We saved the best till last. Montrachet on Given Terrace in Brisbane was our favourite meal by far. From the decor to the waiter you could have been in Paris, everything was so French. On the last day of our trip we spent a long lunch here with our friends R & S before checking in for our flight home. We've all be raving about it ever since. Here's what I ordered for lunch.
Foie Gras de Canard à la Compote de Poire
Duck foie gras served with fresh pear compote and toasted baguette
Bouillabaisse
Reef fish, Queensland scallops, fresh green
prawns and Moreton Bay bugs served in a rich seafood broth with aioli
and garlic French toast
Touree De L’Aubier
(Normandy, France) This is a washed rind
cows’ milk cheese,surface ripened and also known as the “woodcutter’s
cheese”. It has a distinctive thin layer of spruce bark surrounding the
outer rim. and a soft texture which is surprisingly mild, sweet and
creamy with just a hint of pine. washing, mouldy cellars and farmyards.
Back in Auckland and it is cold and raining the warm Brisbane weather is now just a memory. Our holiday started in the best possible way with a room upgrade at Rydges on Southbank . We didn't spend much time in our extra large room but when we did we would sit on the balcony and enjoy the spectacular city and river views. Little Stanley Street became our kitchen away from home as there were plenty of eating choices.
The Satay Hut was our favourite and we dined there more than once.
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While in Brisbane I phoned the The Old Foodie from a bar and it happened to be across the road from her apartment so she joined us for a drink. We spent the afternoon chatting with Janet and enjoyed more views of the river from her gorgeous apartment. Knowing how much I love great cheese she served the first of my many Roquefort experiences on this trip. We even cut the cheese with a special cheese knife Janet purchased in Roquefort. There is a silly reason that doesn't allow it to be sold in New Zealand. I purchased it several times and for anyone interested it sells for $95 a kilo. Around $18 will get you a decent serve for 4 - 6 people. Depends how greedy you are!
On to Noosa via Maleny and the Glass House Mountains and 5 days of beaches, sunsets, wine, food and friends.
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...and here's where we dined in Noosa....
Season - we were so tired after the drive we popped in here for a quick meal on our first night after Jules said it was her favourite Noosa restaurant. The BBQ prawns, spiced tomato risotto, preserved lemon and chili was just enough after a long day.
Berardos - an enjoyable meal spoilt only by the waiter who had no idea how to wait. He interrupted our friends story by saying "I must tell you the specials, they are much more important than all this talk". I had a simple Scotch fillet with mushrooms and red wine sauce here as the rest of the table had chosen all the interesting dishes and we all tried to eat something different. My dessert of Quince and pistachio halva made up for having the ordinary main.
HUMiD - we all agreed this was our best meal in Noosa. Our only complaint is the restaurant is very noisy despite it being small with only 12 tables. I had the Crispy skin confit of duck, roasted pumpkin puree, caramelised beetroot with balsamic glaze. And for dessert Sticky date and chocolate pudding served with butterscotch sauce and Gippsland double cream. Gorgeous and so rich I couldn't eat it all.
At the apartment we lunched on the patio with supplies from the Eumundi Markets .
Saturday and back down to Brisbane for drinks and a quick steak at the famous Breakfast Creek Hotel before heading out to the Brisbane Entertainment Centre to see Hugh star in The Boy From Oz. There was some discussion with friends later about the way the song I Still Call Australia Home was presented. Did it border on nationalism or was it patriotism? I loved the way it was presented with the choir and flag.
Finally we spent our last few days with our very good friends R & S on the Gold Coast. Excellent weather and we did mostly picnic lunches and dinners at home. No trip to the Gold Coast is complete without driving over the border into New South Wales and a drink at the Byron Bay Beach Hotel. We stopped off there after a visit to the pretty town of Bangalow and lunch at Utopia . I'd drive there again just for the mussels....and I was so hungry after the drive I forgot to take a photo. But heres a photo of the bread and dips.....
....and the rocky road
A couple of other little finds were La Riviera Patisserie in Noosaville
and Absynthe Bakery in Surfers Paradise
Back home and I'm sure my clothes have shrunk in the wash.
