Discovered this place a few months ago and went again yesterday…read more They have an excellent homemade fig loaf served with maple butter!! Very decadent and can even be shared if you aren't feeling too greedy. The coffee is yummy and service is excellent. The moment you signal that you're ready to order (sailing a little flag on the boat which decorates the table) the waiters swoop in. It's nice because you aren't heckled or bothered like in the USA. When you are ready to order, the mast goes up and the service comes running. The restaurant is pretty loud because of the concrete floors, so I try to avoid it on the weekends or grab a table outside if at all possible. The gyros are delicious, I recommend the chicken and the vegetarian. Cheap, generous and tasty- Mediterranean done well.

Ambrosia & Co is a bit of an oasis on busy Oxford Street. This Mediterranean cafe-come bar-come…read moregrill has a minimalist aesthetic of whites and powder blues with distinctly nautical leanings that calms the soul. We visited early one weekday morning for a lazy breakfast at the new kid on the block. I selected from a large menu which unfortunately didn't identify which dishes were gluten free. The staff were very happy to help however, and advised all of the breads could be substituted with gluten free versions so I could satisfy my toasted sandwich cravings. I opted for the Truffled Cheese Toastie with gruyere cheese and truffled salsa. It was presented on a wooden board with fresh greens and red onion to help liven it up. My beverage was aptly named "Sunshine" and contained a mixture of pineapple, orange, apple and strawberry. All up I paid $22.50 for my breakfast and was happy with the serving size and quality of everything. It was fairly quiet at that point with most of Bulimba at work, but I can imagine it getting busier on weekends or Friday afternoons for after-work drinks and food. My toastie was golden and crunchy and the truffle filling was gorgeously decadent when paired with the copious amounts of gruyere. Surprisingly I ate all of the greens and found they helped avoid getting overwhelmed with the big flavours on my plate. The juice was fresh with just the right balance between the fruits and was definitely filling for what I paid. Service was friendly and accommodating and the food arrived quickly. As we were paying our bill I noticed an array of baked goods in the front cabinet with some interesting looking gluten-free options. I think I can see at least one other visit to Ambrosia & Co in my future..

If you want a simple lunch that is quick and easy, you can't go past a cheese and tomato toasted…read moresandwich at Saks. Quick, simple, cheap and yummy!

This little deli is located in Post Office Square, much too close to my office to keep me away! I'm…read morehere two or three times a week grabbing breakfast or morning tea and the lovely barista always remembers my order. It can get a little busy at times (which is testament to the quality of the place!) but the staff are friendly, the coffees great and the toasted banana bread is to die for - it's best to just buy one piece and get far away as quickly as you can so you're not tempted to get more. They also have great "gourmet" sandwiches and wraps for a decent price right in the CBD.

Fish Kitchen is located in Centro Toombul shopping centre near Billy Baxters. There's indoor and…read moreoutdoor seating and a wide range of afford fish and chips and other main meal options. They also do breakfast every day and there's no fish to be seen on the breakfast menu. They are only open for dinners on Thursday and Friday nights, the rest of the week they are only open til 5:30pm. Most of the meals are under $15, and they have a lot of options for about $10 including a Steak Sandwich ($10.95), Grilled Chicken Burger ($10.95), Fisherman's Basket ($11.95) and of course: Cod, Chips and Salad for only $9.95! It's counter service and also says it's BYO.

Wow, a great fresh lunch for under $10! I was almost put off by the name, but I'm glad I checked it…read moreout anyway. There was a "specials" board out the front, and right at the top was "fish & chips $7.95, with salad $9.95". Check out the pic of my plate! How good is that? A big fat piece of fish (cod I think, crumbed, battered or grilled to order), traditional thick-cut chips, and a whole lot of fresh greens, tomato, cucumber, red onion and some string carrot on top. And to think I almost gave in to a plate of dodgy bain-marie sludge down at the food court. I noticed quite a few single diners like myself ordering the same, and one old dear chatted to me about how good the food is here, so I'm not the only one impressed. The coffee looked pretty good too, I wish I had room for a coffee and cookie deal ($5.95), but that will have to wait until next time.

Growing up in St. Lucia, Amphora was my local restaurant and a favourite with my family. It's been…read morearound for years and is the closest thing we have to fine dining in an area heavily populated with students and cheap eats. It's situated on Hawken Drive near Ironside State School, away from the main area of Hawken Dr shops, in a small group of shops including a bottle shop which is handy given that Amphora is BYO. Amphora is a family-run Greek restaurant which you can count on to always get reasonably priced meals which are consistently good. The menu has had a few minor changes over the years but has generally stayed the same, with a few favourites even making a comeback. The must-order dish is the Mezze platter. Unless there are only a few of you and you want to try other menu items, get the large one ($35). It includes a large selection of delicious things including meatballs, dolmathes, calamari, whiting, grilled and raw vegetables, feta, spinach filo pastries and a selection of dips with amazing soft bread. Then there are a selection of entrees with the $16-18 range. My favourite is the Ouzo Prawns which comes with several large prawns lightly pan fried in a delicious tomato-based ouzo sauce, served on saffron rice and with feta ($18). It's delicious and a is a really generous serving for an entree. You can also get the lightly fried calamari from the mezze platter as a separate serve and it comes with the most delicious tomato, garlic and onion sauce ($16). Mains range from $30-35 and include a small selection of meat, fish and vegetarian dishes including my personal favourite, the half-duckling glazed with berry sauce and served on a sweet potato rosti and with sugar snap peas ($35). There are some sides available too but I've never ordered them. There is also always a specials board which regularly includes traditional Greek dishes such as moussaka. The dessert menu includes a trio of sorbets and traditional Greek sweets such as baklava and galaktoboureko and few others such as bread and butter pudding. I'm generally too full by then to contemplate dessert but luckily to sate my sweet tooth, the bill tends to come out with a few pieces of yummy Turkish delight. Amphora isn't super fancy but it does do great, delicious food and you will feel comfortable there. It's not a large restaurant and is busy all nights of the week so make sure you make a booking. However if you don't get a table and are craving their food, they do takeaway! Meals aren't particularly quick however so don't go there expecting a quick meal. And it can get noisy on busy nights - generally the weekend. They're also closed on Sunday and Monday nights and generally for all of January each year. However, this little things that you might find annoying are completely worth it - I never come away from Amphora dissatisfied!

This is an update of Amphora. This has been one of my favorite restaurants, visiting it every time…read moreI visit Brisbane. I am happy to say that they have improved since I last visited. This time we tried the ever popular duckling and had the snapper and eye fillet. Dessert was chocolate tart, coffee Panna Cotta and passion fruit sponge. Their duckling is still excellent and highly recommended. We got their last 2 portions. Likewise their snapper was very good. The eye fillet was uneven. We ordered it medium rare, but it came out medium. Also the sides were unevenly cooked, with one side more cooked than the other. Nonetheless the meat was extremely tender and the sauce was great. Pity attention to detail could have improved the dish. From last time we decided to avoid the desserts previously ordered but had little confidence. What a surprise. All the deserts were excellent. I may retry the previous deserts next time. This remains a highly recommended restaurant. Now if only they can dot the i and cross the tees.

Being novices to Makanan me and my dining companions were a…read morebit reluctant to cross this sequinned threshold. Thankfully a quick look at the dishes being bought out and hearing owners amazing ocker accent had us all clambering to our seats in no time. This place had the most amazing Indo-Malay food around. I really recommend trying the heavenly vegetarian laksa, steamed dim-sims or the delectable ikan kari (Fish curry) ( also REALLY specify if you can not handle your chilli, as the dishes here can get spicy for wet blankets like me.) Friendly, relaxed atmosphere, incredibly good service AND a kick ass keyboardist playing star wars. Makanan is a definite must-do in Brisbane.

For a most devout lover of Indonesian cuisine to suddenly, at the age of 25, become allergic to…read moreseafood, is a sure sign from the gods that I've committed some unforgivable cosmic crime. I didn't take news of my new culinary limitations too kindly. I refused to accept that I couldn't eat Indonesian anymore. I mustered up the courage to go to my local Indonesian haunt, Makanan Indonesia, and be a total pain in the arse and ask annoying questions about ingredients and such. When I got there, the lady at the counter had her head down playing a game on her phone. Despite my efforts to grab her attention, she just ignored me. Just as I went to leave she jumped back, with heart on her chest, and put her hand out to my arm to stop me. Through a laughing mouth she explained that she just wasn't with it that day. I'd like to disagree. Despite this initial stumble, this lady turned out to be one of the most helpful people I've met in a hospitality setting to this day. I explained my sea-tardation, and asked her if she could point out foods that wouldn't render me ill. There was a lot of umm-ing and ahh-ing, laughing, and then a "I'll be back". She took a menu and went to talk to one of the chefs. It came back with three options. She'd crossed out Beef Rendang (even though I can usually eat it) because she didn't know who'd made the batch for that night, and she didn't want to take chances. I appreciated her caution. I casually asked her if I could go to Indonesia and not risk my life by the simple act of eating. "No." She then asked me specific questions about my allergy and wrote in Bahasa Indonesian something that essentially read "I cannot eat any seafood at all. No fish sauce and no shrimp sauce please". She gave this to me and hoped it would help keep me out of trouble if ever I decided to go there. I can't really put a price on the warmth of the service the lady gave me that night. The food is delicious and well priced. I'd suggest dining in too. The place has something of an odd eighties, kooky, tropical paradise vibe, and there's a man who plays songs on his old school casio keyboard while you feast.

This place is awesome! Big servings! The meat pie is a must! Go for a chunkie cheesy meatpie. It…read morewas amazing qnd it tasted really good even when we were already full. The place is nice, a good place to hang out with family and just relax. Great vintage settings!

The perfect place to stop on a country drive. You can sit inside and have a cuppa and a little…read moretreat, or you can duck into the bakery and grab something warm and fresh to take home. The service is friendly and the baked goods are AMAZING! I had the custard filled donut looking thing, I can't remember what it is called, buit it was made of chioux pastry and was topped in a yummy icing and filled with a delicious and creamy custard. The coffee was well made, a perfect chaser for my wicked custard delight. The decor is fitting for an old country bakery, fitted out like a rustic old shed filled with rusty tools and country looking stuff and stuff. I am looking forward to more country drives back to Fernvale just to get my fill of naughty custards delights and good old fashion hospitality.

great food homely, and taste DeVine friendly staff and efficient and cant beat the view as o the…read moreone star he needed more caffeine that day thankyou to the staff.

Fantastic view over Samford Valley, the northern burbs, and out to Moreton Bay from the deck and…read morefrom several tables inside. On weekends they are of course quite very busy and at times the place appears a bit understaffed. As a result, there is a bit of haste in everything from taking to delivering orders. Fortunately, food comes out reasonably timely. Our food (lunch) wasn't particularly memorable, but boy, that view! I bet this place is better for brekky, coffee & cake, or morning tea.

Lured in by the promise of Giancarlo coffee (one of my favoured roasters) I stopped here for a…read morecoffee on a rainy January afternoon recently. I was very quickly and efficiently seated by an athletic looking waitress in trainers who quickly ascertained my order before jogging off to have it made. She came back in record time with my long black and a bottle of water randed with the company's name and logo. I was pretty sure I heard her say it was 'complimentary' but was reticent at first to crack the lid, not knowing what sort of charge I might incur. The coffee was quite good -- complex and flavoursome without bitterness -- but it was making me a little thirsty for some palate-cleansing H20, so I opened the bottle. On paying I cleared the matter up. Turns out the water is free, but the coffee was $4, which kind of makes the deal seem a little less good value to me.

After a very long Sunday, with no food in our bellies, my husband and I dropped into 63 Racecourse…read moreRd for some lunch. It was late afternoon around 3.00pm and a lot of the other restaurants and cafes in the area had closed up after lunch hours. Seated at our table the bubbly waitress presented us each with a complimentary Heineken (yippee). Feeling quite relaxed (but extremely hungry) we perused the pretty little leather menus and made our selections. I ordered 'The Dark Side' which was the only vegetarian option on the menu, a lightly floured bread roll topped with avocado, greens and grilled portobello mushrooms with a side salad ($18). My husband ordered the salt and pepper calamari ($22). It didn't take long for our meals to arrive and we eagerly tucked in. Good food, not amazing, but nice. Probably a little overpriced, but I guess that is how they afford to treat their customers with free beers - so I'm not complaining.