It Just Has To Be Delicious

Archive for August, 2021

HQ Bar and Kitchen, Elizabeth Quay

HQ Bar and Kitchen is at the top of the newly refurbished Quay Hotel at Elizabeth Quay (previously the Esplanade Hotel). It’s a popular spot for drinks at the bar and when we arrived there were plenty of diners having cocktails and nibbles in the bar area. There is a balcony outside with superb views of Elizabeth Quay.

We were seated at a corner table, but it was quite dim and we needed to use our phone torches to read the menu. The menu is one of those menus where you want to try everything. All dishes are shareable, but we decided to go for shared starters and have our own mains. The flavours are Asian, probably more Japanese than anything, but a good variety of interest on the menu.

To start we couldn’t go past the lobster tails and chose them along with capelin with slaw. The lobster was a do-it-yourself nori sushi wrap. The dressing on the kale was tasty, a little on the salty side, but very nice with everything else together. The lobster was maybe a little overcooked, but not enough to spoil the experience.

The capelin were like large whitebait, very fresh and nicely cooked. I would have loved a little more slaw though.

For mains I picked the signature Cone Bay barramundi with tapioca pearls, goji mushrooms and broccoli. It had a weird garnish though. There was a length of something that looked like it might be a piece of ginger torch lily, but it was really inedible and not pleasant on the dish. The sauce was nicely tasty and the tapioca a good feature of the dish.

My partner chose the slow cooked beef short ribs with pickled eggplant, coral white fungus and black beans. He would have preferred more black beans, the white fungus was pretty tasteless too, but the ribs were lovely.

We also chose a side of battered shaved sweet potato fritters which were delicious.

So overall what did we think? It’s a great venue with nice views. The food is mostly flavoursome but the chef should really think about some items that don’t belong on the plate like the odd garnish and the white fungus. We still felt hungry when we left, and it wasn’t a cheap meal at almost $140 with just two soft drinks. It’s a good restaurant with a lot of promise, but just lacking a little finesse.

Last visit – August 2021

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Restaurant review

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Coco Belle Espresso Bar, Mt Pleasant

Coco Belle sits on the corner of Reynolds Road and Queens Road in the leafy affluent suburb of Mount Pleasant. We met our friend Susie and her daughter Annabel here for a Sunday brunch/lunch. The staff are immediately friendly and welcoming and genuinely pleased to see you. The menu has plenty of options for everybody and some superb smoothie options. We were reliably informed by Susie that the decaf option is very nice too. It took some perusal of the menu before we finally decided.

I chose a smoothie with peanut, banana, cocoa and oat milk – this was silky and delicious.

Pete and Susie both chose coffee which is sourced from Osborne Park roastery Dark Star, and as promised the decaf was freshly ground, and delightfully smooth with soft citrus and dried fruit flavours.

Annabel chose a babycino – a nice amount of froth, with sprinkles as well as marshmallows.

There were several options on the menu that I liked, but I finally plumped for an omelette with caramelised onions, mushrooms and bacon. It was so tasty from start to finish and served with a lovely salad and some toast. A very generous serving.

Susie chose the smashed avocado on toast with eggs and a side of bacon, again a very tasty and plentiful dish.

Pete chose the shakshuka – roasted tomato, capsicum, garlic, chick peas with poached egg and toasted flatbread. A very enjoyable dish, maybe a little underseasoned, but with a little table salt it was perfect.

Annabel chose pancakes – Ice cream, chocolate, strawberries. What more could a girl want?

We found Coco Belle to be a very child friendly and welcoming venue with lots of good food options catering for a variety of dietary requirements. The food and drinks are good quality and this is definitely one of the best cafes in the area.

Last Visit – August 2021

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Coffee shop review, Restaurant review

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The Little Bay, Watermans Bay

Little Bay has a prime coastal position at Watermans Bay and is a favourite haunt of the young and trendy. We have dined here at the weekend before and it can get incredibly noisy, but this time we chose a midweek lunch, and although busy, it was quite a comfortable atmosphere. There are tables outside, but as it was a winter’s day we chose to eat inside and only waited fifteen minutes for a table. The menu has lots of tempting options, with dietary variations a possibility. Coffee was superb – we chose decaf, and when you get a nice freshly ground decaf, you know that you have found a winner.

For my brunch I chose the confit salmon eggs benedict, which was really well presented, a great fresh muffin, with tasty salmon and perfectly poached dippy eggs. I asked for the hollandaise on the side, which they happily accommodated, and I really enjoyed every mouthful.

My partner chose the scrambled eggs with chorizo, one of those dishes where the last mouthful was as good as the first. The chorizo was broken down into small, almost minced pieces rather than huge slices and this added to a great consistent flavour throughout the dish.

All in all it was a fab brunch with great views of the ocean, and friendly staff. We’ll definitely be back, but during the quieter times – I think that’s when Little Bay really excels.

Last Visit Date – February 2023

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Restaurant review

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