East, Broadbeach

Thursday night is Ladies night at East Restaurant & Lounge Bar. It also happens to be half-price meals and drinks at their restaurant.  Perfect excuse to rustle up a gaggle of girlfriends for cheap eats and drinks!
I hadn't ventured into East since it changed over from Quest nightclub a couple of years ago, which is probably why I mistakenly took the back alleyway entrance when arriving.  There is now a bar attached to the club with street frontage on Surf Parade, called Chairman Mao. I had arrived earlier than my group of girlfriends so was lead back downstairs, to wait at the bar.  It had a nice warm feel and had a couple of comfortable lounges and a row of bar seating.
On the arrival of my friends, we were lead back upstairs to the club/dining area. Reorienting myself to what was once Quest nightclub, I realised we were seated smack bang in the middle of the dance floor.  If you hadn't been to the venue before, it probably wouldn't be obvious that you were in the middle of a nightclub.  They do a good job of disguising what the venue transforms into later in the evening. 
My girlfriends and I loved the decor. It was a melange of  South-East Asian cultural icons.  Red was the dominant colour.  The lighting was very moody and cast red and purple hues across the restaurant.  Above the main bar was a beautifully cheeky portrait of a Geisha.  The ceiling was adorned with delicate red lanterns and ornate chandeliers. 
Being the food  cyber stalker that I am, I had already chosen what I wanted to order when we made the decision to dine here.  The menu is on the website (bonus!) and certainly does well in whetting the appetite. The menu is a fusion of typical Western fare, Mediterranean and East Asian/South-East Asian.  The menu is half-price on Thursday nights, and drinks $42 and under are also half-price. This made for a very affordable night out.
We decided on the Tomato and Olive Bruschetta ($4.45) to start with.

We were told that the serve was six pieces, but it actually came as five. No biggie.  The crunchy crostini  was covered with a salsa of  Roma tomatoes, Kalamata olives, grilled mushrooms, Spanish onion and a drizzle of an aged balsamic reduction.  It was delicious and light enough to start the meal without filling us up.


For main I decided on the Crab Lasagna ($12.45).  It was a mix of prawn and crab (some might like to call it crawn) layered between perfectly cooked pasta sheets, covered with an abalone spiked "laksa carbonara" sauce sprinkled with coriander and a florette of basil. I have a thing for crab lasagna, and ordering this was risky as I have had two of the best crab lasagnas in Queensland (Shuck and Il Centro) to compare this to.

Well let me assure you, this dish did not disappoint (despite my shoddy photography).  I was in heaven!  Every mouthful was delicious and the layers of crab and prawn were generous. The laksa spice addition to the bechamel made for the perfect combination.  The only thing that would have made this better was if I had ordered some greens to compliment the creaminess of the dish. I enjoyed this so much that I may have trouble ordering anything else if I dine here again.  I always trap myself with one favourite dish at a restaurant.


Two of my friends opted for steak dishes, one getting the Surf'n'Turf, and the other getting what I think was the Tenderloin in Red Wine Jus. Whilst I didn't sneak a taste of either, satisfied groans were coming from across the table, signalling that my friends were happy with their choice.

 

I managed to steal a taste of one of my friends' main. She had the Chicken Surf'N'Turf ($13.95), which was a honey-soy marinated chicken breast served with garlic prawns with  mash and grilled vegies.  I always steer clear of chicken breast when I dine out.  I usually find it is overcooked and too dry.  This however, was cooked perfectly and I had a little bit of food envy.

We all decided to indulge in the desserts. The dessert list wasn't huge, but had a couple of interesting dishes. We were all intrigued by the Dessert Sushi on offer. None of us tried it, but it sounds as though it might be worth trying on our next visit.   I had the Coconut Creme Brulee ($5.45), and it was delicious.  The toffee on the top passed the Amelie test, and cracked beautifully when I tapped it with with my spoon.  The coconut creme was subtly flavoured and very moreish.  The creme hadn't set as well as a typical brulee, but it didn't make it any less enjoyable.  'Scuse the bad photo. 

At about 10pm we were advised that the dining tables were set to be packed up and that Ladies Night was due to start. We were ushered over to a very comfy booth, positioned next to the tropical fish tank. We settled down with some drinks and the DJ started with the lady pleasing tunes (RiRi!).  The obligatory ladies night topless waiters started their shift, and were great for comedic value, if nothing else. We ended up staying until about 2am, spurred on by the generous complimentary champagne.  A bottle turned up on our table in a Veuve Clicquot cooler, and we all looked accusingly at each other wondering who had had been a naughty yet generous woman.  Turns out it was complimentary and not a bottle of Veuve . Wishful thinking! It was still champagne AND it was free.  Happy!

I envisage more Thursday nights with my girlfriends at East.  The food was so well priced for the quality we were served. I'll definitely be heading back to East again.  

East Restaurant & Lounge Bar - Broadbeach 
Level 1 / 88 Surf Parade
Broadbeach
QLD 4218
Australia
P)07 5538 8868

GoMA and Paniyiri!

Yesterday was a beautiful day in sunny South-East Queensland.  We set out early in the morning from the Gold Coast to trek up the M1 to do brekkie with my family.  We were celebrating my grandfather's 85th birthday.  We dined at Watt at New Farm Park.  The coffee was fantastic.

My little sister bought these beautiful birthday treats for Pop, from the Powerhouse Farmer's Markets.

 

I'm yet to hear how they were, but they looked delicious.  I'll have to call the G-pares for an update.

We wandered through the markets after breakfast.  My sister  purchased  a punnet of fresh raspberries and six fresh figs. I could live on these two fruits.  I love the colour of fig flesh, and the burst of the seeds as you bite into them.  The raspberries were so plump and juicy. Walking through the market, and being close to the Brisbane River made me miss living in Brisbane!

After breakfast we headed over to GoMA to see the Ron Mueck hyperrealism sculpture exhibition.  I highly recommend it.  BF and I will return to see it again.  We both felt as though we wanted to reach out and touch the sculptures.  The detail in Mueck's work is so precise.  From the little creases in the crook of a knee, to the shimmer of sunscreen on the skin of  man reclining on a lilo.  It is hard to say which of the sculptures I liked the most, but the one that creeped me out the most (due to it's freakish realism) was Wild Man.  I loved the detail in this. The perfect distribution of fine good bumps on his flank gave me goosebumps . You could see the whites in his metatarsals from pressing his feet to the ground.  Everything about this was so perfectly imperfect and so human.  Mueck is an artistic genius.

I could have spent the rest of the day at GoMA, if it hadn't been for the scent of halloumi and souvlaki wafting over from Paniyiri at Musgrave Park.  Paniyri is one of my favourite food festivals.  It always has a fantastic vibe, and the food is great.  Luckily we were in a big group, so getting to taste as much as possible wasn't a problem.  To start with we bought a serve of moussaka, a lamb souvlaki in pita, a cabbage roll and a serve of halloumi.  The cabbage roll was tasty.  I grew up in Darwin (multicultural melting pot = foodie heaven) and remember one of the Greek girls bringing these in on "round the World" day.  The rice was a little dry but the flavour was still good.  I'm going to try making these at home. The moussaka was delicious but I find it hard to rate any moussaka over my own recipe.  The layer of white sauce over the top of this dish was lovely and thick.  I liked the inclusion of zucchini and potato.  I've only ever used eggplant to layer.

The halloumi was as expected, AMAZING!  I don't think I have ever had bad halloumi. We don't usually have lemon with it at home, and it was a good accompaniment. I was very selfless and let BF have the third and last piece of halloumi.  I think we got three pieces of halloumi for $3.  I won't include a photo of the cheese, because it was massacred before I managed to get a decent shot.  The snap I got of the cheese has imprint of BFs chompers on it. 

We next ventured over to the Southern end of the stalls, and got some baby octopus and quail.  Octopus is a Greek favourite for me.  This octopus was tasty, but not the best that I have had.  I think I got a small plastic tub for about $8. It can't have been too bad, because it didn't last long enough between the group for a photo to be taken.  The tub was filled to the brim with octopus and sprinkled with chopped parsley and  served with a wedge of lemon.    The seasoning was delicious, but the octopus didn't seem to have been BBQ'd. 

The quail was the winner of the day.  I've never really liked quail, but I'm a convert.  The quail was perfectly BBQ'd.  The skin was very crispy whilst the meat was very tender and moist.  The seasoning was perfect -   a very good mix of salt and pepper.  It is amazing what two simple ingredients and cooking method can mean for flavour. BF made two trips back to his chosen quail store and we all spent a good deal of time nibbling away on the little morsels. 

BF with two of his favourite things - beer and quail.

Next was dessert.  I had been hankering for galaktoboureko since we'd decided to go to Panyiri a month earlier.  This delicious honey drenched custard filo slice is another favourite from my childhood. Dad used to treat Mum to much deserved sleep-ins of a Saturday morning when my sister and I were little.  He'd take us to Casuarina Shopping Square and treat us to galaktoboureko or a doughnut man whilst he read the paper and drank a cappuccino (which we'd always scrape the chocoloate off!).  I've grown out of doughnut men as I've grown up, but galaktaboureko has always remained a favourite.  I bough a slice of galaktoboureko and baklava from the only dessert designated sweets cafe in the food area.  The slices on offer at this stall were some of the smaller servings I'd seen whilst wandering around, but let's be honest - after the  indulgences of the day, small was a good thing.   The galaktoboureko looks a little insipid in the photo below. Don't be fooled! It was amazing!

 

A trip to Paniyiri wouldn't be complete without a generous plate of honey puffs.  We all got sucked in by a banner promising, "Best Honey Puffs in Brisbane".  We shouldn't have been such gullible and easy targets for blatant advertising.  The puffs were quite soggy and didn't have much of the usual icing sugar dusted over the top. Amongst the soggies, there was the occasional crunchy puff but overall, the weren't very good. 

It was a fantastic day, and we will definitely be heading to Paniyiri again next year.  I haven't seen any advertising for the Gold Coast Greek Festival yet and have heard a whisper that it is only to be held second yearly from now on.  I hope this isn't true! I need more than one fix of galaktoboureko a year.

In an attempt to ease the strain on my boyfriend, I have started this blog. Poor BF is the victim of my food obsession.  He often sits at the table befuddled, as I discuss what to have for breakfast just after finishing a hearty dinner.   A bite cannot pass his lips without a post-prandial deconstruction - was it too salty?  Flavourless? Should I have used cherry over grape tomatoes? Too little foies gras?  Does homebrand spam taste any different to the original?

Another motivation for starting this blog was the lack of Gold Coast dining reviews.  Whenever I plan on dining at a new venue I will cyber stalk it.  I go in search of reviews to confirm if my choice of restaurant is a good one.  Most of the reviews available on GC restaurants tend to be on forum-like sites.  Whilst I have often dined out on the suggestion of such sites, some of the reviews reek of bias.  I love the inclusion of photos in reviews, so armed with my BlackBerry, I will endeavour to add as many poorly pixelated photos as possible. 

I've visited a couple of restaurants since the inception of this blog, and unfortunately they weren't fantastic.  I'd rather not start this off with gripes, so I'm saving my first food related post for an enjoyable one.

I'm off for brekfast at Watt in New Farm tomorrow, followed by lunch at Panyiri.  I'm sure both of these will  be inspiring.  I heard a whisper that 300kg of halloumi (squeek!) has been stockpiled for the Greek festival... perfect! I can't wait to indulge in some grilled baby octopus, souvlaki, taramasalata with pita finished off with a generous serve of galaktoboureko.

Yassou!