A simple, old school, family owned and run business, Little Malaysia is a no-fuss, no-frills experience, but what they lack in fancy they make up for in flavour and friendliness.  We ordered a plate of prawn chips ($2.00), pappadums ($1.00) and roti canai with curry sauce ($6.00) to get our palates and stomachs ready for a small feast from the menu of many, many, many options.

The roti was insanely delicious – flaky sheets of piping hot flat bread dipped in a mild but flavoursome, runny curry sauce.  That in itself is worth going for!

For mains, we decided to share three dishes which was a little ambitious, but we couldn’t help ourselves as the choices were too good.

MM had his eye on the spicy calamari from the start ($14.90) and it didn’t disappoint.  Listed as one of their most popular dishes, Little Malaysia really won us both over with this dish.  The batter was light and crispy, the calamari pretty well cooked and accompanied with some finely chopped capsicum and herbs, fried glass noodles and a whole lot of salty goodness.

The chicken nasi goreng ($9.90) was a delicious feast packed with meat, tofu and noodles with quite a spicy back end.  Needless to say we couldn’t finish it but we were offered a container to take home the leftovers.

The nasi lemak was a tasting plate of sorts, with a sample of the beef rendang, chicken rendgang,  sambal boiled egg, pickled vegies, anchovies and coconut rice ($10.90).  The beef rendang was my favourite – beautiful small, bite sized chunks of tender beef in a delicious, dark rendang sauce.  The chicken pieces were a little dry for me and the anchovies weren’t really up my alley, but the sambal egg was strangely more-ish, as were the pickled vegies. 

Open every day for lunch and dinner (except Tuesdays, they are closed), Little Malaysia is a pokey, cheap and cheerful little cafe boasting punchy but humble Malaysian cuisine at its best.  The bright yellow walls, fluro lighting and plastic chairs don’t offer much in the way of aesthetics or serenity, but I suspect anything fancier would take away from a really authentic Malaysian experience.

• Little Malaysia – 156 Boundary St, West End +61 7 3844 0303

Thanks to Malaysia Kitchen Australia, I’ve been given the opportunity to check out what Malaysian cuisine Brisbane has to offer – good bad or otherwise.  If you’ve got any tips or suggestions, leave a comment or send an email to cazm@bnehotornot.com

It was pretty clear from the start the Alberto’s Shot staff were experiencing some teething issues with the new menu – they were a little sketchy and as they had new, unfamiliar requests to contend with they weren’t showing much in the way of comfort or flexibility…even so, the coffees were great, so we were more than happy to accommodate their small fumbles and uncertainty.

From the fancy new menu we kept things pretty simple.  MM had the focaccia Australiana with two fried eggs, double bacon, onion and tomato ($12.50).  Pretty straight forward really – not much room for error – the serve size was generous and an all round tasty meal.

I chose the avocado on toast with lime and balsamic ($7.00) with a side of fried eggs (because they weren’t able to cater for poached eggs).  Unfortunately they forgot the eggs, and the balsamic, and I wasn’t particularly happy with the avocado situation – a whole avo sliced down the middle, and two pieces of toast on the plate was as fancy as it got – the rest was up to me.  I like to have my brekkie made for me when I’m paying for it….but apart from that, it was tasty enough.

Another round of cappuccinos ($3.80) and espressos ($3.0) later, we were feeling pretty relaxed with a quiet seat in the sun, reading the paper and enjoying the sounds of suburbia.  Alberto’s Shot has a friendly, casual feel to it with exceptional coffee and a menu that with a bit of  polish will be well worth a taste.

• Alberto’s Shot – 462 Montague Rd West End +61 7 3846 2270

MM and I have a pretty standard routine of getting to the markets nice and early on a Saturday morning and always look forward to a smoothie from Fat Carrot on our way home.  We were a little hungrier than normal on this day however so we walked past the usual stop and headed to Atomica for something more substantial.

Atomica is always bursting at the seams on the weekends, which I guess is an instant sign that they do pretty good food.  Almost all of the tables were occupied and we were lucky to get a seat.  Despite the crowd, we were attended to quickly – we ordered a couple of cappuccinos straight up and took some time to glance over the menu.

MM chose poached eggs with bacon, toasted ciabatta and tomato relish (~$13).  The generous serve of bacon was nice and crispy with most of the fat trimmed.  The two poached eggs were cooked perfectly with the right amount of goo factor.  The tomato relish looked home made and rich in flavour, but MM didn’t seem too interested.

My selection was the eggs benedict with bacon and baby spinach on toasted Turkish bread (~$15).  The serving was huge (to match my hunger!), with three poached eggs and a stack of crispy bacon atop two lightly toasted pieces of Turkish.  The hollandaise sauce was lovely and creamy and didn’t drown the whole dish, but just covered it perfectly.  Once again, the eggs were perfect.

I chased my meal down with a chocolate milkshake, while MM tried another hit of caffeine.  Extra brownie points to Atomica for serving the milkshake in the stainless steal cup – the way it should be.

These guys really do a great job with food and service and turn over a lot of business on the weekends, without losing their cool.  It’s narrow, pokey and not the fanciest joint in town, but you can settle in with a paper or pay a fleeting visit and the outcome is generally the same – a full belly and pleasant experience at a reasonable price.

• Atomica Eat Drink, 173 Boundary St, West End, +61 7 3844 0333

 Lovers of the cute, the vintage, the stylish, the environmentally friendly, the quirky and the cute (oh wait, I already mentioned that) will no doubt find themselves drooling over literally everything in Nook. Yes, the shop is tiny if you compare it to other more ‘traditional’ retail locations, but it’s super cosy — and I can assure you that it contains A LOT of stuff.

Nook is a great place to find stuff by emerging Australian designers all in the one super-handy location. It’s like Michelle has found the best little trinkets from the Etsy and Made It websites and put them all in her shop — much less hassle for us hungry little consumers, and much more fun too because we get to see stuff for real before we buy it!

 The best part about Nook is that you can not only pick up some wonderful and unique handmade gifts (or, indeed, stuff for yourself — as is usually the case for me, often with husband in tow), but you can feel comfortable and warm and fuzzy knowing that you’re helping the planet too.

Nook is full of recycled wares for you to adorn yourself with (such as handmade paper bangles, and belts made from old tyres), as well as other stuff to help you become a much more eco-friendly citizen, like cotton tote bags, rebound diaries and reusable coffee cups.

 If the above still hasn’t been quite convincing enough, ask yourself these questions: ‘Do I like cute birdies?’ and ‘Do I like cute brooches?’ Well, how about cute brooches shaped like birdies? That’s a winner in my eyes. Really, who can resist an adorable little wooden bird-shaped brooch? Basically, if you want something awesome for your house, or for yourself to wear, or to give to a lucky friend, Nook is the place to visit. Plus, it’s great for the conscience.

•  Nook, 19 Browning Street, West End, +61 7 3844 6050

There’s an abundance of Chinese/Viet restaurants around town and in the ‘burbs and you can usually pick up a bargain Mongolian lamb or Viet rice paper rolls, but with the bargain comes an inevitable compromise in food quality.  I’ve been a regular at West End Garden for both dine-in and take away over the last few years and I’d have to say it’s my favourite of the Chinese/Viet venues, particularly when the budget is tight.

West End Garden is one of those venues that caters for fleeting, time-poor visits or long, boozy sessions with the crew.  They are quick as you like with taking orders and service of food, and are prompt to attend to drink refills.  The best bit, for my liking, is that the food looks and tastes fresh and hasn’t got that all-day-long, bain-marie thing going on – you know what I mean.

My most recent visit was with a group of 5 girls, who apart from myself were all virgins to the Garden experience and were waiting with bated breath to taste the goodness that I’d been raving about for ages.  The variety of dishes on the menu was huge and ranges from rice paper rolls and fresh, spicy salads, through to stir fries, noodles, dumplings and even curry hot pots.

After some deliberation over a glass or two (or three) of our BYO’d wine (and with some gentle persuasion from me) we finally decided on the Satay Chicken and Vegies, Sizzling Mongolian Lamb, Chilli Beef, Honey King Prawns and Beef Vietnamese Spring Rolls, all served with a generous pot of steamed rice.

A dish each, without entrees was adequate to fill our bellies as they are generous serves, but I must admit we did manage to get through most of it without too much trouble.  Unfortunately the wine got the better of me and seemingly interfered with my efforts to remember the prices of the dishes, but what I do know is that we all walked away with change from a 20 and very content tummies.

• West End Garden, 190 Melbourne St, South Brisbane ,+61 7 3844 1368

Perhaps it is because specialty organic restaurants are not that common, and tend to attract the more discerning diners. Organic eaters, who obviously have a high level of concern about how their food has been grown and nurtured throughout its entire lifecycle, are perhaps more likely to have a sharp eye for how it is prepared and presented. Nothing but perfection for the modern metro-hippie.

Being only simple folk who are not burdened with such high standards, we were impressed. We went on a Friday evening for the Mondo Supper Club, which promised a “lighter menu to enjoy with a cocktail or a wine or two, for bar or street dinning only” (6pm to late, Tuesday to Saturday). Braving the early evening humidity, we happily downed some simple $10 cocktails, and then ordered some tapas to share for a light dinner. The spring zucchini flowers filled with king prawn mousse ($14) were a little less exciting than they sounded, but the washed rind cheese with lavosh crisp bread ($9) and rocket, radicchio, walnut, raisin and vincotto salad ($8.50) were very nice.

The standout, though, was the crunchy potato squares with aioli ($8.50). These little cubes were the most amazing potato-based product we’ve ever tasted – a day in the making, we were informed enthusiastically by our waiter. They had been boiled, mashed, put through some kind of mechanical sifter, mashed again, baked in a tray, cut into cubes and then deep fried. Worth a visit on their own.

The restaurant offers organic everything, of course, as well as gluten free and dairy free for many of the menu items.

All in all, a pleasant evening with no complaints and a few highlights – certainly not worthy of some of the negative reviews I’ve read. Maybe we set the bar too high for organic foods. It’s already good for you and for the environment; maybe we should be happy that the food tastes good, rather than expecting something amazing.

• Mondo Organics Restaurant, 166 Hardgrave Rd, West End +61 7 3844 1132

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

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 deli selling pastries for the sweet toothed and cafes touting fried breakfasts for the hung-over masses.  For those who fit into neither of those categories on a Saturday morning (or any morning for that matter) and like to start their day with some of nature’s own goodness, you need to visit this hole-in-the-wall gem.

I was quite concerned on my most recent visit when I learned that the original owners had just sold their fruitful business, after 6 years of very early mornings and long days.  However, the new owners continue to run a tight little ship at The Fat Carrot – nothing has changed except for the faces you see behind the counter.  Whilst their shelves are packed to the rafters with locally grown, rainbow-coloured range of organic fruit and veg, The Fat Carrot has really made a name for itself by way of a kick-arse menu of fresh fruit juices and smoothies that contain a perfect balance of fruity goodness that is strangely irreproducible at home!  You can hear the blenders churning from the street and the constant, but not too lengthy line up is a sign of good value.  My personal favourite is The Banaman – a perfect blend of ice, bananas, cinnamon, milk and ice cream or yoghurt.  I have not found a better banana smoothie anywhere.  The juice menu is huge and if you can’t find what you want, you can choose your own juice adventure.  Hand over 5 bucks, and you’ll walk away with breakfast in a cup, and be tip-top ‘til lunchtime.

I’m a big believer in supporting small businesses, particularly when it comes to produce that is grown and sold locally.  The Fat Carrot team work serious hours to ensure their shelves are stocked with fresh, good-looking produce and they provide great customer service.  Best of all, their prices are fair.  This is the destination venue for your all-natural, sugar-high cravings and if you struggle to keep up with the “three-fruit/five-veg” per day intake like me, kill all these birds with one stone by getting a smoothie or juice from The Fat Carrot to kick start your day.

• The Fat Carrot, 179 Boundary St West End +61 7 3844 2303

But The Hi-Fi earns more than just a pass mark. In its short 6 months of existence, it has already played host to two of the best gigs we’ve been to – Little Birdy in May, and Gomez, a few weeks ago. Of course, that has a lot to do with the quality of the music, but the venue definitely played its part well. It’s a comfortable, well air-conditioned space that is just big enough to attract the major acts, but not so big that you can get stuck a long way from the action. There is a bar and a balcony at the back, and a large open area that is slightly sloped so that everyone has a good view of the stage.

The biggest plus for me is the quality of the sound engineering. I’ve often thought that this is an underrated skill, not because I know anything about it, but because I’ve heard it done badly so many times. Often the sound guys seem to think that the way to get the place rocking is to crank all their dials to 11. Sure, it will get the crowd going – most people just want to bounce collectively to songs they have heard a thousand times before – but for me the result is a poor sound, lots of distortion, and a smidgen of hearing damage.

Not at The Hi-Fi. The instruments and vocals were well balanced, and the quality of the sound was actually better than the CDs, in my opinion. And for Gomez, this was done with the major handicap of having all of their instruments lost by the airline that afternoon on the way from Sydney. They were playing with totally unfamiliar borrowed instruments, and we wouldn’t have known if they hadn’t told us towards the end of the set. (Admittedly the fact that one of their sound effects was played by holding an iPhone up to the mic should have been a give-away!) At least some of the credit for that success should go to the venue – it can’t have been easy to get everything sounding great under those circumstances.

So if a band you want to see is coming to The Hi-Fi, definitely give it a go.

If you want to check out Jetsetting Joyce’s review of the Jamie T playing The Hi-Fi in Melbourne, click here.

Need tickets for gigs in Brisbane? Check out the BrisbaneTix Posse store.

• The Hi-Fi, 125 Boundary Street, West End

With relaxed decor mixed with indy music posters and laid back staff befitting of the New Farm locality, Burger Urge sets itself apart from the corporate fast-food giants and the dilapidated corner fish and chip shop, with a diverse menu catering for the vegetarian and carnivores alike. I arrive at Burger Urge with an open mind and an empty belly. After a non-committal  five minute perusal of the menu, I prepare a brief short list on my iphone, play three solo games of scissor paper rock and finally manage to cut down my top five choices to a single winner;  the lamb and grilled haloumi burger with mesculin mix lettuce, caramelised onion, pesto dressing and sweet potato fries.

I take a seat in the window facing out onto the Brunswick Street thoroughfare and the burger arrives after about ten minutes looking good enough to pull Damir Dokic from a hunger strike. The lamb is tasty and combines well with the salty haloumi, sweet onions and the fresh pesto dressing smeared on a bakery style sesame seed roll. The side order of spicy sweet potato fries with lime mayonnaise provides a great alternative to the humble potato chip. Meal completed, I am satisfied without feeling stuffed.

I am not going to lie to you; I’ve enjoyed a few burgers , I’ve been around. Many have provided that fix, the hit, buzz , the monosaturated super polyunsaturated rush… ok, maybe not, but many have capably fulfilled what I will term ‘Burger fix phase 1’. The acid test of a quality burger fix lies within phase 2:  how you feel afterwards. Having safely left the confines of Burger Urge feeling truly cured of the urge, I sense no sudden onset of chronic fatigue that many competitors will unfortunately  trigger.  I require no extended napping period and actually feel better for the experience, which is not common in this sector of the culinary world.

As the name suggests, Burger Urge allows you to put your burger craving to bed, with a fresh clean taste that does not leave you needing a lie down. 8/10.

• Burger Urge, 542 Brunswick St, New Farm (also at 3/155 Boundary St, West End) +61 7 3254 1655