looking forward to the high tea experience. We parked in the free underground parking at the hotel and entered the elevator. Pearls Bar is located on level 2 (as indicated on the elevator button). When we got out of the lift, I was looking for a sign for the bar. Cannot see anything in sight! There was no indication of where 'Pearls Bar' was....... so we walked towards the back where it looked like some people was sitting and drinking.

My friend went to ask the staff inside if this was Pearls Bar................. and they said they didn't have my booking? Great (NOT). First there's no sign to say that this is the right place. Second, they don't have my booking that was apparently confirmed by the manager himself one whole month ago. I was definitely not impressed with this '5 star hotel'. We waited about 5 minutes for the staff to set up the seating area for us. I reminded the manager that one high tea set had to be vegetarian, which was fine.

The seating area was nicely decorated in tones of brown and orange, creating a relaxing atmosphere. We sat in the comfy chairs with lots of cushions. There were views of the pacific ocean and the lush gardens and lagoon pool outside.

It took a while for us to get a menu. There was no explanation of what was included in our high tea. The staff member just told us to refer to the menu. After about an hour of sitting, chatting and waiting, we finally got the high tea set. And our teas/coffees arrived shortly after. I ordered an earl grey, which came in a pot. It wasn't as flavoursome as I would like it to be. The hightea was in my opinion quite ordinary. I remember having high tea at Sheraton 2 years ago and it was soooooo much better quality. I was actually quite disappointed with the variety of food in the high tea set. At a price of $32.50 per person, I expected something better. I would much prefer the high tea at Panorama Lounge, which is only $27.50 compared to this. The service, food and atmosphere is a higher standard at Panorama Lounge, RACV Royal Pines Resort. And not to mention the cheaper price!

High Tea Set for 3

Vegetarian High Tea Set for 1

Parkland Chinese Restaurant

I have been to Parkland Chinese Restaurant many times before for yum cha.  Last week, we went there for dinner for the first time. We ordered the banquet, which consisted of the following dishes.....

Assortment of sauces for the dishes

Assorted Platter

Crabmeat & Sharkfin Soup

Steamed Oysters

Ginger & Shallot Lobster with Noodles

Steamed Silver Perch

Salt n Pepper Quails

Crispy Skin Chicken

Scallop & Prawns

Preserved Egg with Asian Vegetables

Fruit Platter

Lotus Seed Paste Bun

This banquet was enough for 10 people! Total cost was $428.  The banquet also included two beers and a jar of juice or softdrink. Overall, I thought the food was ok/acceptable. Some dishes were better than others. The quails in my opinion were a bit too dry. The chicken was nice and tender though. The oysters and lobster dishes was my favourite. The service from the staff was quite average, but I didn't expect that much service from staff at a chinese restaurant.

http://www.parkland-restaurant.com/

ChurroCafe

A couple of weeks ago I visited the Carrara Markets to use an online deal I had purchased some time ago. Before purchasing the deal, I visited the website of Churrocafe to see what it was all about. There wasn't anywhere else on the Gold Coast that sold churros (besides at themeparks and Event Cinemas at Robina Town Centre), so I was quite interested to try the churros at Churrocafe. The online deal was a great way to test out the place at a discounted price.

It was only a small shop, with 3-4 tables out the front. There was loud spanish music playing, creating a relaxed atmosphere to enjoy coffee and churros.

Chai Latte

 Chai Latte. This has recently been my all time favourite and must order hot drink! There was HEAPS of cinnamon sprinkled on top and the chai was sweet and tasty!

Mexicana Empanada

 The empanadas were very similar to pasties. The pastry was just delicious! It's great for a snack or a light lunch.

Vegetarian Empanada

 The facturas are sweet breads. I wasn't too fond of these, as I found it quite hard. Maybe if it was heated up before being served, it might be better?

Facturas

 

Churros!!

Display cabinet of Empanadas

Display cabinet for Facturas

My favourite item was the churros! They were crunchy and tasty! The churros were lightly dusted with cinnamon and icing sugar. Personally, I would've preferred more cinnamon and maybe some melted chocolate for dipping the churros into.

http://www.churrocafe.com/