Italian is done 'like this' at Cosi.

 Cosi means "like this" in Italian.

I have found our very own little taste of Italy in Brisbane. Move over fasta pasta and pizza capers an authentic Italian resturant has moved in & its a hidden gem.

 Cosi is a family run quaint italian restaurant with a crazy mustached chef that looks scary but definately creates delicious meals ! we have always joked we would find some mustache hairs in our food... dont worry, we havent!!


OH YES, THE FOOD! Quite fittingly I will start by mentioning the starters... (haha). The garlic pizza bread is a great start but do not eat too and much because there is pasta and pizza to follow!!

The mains!! this authentic Italian menu boasts many different types of pasta from Ravioli, Tortellini, Fettucine, Spaghetti, Gnocchi, Linguine and Lasangne!! The amazing sauces that are on offer and definately worth a mention are the Marinara ( Tomato and seafood sauce) my favourite - the Pesto & Pine nut Linguine and my boyfriend's favorite is the chilli laced

I love pesto !

Amatriciana Sauce! They do a serve a mentionable Bolegnaise sauce but I am loyal only to my mothers homemade sauce !

Mains are about $21-$35, more pricey Steak and Veal dishes also available! But if you are dining here I urge you to try the pasta and their original and Authentic flavours!

The service has ranged from great to not so great- this just depends on what waitress you end up with. But the owner is a lovelylady who will always make you feel at home.

Melon and Dorito rate this hidden gem a 7/10, the service could be consistently better then the rating would rise considerably. Otherwise flavors and ambience are excellent.

Love Melon.

Check it out : http://www.cosiristoranteitaliano.com.au/

Our new cartoon

Big Thanks to Robert Topping for allowing our arms to dance about.

Whatever you like at Pancake Manor.

Located at : 18 Charlotte Street, Brisbane City, QLD 4001

Fulfilment comes with late night snacks or in this case a late night binge.

Pancake Manor is open 24 hours so you can enjoy pancakes, crepes, wedges and drinks at all hours of the night or day.

Inside the Manor

It is a little more than a snack, an overload to be exact - like a carb overload, you will know what I’m talking about if you’ve ever ordered the wedges, everybody starts by picking out the crunchy wedges then you are left with those big potato filled wedges which you start to choke on. The only way to feel satisfaction at this point is to eat the crunchy parts off the wedges. Don’t you judge...nobody likes the whole wedge; it’s all about the crunchiness. Its either that or the option of sipping the “spectacular” house ice tea they serve, which I beg of you do not get. It is far from thirst quenching and is like a diluted soft drink with no fizz. Yuachh.

Strawberry Patch - It is simple its strawberry-licious and it wont disappoint because its simple, safe.

Waffles are also a safe choice. Stick with those for safe choices, please don’t order some boring dish like the Devonshire pancakes… they taste like clumpy flour – UNSAFE.

Waffles. Oh god is that caramel sauce Melon?!

"Random" man hacking at waffles.

If you are looking for something a bit more full on try the Blackforest Cherry pancakes, it has the hint of fruit taste, which may ( keyword) decrease the guilt feeling.

Otherwise if you are just wanting a huge sugar hit in the face /stomach ‘ The Ultimate’ is the way to go – this is a crepe dish loaded with cream cheese, ice cream, cream cream and cream. Go get it!

Melon loves her waffles

Stacks on plate…  peach tea on ice… you can have whatever you like… Late night cakes... So good so right. Gas up the car, pump up the bike.. go get Pancake Manor you can have whatever you like. 

Melon and I rate Pancake Manor a 7.5/10 it rarely disappoints however they could spruce up the menu with some new variety & just maybe… its a little full on.

Check it out : http://www.pancakemanor.com.au/

Chocolate Hangover at MAX BRENNER

What if there was a place that made a meal of chocolate? What if there was a place that served pure melted chocolate for you to completely indulge in? THERE IS! Max Brenner at South bank!

A headless person... and all the chocolate love

Last night, even though we were completely full from Tapas (refer to blog previously posted) we made our way to this chocolate land (to fill our “second” stomach- the one reserved for desert).

Ignore the unknown couple eating... this is Max Brenner 

This place is generally quite busy, there may be a wait-  because it is amazing, but totally worth the wait!!

attacking the waffles..

The waffles are very yummy especially the Tutti Frutti Waffles (strawberries, banana, chocolate ice cream and melted chocolate on top. The menu boasts chocolate meals such as Chocolate Pizzas and pure melted chocolate licks.

One thing I definitely urge you to order is the amazing Chocolate Fondue for two- or for one very hungry person. The fondue includes to pots of pure melted delectable chocolate and bananas, strawberries, Marshmallows and even banana bread! This is priced at around $18 so share or indulge! 

fondue for twooo

Max Brenner makes the most amazing hot chocolates- it is pretty much milk and pure melted chocolate. Bravely order this drink at your own risk!

more MORE MOREEEEE

They offer milkshakes packed with chocolate- one that stands out is the Peanut Butter, Chocolate Milkshake, what a delicious mix! 

Prices range from about $ 5.50 for one waffle and can go up to about $20.00 for larger meals.

This place could offer better service but it rarely disappoints if a chocolate hangover is what you are after so Dorito and I give it 8.5/10

Check it out, you can't make bookings here but stand in line and drool at other peoples meals : http://www.maxbrenner.com.au/ 

 and pure melted chocolate licks.

Melon and Dorito go on a date.

Aw love you too Melon, if only you would
write us that blog about Max Brenner..

I awoke this morning feeling like I’d been hit by a food bus. What I mean is, last night I overate at two places, Tapas, then Max Brenner… which wore me out and made my bones hurt all over.

Over eating is bad, which is plainly obvious. Then this morning Melon wants to get breakfast…shoot me. So instead I had yoghurt with muesli, and sincerely hoping that it did good for my body which cannot handle anymore binging of food, or food at all to be honest.

When emotions run low we all run to the fridge and scrummage what we can. Open my fridge and you have an avocado, bread and cheese, such bare essentials but what you can do with these ingredients is what is important.

Melted cheese on anything is always good, so go on, melt it on there. Avocado is pretty much like healthy butter (ha-ha) so just stack it on bread and maybe you will feel full, otherwise maybe it is time for you to check out our suggestions and indulge in some real food.

much more delish than avocado...

So after the dissatisfaction my fridge had to offer Melon and I went to Starbucks this afternoon to relieve sugar cravings. Try the new strawberries and cream frappe, or the double chocolate frappe (this one is a bit of an overload however). I also had a cheese and bacon Danish ( seems I cannot escape melted cheese!). Melon had a blueberry muffin, which she absolutely adores, so it must be some sort of special blueberry muffin… you can try it I will not.

Melon has won free sushi at Zuri, which means more eating tonight ! 

Hope you also find some place nice to eat tonight :) 

2 FOR 1 TAPAS

2 - 4 - 1, come on can it get any better?!

Pinxto Tapas bar at New farm, 561 Brunswick street Fortitude Valley

Feel like over eating? This will happen at Spanish Tapas bar Pinxto. Two for one means you have to eat two to get it for the price of one, and you’ll be eating extra to get your moneys worth, trust me.

There are a variety of tapas dishes on a train and also hot dishes can be ordered from the very friendly and attentive staff. Your glass will never be empty here, the staff are filling you up and always available to take orders.

half eaten prosciutto dish.

I recommend the hot dishes. My favourite is the spicy pork, also the Croquetas which is fried potatoe with sauce.. .looks yummy and probably is, seeing as Melon  had four plates of it, addicted ! The cold dishes rotate on the tapas train and you will probably feel a bit greedy wanting everything as the plates pass right in front you but do it, indulge please.

I want my croquetas now. 

eat me- my name is spicy pork.

The sangria is amazing here, its like sweet delish then five seconds later you’ll get a hit of alcohol, absolutely brilliant, the tapas food is definitely a good drinking partner.

Zach is enjoying the train experience

Try new things and order a variety, it will definitely broaden your taste buds.

It may not be a fulfilling meal but more so an experience and definately something different ! 
which is why Melon and Dorito rate Spanish Tapas a 6/10

Check it out & tell us what you think :  http://www.pintxo.com/menus.html

GARUVAS

Garuva Hidden Tranquility, 324 Wickham Street Fortitude Valley Brisbane 4006

Melon here, 

Ask me where i would like to go to dinner? I will, with no doubt respond Garuvas!!!! This is my favourite place to eat. It trumps all. Thats why it seems fitted that I write this blog bout Garuva Hidden Tranquility Restaurant or what I like to call it “ Garuvas” !!! 

And I will sheepishly admit- when the floods hit QLD I was a little more worried about this restaurant going under then my own house..

Where do I even start?!!!! Do I start with the amazing atmosphere? Its hidden…. Theres no flashing sign or billboard.. you have to be special to know about this place.. its situated next to the Wickham. You walk through this amazing dark lit tranquil garden walkway to get to the big cool doors and when you walk in you immediately feel how different and special this place is! You sit in an enclosed and private curtained off table.. that is on the floor! You sit on the floor!!! ( my circulation isn’t so great due to my frequent bouts of pins and needles and dead body parts from this seating) but still MY FAVOURITE!!! 

The lighting is dim & the seating s private- it would make an amazing date. I usually attend with Dorito and two friends Cameron & Megan who may just love this place more than me. 

Okay so the food: the most important part. I urge you to try the Babaganush dip and warm cob bread!! (omg)! Only $5 it is the perfect starter. The mains- Chicken Karage is amazing- I do urge you to share because the plate is huge and its just purely chicken – the sauce that comes with this is to die for!! ( I always ask for extra). – Everyone usually orders Karage but on the off chance we branch out some sure winners are the Japanese Salad- which is the best, largest fruit salad I have ever seen with nuts sprinkled on top and a creamy orange sauce!! Yum! And healthy. Other notable menu items are : Sweet potato and bean curry- this is delicious and meat free.

Meals are $24.00 Desert is $9.50 and offers the most delicious American style cheesecake and melting chocolate desert- definitely worth a try!! I will however add that Garuvas meals are best shared so again take a big group and it will cost you less but also allow you to try all the dishes !

Garuvas is a bar and restaurant so they serve alcohol and are renowned for their cocktails. The cocktail menu is larger than the food menu!!! They are quite sexy and start at $15.00 but definitely the best you will ever try!! Cookies and cream is more than notable. 

As you can clearly see I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS PLACE. I frequently attend at least once a week, for your own meal, so thats; any main and soft drink its usually costs about $32.00 with cob bread. 

Over and out, Melon!

Check it out & tell us what you think: http://www.garuva.com.au  ( Make sure you book! You will not get a walk in here.) 


The food is good but is a bit overpriced for what it is, which is why Melon and Dorito rate Garuvas 8/10.

VAPIANO

Albert lane, Brisbane CBD

Italian food is overdone and overdone badly at times, like cheap pizzas and that real dodge takeaway lasanga… also, can be so boring, yawn.

Well you should try Vapianos, it a fantastic Italian restaurant, which Melon will contest as hers is Cosi (which you can also read about if you prefer a more traditional Italian eating experience).

Vapianos is not your traditional Italian resteraunt, no, it is more modern and less like restaurant dining, almost like self service. You could say it’s a more expensive and tasteful version of Fasta Pasta?

You can watch them cook it fresh in front of you and then take your meal to sit in the high benched tables which have weird pot plants in the middle… but I think it added to its quirks and made it a little more vegetable garden-ish atmosphere. Vapianos do have a bar upstairs and the dining experience is quite nice. It does get busy, as it is located directly off Queens street in Albert lane. The vibe is great and it smells amazing of course, because Italian food just does right?

My favourite from here is the pepperoni pizza, which is a little Spicer than normal pepperoni pizza. I also enjoyed the pesto pasta, but it is a little creamy and one complaint I have is, for what you pay the meals are very small.

The staff are friendly but there is no table service, you are the waiter here. The prices are not exactly cheap as the meal portions can be quite small.  The meals range from $17 to $30.

Melon and Dorito rate Vapianos a 6/10.

More for value maybe?

Check it out : http://www.vapiano.com.au/

Tibetian Kitchen

454 Brunswick Street, The Valley 

You know those restaurants you can never get a reservation for? Tibetan Kitchen is one of those! I will share however, that one lucky day Melon and I and four of our lovely friends strolled right in reservation free to a cosy table at the back of the restaurant.

What I liked about Tibetan Kitchen was you feel like your in Tibet or something, the interior looks authentic, may not be the classiest place you’ll eat but its definitely uniquely rustic. The food is amazing, and amazingly cheap so it’s a bonus. Meals cost somewhere between $10 – $20. And this is a place where meals are best shared. So take a big group order a whole bunch of things and share, that way you get to taste everything.

One piece of advice, don’t get the boneless lamb curry, its too salty.. and its not really like they poured too much salt into the curry or anything, its almost like the texture of the curry and the flavours just don’t go right. Yes, it was quite weird, I did eat quite alot of it however...maybe because lamb is the best, especially in curry ! ( or maybe because when there’s food In front of me I just eat … made me drink a gallon of water after).

Staff are polite enough but it is difficult attracting their attention, so take someone who is pushy and loud, just take someone like that anyway because the night is always better with people who aren’t afraid to ask for what they want.

Melon and Dorito Rate Tibetian Kitchen 6.5/10

Service could be a little more attentive and they need to sort out that lamb curry, that or else I need  to bring my loud and pushy person along next time.

 Check it out : http://www.tibetankitchen.com.au/TheValley/

THE C WORD

Some mornings you wake up more tired than before you went to bed and anything you decide to eat will taste like chewing on chalk. I have many of these mornings, which is why breakfast is my favorite meal to eat out. 

A few weeks ago Melon and I had breakfast at “ The C word”. Great name I know. But the place was nice, it was a little hot inside because the place is quite small and lacks in ventilation. 

Anyway they specialize in bagels and there is a whole menu dedicated to anything you could want on a bagel, it is almost like a brunch menu because you can get anything from vegetarian bagels to chorizo bagels and correct me if I’m wrong but I think you can get chicken on a bagel there...

A Totally YUMMIN choice is the French toast bagel, which is a bagel French toasted, and it comes with bacon and maple syrup. So simple yet so delish and made me want to get another, but this isn’t a rare occurrence so I really wouldn’t associate the two.

However, I assure you it is worth traveling to Nundah village to experience The C word, its interesting and totally tasty. Staff are pretty friendly and will help you make a good selection by descriptively explaining the wonderful choices.. but this also just makes your mouth water so choose one quick ! ( cos you might melt from the heat also..)

Overall Melon and I rate The C word a 6/10

They could get some air-conditioning, or a fan. Just get it takeaway… 

You see its pretty cosy in here... 

Check it out: http://www.cword.com.au/ 

Drunk Hungry.

I don’t know about you, but when Melon and I drink we get hungry. Maybe because this hunger is engrained within us.. or maybe because the act of being drunk makes you crave carbs to soak up the alcohol.

Well last night Melon and I attended a Jersey Shore themed party and maybe it was all the dancing or all the energy to look super trashy but we somehow found ourselves at the Hungry Jacks drive through ordering grilled chicken burger meals. Melon pulled out a ten dollar note and I pulled out all I had which was $1.10 so we drunk chuckled for a while about that. It was the greatest satisfaction from eating that I’ve had for a while now, because the craving was so great. I then stumbled and dropped all my fries on the grass which was devastating, so much that I had half a mind to just pick them up and eat them…oh god, I didn’t but.  I did however find Turkish pide bread in my fridge, which I melted cheese onto and ate with tomato sauce as I watched Friends. Best after party ever...

But seriously, the best drunk foods involve those cheap side street pizza shops which sell some really questionable meat, and you always have the option of Mac Donald’s, Hungry Jacks and the fast food chains which will never deprive you of a satisfying feast.  

Eating somewhat absorbs all the disgusting alcohol swimming around in your stomach and makes you feel less vomit prone, so eating something after drinking is a tick and it helps you to sleep through the night, I am sure you would agree.


Drunk eating is priceless or $1.10 in this case.

Feel like sushi? GO TO ZURI !

Zuri 367 Brunswick Street Fortitude Valley 

Major flash brightened up a really dim lit room... 

Go on a Wednesday specifically, because it’s all you can eat sushi Wednesdays for $15.

CHEAP AS CHIPS.

Or sushi… But you get to eat loads because they keep bringing out mixed platters of all the sushi, or you can order specific sushi.

Melons fave was the teriyaki chicken and mine was the chicken karage and avocado. But seriously, it’s all good.

lush interiors...

Drinks are reasonably priced, but it is all you can eat sushi for  $15 dollars with a drink purchase, so you will have to buy a drink of some sort, even just a soft drink.

Ready to pounce on the sushi.

The best part is the atmosphere, and lounges where you can stay as long as you like eating as much as you like.  The staff are also very friendly so it makes it all the more comfortable dining experience.

So take a group of friends so hang out there and eat up on all the sushi, you will certainly adore the place.

Good service, great sushi, awesome atmosphere. If you are seriously hungry, you cant stop eating the sushi, problem is you don’t have to.


On a busy night it is a little hard to attract waiters and there can be time lag on when the platters come out which is why Melon and Dorito rate Zuri a 8/10.

Check it out: www.zuri.com.au

Freestyle Desserts!!

Freestyle Dessert at The Emporium complex . Fortitude Valley. 


So we have skipped entree, main and gone straight to dessert!!! And I am not complaining. This is my favourite place to eat and it is definately not for the light hearted eaters. Dessert is served in a giant serving so you are best to not eat dinner beforehand.

We will start with my favourite- Passionfruit Curd Tart - this amazing plate of passionfruit curd tart with double thickness cream served with Blood orange ice cream and cream filled canoli is heaven.

Another gooden is the sickly Chocolate Brownie, this place definately does not stinge on the chocolate sauce.. with your own mini jug you definately wont be leaving with a craving for sweets.

Dorito has also asked me to specifically mention the White Chocolate Brioche Dumplings, which look like icing dusted fortune cookies, the taste? Like a gourmet donut dipped in chocolate sauce and a side of ice cream.

The service? I'm sorry to say but we wish the service was as good as the desserts. But the desserts are amazing and a favourite of ours so the service does not deter a great food lover.

Prices for desserts are all $15.90 and there are also main meals within the menu, our recommendation? Wagu Beef burger... sometimes we do the whole ensemble, wagu beef burger and dessert. Dont judge you will want to do the same.

Overall Freestylers ambiance of initmate seating and art- covered walls combined with the amazing artistic presentation of the desserts (& absolutely delish flavours) makes for an amazing desserting experience!!! This is a F yes. On the levels of yes.

Desserts can be a little heavy and some dishes are costly for what they are which is why Melon and Dorito rate Freestylers overall a 7.5/10
Check it out and let us know what you thought of Freestyle
ENJOY :)

http://www.freestyletout.com.au/