Bamboo Basket

How quickly time flies - 3 months have gone past, and one of our team members is leaving.   With the night being stormy and wet - we decided to stay local and try out an Asian restaurant in Southbank.

I was quite surprised that the restaurant was packed - especially on a week night, and because it was so wet!   I did however have high hopes for the food, with mixed results.

We started off with a Chive and Egg crispy flatbread which was good.   I prefer mine a bit more crispy, but we did enjoy the fluffiness of the egg and pastry.

Next, we had some Shanghai dumplings - which were amazing.   The soup was really delicious, and they were cooked to perfection.

For mains, MVL had the Budda's Noodles - which were a tasty concoction of vegetables in a fragrant broth.   He rated the restaurant 9/10.

The rest of us shared a pork belly dish with multi-grain man tao.   I was really impressed with the bun, as it was light and delicious!  I usually don't like man tao.

We also shared a beef noodle soup - which was so-so.

And finally, 2 courses of peking duck.  

The Peking Duck pancakes consisted of a good duck - which was crispy, but the cucumber and shallots were sliced too thinly and a very meagre.  

The San Choi Bao was disappointing, as it had a slightly burnt flavour throughout the filling.

All in all, John - 8/10, Gary - 8/10, Cindy - 6/10

Bamboo Basket is at 189 Grey St, Southbank

Tides Waterfront Dining

After an easy Sunday morning cruise up to the Sunshine Coast, we were getting hungry.   In the mood for some fine food, in a casual yet elegant setting, Tides Waterfront Dining was perfect.

Timing is everything, and we were able to take advantage of the $29 lunch special.





For entree, we had some lovely warm toasted turkish bread with evvo and aged balsamic vinegar.   9/10 - crusty, warm and tasty!   We then had a choice of mains.

Mal chose the rump steak with truffle mash, steamed beans and red wine jus.  (perfectly cooked and melt in the mouth) 9/10

Whilst I had the Panko crusted prawns with cucumber and radish salad.   (great flavours, though I thought the portion was a bit small) 6/10

Next, Mal enjoyed a belgium brownie, with persian fairy floss and vanilla ice cream for dessert. 7/10

But my favourite dish of the day was definitely my delicious chocolate pannacotta (with tiny chocolate flakes in it), strawberry sorbet and strawberry and pistachio salsa.   Everything went together perfectly, and I had to stop myself from licking the plate.  I'd probably go back just for dessert! 10/10

We finished off with a coffee, and if we were in the region again, I wouldn't hesitate going back.

Tides Waterfront Dining is Upstairs @ cne Minchinton St and The Esplanade Caloundra