Lime and Pepper, Palm Cove
Next cab off the rank with my Table 52 cards is Lime and Pepper Restaurant at Peppers Beach Club and Spa, Palm Cove. MS and I decided to head out there for lunch since lunch is kind of our thing to do. In hindsight going to Lime and Pepper for lunch probably wasn’t the best idea… More about that later. Set amongst the Paperbarks and with comfy cushions to sit on Lime and Pepper is a pretty swish restaurant right across the road from the beach at Palm Cove. Being one of two couples in the whole place we took our pick of places to sit and sat at one of the side tables with the cushions, ordered a glass of Kapura Marlborough Savignon Blanc and perused the Lunch Menu. My first impression of the Lunch Menu… Disappointing. The Lunch Menu was very basic with options like Salads, Wraps and Fish and Chips (boring). In fact it was so basic that we almost decided to leave and come back for dinner. The only thing stopping us was the fact that we had driven all the way from the city to come out here for lunch and it’s the age old story of ‘well we are here now so we might as well’.
Out of the 11 or so choices on the Lunch Menu I really couldn’t pick anything that I particularly wanted to eat so I ordered the burger. Yes. I ordered a hamburger at a fine dining restaurant. I’m ashamed and upset at myself but I really felt that I had no choice. I ordered the Grilled Beef Burger with Tomato Chutney, Vintage Cheddar, Caramelised Onion and Beer Battered Potato Chips for AU$20. MS, also confused as to what to order, decided to go with the Crispy Pork Belly Baguette with Homemade Korean Kimchi, Lemon Scented Mayonnaise and Mixed Greens for AU$18. An odd choice for him considering that he doesn’t like spice (apparently spicy ‘isn’t a taste’ according to him). I let him run with it hoping that he would be pleasantly surprised with a bit of tang in his baguette. We also ordered an entree of Salt and Pepper Squid with Shaved Vegetable Salad, Lychee, Chilli and Tahitian Lime Dressing for AU$18 to share between us.
It probably took about half an hour for our dishes to arrive even though we were one of two occupied tables. We ordered them all at once instead of the entree before the mains. Not sure what the chef was doing in the kitchen… Maybe trying to operate the can opener on the tin of lychees considering that lychees are no longer in season. Hey, sometimes I have trouble operating my can opener (I blame the fact that I am left handed). Still it didn’t bother us too much because it was nice sitting at our table on the cushions enjoying our glass of wine and looking out towards the beach. The servings were as I was expecting – lunch time and expensive restaurant serves. Certainly not a size that is going to fill you up, well for the baguette and the Salt and Pepper Squid anyway. The Salt and Pepper Squid was really delish especially the bed of Asian inspired salad that it was served on. MS and I ate every last morsel of it, even the suspected canned lychees were yummy and the waitress ensured me that they only serve Australian seafood at Lime and Pepper.
Salt and Pepper Squid with Shaved Vegetable Salad, Lychee, Chiili and Tahitian Lime Dressing (AU$18)
The pork belly on MS’ baguette wasn’t exactly crispy, it was cold and had obviously just been pulled out of the fridge and put on a roll before being brought out to our table. Despite the cold pork and the spicy Kimchi MS did enjoy his meal albeit a little small for a big hungry man.
Crispy Pork Belly Baguette with Homemade Korean Kimchi, Lemon Scented Mayonnaise and Mixed Greens (AU$18)
My Grilled Beef Burger had a lot to live up to after my yummy burger experience at Grill’d earlier in the week. I have to say it wasn’t a very nice burger. Some cheeses just weren’t meant to be melted onto burger buns and this so called ‘vintage cheddar’ was one of those cheeses. It was really oily and overpowering (yeah I know vintage cheddar is supposed to be overpowering) and just didn’t belong on my Grilled Beef Burger. There is not much more that I can say about it other than I didn’t enjoy it. It was just a very plain, boring and expensive cheesy burger.
Grilled Beef Burger with Tomato Chutney, Vintage Cheddar, Caramelised Onion and Beer Battered Potato Chips (AU$20)
We did enjoy our lunch at Lime and Pepper but more for the fact that it was such a nice restaurant to dine at rather than because the food was delicious. Our main meals were a little bit disappointing, mine more so than MS’. The service was quite good and the waitress was very friendly and seemed to know the menu front to back as well as whether or not their seafood was imported (most wait staff have to go to the kitchen and ask). Upon paying we perused the dinner menu and saw that it sounded much more shall we say ‘edible’ than the lunch menu. I just think that we would have enjoyed our meal much more if we had gone to Lime and Pepper for dinner rather than lunch, a concept that has taken me a few attempts to understand (I’m sure many of you are already clued into it). Using your Table 52 card at some of the listed restaurants for lunch is a waste because they are more worthwhile going to for dinner. You are going to have to be the one that determines the whole lunch/dinner thing but Lime and Pepper is definitely one of those ‘Dinner’ restaurants. Seems I learnt my lesson the hard way, again.
Lime and Pepper
123 Williams Esplanade, Palm Cove QLD 4870
Ph: (07) 4059 9200
Opening Hours: 7 days, Breakfast 6.30am – 10.30am, Lunch 12pm – 3pm, Dinner 6pm – 9.30pm
Website: www.peppers.com.au/beach-club-spa/
Grill’d, Cairns Esplanade
Went down to Grill’d last week to use my Table 52 card and apparently MS and I were the first people to use ours! I have avoided Grill’d up until this point mostly due to the fact that I try not to actively encourage myself to eat burgers (despite the content of my next and as yet unwritten post) and also because I tend to think that the burgers are just a little bit expensive at Grill’d. Not when it’s two for one burgers of course. Grill’d has a pretty large menu and most if not all of the burgers sound super delicious which made my decision a little difficult. Long after MS had pinpointed exactly which burger he wanted I was still umming and ahhing. MS chose the Front Bar Steak Sandwich – Grilled Scotch Fillet, Free Range Egg, Rocket, Tomato, Spanish Onion, Mustard, Beetroot Relish and Herbed Mayo on Ciabatta (AU$16.50). I was still tossing up between the ‘Baa Baa’ Burger – Grilled Lamb Pattie with Roasted Peppers, Tzatziki, Salad and Relish (AU$13.50) and the Mustard and Pickled – Grilled 100% Lean Beef, Dijon Mustard, Dill Pickle, Tasty Cheese, Salad and Relish (AU$12.50). In the end I went with the Mustard and Pickled because I just love pickles. My mum even caught me eating them out of the jar in her fridge the other day and wondered if I was pregnant. No. I am not pregnant. Moving on…
I asked the owner if I could have rocket instead of lettuce on my burger (not a fan of iceberg lettuce because it tastes like leaves – go figure), while MS asked if he could have the Beetroot Relish removed from his burger and I ummed and ahhed about which type of roll I wanted – Panini or Traditional. None of this was a problem for the friendly man behind the counter who waited patiently while we (I) made up our mind. He even gave us a taste of the Beetroot Relish to see if he could sway MS into having it on his Steak Sandwich. He was fighting a losing battle but it was worth a try. We took a seat and our burgers arrived not long afterwards. I’m not going to ramble on and on about my burger but it was goooood. Crispy bun, nice amount of filling, not too much sauce running down my hands and a good size – not too big, not too little. I really enjoyed my burger and so did MS and it cost us all of about AU$16.50. How good is that?
Front Bar Steak Sandwich – Grilled Scotch Fillet, Free Range Egg, Rocket, Tomato, Spanish Onion, Mustard, Beetroot Relish and Herbed Mayo on Ciabatta (AU$16.50)
Mustard and Pickled – Grilled 100% Lean Beef, Dijon Mustard, Dill Pickle, Tasty Cheese, Salad and Relish (AU$12.50)
We had a really tasty and relatively healthy lunch at Grill’d and were really impressed by the friendly, ‘of course we can do that for you’ service that we received, not to mention their monthly donations to community groups (see note below). The burgers at Grill’d are so much tastier and healthier than the alternative fast food burger establishment on the Esplanade (not naming anyone) and probably not far off the price. I may have used up my 2-4-1 Table 52 Card but I enjoyed my burger so much that I will go back, pay full price and actively encourage myself to eat another burger at Grill’d no worries.
Community Donation Program @ Grill’d (sorry about the dodgy photo)
PS: Grill’d also has a community donation program which means that every month they donate $500 to the local community. Everytime you buy a Grill’d burger you get a token that you can put in one of three jars representing three different community groups that have been selected for that month. This donation program is supported by every Grill’d in the country which is a pretty fantastic idea and also Grill’d way of ‘giving back to the community’. Good on you guys!
Grill’d Cairns
77 The Esplanade
Ph: (07) 4041 4200
Website: www.grilld.com.au
Opening Hours: Sun – Thur 11am – 10pm, Fri – Sat 11am – 10.30pm
Sauce BBQ Restaurant, Cairns
The first cab off the rank with my deck of Table 52 cards was Sauce BBQ Restaurant for lunch last week. Since my overseas holiday I have dined out so much it’s ridiculous! Restaurants that I have dined at include Tosca’s, The Cairns Courthouse, Lime and Pepper, Cafe China, Tha Fish, Perotta’s, Bella Vista, Haveli and On The Inlet just to name a few. That’s not to say that I am going to review them all but I’ll certainly try. Back to Sauce… After driving around and around and around looking for a park in the city MS and I decided we might as well head to the Pier, take advantage of their free underground parking and choose a restaurant there (there is only two restaurants at the Pier to choose from in the Table 52 cards, Sauce and Tha Fish). We chose the ‘sort of new’ Sauce BBQ Restaurant, formerly Cho Gao. 
We took a seat amongst a couple of occupied tables out on the deck since Summer is over and it’s not so damn hot outside. Although the furnishings and decor at Sauce are modern and stylish I still find the place a litte sterile, just as I found Cho Gao. I can’t exactly put my finger on it but I think it’s because there seems to be a lot of empty space in what is quite a big restaurant. The interior just doesn’t seem very inviting. Still I have dined at Sauce for lunch within a couple of weeks of it opening and really enjoyed it (their sweet potato chips are awesome!) so I figured I should come back and do a post about it. As we perused the menu the friendly waiter came over and gave us a few pointers i.e. what he recommended and the serving sizes. MS ordered the Beef Ribs with BBQ Glaze served with Potato Wedges and Salad for AU$30 while I ordered the Surf and Turf Platter for AU$22. We ordered the Curried Pumpkin Soup with Sour Cream and Crusty Bread for AU$9 as an entree to share. There were three glaze options for the ribs – BBQ, Bush Plum or Smoked Paprika – but the waiter didn’t give us an option upon ordering, something we didn’t realise till after he had left so MS had to make a trip to the counter to request the BBQ glaze. We didn’t wait long for the meals to arrive, obviously the Curried Pumpkin Soup arrived first. The soup was creamy, delicious and definitely had some bite to it. MS isn’t too keen on hot food but he was still able to eat it so it can’t have been too hot. Lets just say my background has exposed me to some pretty hot food so it certainly didn’t bother me. It was a large serving size, even for two and we didn’t finish it all in the end.
Curried Pumpkin Soup, Sour Cream and Crusty Bread – AU$9.00
One of the first things I noticed about my Platter was the presentation however considering that Sauce is owned by the same couple that own Wink II I would expect as much. It seems Leon’s flair for presentation has rubbed off on the Head Chef at Sauce. The Surf and Turf Platter had a selection of… well… Surf and Turf of course! There was some Chicken Skewers, Pork Belly, Chicken Wings, and Prawns with Jamaican Coleslaw and Rice. I guess it wasn’t really what I expecting (not exactly what I would call a platter) and some of the items on the dish were cold but it was still tasty and considering I didn’t pay for it (cue Table 52 card) it was good enough. I would however suggest a dipping sauce because it was technically a meat platter and you need sauce for that sh*t! After all isn’t that what the restaurant is so aptly named after?
Surf and Turf Platter – AU$22
The serve of Beef Ribs was humungous! The waiters recommendation to have the Beef Ribs when MS said he was ‘starving’ was a pretty good steer in the right direction. They were super tender and succulent with the meat just falling off the bone. There was so much that I even managed to snavel a whole Beef Rib all to myself simply because MS couldn’t finish the meal. I find Beef Ribs, like Lamb Shanks, to be very rich probably due to the fat content so I can never eat very much of them and this was also the case for MS, still he did manage to make quite a dint in his meal and he enjoyed it.
Beef Ribs with your choice of BBQ, Bush Plum or Smoked Paprika Glaze served with Potato Wedges and Salad (AU$30.00)
I really hope that Sauce does well unlike the previous restaurant in the same position. Unfortunately everytime I walk past there doesn’t seem to be anyone there. Like I said at the beginning of this post it might be due to the sterile atmosphere but also might be because people haven’t yet realised that it’s no longer Cho Gao. I’m not going to say that Sauce is really good because it’s not but I’m also not going to say that it’s really bad because it’s not. Sauce has real potential to be a great restaurant and there are some delicious sounding dishes on the menu that I am definitely going to go back and try. Go and check it out and let me know what you think, especially if you have a pack of Table 52 cards, and if you don’t then why not huh?
Sauce Restaurant
The Pier, Pier Point Rd, Cairns QLD 4870
Ph: (07) 4041 6991
Website: www.saucerestaurant.com.au
Opening Hours: Mon – Fri 8.30am – 5.00pm, Sat – Sun 11.30am – 11pm
Koh-Ya Japanese BBQ Restaurant, Orchid Plaza *CLOSED DOWN*
I have been meaning/wanting to go to Koh-Ya for some time now and last weekend I finally stepped up to the plate so to speak and gave it a go. Koh-ya is a Yakiniku Japanese BBQ restaurant upstairs at Orchid Plaza that has been there for since 2003. According to www.yakiniku.com.au Yakiniku is an eating style in which fresh, seasoned ingredients such as meat, seafood and vegetables are cooked on a mesh over a direct flame. Each individual booth at Koh-ya has it’s own grill for you to cook your food on. This is exactly the reason why one of my friends declined my invitation to join ST and I for dinner on this particular night. In his own words… ‘Why the hell would I want to pay to cook my own food?’ Each to their own I guess but I wanted to try it out.
Booth with Individual Grill
At Koh-ya there is an a-la-carte menu as well as two buffet options. There are 44 dishes to choose from on the AU$39.90 buffet menu including dishes like prawns, octopus, mussels, chicken, beef, miso soup, mushrooms and sliced onion. The more expensive buffet option of AU$49.90 includes all these dishes plus a few more such as sashimi, intenstine and tripe. Although both ST and I love sashimi neither of us is keen on the latter so we just went for the AU$39.90 buffet. There are a few ‘Terms and Conditions’ that one needs to be aware of when dining at Koh-ya. These ‘Terms and Conditions’ are listed at the bottom of the menu and state that the buffet is 90 minutes long and this time begins from when you order your first dish. No problem there… 90 minutes is pretty long time to eat for and I think we were only eating for about 40 minutes in total. The second important condition is that any excess uneaten food must be paid for, i.e. if you order a sh*tload of food and don’t eat it all then expect to pay for it when you leave. Having said that, I had a quick look at the food left behind by the table next to us that paid just before us and they had quite a lot of food leftover that they weren’t asked to pay for.
The Mesh Grill
On arriving at Koh-ya the friendly Japanese waitress showed us to our booth where we both ordered the buffet and she promptly lit up our grill to allow it to preheat while we waited for our first orders to arrive. She then brought us each a dipping sauce that was like a light soy sauce accompanied with a wedge of lemon and some chilli powder (I’m pretty sure that’s what it was).
Dipping Sauce with Lemon and Chilli Powder
On arriving ST was most excited to see one of her all-time favourite dishes on the buffet menu – Yukke. According to Wikipedia Yukke is made from raw minced beef seasoned with various spices or sauces, usually with a raw egg cracked over the top. The most tender part of the beef is used, the fat is removed and the beef is julienned and then mixed with the seasoning. The seasoning is soy sauce, sugar, salt, sesame oil and a few other bits and bobs. ST ordered a Yukke for herself and decided that I had to have one too. I was a little dubious about eating raw beef. I have absolutely no qualms about eating raw seafood but meat is a little different. I gave it a go, breaking my egg yolk with my spoon and mixing it into the red mince. Once I got over the texture of the raw mince it was delicious, and I mean REALLY good. In fact I could go another bowl right now just thinking about it! The meat was almost sweet from the various seasoning that had been mixed into it and unfortunately I got into it so quickly I didn’t even get a picture of it so you will just have to go and have one for yourself. We ordered about 10 dishes all up including Shake Gohan (Salmon Rice), prawns, squid, octopus, mussels and beef rib.
Shake Gohan
Prawns
Octopus
Squid
We ordered about 3 plates of beef rib between us just because it was so juicy and tender.
Beef Rib
ST ordered a bowl of edamame to nibble on whilst we were waiting for our food to cook on the grill. I love those yummy little pods of salty goodness and they are also good for fidgeters like me since they keep your hands busy.
Edamame
Each item comes out on a small serving plate with 2 or 3 pieces each, depending on what you order. If you like a particular item you can just keep ordering more and it’s better this way because you don’t have hardly any waste. The food at Koh-ya is pretty basic, not at all fancy however it’s pretty healthy (as long as you control your portion size) and it’s tasty too. I’m no butcher but the meat that they serve you is really lean and good quality. The wait staff are also very friendly and helpful albeit a little hard to understand. Disappointingly, as is the case all too often, the seafood at Koh-ya is imported which wasn’t a surprise to me. You need to take a bit of a systematic approach to cooking your food otherwise you sit there and wait too long and that’s no good for an impatient person like me (that’s what people tell me anyway). The best way to do it is to have something on the grill while you are eating and have something on order as well, that way you always have something to eat and everything flows nicely. It’s a good and bad thing that you have to cook your own food depending on which way you look at it. I thought it was kind of fun and and you can just chat with your company while you work your little BBQ and tongs. The best thing about doing the cooking at Koh-ya is that you don’t have to clean up the mess afterwards.
Koh-Ya Japanese BBQ Restaurant
Orchid Plaza Shop 50 12-14 Lake St, Cairns QLD 4870
Ph: (07) 4041 6006
Mudslide Cafe, Cairns *CLOSED DOWN*
Last week MS and I found ourselves having breakfast at the Mudslide Cafe on Aplin St. Walking past this tiny cafe only a few weeks ago I spotted the Toasted Burrito on their menu board out the front and I figured that breakfast type foods inside a toasted burrito has to be a winning combination so I made a mental note to come back for breakfast in the near future. At 11 am on Saturday MS and I were the only people at the Mudslide Cafe which I must admit was kind of nice. I’m still not sure why we were the only people dining there but I’m assuming it must be because no one really knows about it considering I only just noticed it. We glanced over the menus (I already knew what I wanted) and true to form MS decided on the Mega Mud consisting of Bacon, Eggs (fried, poached or scrambled), Roasted Tomato, Sausage, Mushroom and Toast all for AU$10.90 while I went for the… wait for it… Toasted Burrito filled with egg, tasty cheese, baked beans, bacon, tomato and baby spinach for AU$10.50. We ordered two cappuccinos on top of our meals and took a seat at a table on the footpath outside to read The Weekend Post, wait for our breakfasts and watch the drizzly morning go by.
Being the sole people at the Mudslide Cafe that morning meant it didn’t take long for our meals to arrive however they didn’t come that quick that it made you suspicious, if you know what I mean. MS was super happy with his Mega Mud breakfast which amongst other things came with a decent sized serving of bacon, two perfectly poached eggs, juicy mushrooms and nice thick pieces of buttered toast. (I’m an unbuttered toast kinda gal but hey I wasn’t eating it).
Mega Mud – Bacon, Eggs, Roasted Tomato, Sausage, Mushroom and Toast (AU$10.90)
My Toasted Burrito was just as good and big enough that I couldn’t finish it in the end. The tortilla was crispy and not soggy from the yummy fillings encased inside. The bacon was not dripping with fat and grease and I loved the fact that my burrito had baked beans in it. I love baked beans! Ssshh. Ok so my burrito was good enough that I went back for another one yesterday and at AU$10.50 why not?!
Toasted Burrito – Egg, Tasty Cheese, Baked Beans, Bacon, Tomato, Baby Spinach and Toasted in a Flour Tortilla (AU$10.50)
MS and I really enjoyed our meals at the colourful Mudslide Cafe and like I said above, I enjoyed it so much that I took a friend back a few days later. The coffee is good and the super friendly owner came out to say hello and make sure we enjoyed our meals both times I was there. The breakfast menu is a little basic with no Eggs Benedict, Sweet Potato Hashbrowns or Black Pudding in sight but sometimes basic food is a good thing. I must admit I do get a little bit sick of eating all the fancy breakfast food and the fancy pricetags that follow. It’s nice to spend less than AU$30 on good food for two people when eating out and being able to get a table on the footpath without fighting hoards of hungry people is definitely a bonus.
Mudslide Cafe
Shop 5A Aplin St, Cairns City QLD 4870
Ph: (07) 4041 6592
Opening Hours: Mon – Fri 7am – 3pm, Sat 7am – 12pm
Table 52, 2012 Edition
I have to apologise to the foodvixen readers since I haven’t posted anything on my blog for almost two weeks… No it’s not because I am slack, it’s because I have been overseas on a holiday since mid Feb. I’m back now and on returning last week was pleasantly surprised to find out that the very popular Table 52 cards have been re-released for 2012. According to the pack each Table 52 card entitles you to one complimentary main course when another of equal or greater value is purchased. You can buy the 2012 Edition Table 52 cards online at www.table52.net.au for under AU$40. With restaurants ranging from Ochre to German Tucker Wurst Haus to Grill’d there is something for everyone and a great way to try out new restaurants. I bought a pack from a Cairns newsagent back in 2010 when they were released and even though I only used maybe half of those cards I still found them to be fantastic value and was sad to hear that they wouldn’t be releasing the cards for 2011. However it seems the crew at Table 52 got their act together for 2012 because I bought my deck of cards online three days ago and they arrived in the mail today! Now I just have to decide where I’m going to dine first!
$15.95 Sunday BBQ Ribs @ Dunwoody’s, Cairns
If you are driving along the northern end of Sheridan St it’s a little hard to miss the large ‘$15.95 Sunday BBQ Ribs’ sign out the front of Dunwoody’s. If you love ribs as much as I do then your mouth waters every time you drive past. Well last weekend I couldn’t take it anymore so some friends and I went to The Steakhouse at Dunwoody’s for dinner. Now I have to say I’m definitely a lover of ribs (isn’t everyone) and I’m on the hunt for a rack of ribs to beat or even just come close to the ‘Best Ribs of My Life’ from a few years ago at a little restaurant called Rippy’s Smokin’ Bar and Grill in Nashville, Tennessee. These ribs were so damn good that I just had to get the t-shirt as a memento. Now there are a few little things that I judge a good rack of ribs on… Firstly, the ribs must be tender enough to literally fall off the bone. I don’t carry dental floss in my handbag so I don’t want to be gnawing the meat of my ribs and then having it stuck in my teeth for the next two hours (that’s gross I know but it’s the truth). Secondly, there must be lots of marinade on the ribs. If I’m not going to get sauce all over my hands and face then forget about it. And lastly, there must actually be meat on the ribs. No one wants a rack of ribs from an emaciated pig that has no meat on it. I want meat! (Sorry to all you vego’s but this isn’t a post for you.) This particular Sunday Dunwoody’s was also serving a twist on their usual rack of ribs… Coca Cola Ribs. Sounds a bit weird huh? I ummed and ahhed about it and finally decided to order the standard ‘House Special Ribs’ since that is what I had come to Dunwoody’s for in the first place and it would be wrong to get anything else. I was in fact the only one at the table that ordered the ribs.
It didn’t take long for our meals to arrive but we were one of only two occupied tables in the restaurant. I ordered the regular serving and I was glad that I didn’t order the large serving for $28.95 because the regular serving with the chips and salad was more than enough for me. My family and I used to dine at Dunwoody’s regularly back when it was called Matilda’s (about 6 or 7 years ago) and for pub meals the food was suberb. I mean really good meals and consistently good but that was until the head chef there was poached by another restaurant. After that Dunwoody’s was never the same so we stopped going there. Until now. I have say it’s still not the same. The ribs were ok. The sauce was pretty bland and the ribs were quite fatty but for $15.95 you can’t really complain.
Regular BBQ Ribs (AU$15.95)
Let’s just say my meal at The Steakhouse at Dunwoody’s was mediocre at best and I probably wouldn’t go back for the ribs having now satisfied my curiosity. According to the rest of the table my friends meals were also pretty average and by the look of them, I tended to agree. The regular Supreme Pizza that JC ordered looked hmmm shall we say ‘less than gourmet and more like McCains’ and I wish I had gotten a picture of it. So it seems my search for ribs to match or even come close to the ‘Best Ribs of My Life’ is ongoing and ideally I’d like to find somewhere a little closer than Tennessee.
;
The Steakhouse at Dunwoody’s
317 Sheridan St, Cairns QLD 4870
Ph: (07) 4051 6822
Website: www.ourhotels.com.au/dunwoodys
Opening Hours: Mon – Thurs from 11.30 am till 2.30 pm, 5.30 pm till 9 pm, Fri – Sun from 11.30 am – 9 pm
$16.90 Lunch Specials @ Barnacle Bill’s, Cairns
I’m loving the amount of lunch specials that are available in Cairns at the moment. There really are so many to choose from thats it’s hard to keep track of them all (check out my ‘Lunch’ page). Having dined at both Splash and The Raw Prawn I decided that after walking past many, many times I would finally give Barnacle Bill’s a go. Last Friday I dined there with a group of friends and knew that some of the people that I was dining with had well, simple tastes. I guess this is why I chose Barnacle Bill’s in the first place for our Friday lunch catch-up. Still, there is something on the menu for everyone so I think this is why Barnacle Bill’s is always so busy at lunch time. Another reason is because they split the bill, which is perfect for group and business lunches and hard to find at Cairns restaurants.
I perused the menu and went with the Barramundi and Salad (Estuary Fish in Tempura Batter Served with Salad) but I’ll be honest there wasn’t really anything on the menu that excited me. Nothing on the menu stood out to me and made me think ‘That’s what I’m ordering!’ Our meals arrived in ample time. FW and TT also ordered the same dish as I did while across from me HT ordered the Pasta of the Day, which was a Creamy Salmon number. It was quite a large serve of pasta especially considering it was only $16.90 but HT claimed it was very bland. I tasted it and it was very bland. Half a bottle of Tabasco Sauce would have made it a little more worthwhile but then again everything tastes good with Tabasco Sauce.
Pasta of the Day – Creamy Salmon Pasta with Artichokes
My meal, as the menu explained it, was just two pieces of fish on a plate with a bit of salad and a very light soy type sauce that pretty much dissolved into nothing when I poured it over the fish. A bit of an odd sauce to have with tempura fish I think. Aioli or the old favourite Tartare Sauce would have been more memorable. The barramundi was cooked well and tasted nice and fresh. The batter encasing the fish was crisp and golden. I just wasn’t feeling it I guess. It must be said that FW and TT enjoyed their Barramundi and Salad lunch more than I did.
Barramundi and Salad – Estuary Fish in Tempura Batter Served with Salad
The menu at Barnacle Bill’s is varied but boring. There is 14 different dishes to choose from for $16.90 each and with menu items like Lasagna, Beef Curry, and Tandoori Chicken Pizza it certainly caters for the non-seafood eaters. Another possible reason why Barnacle Bill’s is such a popular lunch spot. The service was very good and the waiters were very jovial and chatty which is always nice when dining out since I have encountered some super miserable retaurant staff in recent times around Cairns. I guess my beef with the place is that I don’t think it’s anything special. I don’t understand why it’s so damn busy. I know that Barnacle Bill’s has been around nearly longer than I have so they must be doing something right but in my view the two restaurants on either side that I mentioned at the beginning of this post serve better food. It’s as simple as that. Barnacle Bill’s doesn’t need my endorsement. They seem to be doing pretty well already.
Barnacle Bill’s
103 The Esplanade, Cairns QLD 4870
Ph: (07) 4051 2241
Website: www.barnaclebills.com.au
Opening Hours: Lunch from 11.30 am daily and Dinner from 5 pm till late
Haveli @ Harbour Lights $15.90 Lunch Special, Cairns *CLOSED DOWN*
My quest to try all the lunch specials in Cairns continues! The latest lunch special on offer is at Cairns’ newest Indian restaurant Haveli at Harbour Lights. Yesterday a few friends and I went to Haveli to see what was on offer for their $15.90 lunch special. Now I am going to try and make this post a short one because not much needs to be said. Haveli finds itself in competition with other Indian restaurants in town namely Tandoori Oven, Marinades and Spicy Bite. I recently tried the $10.90 lunch special at newly relocated Tandoori Oven (I didn’t blog about it). I found their lunch special to be extremely ordinary especially when accompanied with the nearly 40 minute wait for our food when we were the only people in the restaurant. I won’t be going back for a second round at Tandoori Oven. I have already written a post on the lunch special on offer at one of Cairns’ oldest and award winning Indian restaurants, Marinades. I do rate the food at Marinades, however on a more recent trip there it seems to have slipped a little. I am also a little sick of repeatedly overlooking the cold receptions from the female host. Prior to lunch yesterday at Haveli, Marinades was my pick for a top Indian lunch in Cairns but I’m going to have to jump ship because… wow… the $15.90 lunch special at Haveli is fantastic!
When my friends and I arrived at Haveli @ Harbour Lights there was three occupied tables and one waiter (I am pretty sure he was the owner). We sat inside since it was a little too hot to eat curry outside, I don’t care how fast the ceiling fans are going. The owner poured us all a glass of water and took our drink orders. Much to my surprise he returned with our six drinks in what was easily less than five minutes. Four out of six of us ordered the $15.90 lunch special, while the other two ordered items off the Main Menu. The $15.90 lunch special consists of rice, two pappadums, choice of a vegetable curry (either a Vegetable Korma or Dal Makhani), choice of a meat curry (either Rogan Josh or Butter Chicken) and a Naan Bread (either Plain or Garlic Naan). Now with this lunch special you get a LOT of food but to get two thumbs up from me quality and quantity must go hand in hand. At Haveli you get both. The curries are not just all sauce with no meat – a common occurrence at Indian restaurants and takeaways. The Butter Chicken was absolutely delicious and I really enjoyed mopping up the sauce with my Garlic Naan bread, which was equally delicious. The Vegetable Korma was rich and creamy while the pappadums were delicate and crisp. My two friends that ordered from the Main Menu ordered the Lamb Biryani, the Vindaloo and the Malai Tikka. They too really enjoyed their meals and they even managed to get in on the action with our servings of Naan Bread and Rice because there was just so much.
I don’t want to rant on too much but it really was a great feed. MS commented that it was the best meal that he had eaten in Cairns for quite a while and I think his comment definitely had some truth to it. I have read a couple of reviews that people have posted online regarding Haveli being overpriced for dinner but I think this is the case for all Indian Restaurants. This is also the reason why I only dine at Indian restaurants for lunch so I can take advantage of the specials and cheaper prices. Get down to Haveli at Harbour Lights and check out their lunch special. The service is great and at $15.90 you simply can’t go wrong! A word of warning though… Make sure you have the rest of the day off because after your lunch you will be left feeling so satisfied that lying on the couch is pretty much the extent of what you will be doing.
Haveli @ Harbour Lights
2,1 Marlin Pde (Harbour Lights Hotel), Cairns QLD 4870
Ph: (07) 4041 3502
Opening Hours: Mon – Thurs 5 pm – 10 pm, Fri – Sun 11 am – 10 pm
Website: www.haveliatharbourlights.com.au
First House Vietnamese Cuisine, Spence St *CLOSED DOWN*
For a place that was not long ago seemingly barren of Vietnamese restaurants to dine at Cairns is now teeming with them! To name just a few that I have come across in the last week or so… Lan’s Vietnamese Restaurant (don’t rate it but that’s an entirely different post), Pho Viet in Orchid Plaza (yet to try but will keep you posted) and then there is First House Vietnamese Cuisine on Spence St. First House has taken over from what once was the Hare Krishna restaurant Gaura Nitai’s. It’s a simple yet quaint little restaurant across from newly refurbished The Jack (formerly Shennanigans). I first dined at this little gem with my family nearly a year ago and found it to be well worth the visit. At the time it had only been open for just over a week and we were the only people dining there but we gave it a go and were pleasantly surprised. First House owner Vincent is the previous manager of Cafe China (or was it Golden Boat) but has since moved on to the greener pastures or shall we say the steaming pho’s of First House Vietnamese Cuisine. Recently MS and I were looking for somewhere to dine for a late lunch in the city and popped into First House for a look. There was only two other occupied tables but it was after 2.30pm. The owner is super friendly and even remembered me from when I dined there with my family. I am pretty memorable I must admit (that’s a joke – or is it?). First House is run by Vincent and his equally pleasant son who’s name escapes me at present. MS ordered the Vietnam Style Hai Nan Chicken Rice (AU$15.80) while I stuck with what I always order when I dine at a Vietnamese Restaurant – the Pho (AU$12.80). It didn’t take long for our meals to arrive and they were delicious. MS’s Chicken Rice was a good lunch size and the chicken was succulent and tender. There are condiments on each table in the restaurant including XO Sauce and Hoi Sin. Having recently discovered Hoi Sin sauce MS happily ate his chicken and rice with a little drizzled over the top while stealing mouthfuls of Pho from my side of the table.
Vietnam Style Hai Nan Chicken Rice (AU$15.80)
Now to my Pho… It was superb. A nice big bowl, they weren’t stingy! The beef stock was rich and flavoursome unlike the less than appertising Pho that I was served at a particular Cairns restaurant starting with ‘B’ and ending with ‘obby’s’. There was so much that I couldn’t finish the whole thing but MS helped me out and now it seems that he too has quite a penchant for Pho. The garnishings of bean sprouts and Thai Basil that arrived on a separate little plate for me to add myself were super fresh and fragrant. YUM!
Pho Beef Rice Noodles Soup (AU$12.80)
The food at First House is fresh and authentic, the service is friendly and personable and although the place isn’t glamourous it just seems to work! Don’t let the tacky plastic table clothes and the flashing neon sign fool you as this all adds to the character of First House and the overall dining experience. There are lunch specials available between 12pm and 2.30pm 7 days a weeks (check out my ‘Lunch’ page). Pop in for a quiet lunch or dinner. You will be glad that you did. By the way did I mention that First House Vietnamese Cuisine is BYO? Oh yeah.
First House Vietnamese Cuisine
55 Spence St, Cairns QLD 4870
Ph: (07) 4051 5153
Opening Hours: Open 7 days 11am – 3pm and 5pm – 9pm including Public Holidays
Eat in or takeaway
foodvixen 