Brisbane

Groove Train Chermside @GrooveTrainAU

I’ve spent the weekend in Brisbane visiting Miss13, Miss17 and my parents. We have some activities planned and I’ve taken Monday as recreation leave so we could fit things in. I’m writing a series of short posts about the food we ate on this visit. 

To get things started we needed a good breakfast on Saturday. Miss13, Miss17 and I headed to Groove Train at Chermside.

 
The Groove Train on Urbanspoon

Miss13 asked for French toast, Miss17 asked for the Spanish eggs and I asked for corn fritters.

Miss13 also asked for a guava juice while Miss17 wanted a chai latte and I needed a long black.

Corn fritters with poached eggs, smoked salmon and lime yoghurt SONY ILCE-7S with E 35mm F1.8 OSS at 35mm and f/4, 1/100sec, ISO 100
Corn fritters with poached eggs, smoked salmon and lime yoghurt SONY ILCE-7S with E 35mm F1.8 OSS at 35mm and f/4, 1/100sec, ISO 100

The corn fritters came with poached eggs with runny yolks, smoked salmon and lime yoghurt. The corn fritters at Groove Train are filling and full of flavour.

I’d happily recommend them to anyone who has a hearty appetite.

Do you have a favourite ‘local’ you visit for breakfast when you’re visiting family and friends?

 

 

63 Racecourse Road

Today is my last day in Brisbane to help Mum after her surgery. Miss13 and Mss17 suggested 63 Racecourse Road for breakfast after their morning work out.

I’d never heard of this place but Miss17 has been here a few times and explained the menu theme changes with current events affecting Brisbane. Recently the specials were on a G20 themed menu. Currently the theme is cricket. My only concern is that whenever I eat a pulled pork burger I’m going to be thinking of Lara Bingle. 

I won't be able to eat a pulled pork burger again without thinking of Lara Bingle. That's not a good thing people. Apple iPhone 6 Plus with iPhone 6 Plus back camera 4.15mm f/2.2 at 4mm and f/2.2, 1/15sec, ISO 32
I won’t be able to eat a pulled pork burger again without thinking of Lara Bingle. That’s not a good thing people. Apple iPhone 6 Plus with iPhone 6 Plus back camera 4.15mm f/2.2 at 4mm and f/2.2, 1/15sec, ISO 32

I like that we can ask for good solid meals like lambs fry (that’s liver to the younger readers) which I love, poutine which I’m dying to try and of course the usual fare for breakfast and lunch.

Mmm...lambs fry Apple iPhone 6 Plus with iPhone 6 Plus back camera 4.15mm f/2.2 at 4mm and f/2.2, 1/30sec, ISO 50
Mmm…lambs fry Apple iPhone 6 Plus with iPhone 6 Plus back camera 4.15mm f/2.2 at 4mm and f/2.2, 1/30sec, ISO 50

On entering we’re greeted by friendly wait staff and we ask for a table and are shown to one inside. The tables are old and distressed but solid. No wobbling. The chairs are solid too. The tables are big and there’s space between the tables so you aren’t sharing your life with other people eating.

Inside 63 Racecourse Road Apple iPhone 6 Plus with iPhone 6 Plus back camera 4.15mm f/2.2 at 4mm and f/2.2, 1/15sec, ISO 64
Inside 63 Racecourse Road Apple iPhone 6 Plus with iPhone 6 Plus back camera 4.15mm f/2.2 at 4mm and f/2.2, 1/15sec, ISO 64
Inside 63 Racecourse Road Apple iPhone 6 Plus with iPhone 6 Plus back camera 4.15mm f/2.2 at 4mm and f/2.2, 1/10sec, ISO 100
Inside 63 Racecourse Road Apple iPhone 6 Plus with iPhone 6 Plus back camera 4.15mm f/2.2 at 4mm and f/2.2, 1/10sec, ISO 100

Even though I’ve eaten quite a bit since being in Brisbane and caring for Mum by feeding her and Dad, despite using the next hole in my belt I have a hankering for pancakes and bacon. Miss13 wants waffles.

The pancakes are nice, nothing special, but not stodgy which is good. They’re light and fluffy and absorb the maple syrup well. The maple syrup combined with the frozen yoghurt goes well with the pancakes.

Pancakes with bacon, maple syrup and frozen yoghurt at 63 Racecourse Road SONY ILCE-7S with E 35mm F1.8 OSS at 35mm and f/2.8, 1/60sec, ISO 320
Pancakes with bacon, maple syrup and frozen yoghurt at 63 Racecourse Road SONY ILCE-7S with E 35mm F1.8 OSS at 35mm and f/2.8, 1/60sec, ISO 320

Miss13 said she loved her waffles.

Waffles with ice cream and maple syrup at 63 Racecourse Road SONY ILCE-7S with E 35mm F1.8 OSS at 35mm and f/4, 1/60sec, ISO 640
Waffles with ice cream and maple syrup at 63 Racecourse Road SONY ILCE-7S with E 35mm F1.8 OSS at 35mm and f/4, 1/60sec, ISO 640
Pancakes with bacon, maple syrup and frozen yoghurt at 63 Racecourse Road SONY ILCE-7S with E 35mm F1.8 OSS at 35mm and f/4, 1/60sec, ISO 500
Pancakes with bacon, maple syrup and frozen yoghurt at 63 Racecourse Road SONY ILCE-7S with E 35mm F1.8 OSS at 35mm and f/4, 1/60sec, ISO 500
Mum and Dad's front door SONY ILCE-7S with E 35mm F1.8 OSS at 35mm and f/2.8, 1/60sec, ISO 2000
Mum and Dad’s front door SONY ILCE-7S with E 35mm F1.8 OSS at 35mm and f/2.8, 1/60sec, ISO 2000

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Morgans Seafood Restaurant

Seafood see food eat food at Morgans Seafood

A couple of weeks ago Mum and Dad celebrated 50 years of marriage. Mum wanted a family celebration with her children and grandchildren. There’s 15 of us including Mum and Dad.

A favourite restaurant for my parents is Morgans Seafood at Scarborough.

A photograph of the sign outside for Morgans Seafood Restaurant
Morgans Seafood Restaurant

We had a booking for noon because basically the Lums don’t like to wait too long to eat. On the drive (we had a convoy of three cars), I had a niece with me and she said she was a real Lum because she preferred meat and fish and dessert over vegetables.

We get to the restaurant and Dr47 tells me I’ve been here before but I can’t remember. Not long after, Mr42 arrives with his kids and we’re all seated at a long table with a water view. I find myself at the end with all the kids which isn’t a bad thing since I’m a big kid 🙂

A photograph of the inside of Morgans Seafood Restaurant
Inside Morgans Seafood Restaurant. We got there just before 12 noon.

Because we had decided we were also going to go out for dinner we all elected to enjoy a main course. The menu doesn’t have a huge selection but every item looks like a winner to me.

It’s been nearly a decade since I enjoyed a seafood platter (my favourites being at Crustaceans and Christos in Darwin). I was so excited when Miss17 said she’d like to try a platter with me. It was the second most beautiful thing I’d heard all weekend. The most beautiful was when Miss19 told me that when I visit in October she wants me to cook for her a meal like I used to when we lived in Darwin. I nearly cried.

Even though I had a camera with me I didn’t want to annoy everyone by capturing images of their food so I took a couple of ninja snaps.

Miss17 and I chose the Moreton Bay platter because it was a combination hot and cold creation and focussed on the local crustacean, Thenus orientalis, which is a slipper lobster and known locally as the Moreton Bay bug. In Cockroach territory (aka New South Wales) it’s known as a Balmain bug. Fittingly Dr47 described it to his Miss8 as the cockroach of the sea (not that that description would put her off eating it). I loved her description of calamari. She calls them Japanese chips (fries for my North American friends).

The Moreton Bay platter consists of Chilled Moreton Bay bugs, Florida lobster, Pacific oysters, and ocean prawns, with Grilled Coconut crumbed prawns, Moreton Bay bugs, half shell Queensland scallops with macadamia nut and lime butter, salt and pepper calamari (aka Japanese chips), and crumbed fish fillets.

Crumbed calamari (aka Japanese chips)
Crumbed calamari (aka Japanese chips)
Seafood pasta
Seafood pasta
Seafood tasting plate
Seafood tasting plate
Moreton Bay platter
Moreton Bay platter
Moreton Bay platter
Moreton Bay platter
Moreton Bay platter
Moreton Bay platter
Chilled Moreton Bay bugs and fruit
Chilled Moreton Bay bugs and fruit
Grilled seafood on the Moreton Bay platter
Grilled seafood on the Moreton Bay platter
Mmm...Queensland scallops with Queensland nut and lime butter
Mmm…Queensland scallops with Queensland nut and lime butter
My plate at the end
My plate at the end

It’s meant to be a platter for two but the quantities are not served evenly, so there is an odd number of oysters, bug tails and only one lobster tail. This could create a little tension, fortunately, I’ve learnt to be less macrophagic in my eating habits and so Miss17 and I made very equitable decisions on the division of the spoils.

After the mains were devoured a spectacular cake was produced. A white chocolate mud cake for Mum and Dad.

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We all had a great time at lunch. The kids loved their meals and the setting was perfect. Brisbane turned on a beautiful day for Mum and Dad. They shared that on their wedding day it was brighter and more blue but a little colder in Brisbane. On that day the Beatles were playing in Brisbane and the Wallabies were playing the All Blacks. An uncle from New Zealand asked if he could skip the wedding party and attend the test match. So fifty years on and my parents have a family they love and in Mum’s words they’ll just take each year as it comes now.

So how would I rate Morgans Seafood on my new restaurant rating system?

I give it 4 colonies out of 5. Really good. I will aim to return. As a bonus they use cloth napkins and the mens’ room had good hand basins and soap to wash off all the seafood odours.

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Hope you had a great weekend and ate YUMMY