The Cairns Cruising Yacht Squadron, Cairns
Early last week MS and I took his dad KS for a catch up lunch at the Cairns Cruising Yacht Squadron in Portsmith. It was a beautiful day outside, despite the near 20 knot winds so where better to enjoy it than on the waterfront with our Table 52 card in tow. Despite my parents owning a business in the Portsmith area for well over 20 years and me being a born and bred Cairns local I actually don’t think I have been to the Yacht Squadron in all my 20 something years but there is a first for everything.
We rocked on into the Yacht Squadron just after midday and took up a table outside on the patio overlooking Smith’s Creek and beyond that Admiralty Island. The friendly waitress came out to our table to greet us with a bottle of water, glasses and a menu each. She told us the specials including Fish of the Day – Red Throat Emperor, a Mexican Chicken Wrap with Chips (AU$14.50) and the ‘Worker’s Lunch’, a Pork and Gravy Roll with Chips for around the AU$7 mark. The waitress even managed to recite the specials off the top of her head and left us to have a think about what we were going to order. I had a look over the very reasonably priced menu with options such as a Greek Salad, Caesar Salad, BLT, Steak Sandwich, Burgers (I’ll be back for the Beef and Bacon Burger with Swiss Cheese, Caramelised Onion and Chilli Jam – sh*t yeah!), Calamari Fritti, Seafood Basket and Quiche.
Unlike his son, MS who claims to detest seafood in any shape or form (it’s a cover) KS loves it nearly as much as I do so he went with the Reef Fish which you can choose to have Battered, Crumbed or Grilled and served with a side of Golden Fries, homemade Tartare Sauce and a fresh Garden Salad. KS chose to have his fish lightly crumbed in Panko breadcrumbs (how Masterchef of them). Feeling a bit meaty MS decided on the 200gm Juicy Rump Steak with Golden Fries, Salad and a choice of Mushroom Sauce, Pepper Sauce or Gravy for AU$15.50. Before choosing the Calamari Fritti I asked the waitress if the seafood was sourced locally. She said that although she wasn’t entirely sure if it was local seafood it did come in frozen boxes from the wholesaler. I can’t really be too sure from that statement however I decided to err on a side of caution and went with the Mexican Chicken Wrap with Crumbed Chicken, Avocado, Lettuce, Tomato, Sour Cream and Sweet Chilli Sauce with Chips for AU$14.50. I asked if I could swap the lettuce for Rocket or Baby Spinach since I just don’t like lettuce and the waitress said they could swap it for Rocket and it was no problem. I was actually surprised that they had Rocket available since I have been to two cafes in the last couple of weeks that only have Iceberg Lettuce. Yucky. Anyway the waitress took all three orders including my little change out without a notepad and we received exactly what we ordered. I was stunned since many waitstaff at some of the expensive restaurants in city take your order with a notepad and still manage to stuff it up.
While we waited for our meals to arrive we took in the beautiful weather and tried to ignore the wind that almost made us move inside. It wasn’t too bad especially considering that only two of us actually have hair for the wind blow around. The two lonely seagulls floating around didn’t bother us even when our food arrived. There is a huge grassed area right in front of the eating area where kids can run around and do kid things and there is even a small playground for them to play on so it’s an ideal place to take your family (mind the large exposed body of water that is Smith’s Creek).
Our meals took about 15 minutes to arrive and they were a good sized serve for each of us. KS (whose meal I didn’t get a chance to take a photo of before he put pepper all over it) enjoyed his fish and chips although I think the salad was his favourite part since he ate the entire salad before anything else. He did comment on the shoe string fries and said that he would have preferred fatter ones. I tend to agree with him but technically I shouldn’t even be eating fries. MS’ steak was cooked to his liking (medium), a mean feat in this day and age when dining out and we both thought the mushroom sauce was delicious (he shared a piece of steak with me). There wasn’t a single piece of food left on his plate by the time he was finished so either he was really hungry or he really enjoyed it. It was both.
200gm Juicy Rump Steak – Served with Golden Fries, Salad and your choice of Pepper Sauce, Mushroom Sauce or Gravy (AU$15.50)
Lastly my Mexican Chicken Wrap was super tasty despite how it looks in the picture below. The slightly toasted wrap wasn’t too heavy like a tortilla, there was plenty of crumbed juicy chicken inside, the rocket was fresh and crunchy and it was a really decent serve. I loved that they included both Sweet Chilli Sauce and Sour Cream in the wrap because lets face it one just doesn’t go without the other.
Mexican Chicken Wrap served with Golden Fries (AU$14.50)
We all really enjoyed our lunch at the Cairns Cruising Yacht Squadron. It was nice to get away from the usual city fare and try somewhere just a little bit off the beaten track. I was, however a little disappointed that the seafood is brought in frozen from the wholesaler considering the Squadron’s close proximity to local fishing trawlers. The venue isn’t five-star but it has a nice laid back feel to it and a great little outlook over Smith’s Creek where you can watch the boats coming and going. The meals are both tasty and very reasonably priced. Two big thumbs up to the lovely waitress who gave us fantastic service that these days is as rare as seeing Tarzan doing his shuffle along the side of the road on the southside of town.
The Cairns Cruising Yacht Squadron
42-48 Tingira St, Portsmith QLD 4870
Ph: (07) 4035 5115
Opening Hours: Lunch 11.30am – 2pm, Dinner 6pm – 8pm Sunday Brunch 8.30am – 11am
Website: www.ccys.com.au
The Lillipad Cafe, Cairns
Last weekend MS and I found ourselves looking for somewhere to go for a late breakfast. After fulfilling my Coconut Water craving with a frigin massive coconut from Rusty’s for only AU$3.50 we headed on down to Grafton St and into well known Cairns dining spot, The Lillipad Cafe. As usual the Lillipad was packed out for Sunday morning with every table bar about two and the manky couch near the front door taken. Unfortunately there were no spare tables outside so MS and I grabbed a table for four inside and made ourselves at home. For once I was surprised that our tables appeared to have actually been wiped down, a first for Lillipad surely! Alas it was a false alarm and it was just that the previous diners at our table hadn’t spilled any obvious food scraps. Unfortunatley I cannot say the same for the floor which looks pretty filthy and needs a good gerniand a scrub with some Sugar Soap. Thankfully I had shoes on.
While we perused the menu my ingrained lack of concentration had me watching quite a few people coming and going, most of them coming inside to see if there were any spare tables for them to sit at. There wasn’t so they either milled around just outside the door waiting for one to free up or I am assuming they went elsewhere. I did notice quite a few people coming and going without shoes and there was a couple of odd ones that even sat down and ate a meal with no shoes on. Now I know that the Lillipad Cafe is full of free-spirited individuals but really? Not only is that filthy and disgusting but I am pretty sure it’s against workplace health and safety regulations. (But hey I’m no expert on the matter.) If anything the staff could maybe suggest that their patrons wear shoes when dining in? I realise that Lillipad isn’t exactly a fine dining establishment but where do we draw the line?
But we weren’t here to criticise, we were here for the food. There are so many yummy items on the menu at Lillipad that I always have difficulty choosing just exactly what I want to eat. MS went with the Eggs Benedict (seems I have rubbed off on him) with the usual fare of Bacon, toasted Turkish Bread, Poached Eggs and Hollandaise Sauce plus a side of Baby Potatoes for AU$15.90. He also ordered a side of Avocado for an extra AU$2.50. Not feeling like any of the breakfast items I went for the Crepe Trip with Sauteed Mushrooms, Zucchini and Onion (I took the onion off) in a reduced Sour Cream sauce wrapped in Crepes with a Greek Salad on the side also for AU$15.90. I also ordered some Green Chilli Sauce on the side of mine for an extra AU$2.50. Since it was MS’ turn to shout breakfast he left me with the Sunday Mail while he went up to the counter to order the food and two Flat Whites.
He returned a short time later with a couple of glasses of water and while waiting for our coffees we secretly fought over the newspaper. After about hmmm maybe 20 minutes our coffees finally arrived. They had taken so damn long that I had actually forgotten that we had even ordered coffees in the first place. Then we watched as three tables that had arrived and paid for their meals well after us received their meals before we did. Not only that but we waited about 40 minutes for our meals all up so by the time they finally arrived we were both pretty damn hungry.
My Flat White
Now onto the food… Despite what I have said leading up to this paragraph the food was great and perfect for a Sunday breakfast/lunch affair (brunch). MS’ Eggs Benedict was a pretty significant portion size, even for him. The eggs were well poached, the potatoes slightly crispy, plenty of bacon and a nice big dollop of thick Hollandaise Sauce. He was pretty pleased with his Eggs Benedict and managed to polish off the entire thing while I stole a couple of Crispy Potatoes off the side of his plate.
Eggs Benedict – Bacon on toasted Turkish Bread, topped with Poached Eggs, Hollandaise and a side of Baby Potatoes (AU$15.90) with Avocado (AU$2.50)
My Crepe Trip was just as good, if not better in my opinion. The soft, floury goodness of the Crepes was exactly what I had been craving and the reduced Sour Cream sauce was so yummy that I decided that I didn’t even need the Green Chilli Sauce that MS had paid a whole AU$2.50 for! (Much better than the dry Mushrooms Crepes that I had at Lime Tree a few weeks ago). The Crepes were filled with big chunks of Mushroom and Zucchini and even MS who normally turns his nose up at any dish that has absolutely no meat in it was impressed. In fact, I could go some Crepes right about now.
Crepe Trip – Sauteed Mushrooms, Zucchini and Onion in a reduced Sour Cream Sauce wrapped in Crepes accompanied by a side of Greek Salad (AU$15.90) with extra Green Chilli Sauce (AU$2.50)
I have been putting off writing this post for quite some time because I knew it was going to be a difficult one to write. I’m trying to be diplomatic because there are some good points but also a sh*tload of bad points. I’ll start with the bad. Apart from the non-shoe wearing diners, the long wait for your food, the dirty floors, the fact that you always always always have to ask to get your table wiped down and as a result of asking you get met with a steely glare (or the burnies as I like to call it), the majority of the staff at the Lillipad are just plain rude. Three in particular and I’m pretty sure that anyone that has dined at this establishment will know exactly who I am talking about. These free spirited individuals are angry at the world and wouldn’t even crack a smile if Paul Watson called them up tomorrow and asked them to join his crew on the Steve Irwin. MS has even witnessed one of them call a diner a murderer for ordering Bacon with their meal. Wow.
So… apart from all I have written in the paragraph above MS and I along with half of Cairns continue to dine at The Lillipad Cafe and the place is absolutely flat out pretty much any time of the day and for good reason. The food is not only delicious (disclaimer: 95% of the time) but the portion sizes are out of this world and the prices are ridiculously low (and have been since the place opened). Where else can you get a fresh grilled fillet of Atlantic Salmon and salad for less than AU$20? The people behind Lillipad have never put the prices up even though they probably know that they could and it would still be packed out. The meals have never downsized and are just as big as I remember them to be (unlike Sushi Train at Cairns Central). The menu is many and varied with literally something for everyone from the meat eaters (murderers) to the vegos and they are open 7 days till well into the afternoon. I guess these are the reasons, despite all the bad points, that we keep coming back to The Lillipad Cafe time and time again, with shoes on.
The Lilypad Cafe
72 Grafton St, Cairns QLD 4870
Ph: (07) 4051 9565
Opening Hours: 7 days 7am- 3pm
Mr Wolf, Cairns *CLOSED DOWN*
After a couple of weeks dabbling with breakfast and lunch at Mr Wolf I have finally decided to put finger to keyboard and write about it. Mr Wolf is the reasonably new venture for the previous owners of one of my favourite Cairns haunts, Ever After. Moving and expanding to a larger shop with a new name, Mr Wolf is now a little further down in the Cairns City Centre where Twelve BC used to be. Since opening in late July, MS and I have dined there a few times. The place is always teeming with people sitting inside in the airconditioning and outside at the tables and chairs on the pathway. Myself? I much prefer the outside area because it is a great place to people watch although I may change my mind as the temperature starts to climb due the approach of Cairns’ dreaded Summer (NOOOOOO!).
Most recently MS and I went to Mr Wolf for lunch last week. Nick the owner gave us a rundown of just what the specials on the Specials Board were… Malay Curry with Fried Rice made by a Malay woman and another dish that I’m failing to recall (must be old age, that and I keep forgetting to take my Fish Oil). They both sounded delicious but MS and I were steering towards the Burger/Club Sandwich section of the menu. Not wanting to eat too much bread with my lunch I requested to have the Mr Wolf Beef Burger in a wrap instead of on a bun and figuring that this was a superb idea (newsflash: all my ideas are superb) MS opted for the Chicken and Smashed Avocado Club also as a wrap. Now I don’t want to be a pain in the ass for the Chef/Cook at Mr Wolf and suggest that people should do this regularly but I am merely trying to point out that changing it up a little wasn’t a problem. In the meantime MS ordered a Banana Smoothie with Banana (der), Vanilla, Honey, Ice Cream and Yogurt, while I ordered a Flat White.
Flat White
Our beverages arrived in ample time and although my coffee was excellent I was more interested in MS’ Banana Smoothie. Lucky for me he harbours no qualms about sharing his food or drink unlike yours truly. It’s the age old thing with me, I never wanted it until I saw someone else with it (unless it’s a pair of Jeggings). The same goes for food and drink. I can’t drink a whole can of soft drink but I will happily share yours. Anyway so the Banana Smoothie was delicious and used nice ripe bananas rather than nasty green ones that should have been left in the fruit bowl for another week to ripen. Like I said my coffee was excellent, apparently they were trialling a new brand and wanted some feedback which I happily provided giving it the thumbs up.
Not long after that our Burger/Club Sandwich/Wraps arrived minus our chips but that was a minor mishap that was quickly resolved. Not like I really needed chips anyway. MS was happy with his choice since anything with both Chicken and Bacon has his tick of approval. Oh what’s that? There was aioli on it too? Yep, it’s in the bag.
Chicken and Smashed Avocado Club (as a wrap) with Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato, Aioli, Poached Chicken and Leg Ham (served with fries) AU$9.50
My Mr Wolf Beef Burger/Wrap was even better. The beef patty was obviously fresh because it was thick and juicy (not like the nasty ass dried up beef patty from Rex’s Burger Bar that I spied on MS’ burger a couple of weeks ago). I loved combination of the Aioli, Caramelised Onions, Dill Pickle and Beetroot Relish. It didn’t take long till I had burger juices running down my hands onto my forearms because after all isn’t that how burgers should be? Hell yes it is! It was a really yummy Burger/Wrap. One that I will soon be back for but I think I will have to go the whole hog and have a proper burger.
Mr Wolf Beef Burger (as a wrap) with Caramelized Onions, Salad Leaves, Tomato, Dill Pickle, Aioli and Beetroot Relish (served with fries) AU$7.90
The staff are always personable and friendly, greeting breakfast and lunch diners with a friendly hello and even a chat. Couple that with the good food, coffee, people watching, the availability of The Cairns Post and the owners at Mr Wolf are once again onto a winner. I’ll admit there were definitely some teething problems in the first month or so after Mr Wolf opened but these crinkles have since been ironed out. It’s kind of expected when you pretty much double the size of your cafe and as a result have double the amount of people to feed. Add that to the fact that Mr Wolf is open 7 days a week whereas Ever After was only open 5. One things for sure, Mr Wolf offers good homestyle food at outstanding prices. Seriously, I mean where can you get a good burger and fries for under $8 and a freshly made sandwich for $7.50? Also the Big Breakfast for AU$17.90 is absolutely ridiculous – in a good way! I’m pretty sure I have blown my foodvixen cover out of the water with the Mr Wolf crew after this post but what the heck!
Mr Wolf
City Place, Cnr Shields and Lake St, Cairns QLD 4870
Ph: (07) 4041 2210
Opening Hours: Closed Mon, Tues – Fri 8.30am – 4pm, Sat – Sun 8.30am – 2.30pm
Il Convivio, Cairns *CLOSED DOWN*
A couple of days ago EG and I found ourselves looking for somewhere to get a cup of coffee after a few rounds on the Red Arrow (ok it was only two but hey) and we ended up at Il Convivio. Il Convivio is an Italian deli cafe run by the same family that ran Vanella Cheese Factory in Portsmith (now closed down). It’s conveniently located directly across the road from Cairns Central on the corner. Now even though EG and I only went in for a caffeinated beverage after spying the ridiculously mouth watering menu we simply had to order something! After a little umming and ahhing we decided on the Antipasto Rustico Della Casa for one (AU$15) to share since we weren’t that hungry but just wanted to try a bit of what they had to offer. The platter arrived with a trio of smallgoods (prosciutto, sopressa and mortadella maybe?), a trio cheese (goats cheese, mozzarella and a cheddary type one?), mixed marinated vegetables, olives and homemade bread.
Antipasto Rustico Della Casa for One (AU$15)
It came out on a wooden bread board with the bread sliced on a separate plate and OMFG I was in heaven. The bread! The marinated vegies! The cheese! The meats! The only thing that would have topped off the whole platter would have been some sort of homemade dip to go with it all, something that EG and I both agreed on.
Amazing Homemade Bread
The Antipasto Rustico Della Casa was delicious and great value for something to share between two people but you could always upgrade to the two person antipasto for AU$25 if you want a little more (of course you do!). Unfortunately the coffee at Il Convivio does however leave a little to be desired. Both our coffees were too hot and tasted like water. Pretty disappointing considering Italians are renowned for their coffee.
Disappointing Tasteless Flat White
I really want to go back and try more items from the menu like the other antipasto and the panini’s and the pizzas. Yeah pretty much everything to be honest. I think I’m definitely going to have to start doing more than two rounds of the Red Arrow.
Il Convivio
58 – 62 McLeod St, Cairns QLD 4870
Ph: (07) 40521 7477
Opening Hours: Mon – Thurs 6am – 4.30pm, Fri 6am – 4.30pm & 6pm – 9.30pm, Sat 6am – 3pm
Salt House, Cairns
A friend of mine has been bugging me to make an appearance on foodvixen and be a part of one of my reviews. My friend EG accompanied me to the Salt House for a quiet Tuesday lunch. Now like I said in a previous post first impressions last for me and I do tend to hold a grudge so after a bad dining experience at the Salt House not last Christmas but the Christmas before I haven’t returned. That lunch turned into a debacle with meals being forgotten, apologies not being made and rude and inappropriately dressed wait staff so you can understand my apprehension in going back. On reading Trip Advisor it’s clear the reviews are many and varied. Some like it, some don’t. Some say it’s the best place to dine in Cairns, some say they will never go back. Well I had a Table 52 card in my little hand and I wasn’t afraid to use it.
Upon arrival EG and I were greeted by one of the waitstaff and shown to a table. That particular table was out in the middle pretty much in direct sunlight so we asked if we could move to another table that had four seats since there seemed to be no other two seater tables out of the sun. The reply we got was “I need to keep those tables for other diners but ok”. Which other diners? The place was empty and looking around Salt House is a pretty big restaurant with plenty of places to sit. If they could fill all those tables for lunch on Tuesday then I take it all back. Everything I have said. They do however have a new Chef so I have been told.
So we took a seat, the two of us at our table for four and had a look over the menu. The Salt House does have a two course lunch menu with a glass of wine but we decided to forgo that and went with the Main Menu. I have to say that the menu wasn’t exactly exciting and it sort of forced me to choose something to eat rather than have something stand out that I wanted to eat. It appears that EG had the same problem but in the end she went with the Fish of the Day which after consultation with the waiter was confirmed as Barramundi with Vegetables, not sure what the vegetables were but they were vegetables.
When I dined at Salt House those many moons ago I ordered the Seafood Platter, which was at the time a lot more expensive at AU$50. I remember this because I ordered with my $50 voucher that I won at a Trivia Night there only a few weeks before. Seeing that the Seafood Platter was now $14 cheaper at AU$36 I decided to go with the Seafood Platter again.
Looking around at the restaurant I noticed (it didn’t seem to phase EG at all) that the chairs and furniture were all covered with mould. Considering that the main theme for the furniture is white leather it was quite noticeable. I know that the Salt House is kind of an outdoor restaurant but the furniture looks tired and weathered. It would certainly do with a good scrub of Exit Mould (mind the fumes, they are lethal) or maybe even a refurbish? The Salt House has been around for a few years now and you can tell by the state of the furniture. Still I have to give it to them it is an impressive looking restaurant, particularly by night and somewhere that I always bring friends and family from interstate for a drink in the evening during their visit.
Mouldy Chairs
The waiter bought me out a bowl of water with some floating lemons for my fingers and another white bowl to put my shells and what not in. Even then I noticed that the bowls were old and stained and could really do with a good old blast in the dishwasher with some Finish Powerball tablets. It was a little bit disappointing for a restaurant as exy as the Salt House.
Scabby looking finger bowl
Our meals arrived in good time and after a bit of a photo shoot of the meals we tucked in. EG’s fillet of Barramundi was a very decent serve and was succulent and cooked to perfection. The greyish skin that was still on top was slightly crispy and contrasted well with the bright green asparagus on top. The asparagus was crisp and not overcooked, the way asparagus and any other greens for that matter should be. The only problem with E’s meal was the cold vegetables on the side. It looked a bit like Ratatouille to me and tasted like it. There was some zucchini, some capsicum and Tomato as well. It was cold and had been served pretty much straight from the fridge which kind of took away from the meal a little and E said that it would have been much nicer if they had heated it up a to match the temperature of the rest of the meal. I tended to agree with her.
Salt House Fish of the Day (Barramundi) AU$32
Next up was my Seafood Platter (for one) which consisted of a whole Moreton Bay Bug (halved), Glazed Tuna Tateki, King Prawns still in the shell (maybe 4?), two oysters, a red claw crayfish, some dipping sauces (Dill Marscapone, tzatziki and guacamole) and half a lemon. Last time I had the seafood platter there was a few extras on there like Smoked Salmon, Fish Roe, 3 oysters instead of 2, wakame seaweed and some squid, amongst a couple of other things that I can’t identify from the picture. But like I said the current Seafood Platter is AU$36 while the old one was AU$50. I am assuming that they got rid of the squid because it was horrible imported squid and no one should serve that least of all a fancy restaurant. I was pretty happy with my Seafood Platter although it was a little small and missing the wakame seafood that I so adore. Although the description of the Seafood Platter on the Salt House website does appear to be different to what I got All the items were cold, as I would expect from a Seafood Platter. That extra oyster wouldn’t have gone astray because the oysters were pretty small with not much meat in them. The dipping sauces were yummy especially the guacamole which which was nice and chunky. Um what else can I say? The presentation was good?
Seafood Platter for One (AU$36)
So where to from now? The food at Salt House was, how do I say this? Better than expected I guess. We both enjoyed our meals but had we paid full price (cue Table 52 card) I would have been a little disappointed. The service was better, not outstanding but at least the staff’s uniforms were clean this time. I tried to leave my expectations and past experience at Salt House at the door but it was a little hard to do that. I guess my beef with the Salt House is that for somewhere as high profile and as expensive as the Salt House I do expect just a little bit more from the decor, to the service, to the food. Love it or hate it, the Salt House is certainly a Cairns institution but I think I’ll just stick to ordering G and T’s from the bar from now on rather than go the dining option, after I try the new 2 course lunch menu of course.
Salt House
6/2 Pier Point Rd, Cairns QLD 4807
Ph: (07) 4041 7733
Opening Hours: Mon – Thurs 12pm – midnight, Fri – Sat 7am – 2am, Sun 7am – midnight
Website: www.salthouse.com.au
This isn’t foodangel
Yesterday I received a lovely comment on my Bang Espresso post from someone that has been reading my blog. This is from John K:
Quite seriously, after reading this, I wonder how you consider yourself qualified to comment about hospitality? Cairns is a tiny place and, yes, I know who you and MS are. If you are really serious, I feel terribly sorry for you.
Now, being the type to nip things in the bud and seeing as I have been getting quite a bit more traffic due to my new affiliation with Skrilled Magazine I felt the need to address this with a short post (I am not going to make a habit out of this). This is MY blog where I share MY experiences and opinions regarding when and where I dine out in Cairns. I in no way claim to be an expert on hospitality or dining out, nor do I claim my words to be gospel. I dine out a lot and for some reason I get great delight in writing about it whether it be good or bad. Each post I write is a snapshot of what happens when I dine there on that particular day, with a little bit of personal opinion thrown in. I am an anonymous diner that gets treated as so. If the waitress is in a bad mood then I am going to write about it. If the food isn’t up to my standard then I am going to write about it. If I have a fantastic meal and can’t wait to go back then I am going to write about it. And if someone feels terribly sorry for me then I am going to write about that too. I’m not the first person to comment on their dining experiences through the likes of social media. Quite seriously, some people are going to agree with my posts and some people aren’t. If you don’t like it then don’t read it however if you feel the need to comment don’t make it personal, make it constructive. I may not have a formal qualification to comment on hospitality but I don’t need a qualification from a dance school to tear it up on the dance floor on a Friday night now do I? Have a great day 🙂 foodvixen x
Best Fish and Chips in Cairns?
After a big weekend of adventures for MS and I (no Amateurs for us) we didn’t feel like cooking nor going anywhere for dinner last night. With a penchant for something deep fried we both decided on a good old serve of fish and chips for dinner. We tried the Earlville Fish Bar but their phone rang out. We drove down to Sheridan St to Sheridan Gourmet Seafood to see if we could get some there but by all accounts they appear to have closed down. So we went a little further along to another Fish and Chip shop on Sheridan St near the IGA (can’t think of the name) but apparently they had run out of squid. That was a deal breaker (I WANTED SQUID) so we drove further along to Ocean World but they close at 7pm. After a bit more driving around we ended up on Pease St at Ramsden’s Fish and Chips and after some umming and ahhing we ordered a serve of chips, two pieces of battered Spanish Mackerel, 5 pieces of Salt and Pepper Squid, 5 pieces of Calamari and some Tartare Sauce for AU$24.40. It was good, not amazing and the serving size was ok but I guess I am still stuck in 1998 when a couple of bucks got you a mountain of chips from the takeaway shop across the road from my high school. Anyway, the purpose of this post is to find the Best Fish and Chips in Cairns. As a local I am ashamed that I have no idea where to get good Fish and Chips anymore so I am calling on my readers to help me out. Where can I get the Best Fish and Chips in Cairns?
Fish, Chips, Salt and Pepper Squid and Calamari from Ramsden’s on Pease St (AU$24.40)
Lunch Specials in Cairns
Hey peeps if you are looking for somewhere to spend your hard earned cash on lunch then check out my Lunch page. It’s got heaps of deals in and around Cairns for every budget. Might have to check it out myself x
Happy 4 10 Cafe and Bar, Cairns
I have finally made it back to the land of the living and that of phone and internet range after what seemed like an eternity. Lucky for me now I have a few months off work (because I can) so it won’t be happening again for a little while. Before I went away I went to a few places that I didn’t get a chance to post about before I left. One such place that I wanted to write about is a new little place that I found tucked away on Sheridan Street that by all accounts appears to have been in operation since May but I didn’t stumble across it until late July. Half of you are probably like DER that place is old news but it’s not old news to me alright. Anyway this place that I am talking about is called Happy 4 10 Cafe and Bar. It’s pretty much located right next to the Shooters Bar (or First Choice for all you alco’s) or across the road from Montezuma’s, hidden away behind a yellow gate and down the pathway. I don’t actually remember anything being there in the past, to me it was always an abandoned garden full of weeds with a broken neon sign out the front but it seems that someone has taken over and turned it into a delightful little place to dine.
So after making amends with my good friend RS a few posts ago we decided to have lunch and catch up. She asked me for suggestions and I said there was this new place that I would like to try called Happy 4 10. She claimed that she had already walked past and looked at the menu, apparently it ‘Didn’t do anything for her’ and she said she didn’t want to go there. So I said ‘Fine, where would you like to go?’ To which she responded ‘Why don’t we just meet out the front and go for a walk’. Being the planner that I am this didn’t fly with me so I talked her into going to Happy 4 10 unless she could come up with an alternative. She couldn’t so off we went to Happy 4 10 and she fought be every step of the way (cue eye twitch).
We arrived and met at the front gate underneath the big Happy 4 10 sign. There is a sign below on the pathway with the menu on it so you can walk past and have a look. We walked inside and found a funky, brightly painted, cute as a button and cheap as chips, indoor/outdoor Japanese cafe with a bit of Korean food on the side. All the main meals at Happy 4 10 are AU$10! Winning! Upon arrival the friendly Japanese waitress (Japanese waitresses are always friendly) greeted us and gave us free reign over where to sit since there was no one else there. We chose a spot with a couple of lounges, one of those weird hanging chairs that just don’t seem stable enough to sit in and a coffee table and she bought over some menus. While I ummed and ahhed about just which dish I wanted (if I could have I probably would have ordered them all because they all sounded yummy) RS continued on with her ‘this menu just doesn’t do anything for me’ crap so I decided what I wanted and promptly went up to the counter to order. (Defence: I wasn’t being a bitch, she was just being difficult, you don’t know RS like I do). I even offered to pay for her lunch (big spender I am) but that didn’t quite seem to be good enough so I went ahead with my order of Seafood Udon (AU$10) and a Tofu and Seaweed Salad (AU$10) since I just can’t resist Wakame Seaweed (another food item that I could literally shower in).
RS ordered the Pork Katsu Don which she then cancelled and decided that she would just watch me eat. This confused the hell out of the poor Japanese waitress who ended up stuffing up our order as a result. Assuming that RS was trying to prove a point by not ordering anything I pretended it didn’t phase me and took a seat at the table outside. A couple more people arrived for lunch and sat inside followed by four business type people who took up seats at the table next to ours. We, okay well I, waited about 10 minutes and then the waitress bought out the Pork Katsu Don that RS had ordered, which she then cancelled. This was in no way the waitresses fault and entirely RS’ considering she couldn’t make up her mind as to what she wanted.
Then not long after that my Seafood Udon and Tofu and Seaweed Salad arrived, again confusing the hell out of the guy serving me. He couldn’t figure out why I had two meals and RS had a cup of water. So enough about that crap… Let’s get onto the food. My Seafood Udon had two large whole prawns floating around in it that by all accounts looked local to me (winning), plus half a mussel, some broccoli and a couple of other bits and bobs in there. It was steaming hot, almost too hot to eat but it was delicious.
Seafood Udon (AU$10)
Next up was my Tofu and Seaweed Salad. I know, I know, I can hear it now. Tofu? Yuck! Well, I happen to love it. When I am feeling very lazy and MS is at work sometimes I just eat Tofu and Ponzu Sauce. It tastes so good and despite all the health warnings about eating Soy I don’t eat it near enough to care. Moving on. The salad was drizzled with that really yummy brownish Japanese dressing that I have no idea what it’s called. I have bought it numerous times at the Asian Store on Grafton Street but the label is in Japanese. Anyone? Despite the obvious presence of Seaweed (wakame oh yeah) and Tofu, there was also fresh diced avocado, slivers of orange and lettuce. I really enjoyed it but couldn’t quite finish it all since my menu taste testing had got the better of me and I couldn’t fit any more in but all that for $20? Still winning.
Tofu and Seaweed Salad (AU$10)
Despite my obvious difficulties with my lunch date Happy 4 10 is a great little place to grab some lunch or dinner. Again, the fitout is cool and colourful and kinda reminds me of someones backyard but in a good way. I am looking forward to going back there again to try some of the other stuff on the menu. The Karage Chicken Salad sounds good. Wait. Maybe I’ll get the Prawn Tempura. No, I want the Teriyaki Chicken Don but then there is the Stir-fried Spicy Pork and the Salmon Salad. Ah what’s a girl to do?
Happy 4 10 Cafe and Bar
Sheridan St, Cairns QLD 4870
Opening Hours: Mon – Sat 10am – 11pm
Pizza Capers, Brinsmead
Savanna Seafood Pizza… WORST. PIZZA. EVER.
Pizza Capers
Shop 2 101-115 Brinsmead Rd, Brinsmead QLD 4870
Ph: (07) 40 34 1555
Website: www.pizzacapers.com.au
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