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Kanpai, Cairns
If you are looking for a cheap Japanese lunch in town during the week and don’t really feel like the usual Sushi Train then check out Kanpai (means ‘cheers’ in Japanese) on Shields St. They have a $12.90 Eco Lunch special available Monday to Friday with over 10 items on the menu to choose from, including sushi, sashimi and teriyaki chicken.
LL and I walked through the restaurant and took a seat in the alfresco dining area at the rear so we could enjoy the beautiful weather that Cairns has been putting on lately, and also because all the booths inside were full. The waiter poured us a glass of water. I ordered the sushi platter while LL ordered the Teriyaki Don with sushi on the side. We were informed by the waiter that because the restaurant was busy it would take a little bit more time for the sushi platter to be prepared. I asked ‘How long?’ and was told ‘about 20 minutes’. We decided that was ok as we weren’t in a hurry and it was good to be forewarned. However, considering that the lunch specials are only during the week and city workers on their lunch break probably don’t want to be waiting around too long maybe Kanpai should employ some more sushi chefs. LL’s meal came out about 10 minutes before mine did and even though I was told that I was going to have to wait it would have been better if they had bought the meals out together, since LL has little to no manners he had finished his meal before mine had even arrived.
Chicken Teriyaki Don
Having said that when mine finally did arrive with many apologies from the waiter it was delicious, good value for money and also a good size meal for lunchtime.
Sushi and sashimi platter
Again I was met with apologies from the waitress who I gave my $12.90 to at the counter as we left. Kanpai has good, cheap food and friendly service, just don’t go there for lunch on a Friday and expect a quick meal.
Kanpai
64 Shields St, Cairns QLD 4870
Open: Lunch 11.30 – 2pm (Wed-Fri), Dinner 5pm – 11pm (Tues-Sun)
Ph: (07) 4041 6084
Website: http://www.kanpaicairns.com
Lunch Thali’s at Marinades Indian Restaurant, Cairns
With the plethora of Indian Restaurants available to dine at in Cairns its hard to know just which one to go to these days but one that has truly stood the test of time in our grand city is Marinades on Spence St. A few friends and I rocked on into Marinades last Thursday for lunch after a series of ‘blockies’ in an attempt to find a parking spot in the vicinity. It wasn’t even market day! At Marinades the lunch set met is a meat or vegetarian thali. The Vegetarian Thali consists of three vegetarian curries, raita, jasmine rice and dessert for AU$10 while the Meat Thali consists of a meat dish (either lamb or chicken), two vegetable curries, raita, jasmine rice and a dessert all for AU$12. On top of that if you are really hungry you can get the Deluxe Thali and that includes both the chicken and the lamb for AU$16. We each ordered a Meat Thali except for my ‘man-friend’ MS who ordered the Deluxe Thali because, well, he’s a big, hungry man. We also got some naan bread on the side because you just can’t resist the naan bread here it’s so damn good!
Meat Thali with Lamb Curry, Two Vegetable Curries, Raita, Jasmine Rice and Dessert (AU$12)
According to the waitress the curries available in the Thali change daily and on this particular day they were Chicken Korma and Lamb Rogan Josh. Pretty standard curries for this type of dish but then again you don’t want to get too imaginative with diners coming in for the lunch special especially odd people like my man-friend MS who seem to think that all curries have raisins in them. I, for one, am completely horrified by this thought. I ordered the lamb curry which was well, lamb curry but it was pretty good. Call me simple but my favourite dish in the Thali is the raita. I could literally ‘shower in that shit’ it’s so good! Wrapping up, the lunch set menu at Marinades is great value for money, a good size, super tasty and the large table of Indian’s dining next us has got to say something as to the quality of the Indian food here.
Marinades
43 Spence St, Cairns QLD 4870
Ph: (07) 4041 1422
Opening Hours: Tues – Sun 11.30am – 2.30pm, 6pm-10pm (closed Monday’s)
$15 Bento Box @ Hanuman, Hilton Cairns Hotel *CLOSED DOWN*
Another lunch special available in the Cairns CBD during the week is the $15 bento box at Hanuman at the Hilton, overlooking Trinity Inlet. Myself, FW and TT went to check it out last Friday and were pleasantly surprised. The $15 bento box includes rice, salad, two curries and a chutney/sauce. The waiter informed me that the curries change daily so you never know what you are going to get. On this particular day however our’s was a Thai Indian Bento Box with Green Curry of Chicken in a Classic Thai Curry with Sweet Basil, Kaffir Lime Leaf and Chilli, Seasonal Vegetables Steamed and Served with Oyster Sauce, Garlic and Soy, Fresh Green Salad with Cherry Tomatoes and Carrot Ribbons, Mango Pickle with Cumin, Coriander and Mustard Seeds and Jasmine Rice. The Green Curry was absolutely divine, so much in fact I was desperately trying to mop up and leftover sauce with my rice. I also really enjoyed the Seasonal Vegetables as they were fresh, crunchy and dressed in a delicious oyster, garlic and soy sauce. The one thing we all found a little odd was the Fresh Green Salad included in the Bento Box as its not really a Thai Indian type salad and just seemed to be out of place with curries, pickle and veges.
Thai Indian Bento Box with Green Curry of Chicken, Seasonal Vegetables, Fresh Salad, Mango Pickle and Steamed Jasmine Rice
Hanuman is a great place to go mid-week for a cheap, quick and super delicious lunchtime meal in a really beautiful and quiet setting with Trinity Inlet just outside the floor to ceiling windows. If time is limited you can inform the waiter for an extra speedy meal so its perfect for the office execs who just want a quick bight to eat. With the curries on offer changing daily you never really know what you are going to get but in my opinion that sort of adds to the whole appeal of it.
Hanuman
34 The Esplanade, Cairns QLD 4870
Ph: (07) 4052 6786
Opening Hours: Lunch Mon – Fri 12pm – 3pm, Dinner 7 nights 6pm till late
Website: www.hanuman.com.au
Coco’s Restaurant Business Lunch, Cairns
I am currently attempting to trawl through the enormous amount of lunch specials that are on offer in Cairns during the week. Coco’s Restaurant at The Sebel (formerly the Cairns International Hotel) is one of those places, offering a three course lunch with a glass of wine for a mere $30 a head. Sounds too good to be true! I have dined at the Sebel many times over the years usually for their highly regarded Sunday Brunch, which is said to be one of the best in town. We chose The Sebel because it was pretty windy and cold outside so we went for a nice indoor setting and Coco’s Restaurant certainly provides that. We were greeted by a waitress who ushered us to our seats, right next to a couple dining in the restaurant. Since there was only four tables of two occupying the restaurant I thought it was bit strange to seat us all on top of each other. Maybe she was trying to plan ahead for the rush of people at lunch time? Alas, this was the not the case as no one else turned up.
The waitress handed us our menus and poured us a glass of water and a glass of Goodwyn Semillion Sauvignon Blanc. The wine wasn’t very nice but then again I’m not a big fan of semillion at the best of times. FW and I perused the menu and made a selection from three entrees, three mains and three desserts. We both commented that the menu was a little bit heavy for lunch especially one termed the “Business Lunch” with the assumption being that those business and executive types can come and have a three course lunch and go back and not fall asleep at their desk with a ridiculously full stomach. Still, we didn’t have to go to work after. For entree FW ordered the Sweet Potato, Kessler Bacon Arancini and Tomato Salsa with Rocket and Parmesan Salad. It looked delicious when it came out and FW said it was ‘nice’ and that’s all well and good but it seems that the chef forgot to put the tomato salsa on the plate.
Sweet Potato, Kessler Bacon Arancini and Tomato Salsa with Rocket and Parmesan Salad
I ordered the Tempura Soft Shell Crab with Fennel and Citrus Salad and Smoked Paprika Aioli. The crab was nice and crispy and it was delicious. I asked the waitress if she could find out where the crab was from and she looked at me like I was from another planet, tottered off into the kitchen and came back and said she couldn’t find the chef. Bit strange considering he was supposed to be in there preparing our mains. The fennel salad was tasty but consisted mostly of very woody endive leaves that I found difficult to eat. I would have preferred if it was just fennel and citrus as stated on the menu.
Tempura Soft Shell Crab with Fennel and Citrus Salad and Smoked Paprika Aioli
For main FW ordered the Vegetable and Tofu Spring Roll with Baby Bok Choy, Peanut Sauce and Steamed Rice. It seems the presentation for the meal took more effort than the actual preparation of the meal because the spring rolls certainly looked appetising but FW claimed they tasted horrible and ended up only eating the bok choy and the rice and leaving the spring rolls on the side.
Vegetable and Tofu Spring Roll with Baby Bok Choy, Peanut Sauce and Steamed Rice
For my main I ordered the Braised Lamb Shanks with Garlic Mash, Root Vegetables and Shiraz Jus. The entire meal was delicious and the mash was nice and creamy, the lamb shanks were just a little bit tough and didn’t quite fall off the bone. A little bit heavy for lunch but like I said I wasn’t working after our meal so no skin off my nose.
Braised Lamb Shanks with Garlic Mash, Root Vegetables and Shiraz Jus
Now last but not least were the desserts, FW ordered the House Brie, Walnut Bread, Apple and Drunken Muscatel. This was by far her favourite dish of the three, it was simple yet effective (and yummy too). FW said she would have preferred more walnut bread as opposed to the assortment of water crackers but then anything with brie in it usually has FW’s seal of approval.
House Brie, Walnut Bread, Apple and Drunken Muscatel
I chose the old favourite Sticky Date Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. You really can’t go wrong with sticky date pudding. It was light and fluffy and there was a plethora of butterscotch sauce to mop it up with. Yum!
Sticky date pudding with butterscotch sauce and vanilla bean ice cream
Business lunch at Coco’s Restaurant, would I go there again? Probably not, no. The food wasn’t very exciting nor special, with the desserts being the highlight of the three courses. The choices on the menu for the three courses could have been a bit more imaginative and also a bit lighter and on top of that the waitress was extremely disinterested but maybe she was just having a bad day. Sunday brunch at Coco’s Restaurant is pretty spectacular (for Cairns anyway) but the business lunch during the week is no more than mediocre at best.
Coco’s Restaurant
The Sebel 17 Abbott St, Cairns
Ph: 1800 079 100
Website: www.sebelcairns.com.au
Opening Hours: 11.30am till 4pm daily
Ganbaranba Noodle Colosseum, Cairns
One of Cairns’ hidden gems is the authentic and super cute Japanese noodle restaurant on Spence Street, Ganbaranba Noodle Colosseum. It’s a little hole in the wall place that is almost too easy to walk straight past and when you ask somene if they have been to the Noodle Colosseum and they haven’t they look at you like you have gone mad. I took SF and MF to Ganbaranba one Tuesday night and when we arrived there was the typical fare of Japanese and locals ‘in the know’. When you step inside you almost feel like you are in Japan. All the staff here are very friendly and when you walk in you are greeted in unison with the usual cheery ‘Irasshaimase’ by the chefs behind the noodle bar while the equally cheery waitress greets you and asks you where you would like to sit. We took our seats and browsed over the menu’s while our waitress poured us some glasses of ice cold Oolong tea.
To start we ordered some of the very tasty gyoza that Ganbaranba followers rave about. They are made fresh daily too! The gyoza came out quickly and steaming hot but since we ordered two lots of five (AU$4 for 5) we had to decide who got the extra one. I got it. We all commented on how good they were and SF reckoned she could eat 80 of them she liked them that much.
Gyoza made fresh daily (AU$4 for 5)
While waiting for your mains you can help yourself to the Homemade Mustard Leaf Pickle, Pickled Ginger and Pickled Bean Sprouts next to the noodle bar. I think these are condiments that are actually supposed to go in your noodles but I can’t help but eat them while I am waiting for my noodles since they are pretty damn tasty.
Homemade Mustard Leaf Pickle and Pickled Ginger
The noodles can be ordered three different ways: soft, medium or hard, which assumedly refers to the cooking times. I always order them medium but to tell you the truth I probably wouldn’t know the difference either way. Opting for something different and a bit more adventurous to my usual choice I ordered the Yusen described as Sio Ramen in Seafood and Vegetable Based Soup with Milk and Cheese Flavour with House Made Salmon Flakes (AU$11.80) from the Season Special menu.
Yusen: Sio Ramen in Seafood and Vegetable Based Soup with Milk and Cheese Flavour with House Made Salmon Flakes (AU$11.80)
Milk and cheese flavours in a bowl of Asian noodles, well any old noodles for that matter, was a bit different but like I said I was being adventurous. The salmon flakes went well with the dish and I ordered an extra spoon of chilli for AU$0.50 to add to my bowl of noodles.
House Made Salmon Flakes
MW ordered the Ikemen which is Tonkotsu with a hint of Delicious Crushed Garlic, Special Garlic Oil, Egg and BBQ Pork (AU$11.80). He seemed to be a bit concerned about it since the only noodles that he eats are the Cup of Noodle kind, we can’t all be adventurous with eating out like me but I get the feeling he may have preferred macca’s.
Ikemen: Tonkotsu with a hint of Delicious Crushed Garlic, Special Garlic Oil, Egg and BBQ Pork (AU$11.80)
SF ordered the Kurobama which is Tonkotsu with Special Garlic Oil infused for over two hours (AU$8.90) with extra noodles on the side. After a sideways glance from me she wondered if she should have done that as the noodle bowls are pretty filling with the broth. She could barely eat her extra noodles so lucky MW had brought his appetite with him. We all enjoyed our noodles and with SF declaring she would definitely be back.
Kurobama: Tonkotsu with Special Garlic Oil infused for over two hours (AU$8.90)
Ganbaranba Noodle Colosseum is a great place to dine when you are looking for somewhere quaint and unassuming. The noodles are cheap (all bowls under AU$12), the staff are friendly, the service is good and the noodles are tasty. What more could you want? If you haven’t been down to the Noodle Colosseum on Spence St yet I suggest you get your butt down there quick smart to see what you are missing out on.
Ganbaranba Noodle Colosseum
12-20 Spence St, Cairns
Ph: (07) 4031 2522
Opening Hours: Everyday from 11.30am till 10pm
Mama Coco, Westcourt
If you are looking for somewhere nice to go for a quick, light and healthy lunch then Mama Coco on the corner of Mulgrave Rd and Aumuller St is a good place to check out. Located next to the butcher’s Mama Coco is a cosy little cafe that my friend HH introduced me to a few months ago. They do both breakfast and lunch and are open Monday to Saturday.
So I haven’t tried the breakfast menu yet but I will certainly get to it because if there lunches are anything to go by then theirbreakfasts should be pretty good. Their lunch menu is made up of 10 different types of sandwiches all under $15 and you can choose from ciabatta, foccacia, white, wholemeal, multigrain or a wrap. There is also 6 different types of salads to choose from on the menu as well as a few things to choose from in the cabinet next to the counter such as quiche or a tart and a delicious selection of cakes and muffins.
BLT
LL ordered the BLT while I ordered the Rocket and Parmasen Salad avec Pear, Parsley, Artichoke and Balsamic Reduction (I put a hold on the parsley because I find its too overpowering) and a Cappucino. The service was friendly but the waitress forgot to bring over a glass with ice for LL’s coke that he had requested and then she took my cappucino to the wrong table even though she had only just served me a couple of minutes ago. Oh well maybe she had a big weekend or had something on her mind? The coffee was pretty good however and we only waited about 10 minutes for our food to come out. LL reckons that his BLT was really good and he was happy that they weren’t stingy on the bacon. My other friend HH reckons their Steak Sandwich is a winner also. My salad was delicious and the ingredients went really well together especially the shaved parmesan and the thin slices of pear. YUM! It’s making me hungry just thinking about it.
Rocket and Parmasen Salad (AU$12)
When we were finished the waitress cleared our plates and replaced them with a litte dish with two little Apricot and Almond mini muffins for us to try. They were freshly baked that day and sooooo yummy!
Apricot and Almond Mini Muffins (AU$1.50)
Mama Coco, it’s great, check it out.
Mama Coco:
Shop 4, 196 Mulgrave Road Westcourt QLD 4870
Ph: (07) 40521227
Website: www.mamacoco.com.au
The Raw Prawn, Cairns
Oh how I love my lunches in town on the weekends and again I thought I would take advantage of another one of the lunch specials going in the city but this time at The Raw Prawn on the esplanade. The Raw Prawn is a local seafood restaurant situated in a great spot on the esplanade that has been open for over 10 years. I have been here for lunch a few times and always enjoyed it. There is $22.50 lunch specials which includes two courses plus a glass of wine, beer or soft drink. There is also a $14.90 lunch special which is just for a main but my friends and I opted for the more expensive one ordering an entree and a main along with a couple of glasses of white wine and a beer. There are 9 entrees to choose from, 10 mains and 3 desserts. Again, its not all just seafood and there is a couple of non-seafood dishes for the non-seafood lover. AL ordered the Soft Shell Crab with Crisp Garlic Flakes and Sweet Chilli on a Thai Salad for entree and for a main he ordered the Chicken Pasta thigh pieces tossed with garlic and olive oil, since he isn’t that much of a seafood lover.
- Soft Shell Crab with Crisp Garlic Flakes and Sweet Chilli on a Thai Salad
LL went for the Natural Oysters for entree and the Pacific Fusion Reef Fish, Prawns, Calamari and Mussels poached in coconut basil sauce with rice and bok choy for main.
Natural Oysters with Cocktail Sauce
I order the Mussels in homestyle napoli sauce for entree and Tempura Prawns with salad and chips for main (I tend to get these everytime I come here because the prawns are pretty good).
Mussels in Homestyle Napoli Sauce
I asked the waiter if the seafood was local and he assured me that the mussels and the oysters were from Tasmania. We didn’t wait very long for our entrees to come out and they all came out at once which is always a good start. All the servings were of a good size for an entree and we were all very happy with them. The mussels weren’t very big but apparently its hard to find big mussels these days. The soft shell crab was crispy and the oysters were juicy. Next up our mains came out, again all at once and we only waited about 10 minutes. My prawns were big and the tempura was extra crunchy just the way it should bewhile AL seemed pretty pleased with his pasta, so much so that he hooked into it before I got a chance to take a photo of it.
Tempura Prawns with Chips and Salad
LL said that his Pacific Fish was really good but he got a bit of food envy when he saw my main. The only problem with Luke’s dish is that the prawns were small and imported which was a little strange considering that my prawns were big and local. A little disappointing but he didn’t mind too much.
Pacific Fusion Reef Fish, Prawns, Calamari and Mussels poached in coconut basil sauce with rice and bok choy
The Raw Prawn = good atmosphere, good service, great price. I’ll be back.
The Raw Prawn
101 Esplanade, Cairns QLD 4870
Ph: (07) 40 315400
Website: www.rawprawnrestaurant.com.au
Splash Seafood Restaurant, Cairns
Today my mate LL and I decided to take advantage of some of the many lunch specials that are available in Cairns. We ended up at local seafood restaurant Splash, located on the esplanade just down from Barnacle Bills and Villa Romana. For $14.90 you can choose from 7 lunch specials which change regularly. There is even a couple of dishes on the menu entice the non-seafood lover however being avid seafood lovers LL and I opted for a seafood dish each. Luke, being a typical male, ordered the Fish and Chips. The fish was lightly battered coral sea bream direct from the restaurants own fishing vessel (very impressive) with Beer Battered fries and tartare sauce.
Lightly battered coral sea bream with Beer Battered fries and tartare sauce.
I ordered the Chilli Squid and Cucumber Salad with Spanish Onions, Shallots, Mesculin and Passionfruit Dressing. On ordering I asked the waitress if the squid was imported and I was assured that it wasn’t however I wasn’t entirely convinced with her assurance, she seemed a bit unsure.
Chilli Squid and Cucumber Salad with Spanish Onions, Shallots, Mesculin and Passionfruit Dressing
Splash has great atmosphere and it was a beautiful day to enjoy a bit of lunch on the esplanade. One of the things that I think is pretty cool about Splash is the Australian Charts that are laminated to the table tops. Its something different and gives you something to look at and point to while you are waiting for your food to arrive. We didn’t wait long for our mains at all, probably only about 10-15 minutes which was good. My salad was very eye-catching with the passionfruit dressing drizzled around the plate and it tasted pretty good too. The squid was cooked nicely and the serving size was just right. LL’s Fish and Chips was a good size and the fish pieces looked, well just as the menu said ‘lightly battered’ but delicious also. The chips were crunchy and he seemed pretty satisfied by the end of it. Delicious lunch at Splash! I’ll be back for sure.
Splash
103 Esplanade Cairns QLD 4870
Ph: (07) 40 319300
M Yogo, Cairns
My friends and I thought we would make the most of the weather that Cairns has been having so we went for a bit of waterfront atmosphere with our lunch on Saturday. We ended up at the Pier at M Yogo, formerly Mature Yogo (I much prefer the new name). They have a lunch special for $20 which includes garlic bread, a glass of beer, wine or softdrink or instead soup of the day and a main. Pretty damn good value I think! I decided on the soup of the day which was Cauliflower Soup instead of the drink while my friends opted for the drink. Boy were they bummed when my soup came out and they were sitting there sipping on their soft drinks 🙂 First we had the garlic bread and then my soup came out. The soup was rich and creamy and just the right size. Then came our mains… I ordered Sauteed Prawns with Balsamic Sauce and Potato Salad (left). I was a bit sad be
cause I was truly intent on ordering the Slow Cooked Duck in Red Wine and Seasonal Vegetables but the waiter informed us that it wasn’t on the menu that day so I was severely disappointed about that but I soldiered on. Moving right along, Sophie ordered the Tiger Prawn, Marinated Salmon and Squid on a bed of Green Salad with a fresh Tomato Dressing and Luke ordered Grilled Salad and Squid Provencal Sauce with Crush Potato and Mesculin Lettuce. We were all pretty satisfied with our dishes and the presentation was fantastic. So after a bit of a food photo session we dug in and it was delicious. The prawns were cooked perfectly (as you would expect prawns to be at a restaurant) but my favourite was the Balsamic Sauce around the edge. It was truly delicious, fantastic value, awesome atmosphere and I think the pics speak for themselves!
M Yogo
Shop G9 Ground Floor “Pier Shopping”
Pier Point Road, Cairns QLD 4870
Ph: (07) 4051 0522
Website: matureyogo.com
Opening Hours: Open 7 days; Lunch: 11.30am – 2.00pm, Dinner: from 5.30pm
Ocha Cha, Cairns
Last night I went to dinner at one of my old favourites in the city… Japanese restaurant Ocha Cha in Palm Court on Lake St. This place has been here for at least 10 years because I used to go to it with my family every Friday night. I took my friend LL who had never been before and didn’t even know that it existed. Since Blue Sky Brewery moved in down below it, Ocha Cha is quite tucked away and only those in the know would even know that its up there. As usual the girl at the counter (seems to change every few months) knows very little or no English at all but you can still get by with a bit of pointing and the good old ‘smile and nod’. It was actually quite empty for a Tuesday night since I regularly find it packed to the brim during the week with Japanese as well as locals.
I do have to say it is one of the most authentic Japanese places in town offering Bento Boxes and Noodles at very reasonable prices and if you have a local’s discount card like I do then they are even more reasonable. I went with my old favourite Chicken Teriyaki because it really is very good here while LL went for the Deep Fried Pork Fillet. With both of the dishes you get tofu, miso, rice and your main but I always get the Vinaigrette Seaweed on the side because its just so damn tasty! And you can’t beat the Barley Tea there also served in those little blue plastic cups and then you can take a seat on the elevated floor area around the tables and wait for your Bento Box to arrive. Don’t forget your second bowl of rice is free too! I can never help myself with that second bowl…
foodvixen 