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HOT: Bamboo Basket, 190 Grey St, South Brisbane

Bamboo Basket is new addition to the increasingly vibrant and unapologetically modern South Bank precinct. Located at the eastern end of Grey St, there was always the danger that when this Chinese restaurant opened a few months ago it would be a little far from the action. But it hasn’t taken long for it to create its own.

It is a restaurant that oozes confidence even from the outside, making a feature of their steamy kitchen, filled with professional chefs and (you guessed it) lots of bamboo baskets. The interior is sleek, full of striking reds and blacks, but maybe a little showy.

The stand-out performer at Bamboo Basket is definitely the noodles. They are made fresh, very fresh – practically right in front of you – making for some delicious noodle soups and awesome dumplings. We tried two of their very reasonably priced lunch specials ($10.90). The wonton noodle soup was delicious and the BBQ pork disappeared very quickly. Definitely worth fighting over! They are certainly not complicated meals, just simple and good.

Chinese restaurants in Brisbane have really had to improve since the dingy suburban takeaways of the 90s. Sweet and sour pork and black bean beef just doesn’t cut it any more. Bamboo Basket is certainly a cut above those greasy memories of my childhood, and well worth a visit.

[Editor: Bamboo Basket is so popular that the Jetsetting Parents also visited recently. Here's their take on the restaurant.]

There was a continuous stream of onlookers on the foot-path, peering through a big glass window into the open kitchen of Bamboo Basket Chinese Restaurant. They were watching with interest (and probably salivating at the same time) at the dexterous skills demonstrated by the chefs inside who were busy rolling out dough, filling and pinching up dumplings, making noodles by repeated “pull, loop, pull” action, etc.

Inside the restaurant, all tables were either filled up or reserved by 12 noon, half-an-hour after opening , with the staff moving briskly around taking orders and delivering dishes. A small queue was always waiting at the entrance despite the fairly quick turnover of the tables. This set the tone for the lunch for Jetsetting Dad and myself.

The decor of the restaurant is simple yet stylish with a touch of red for a Chinese flair. From its extensive menu, we chose a few which we thought would be indicative of the skills of the dumplings and noodle chefs.

The four xiao lung bao (steamed pork dumplings, S7.90) arrived at our table in a bamboo basket. They were outstanding. The abundant soup/juice simply burst out in our mouth when we bit into it. It’s amazing how the delicate skin could hold up the weight of the soup and meat without breaking even when the dumpling was lifted out of the basket by chopsticks. I reckon the recipe for the dough and the rolling technique must have to be perfect.

Next we had pan-fried pork dumplings (6 for $11.90). From our experience, a good one has to have a juicy meat filling with a nice crispy bottom while the rest of the skin is thin and soft. So these were the qualities we were looking for in our order and happily, we were not disappointed, though I would still prefer a crisper base.

The hot and sour soup ($ 8.90) was a thickened soup with strips of pork, woody fungus, tofu, bamboo shoots and eggs. It was authentic but quite ordinary in taste – I even found it a bit too vinegary.

A big bowl of Langzhou pull-noodles in soup with beef ($17.90) was another outstanding dish. The fresh noodles were thick and al-dente (borrowing the Italian description). Again, it demands a good dough as well as some well-practiced pull and loop skills from the chef. The soup was tasty, too, without being greasy.

When we complimented on the food at the end of our meal, we were told that the chefs are mostly recruited from Shanghai.  Bamboo Basket is the restaurant we have been waiting for and I hope that the chefs will stick to their successful recipes and continue to offer us authentic and good-quality dumplings and noodles.

• Bamboo Basket, 190 Grey St, South Brisbane

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HOT: Urbane Restaurant, 179 Mary St, Brisbane

Finally Brisbane’s laneways are starting to see some action.

Melbourne is renowned for its utilisation of the funky laneways that branch from main streets of the CBD: bars, cafes, boutique shops…you name it, in the laneways down there they’ve got it.

Brisbane, however, has been a little slow on the uptake.  We have plenty of laneways, but there’s not much doing aside from rubbish bins and maybe a few groggy party goers late on a Friday night.

So I was driving down Margaret Street a few weeks ago when to my surprise I noticed a street sign labelled The Laneway.  I did a lap of the block and came back to see that Spencer Lane (across from the Stamford Plaza) has indeed been Laneway-ed!!  Sure, there are the alleyway rubbish bins, but beyond that is a funky new entrance, giving way to a cool, very Melbourne-esque bar (The Laneway), bistro (The Euro) and exclusive restaurant (Urbane).

I had heard rave reviews about Urbane, so decided to sample the goods on a balmy Saturday evening with my other half and another couple.  Designed by local architects Arkhefield, the features of the long, narrow Urbane dining area are very modern with clean lines and simple, classic colours amongst the timber floor, shelving and entry way.

When MM and I entered we were watched closely by the patrons, which was a little unnerving – perhaps it had something to do with my Steve Maddens making a right racket on the wooden floor?  The majority of diners consisted of couples looking dreamily into each other’s eyes (when they weren’t gawking at us) and having quiet, intimate conversation.  A little clinical and sterile was my immediate impression.

Our friends joined us shortly after and finally we were able to get a bit of laughter and ambience into the room.  The wait staff greeted us promptly and reminded us that we had signed up for the 6 course degustation menu.  We glanced over the set menu and all gave nods of approval.  We chose to have the wine degustation as well – why not let the experts chose the wine for us?

No one at our table had tried a degustation experience before.  Most of the courses on the set menu sounded mouth watering, but I had my doubts on how sufficient the portions would be. In the back of my mind I was flashing dollar signs – the degustation experience isn’t cheap, and this meal wasn’t on behalf of anyone’s corporate expense account.

The first tasty morsel was lobster, almond gazpacho, capers and lime meringue – very small, but a flavour sensation and it was served in the most fascinating conical shaped glass.  The second sample was one of my favourites – yellowtail kingfish with Japanese inspirations.  Again the serving was quite small but the fish was fresh, light and melted in your mouth.

The third plate was questionable….but perhaps my palate’s not cultured enough for this sort of experimental cuisine – it was foie gras in a white chocolate bonbon, with gingerbread, carrot and dark chocolate.  To be honest, the rich flavour of the duck pate didn’t mix well with the sweetness of the chocolate.  This dish didn’t really work for any of us at the table and it was too rich for me to finish (more dollar signs flashing).

From there, we were served slow cooked pork belly with apple, onion and rhubarb – another taste sensation with not a scrap left on the plate, except for my crunchy crackling (which I would have loved to pick up with my fingers and shovel into my mouth – not the kind of behaviour this establishment would encourage so thought it best to let go).

Now that we were into the main dishes I was really starting to enjoy the degustation experience – the portions were more liberal and the combination of flavours was unusual and delicious.  Next on the bill of fare was the stand out for me – venison with raspberry, beetroot, cocoa and hints of liquorice.  This was my first taste of venison and it fell gracefully away as I cut into it and melted in my mouth; the liquorice and cocoa worked well with this dish which really surprised everyone on the judges panel.

Onto the dessert items and the first was lightly poached peach with jasmine flower, lychee, sesame and almonds with a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream.  MM thought this sort of food was best served at breakfast, but I thought it was a perfect balance of fresh and light with a little bit of sweetness.

Following this was a tray of petite fours which included a chunk of creamy aerated milk chocolate (MM thought perhaps they had sampled an aero bar from the local 7-11?!), compressed watermelon and a green tea sponge cake.  All in all a very nice, light finish to our meal.

The wines that complimented our meals were very well matched to the food that was presented.  There was a mix of

aged French red, white and sparkling wines as well as some locally grown and bottled.  We imbibed sufficient wine to warrant a taxi home, but with no hangover the next morning.

Would I return to Urbane?  Yep, no risk – but next time I will be dining from the a la carte menu.  The degustation was a great way to sample a range of items from the menu, but the portions are small and it’s a bit of a tease.

Unfortunately by the time we had finished it was almost midnight and we were feeling the pinch from a late night and full stomachs, so we chose not to have a night cap at The Laneway.  Its décor and ambience looks fresh and exciting for Brisbane and I can’t wait to sit at the bar and sample a fruity summer cocktail.

As we wandered back down Spencer Lane there was an old black and white movie being projected onto one of the laneway walls – very cool . I can’t wait to see more of this in Brisbane.

• Urbane Restaurant, 179 Mary St, Brisbane +61 7 3229 2271

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NOT: Dakbla Restaurant, 65 Hardgrave Rd, West End

We try to have a new food adventure at least once a week. But there are some times when you just need the old locale, a place where you can be guaranteed a quick, cheap and tasty feed. And then you arrive at 8.15pm and find the place packed to the rafters, so you go two doors down the street.

And that’s how we ended at Dakbla Restaurant.

The street signage touts Dakbla to be “Vietnamese and Asian cuisine”. Already, foodies will have been deterred by the boast of being able to produce all of Asia’s cuisines, or worse, lumping them all together. Nevertheless, the place was busy for a Tuesday night, with only a couple of small tables to spare.

I ordered the grilled pork vermicelli salad aka “summer noodles” ($10.90). It was fine – I was hungry and ate it all. But there was nothing special about it. The noodles were quite soggy, there was no separate serving of bean sprouts and coriander, and the vegies mixed in the salad were not terribly fresh. The meat was tender and tasty and probably saved the meal.

My other half ordered the flame grilled pork ($14.90). To me it looked like a plate of chopped pork pieces, on the bone, and a few slices of raw onion. The menu says there was also lemon grass. I am told that although the meat was quite tasty, the dish as a whole was unremarkable.

Service was friendly and efficient. Iced water was provided without having to ask and there were complementary slices of orange at the end of the meal.

This is not the first time, nor will it be the last time, that I eat at Dakbla. When I used to work up the road, Vietnamese was a once a week event, and you‘d get tired of eating at the one place, no matter how cheap or how good the food was. I have had at least one great meal at Dakbla – I think it was some sort of vegetarian salad.

However, there’s more than one Vietnamese restaurant in this little strip of shops and Dakbla would not be my first pick. If you must try Dakbla, then maybe lunch, when business is far quieter and the cook has time to prepare a meal, is the best time to go.

Food Bling Brisbane seemed to like it more, check out the review here.

• Dakbla Restaurant, 65 Hardgrave Rd, West End +61 7 3844 0594

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HOT: The Fat Carrot, 179 Boundary St, West End

Smack-bang amongst the plethora of cafes and bars that give West End its livelihood is a little piece of juice and smoothie nirvana.  The Fat Carrot (or perhaps it should be The Phat Carrot?), has a lot more to offer than your everyday down-the-road-produce-store. This little gem on Boundary St is flanked by a gourmet Swiss [...]

Brisbane Quick Tips

• Vintage store The Purple Bedroom is on sale until the end of the month or until sold out. 969 Ann St, Fortitude Valley.
• Brisbane’s Biggest Art Sale. Over 1,500 pieces of art available. Saturday 16 January 2010 - Sunday 31 January 2010. Red Hill Gallery, 61 Musgrave Rd, Red Hill
• Monday night at Freestyle Tout Emporium and Tuesday night at Freestyle Tout West End is trivial pursuit night from 6-8pm. Come along and test your knowledge over a drink.
• Are you under 26 and have a kick-ass idea that will contribute to shaping a better Brisbane? In 2010, YES Brisbane will give budding entrepreneurs and social innovators the chance to get their idea off the ground by becoming a part of the ‘Social Inkubator’ program. This program includes a tenancy at Visible Ink Valley for 12 months and the support to make your idea (a business, an event, a website, whatever) a reality. The pilot Social Inkubator program is supported by Brisbane City Council’s youth program ‘Visible Ink’ and Volunteering Queensland. Send your idea by logging into www.yesbrisbane.com.au or www.visibleink.org/unreasonable. Applications close 25 January, 2010.
• Escape to the circus with Le Grand Cirque. Friday 8 January 2010 - Sunday 24 Jan 2010. QPAC Lyric Theatre, Cnr Melbourne Street & Grey Street, South Brisbane