Some might say every weekend is an eating adventure for me
I spent the weekend in Brisbane to visit my parents and daughters. This week Miss13 becomes Miss14!
Saturday morning we enjoyed breakfast at Groove Train Chermside. I enjoyed the granola.
Granola at Groove Train ChermsideGranola at Groove Train Chermside
For lunch Miss19 and I made Mum and Dad a simple salad for lunch.
I taught Miss19 how to extract Pomegranate arils
Pomegranate arils for lunch
I love coleslaw
Coleslaw preparation
The final product. Gee I love streaky bacon and avocado in a salad.
Coleslaw with avocado, pomegranate arils and streaky bacon
For dinner we celebrated soon to be Miss14’s birthday at Hog’s breath cafe. I had a lite cut prime rib with avocado and a side of calamari to enjoy a surf and turf or reef and beef meal
Hog’s Breath Cafe Aspley with Lite cut prime rib and salt and pepper calamari (reef and beef, surf and turf) with avocado plus Béarnaise sauce on the avocado and cheese sauce on the vegetables. Served with curly fries.
After the main meal we came home and enjoyed Mum’s beetroot chocolate cake. Yes this was made with a large tin of beetroot. No taste of vinegar or beetroot at all.
Beetroot chocolate cake for soon to be Miss14Beetroot chocolate cake and ice cream for soon to be Miss14
For Sunday breakfast we went to Cafe 63 Wilston and I had fruit. Who would believe it, I ate fruit while my daughters has poached and fried eggs and waffles and similar
Tonight I walked from my hotel into town and through to the Hanuman Restaurant. I wasn’t sure where I wanted to eat initially and I thought it would reveal how predictable and obsessive I am, but you know what? Who cares. I like the food. I like the restaurant. It was my choice.
The Yummy Lummy restaurant review colony rating system
I’ve created a page to explain the restaurant review colony rating system and I’ll link to it in future posts.
I’ve copied and pasted the information here in this post.
You may have noticed for some of the latest restaurant reviews I’ve included a rating system based on colony numbers. This was in deference to CBR Foodie’s Canberra Raiders beanie rating system. I did think of using Brisbane Broncos or Queensland XXXX Maroons beanies but I had to be true to myself and choose something closer to my heart. I’ll always be an old fashioned bacteriologist longing for an agar plate in my left hand and a nichrome bacterial loop in my right. In my dreams a Bunsen burner burns with a bright blue flame that never dies. For me, molecular microbiology and newer technology like the MALDI-TOF have taken some of the enjoyment out of clinical microbiology. If someone can put a packet of plates and a few loops in my coffin when I croak I’d be eternally grateful.
The colonies I’ve chosen are those of my favourite bacterium, viz., Chromobacterium violaceum. I’ve even mentioned this is my favourite bacterium before an Australian Senate committee in 2011. You can see the transcript here. It’s on page 152.
Colonies
Interpretation
½
I’ll tell my enemies not to eat here.
1
I’ll be telling friends not to eat here.
1½
I paid the bill but with regret and I’m thinking of stopping at McDonalds for a Big Mac.
2
I’ll pay my money but there won’t be a tip.
2½
It was an okay meal, I won’t come back, hopefully the rest of the night was fun.
3
Good. If I never ate here again it wouldn’t bother me.
3½
Good. Given the opportunity I’d return.
4
Really good. I will aim to return.
4½
Fantastic. I’ll be back.
5
Outstanding. I’ll be back multiple times.
Broth culture
I’m in food heaven I’ll leave in a box
Examples of the colonies can be found at
From http://germsandworms.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/chromobacteriumviolaceum.jpg
On the old blog, I also had a rating system for restaurant rest rooms (dunnies in Strine) and napkins. I’m not sure I’ll continue with this. I am a fan of a well appointed rest room so when I experience one I’ll try to mention it, especially if they offer a Dyson airblade hand drying experience and suitable moisturisers for men. For napkins, nothing really beats a well starched linen napkin in a fancy restaurant. Having written that I don’t mind the ‘tea towel’ napkins that Jamie’s Italian restaurant chain offers.
I’ve just got home (Canberra) after a busy weekend in Brisbane to see my daughters. May is a big month for us, my father’s birthday is in May, my eldest two daughters both share a birthday in May (two years apart), it’s mothers day in May and my birthday is in May.
I arrived late Friday night and the girls were already in ‘bed’ ready to sleep. They had a big Saturday ahead of them.
On Saturday we got out of bed at 5 am and ate a quick breakfast. I had peanut paste on toast (I didn’t have time for a low carbohydrate meal) while the two youngest ones had Mum’s lemon curd on toast. We had to be on the road by 6.30 am and on our way to Yatala for the QGSSSA Cross Country championships. Athletics is not the favourite sport for Miss13 and Miss17 however, as all rounders they compete in as many sports as possible. The meet is held at Rivermount College which isn’t part of the QGSSSA. The college is at Yatala near the Gold Coast.
Just thinking back a bit, when I arrived Friday night I discovered that a tube of moisturiser (yes I have Ichthyosis) had ‘exploded’ in my bag and the shirt I was going to wear had been ruined. Mum said I should wear one of Dad’s shirts. She also said it would be warm so short sleeves wouldn’t be a problem. I always listen to my mother.
So we arrive at Yatala and it’s cloudy and cold. I’m shivering. Thanks Mum 🙂
The girls run well and enjoy themselves. The next stop is the Sleeman Sports Complex in Chandler. We have to get Miss17 there for gymnastics training. Even though she didn’t make the Queensland team this year she’s allowed to compete at the national championships this week in Melbourne. She has to train at Gymnastics Queensland headquarters in Chandler. Before we get there though, Miss17 suggests a spot of morning tea at Yatala Pies.
Yatala Pies is a bit of an institution in South East Queensland. Their pies are known far and wide. Funnily enough I’ve never eaten in the Yatala Pies shop. This was a first.
Miss17 had a curry chicken and vegetable pie, Miss13 had a sausage roll and I elected to have a pasty. It’s been ages since I’ve had a good pasty. This one didn’t disappoint. I loved it.
Yatala pies pasty
Yatala pies takeaway box. You can see Miss13’s sausage roll in the background.
Now regulars readers know me so it shouldn’t be any surprise that when I saw Vanilla slice I had to have one. Yatala Pies sells French Vanilla slices with a whopping big layer of French vanilla cream. It was gorgeous.
Yatala Pies French vanilla slice
After a lot of driving back and forth between Chandler and Chermside it was a long tiring day. After getting the kids back to my parents’ place it was time to cook our special May dinner to celebrate so many birthdays and mothers day.
I said to Mum that I wanted to cook salmon and would be wonderful is Miss17 could make a salad. I also made a pumpkin cauliflower mash which I used to smear the plate and perch the salmon on.
Salmon
#Dinner is salmon on a smear of pumpkin cauliflower mash with a green salad
For dessert, Miss17 had made an ice cream cake. The base was made with Ferrero Rocher, Chocolate Mint and Queensland nut (Macadamia) ice creams. The top had a combination of mixers added to make it a cake to remember.
Miss17 made me a Ferrero rocher, chocolate mint and Queensland nut ice cream cake with heaps of mixers
After dinner we watched The Hunger Games on DVD. I’d never seen it before. It was good.
After a good night’s sleep Miss19 joined us after a busy weekend of working and studying. We had planned a special breakfast together. My daughters and me 🙂 We decided to head to Groove Train at Chermside because it was close and the last time we were there we enjoyed the food.
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