The Deck, The Glen Hotel, Eight Mile Plains, Brisbane

The Glen Hotel is only 15minutes drive from the Brisbane CBD and also having free parking on site is always handy. What you may not know is that this is kind of your typical tavern but then, there's a hotel which is surprisingly 4.5 star accommodation in which I am unsure why there is such a high rated star hotel over in the Southside.. The Glen Hotel has two main dining areas which is one, The Garden Grille Restaurant and Bar which features their newest signature steak and seafood restaurant with an Executive Chef of Cha Cha Char fame and then there is The Deck which features more of your bar, bistro and pub food, basically more of a casual dining and gaming lounge feel. Oh, and if you're only looking to have a drink? Then there is even a bottleshop drive through available on site. You can always see it being crowded every peak hours especially after work, friday nights and on weekends. So don't be surprised if it takes awhile to get a seat or even eat with loud noises around you.

Silly me... I forgot to take a picture of the Specials of the day which I did end up choosing after browsing through their wide variety of food on their menu. This was the 'Double Kangaroo Burger' served with beer battered fries. I, at first did not realise it would be this big as I wasn't sure of what to get at the start. There were just so many delicious options to choose from.

The beer battered fries were fried to perfection, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.

The Kangaroo Burger itself was quite big in a way that it was stacked nicely and presented well on a chopping board. It had double kangaroo patty, double cheese, onion rings, rocket and tomato and also a mayo dressing. The cheese just seemed like your typical cheddar cheese slices you get from your local supermarket. Having the onion rings there gave the burger a crunch as well as having the simple salad. However, the double kangaroo patty was great but they were both just quite thick in size so it can be a bit troublesome when you do want to grab it with two hands and take a big whole bite.

Nicely cut in half showing each of the elements in the Kangaroo burger.

'Chicken Cheese Schnitzel' ($13) was a golden crumbed chicken breast schnitzel topped with melted mozarella cheese served with beer battered fries and salad. If you would like to add a topper then you can do so too. The portion is quite big and the chicken schnitzel was golden crumbed and I have to say that for the price, it was definitely worth it.

The side salad was fresh with a mixture of mixed leaves, red onion, tomato and cucumber with a light salad dressing. The beer battered fries was fried well and fried food is always great with fries/chips. The golden crumb was crumbed well thinly with the right amount of salt as well as the melted mozarella cheese gave the schnitzel the extra punch. It is nice to see that a full chicken breast meat has been used instead of sometimes being more of a thick crumb than the meat itself.

Springbrook Cafe and Bar, Springbrook, Queensland

The Springbrook Cafe and Bar is located in Springbrook at the Springbrook General Store and Cafe. A humble setting but the general store has your grocery essentials if you need to grab some things as well as a cafe offering your a variety of burgers, mixed deep fried food as well as fish and chips an so on. Oh, and did I mention they also have a bar? If you aren't sure of where to go and grab a bite to eat while you visit Springbrook National Park, then have a try here especially if you like burgers and fried food.

'Mountains Best Burger' ($15) is the whole deal if you love your burgers and want the whole shaa-zang in one bite. All burgers are served with chips too which is great. Home made beef patty, lettuce, tomato, beetroot, carrot, cheese, onion, egg, bacon and pineapple on a toasted buttered bun.. Really? All of that? Yes! Though it was too big for me to hold and even take a bite out of it fully, I did manage to take a number of bites to be able to get all of the elements in.

The chips were fried nicely and was not too oily nor salty which is just perfect. As for the burger, it was quite tall I have to say and it does get messy while eating. But remember that delicious food will always leave you messy and with sauce on your lips so don't worry too much. The buttered bun was toasted lightly and having the butter on the bun didn't seem to have much of an effect on the burger since it had a lot going on already.

As you can see, even the burger on the plate seems already a heavy little thang but imagine how will you be able to pick it up nicely and try and bite it without having those elements spill out. Remember to pair it with a nice cold beer on the side to give you the whole meal deal.

The home made patty was juicy and quite thick and by combining your typical bacon, egg and various salads such as lettuce, tomato, beetroot and carrot, you kind of feel healthy in a way eating a burger that has a salad in it but then, yes... it does have bacon and cheese. But who can say no to bacon and cheese? You can see the amount of carrots, onion and so on carefully placed into the burger. Even your local burger store may not be as neat in preparing and serving burgers on your table.

'Steak Burger' ($12.50) is a simple but yet delicious burger alternative to have if you like a meat fillet more rather than a meat patty in your buns. Steak, lettuce, tomato, onion, bacon and cheese on a toasted buttered bun served with chips. Although it is smaller in size than the previous burger, but it has the same size bun so it's just the fillings that's different. The toasted burger bun allowed the burger to have a slight crispyness allowing you to have that slight crunch when you bite through it.

When eating a burger, remember to squeeze it with two hands and if you are planning on sharing, just grab a steak knife and cut it in half right through the middle. What seemed to be missing may have been bbq sauce for some reason, although I love mayonnaise and it was a nice dressing for the steak burger but I feel that by having mayo, it does take the steak burger down a level being a subtle burger.

Buzz Bistro, Gasworks, Newstead, Brisbane

Buzz Bistro at Gasworks is known for their wood fired pizzas as well as their breakfast variety. Though I've been here for both lunch and dinner, I am yet to try their breakfast next time. Creating artisan Neopolitan style pizzas allows you to enjoy good ol' Italian pizzas hand made as well as being able to smell it while it's being cooked in the wood fire. Don't forget to order a glass of wine or maybe a nice cold beer to accompany it. Having a view of the Gasometer, allow yourself to indulge in good food while relaxing and watching the different lights shining upon the thick steel lining.

'Buzz's Famous Jerk Chicken with Chorizo Skewers' ($14) with cucumber and mint yoghurt is a great starter to have and to share amongst your friend or your loved ones. A simple but yet delicious dish to have. The jerk chicken was seasoned and marinated well, mixed along with the chorizo created a nice balance and giving it hints of saltiness through the chorizo.

Having the rocket underneath allows the dish to have some greens and make it look not as lonely just by having the skewers by itself. The cucumber and mint yogurt was a refreshing yet smooth dip to have and blended well with the skewers. A nice sub for your typical ketchup or mayo.

'The Rage'N Sage'N' ($19) which is one of their pizza options which consists of sauteed mushrooms, garlic, crisp sage, Fior di latte and pancetta. Mushrooms and pancetta always works well on pizzas, especially when together. It would have been great however if the mushrooms were scattered more reasonably rather than only being closer to the center mostly. There were still a sufficient amount of pancetta pieces as well as mushrooms but again, the mushrooms could have been more around the pizza slices.

Fior di latte is a type of cheese, a semi-soft, fresh cheese made in the style of an Italian mozarella. The Fior di latte has a smooth and a little tangy in flavour also, having an elastic feeling. The thin dough was chewy and crispy but not too thin until it gets soggy easily. Having the burnt bits from the wood fire oven makes the pizza more authentic and have the smoky flavour as well as smell. One of the nicest pizzas offered here so do have a try.

'The Blue Cheese Burger' ($19.5) is one of the seven different burger options on the menu. With all the burger and pizza options, you would have trouble trying to decide which to choose. All burgers are served with 220g wagyu beef served medium rare with a choice of salad or beer battered chips.

By using Gorgonzola piccante, it allows the burger to have a soft and buttery but also quite salty in terms of taste. The mayo allowed a creamier texture as well as having the house made red onion marmalade gave it a nice balance. I really enjoyed the red onion marmalade as I thought it was unique and had an interesting picklish taste. A Gorgonzola Piccante is a veined blue cheese made from unskimmed cow's milk and has a strong and an intense taste when eaten alone but with it being mixed into a burger, created a different yet interesting way to try the cheese as it blends in well with the red onion marmalade and wagyu meat.

Jimmy's on the Mall, Queen Street Mall, Brisbane CBD

Jimmy's has always been one of the go to places whenever you're unsure of where to go to eat or drink in the city, you just somehow end up here. Remember that the lower deck and the upper deck both have their own menus so they may differ in terms of what dishes are on offer. Some of the dishes however are offered on both decks. There are more seatings downstairs than upstairs but if you would like to have a view of the centre of Queen St Mall, then I'd suggest you sit upstairs. There are both normal and high tables available, as well as tables around the bar area. As it was late afternoon when we arrived, we just wanted somewhere to rest our feet and maybe have a drink and a nibble..

'Bowl of Wedges' (AUD$11) included a little bowl of sweet chilli and sour cream. The wedges were deep fried perfectly, crispy on the outside and moist and hot on the inside. A nice snack or nibble while having a chat. They do also have Salt and Pepper Calamari, Arancini balls and Charcuterie plate etc.

'Cappucino' was made well but when the waiter took it over to our table it seemed that s/he had tipped a bit over making the saucer abit messy and sticky.

'Lemon, Lime and Bitters' is always a nice cool drink that isn't so fizzy or feels as if it's a soft drink in my sense.

Hurricane's Grill, Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast

Hurricane's Grill on Surfers Paradise do win you without having to drive too far off the Surfers precinct plus you do get your beach view if you dine in near the balcony area. However, since my bad experience of hard meat, meat not being off the bone in Sydney's Darling Harbour branch, I still preferred my favourite ribs place to go which yes, does require a further driving to do but is definitely worth it. Of course, we are here to talk about Hurricane's and not that... Located in a perfect location, entrance may get confusing if you're not used to your way around, but signs are there to guide you. Bookings are essential but sometimes if they are quite empty, seatings are available and you won't have to wait for long. It was quite packed when we came in, it was the weekend anyway, but for lunchtime, it shouldn't be as packed as dinner time, so for those wanting to come down during dinner, do book..

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Sandgate Fishmonger, Sandgate, Brisbane

Sandgate Fishmonger lies on Flinders Parade opposite the beach which is convenient. Though their competitor is about less than 1km walk away, they both do serve differently. However, here, they accept both cash or Eftpos which is good whilst the other, only accepts eftpos. It was rather quiet today but many came for their Gelati instead of their fish and chips.
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