Edamame - more than just soybeans

Another entry from the archives... within a week of hearing about this newly opened eatery, I found myself eating there on consecutive days. The first was more or less planned, the second because I was following a group. It's a nice setup with a bit more character than the other Japanese place along this stretch, and should do good trade amongst the uni student crowd unless they shy from the price tags and opt for cheaper offerings. Shot on right is from second visit - fellow diners sitting on the bench seats outside waiting for the shop to open for lunch.

Address: Shop 2, 224 Hawken Drive, St Lucia
Phone: 3876 0060
Parking: Limited spaces behind/under building, otherwise on street

Photos below are combined from my two visits in August 2006.

Inside view. The majority of seats are outside (covered).


Karaage (deep fried) chicken


Can't remember... it's what I ate for dinner on my first visit.


Yakitori platter (yakitori, negima, tsukune, kushikatsu). $7.40 per person, min 2 people.


Gyoza - pan fried dumplings filled with prawns and vegetables


Mochi with hot sweet red bean soup. $5.90


Apple custard harumaki (spring rolls), served with scoops of green tea ice cream, sesame ice cream & whipped cream.

The thing about posting photos from the archives is that it's a bit difficult to remember how the food tasted at the time. Nevertheless, my impressions of this place were generally positive.

Time of visit: Saturday dinner / Sunday lunch
With: island, yannie / Clay folk

Ottoman Café - would you like some lamb with that?

Not much activity yet on this blog... this is some info on a place I visited last November

I don't usually order lamb when I eat out, partly because I don't eat that much lamb to begin with (it just wasn't a big part of my diet), and because I'm not confident that my taste buds will be happy after the money is spent. This being a Turkish restaurant, it's a bit hard to order anything but lamb... the results, I'm happy to say, were pleasing to my taste buds!

Address: 37 Mollison Street South Brisbane
Phone: 3846 3555
Hours: Tue-Sun 1200-1500, 1730-2200
Web: http://www.ottomancafe.com.au
Email: enquiries@ottomancafe@bigpond.com
Parking: on street

The decision to try this restaurant came about from browsing through the Entertainment book looking for something a bit out of the ordinary/mainstream. It was a good choice - taking us on a lamb fest of never before experienced proportions.

Interior view. There were 2-3 other groups the night of our visit.


Mixed platter entrée

A bit of all the dips, of which I can't recall the names of any! The red thing in the upper right is beetroot, and there's a few bean-based ones... the leaf-wrapped thing in the middle reminds me (inlooks, not taste) of the "lor mai fan" you get at yum cha.

Vezir Kavurma - "Seasoned lamb cooked with herbs and spices until it is verytender."$20.50

Pretty nice dish, definitely tender.

Navruz Shish - "Marinated and seasoned lamb, char grilled with herbs." $21.50


Lamb Shanks - "Lamb shanks baked in tomato sauce with herbs and spices until it is very tender."$19.50

This was so tender I could hardly believe. It would have to rate among the best lamb dishes I ever recall having. A must try.

Baklava for dessert.

This turned out to be significantly smaller than all of us imagined from the description given by the waitress. And these aresupposedly the larger servings...

We also tried a drink called "salep", a sweetish milk based drink containing a powder made from orchid tubers(?!). All the food went down well. A definite winner for good lamb dishes, though you could have too much of a good thing!

Time of visit: Thursday dinner
With: renai, essay