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Hungry Monkey, Cairns *CLOSED DOWN*
After a tip-off from a friend of ours SBD, MS and I headed to a little cafe on Mulgrave Road called Hungry Monkey. I had seen it many times before whilst driving past but never managed to get in there until it came highly recommended. My sister’s boyfriend also claims that Hungry Monkey makes the best Brekkie Wraps in town for around the $9 mark. I can neither confirm nor deny that since I am not in the habit of ordering Brekkie Wrap’s nor do I get out of bed early enough to warrant one lately (I’m on holidays at the moment – till January). We went in to check it out one afternoon and see what they had on offer for lunch. They have a huge variety of wraps, burgers, salads, smoothies, milkshakes, meal boxes and a few other things to tantalize your taste buds. After way too much umming and ahhing and a stern “hurry the f*ck up” look from me MS decided on the Pizza Works Wrap with Leg Ham, Salami, Onion, Cheese, Tomato Relish, Pineapple (which he took off), Red Pepper and Olives for AU$8.90. According to SBD the Mackerel Wrap was the business but I simply couldn’t go past the Firebomb Wrap with Crumbed Chicken, Chilli Sauce, Lettuce, Cheese, Tomato, Red Onion and Jalapeno’s (AU$8.90). It was the Jalapeno’s that sold me. I only discovered them about a year ago after finding out that they did in fact taste absolutely nothing like capsicum and haven’t been able to live without them since.
Get in my belly
Hungry Monkey seems to do a pretty steady lunch trade from workers in the vicinity with a few venturing from across the road to get their hands on some lunch fare and the ones driving in, like us. We waited about 10 to 15 minutes for our wraps since we had arrived around peak lunch trade time but we weren’t disappointed when they arrived. MS decided that he was getting a side of fries with his which I managed to steal a few of. He hoed into his Pizza Wrap which was toasted on the outside and I could see the melted cheese within. It looked pretty damn good from where I was sitting (right next to him). He loved his Pizza Wrap. I think I recall “Man this is so good!” escaping his mouth as he took another bite. He also reckons that the fries were the best he has had in a long time. They had just the right amount of salt and crispness about them. I had a few and they were pretty good even without BBQ sauce. That’s a big call since I am usually a sauce fiend and don’t go near a chip without it.
Pizza Works Wrap – Leg Ham, Salami, Onion, Cheese, Tomato Relish, Pineapple, Red Pepper and Olives (AU$8.90)
I was actually surprised at just how heavy my wrap was even before I unwrapped it. They certainly weren’t stingy on the ingredients at Hungry Monkey and just for a change (like with a lot of other cafe’s) the wrap wasn’t full of lettuce because I ordered mine without. Something about Iceberg Lettuce that just doesn’t sit right with me. It tastes like leaves (ew). And when it gets all warm from being toasted it tastes super nasty (again, ew). The Crumbed Chicken was freshly cooked and wasn’t pre-cooked earlier and reheated like at Subway. It was real chicken and it was crunchy and succulent. The Jalapeno’s were awesome of course but the best thing about it was the decent size of the wrap.
Firebomb Wrap – Crumbed Chicken, Cheese, Lettuce, Red Onion, Tomato, Jalapeno’s, Chilli Sauce (AU$8.90)
The service and staff at Hungry Monkey are friendly and efficient and the food is very reasonably priced but so damn tasty and with so much to choose from! You do have to wait a minimum of 5 to 10 minutes for your food since the place does get quite busy around lunch time but in the grand scheme of things that’s stuff all to worry about when you are getting yummy food made fresh to order. Mine and MS’s wraps were so damn good the first time that we have been back twice since then and although each time I go with the intention of trying something different off the wrap menu (I really want to try the Salt and Pepper Squid Wrap) I just can’t seem to tear myself away from the Firebomb one with the Jalapeno’s. I know that I am onto a good thing here so why change it? Forget the kebab shop you’ll go bananas for Hungry Monkey!
Hungry Monkey
Shop 4/252 Mulgrave Rd, Cairns QLD 4870
Ph: (07) 4031 1600
Opening Hours: Mon – Fri 7am – 3pm
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
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
Lunch @ Bayleaf Balinese Restaurant, Cairns
Last post on the 21st of June? Geez I have been slack! Apologies again for I have been out of phone range and this is a post I was supposed to do before I was so rudely interrupted to go to work. So MS and I finally made it to the Bayleaf for lunch after many attempts to go there. We went there for a Friday afternoon lunch date with MS’ dad a couple of weeks ago arriving to a restaurant with only a few occupied tables. Sitting down outside near the line of trees along the pathway and the unlit bamboo torches (well it was daytime) we were given menu’s from the waitress and all identified the Balinese Set Lunch for $19.50 per person as what we wanted to eat. The Set Satu consists of Green Papaya and Vegetable Salad, Mixed Sates (that’s how they spell it on the menu), Balinese Chicken Curry, Pork in Sweet Soya Sauce and Fresh Tropical Fruits all served with Steamed Rice, Daily Vegetables, Peanut Sauce and Condiments. All that for AU$19.50 I hear you say? Sh*t yeah!
I could see the lonely chef busily working in the kitchen not far from where we were seated but despite how hurried he looked we didn’t wait too long for our meals to arrive. I did notice, however that the people next to us were served before us even though they arrived after us. The lady did say that they dined there often (I didn’t actually ask her she just felt the need to tell me) so it seems the staff may play favourites but I think she was on her lunch break from the hospital and since we had nothing in particular to do on this fine Friday I let it slide. Our food arrived on a large platter and I have to say it looked fantastic. We did get quite a bit of food between the three of us. Having never been to Bali (I don’t particularly want to go there) I can’t say whether this was genuine Balinese food but it tasted pretty damn good. We got three mixed sate’s each – beef, pork and chicken and they were grilled over their own little bed of hot coals. They had a really nice flame licked flavour and I particularly enjoyed the extra Satay Sauce that they give you on the side because lets face it, you can never get enough Satay Sauce.
Nasi Campur – Set Satu (AU$19.50)
The serving of rice was probably just a little bit small for the three of us but on reading a few reviews it seems that at Bayleaf they happily top up your rice at no extra charge. The Green Papaya salad was delicious. Not as good as my old Thai favourite Som Tum but it was nice and lucky for me MS didn’t seem at all interested in it, while I distracted KS with the Vegetable Salad that had bean sprouts in it. Yuck. Not a fan of bean sprouts. KS however loved the Vegetable Salad so that worked for me.
Green Papaya Salad
One thing that I wish we had more of was what I am assuming was the Daily Vegetables, which upon a bit of googling appears to be called Acar. It’s pretty much just a type of pickle that consists of chopped vegetables in Vinegar. It just reminds me of the good old days when my mum and dad used to get takeaway from Rahmah’s on Shields Street near the Grand Hotel. Does anyone remember that place? I don’t know if I was just too young to know any better but I’m pretty sure the food was amazing! Anyway Rahmah’s used to serve something very similar to the Daily Vegetables that they have at Bayleaf.
Clockwise from left: Daily Vegetables, Soy Sauce with Chili, Satay Sauce
We shared the little bowls of Balinese Chicken Curry and the Pork in Sweet Soya Sauce. I thought that the Chicken Curry was yummier than that Pork because it was really creamy and the chicken was so tender.
Balinese Chicken Curry
The pork pieces were a little overcooked in my opinion but that didn’t seem to bother either MS or KS who didn’t seem to notice. The only problem that I have with the little bowls of curry is that I’m not really that good at sharing, apparently something I have struggled with since I was very young. My mum claims that if you had given me a bag of lollies (no my mum was not in the habit of giving me bags of lollies when I was little but still) and you asked me for one I would whinge and cry for you to go away because for god’s sake I did not want to share those lollies. Whereas my younger sister would apparently give you the whole bag without so much as a tear. Seems I have carried this into my adult life and although you wouldn’t really notice it’s more of an internal struggle. I just get really sick of the same old conversation that I am sure everyone is familiar with… “You have the last piece.” “No I don’t want it, I’m too full. You have it.” “No I don’t want it.” “Ok I’ll have it then.” Let’s face it. You’re not too full and you really do want that last piece. Couldn’t we just save the hassle and give everyone a little bowl of their own?
Pork in Sweet Soya Sauce
To top off our meal (once our plates were cleared) we were served a fruit platter full of fruit including watermelon, honeydew, rockmelon, passionfruit (only two halves between three though), grapes, grapefruit and pomelo. It was a nice way to finish off our meal and the fruits were really juicy and fresh. There was quite a bit there and we couldn’t finish it all despite trying.
Fruit Platter
For those of you that aren’t too keen on spice, the food that we ate wasn’t particularly spicy and I can tell you that with confidence because even the slightest hint of spice has MS a complete sniffly mess. I know this because I cooked him a very mild Thai Green Curry when we first got together only to have him use half a box of tissues and down nearly two litres of milk to ‘stop the burning’ (so romantic). Lucky for the waitresses at Bayleaf there was no sniffly mess this particular Friday. Having dined at Bayleaf Restaurant for dinner I have to say that the atmosphere is a lot better at night. The presence of the lit bamboo torches certainly gives the place a very exotic feel whereas during the day it’s just a plain old restaurant with views of the hospital. Don’t let that deter you though because the Balinese Set Lunch is not only delicious but also good value for those of you who don’t mind sharing and even those of you that do (like me).
Bayleaf Balinese Restaurant
Corner of Lake and Gatton St, Cairns QLD 4870
Ph: (07) 4051 4622
Opening Hours: Lunch Mon – Fri 12pm – 2pm, Dinner 7 days 6pm till late
Website: www.bayvillage.com.au/bayleaf
Xanadu On Collins, Edge Hill
Thinking of ideas for Friday lunch with MS’ dad this week I remembered a recommendation from a good friend of mine for the newish Chinese Restaurant opened up in Edge Hill, Xanadu On Collins. Who doesn’t love Chinese so off MS and I trotted (drove) to the leafy suburb of Edge Hill with his dad in tow. Xanadu, for those that haven’t been to Edge Hill lately, is just past El Mundo and Linga Longa as you are heading towards the airport. It’s positioned at the bottom of a truly hideous block of apartments on Collins Avenue. But hey I’m no architect it was the Chinese food we had come for!
Upon arrival we were greeted by the friendly Chinese waiter and took a seat at a table outside so we could enjoy the beautiful day (the weather is too good not to comment on). This is the reason that we live in Cairns! Am I right or am I right? The waiter asked us if we wanted some tea. I accepted as did MS and his dad KS. He bought us some menus with Xanadu’s lunch specials which contained quite a long list of things to choose from including two different Set Menu’s for AU$15.00 each, as well as Rice and Noodle Dishes for AU$9.90 and Dim Sum for AU$6.00. The waiter that was serving us was so authentic that I don’t think he actually spoke any English at all. I asked him if we could ‘order’ and he went to fetch us some ‘water’. I thought that was quite funny. He did however, understand the universal language that is ‘Coca-Cola’ when asked for a glass by KS. It was all good, I did want some water anyway and not long after that the owner of the restaurant (who speaks good English) came out and took our orders.
Chinese Tea
Typically, we all ended up choosing the same thing – Set Menu A (although the Honey Roasted BBQ Pork and Rice nearly swayed me). Set Menu A consisted of Steamed Pork and Prawn Dumpling (2 pcs), Steamed Seafood and Chive Dumpling (2 pcs), Golden Fried Crab Meat Ball (2 pcs), Pan Fried Shanghai Dumpling (2 pcs), Chicken and Sweet Corn Soup, Salad and a Dessert of either Almond Jelly or Coconut Sago (there was only Coconut Sago available). All that for AU$15.00. I had to wait till the food came out but I was pretty damn sure that was a good deal!
Set Menu A – Steamed Prawn and Pork Dumpling (2 pcs), Steamed Seafood and Chive Dumpling (2 pcs), Golden Fried Crab Meat Ball (2 pcs), Pan Fried Shanghai Dumpling (2 pcs), Salad, Chicken and Sweet Corn Soup (AU$15)
Turns out I was right. We didn’t wait long for our meals to make their way from the kitchen to our table but in the mean time we just enjoyed out leafy surroundings. After spending about 5 minutes defending my dumplings from MS’ dredded chopsticks I finally got to have a taste of what was in front of me. According to the article on the window from The Cairns Post all of the Dim Sum is made in house by the chef. The Dumplings and the Crab Meat Ball were super tasty especially dipped into the Chinese Black Vinegar on the side. I wasn’t too sure about the other side sauce that tasted a little like Seafood Sauce and I wasn’t too keen on it. Not to say that it wasn’t good but I was more than happy with my Chinese Black Vinegar to dip my Dumplings into. I particularly liked the Steamed Pork and Prawn Dumpling and the Steamed Seafood and Chive Dumpling because of their soft texture as opposed to the crunchy texture of the fried ones. It’s the soft and juicy dumpling goodness that I love!
Steamed Pork and Prawn Dumpling and Steamed Seafood and Chives Dumpling
The other two were good but just not as good as the steamed ones. My dining companions (MS and KS) appeared to have the opposite opinion and preferred the Golden Fried Crab Meat Ball and the Pan Fried Shanghai Dumpling. Each to their own.
Golden Fried Crab Meat Ball and Pan Fried Shanghai Dumpling
The side salad with lettuce, carrot and cucumber was only small and fairly standard but I have to say the dressing was awesome. Probably just bottled dressing but really good. I ate all of the carrots and cucumber out of my salad plus I snuck some of MS’ while he wasn’t looking. I’m not a big fan of Iceberg Lettuce (ok I just don’t bloody like it, I’m more of a Baby Spinach or Rocket kinda gal) so childishly I left it on the side of my plate.
The Chicken and Sweetcorn Soup was enjoyed by all of us although the other two did add a little bit of salt to theirs but they do tend to add salt to anything that they eat. I didn’t add any seasoning and enjoyed it just the way it was. It was thick, delicious and topped off my meal nicely, or so I thought.
After our meal we were chatting away when the waiter bought out the Coconut Sago desserts that I had somehow forgotten about. I was so excited I nearly fell off my chair. Anyone of my friends or family that knows me well knows that food surprises are my favourite surprises. I truly am a fat person trapped in a little persons body. That Coconut Sago ‘got in my belly’ and lucky for MS and I his dad decided that he had eaten enough prior to the dessert coming out so we finished ours and then shared his. The Sago wasn’t too sweet like many a Sago I have had before but more like Coconut Cream. It was decadent and I have to say the highlight of my meal at Xanadu.
Coconut Sago
At Xanadu On Collins their MSG-less food is memorable (in a good way), the service is attentive but not obstrusive and the atmosphere is Edge Hill’s finest. An online review I read says that Xanadu is too expensive for dinner and it may just well be but since I didn’t go their for dinner nor did I get a chance to read the dinner menu I can only vouch for the value of the lunch menu which by all accounts (the three of us) was excellent value for money. And here I was thinking that Xanadu was just a cringe-worthy 80’s song by Olivia Newton-John.
Xanadu On Collins
120 Collins Ave, Edge Hill QLD 4870
Ph: (07) 4053 7303
Opening Hours: Lunch – Thur & Fri 11.30am – 2.30pm, Sat – Sun 10.30am – 2.30pm, Dinner – 7 days from 5.30pm till 10pm
Website: www.xanaduoncollins.blog.com
Vibe Bar and Lounge, Cairns
Next stop on the Table 52 bandwagon was Vibe Bar and Lounge for lunch last week. I went to Vibe for dinner on a Tuesday night about a year ago when they had their 2-4-1 burger special. Back then their burgers were huge and I’d have to say one of the best in town. At present I can’t comment on the burgers because I haven’t had one since then. Unfortunately they don’t have their 2-4-1 burger specials anymore but according to the waiter that served us last week the ‘powers that be’ at Vibe decided to make their burgers cheaper everyday instead of just on Tuesday’s. Fair enough. So back to my post… When MS and I went to Vibe for lunch last week we were greeted at the counter by the friendly waiter who took our orders. MS went with the 350g Angus Rump Served With Grilled Vegies and Hollandaise for AU$25 while I figured if I was going to have steak I might as well have seafood too so I ordered the Reef and Beef – 250g Scotch Fillet, QLD BBQ King Prawns, Hollandaise Sauce, French Beans and Sweet and Kipfler Potatoes for AU$25. MS ordered his steak to be cooked Medium while I ordered mine Medium Rare. We opted to sit inside but then decided the atmosphere just wasn’t very pleasant (it is a nightclub) so we moved to an outside table where we could people watch and drool over a group of tourists eating bowls of noodles from next doors Pho ‘n Thai while we waited for our meals (just to clear things up we were drooling over the noodles not the tourists).
Our meals were ready pretty quickly and rightfully so since there was only 3 other occupied tables at this time of day. On bringing the meals out the Hollandaise that was so delicately placed on top of MS’ Rump slid off onto the side. The waiter apologised (no bigie, you can’t help sauce sliding off) and offered to bring out some extra Hollandaise to have on the side. Ever the sauce lover MS accepted the waiters apology and the extra sauce. The waiter also advised me that the chef had given me sirloin and not scotch fillet. He said that the sirloin was a leaner cut of meat than the scotch (what was he trying to say?) and he could have it changed if I so wished. I really couldn’t be bothered to wait for another steak to be cooked for me so I told him not to worry about it and stuck with the sirloin. Shame because I do much prefer scotch fillet.
MS’ enjoyed his steak although it was a little overcooked, probably closer to Well Done than Medium but he’s not one to care too much about that, unlike myself. It was a pretty big meal but then again the steak was 350g. The Grilled Vegies that it came with were exactly the same as what my meal came with (Beans, Sweet and Kipfler Potatoes) so pretty much the only difference was the steaks were a different cut and mine had the additional prawns. The Sweet and Kipfler Potatoes were really yummy and the beans were still crunchy (the way they should be).
350g Angus Rump served with Grilled Vegies and Hollandaise (AU$25)
My Reef and Beef came with three decent sized BBQ King Prawns, which I thought was pretty reasonable but I was horrified to find that they hadn’t been deveined. I’m sorry but you just cannot serve prawns that haven’t been deveined!!! Absolutely not! There is no excuse for it and I am sure that I can vouch for pretty much anyone and everyone that eats prawns when I say that I want my prawns to be cleaned when I eat them. I’m still horrified by the whole affair. You might think I’m being a little over the top but like I have said in a previous post my parents have owned a seafood business (not a Fish and Chip shop) for donkey’s years and I kinda know what I’m talking about. Moving on, the Hollandaise Sauce that was served with both of our meals was flavorless. It didn’t have the eggy/lemony taste that I so love about Hollandaise and instead it tasted like nothing. I was pretty disappointed and considered asking for a bottle of BBQ sauce to compensate.
Reef and Beef – 250g Scotch Fillet, QLD BBQ King Prawns, Hollandaise Sauce, French Beans and Sweet and Kipfler Potatoes for AU$25
I’m not trying to rain on Vibe’s parade because I know they have been putting a lot of money into their advertising particularly that of their cheaper meal deals they have throughout the week. Our meal wasn’t the best meal I have ever had nor was it the worst however I would be pretty pissed if I had paid full price for it. They just need to make a few minor changes to things, first and foremost the prawns need to be deveined and they need to change their Hollandaise Sauce recipe. I’ll be returning for a burger but right now I’m just not feeling the vibe at Vibe.
Vibe Bar and Lounge
39 Lake St, Cairns QLD 4870
Ph: (07) 4052 1494
Opening Hours: Mon – Fri from 10.30am, Sat from 12pm, Sun from 5pm
Website: www.vibebarcairns.com
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