Eating out in Yeppoon has never been better

Eating out in Yeppoon has never been better

Dine out all day for under $50

Dinning out in Yeppoon has always been a bit difficult. Restaurants come and go, open and close at a whim and offer somewhat differing service and etiquette. However after dining out the other day I felt the need to write this article.

My wife and I dine out every week, yes every week. Now some of you are thinking how can they, well I will show you.

As the title reads dining out has never been better, well I’m not saying that we have better restaurants or that the food is better, what I’m getting at is that you can get great value for money right now here on the coast. It’s not always about filling your plate or dressing up and spending over the top for average produce.

So with out further ado I will let you in on a great tip…

Breakfast. I am a great fan of a cooked breakfast and like many Australians enjoy a plentiful meal in the early hours to jump start the day. The best place that we have found for value is at The Shore Thing. Here you can have a full cooked breakfast of bacon, eggs your way, sausages, beans, ample toast and tomato all for just $13.50 oh and I forgot to mention it includes a free Tea or Coffee. The breakfast menu has plenty of choice and is very well presented. Don’t forget to ask for the HP sauce which is available. Total bill $27.00

Lunch. Well again we have sampled many a place for lunch, not all because some just don’t fit the bill for certain reasons, too expensive, limited options and so on, but this place which has had many a name and make over has got the value for your dollar spot on. Y4 again in the main street of town has an extensive menu at very reasonable prices. The food which we have sampled is of a clean crisp and satisfying quality and there for fills the lunch spot. For $13.90 and $11.90 you can have meals. Not to mention the other priced dishes available. We had a basic chicken schnitzel and parmigiana that come with salad and Bad Boy chips. For $2 a soft drink can be consumed in the air conditioned premises. Total bill $29.80

Dinner. Now dinner can be a challenge and we have found that few places offer what I would call a budget priced meal. Not cheap and nasty or a kids meal either. Some of the clubs have even a pricey feel to them but not Beaches Restaurant and Bar. Here you can have an authentic wood fired pizza for $15. They range from $12 to $18 and have a huge variety, not to mention that they are made fresh to order and baked in the wood fired oven. Beaches does offer a wide variety of food options from seafood, steaks and much more all at different prices, but for this example of dining out for under $50 you can’t look past the best pizza on the coast. Pizza and a beer $20 Total bill $40

Breakfast @ The Shore Thing $27.00
Lunch @ Y4 $29.80
Dinner @ Beaches $40.00

Total $96.80
Leaving a few dollars for a tip or a scratchy.

So what are you waiting for. For less than $50 per person you can eat out on the Capricorn Coast not just for dinner but all day, so come on get out there and sample some of the local cafes and restaurants and enjoy.

Technorati Tags: Wagyu

Barista

The Barista is the person who makes your beautiful tasting coffee, hot & cold.
A true Barista should have acquired some level of experience in the preparation of, espresso based coffee drinks. Further than that the barista’s knowledge of coffee blends, varieties, equipment, latte art and more is down to the individual to gain. The art of coffee is far more than just a cup of black liquid.
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Valentines Day

February the 14th can be a special day for some people. It all depends on your situation and beliefs.

For us in the restaurant industry it usually means a busy night with lots of tables of two.Not just two, we always end up with an odd 3 or 5 now keep your mind out of the gutter. Actually this valentines we had two couples actually join their tables, how romantic (not).

Our evening went very well considering the six course menu with 103 people to feed that’s over 600 plates that night.

Our Valentines Menu 2009 was

The love Menu

Ciabatta bread with olives, semidried tomato, fetta drizzled with basil and balsamic glaze

*****

The love of Duck, smoked duck breast, duck leg confit & Peking duck sausage    or

The love of Asparagus lightly seared spears with tomato, egg, bocconcini & lemon butter sauce   or

The love of Pumpkin roast pumpkin soup finished with rich velvet cream   or/

The love of Prawns crisp fried prawn tails dressed in prawn crackers on rocket & pepper caramel leaves

*****

Porcini risotto with love parsley & Parmesan shavings

*****

Three coloured sorbet

*****

The love of Fish Barramundi, salmon and Moreton bay bug scroll with lobster sauce & vanilla mash

The love of Steak grilled eye fillet steak with sweet potato thyme flavoured mushrooms, Bearnaise sauce & red wine glaze

The love of Chicken mild tikka masala marinated chicken with mango relish, fragrant rice & crisp poppadums

The love of Pasta tagliatelle ribbons of egg pasta with grilled Mediterranean vegetables, olives, baby spinach & fresh Parmesan

*****

For chocolate lovers, everything chocolate chefs selection of chocolate delicacies

The restaurant looked fantastic full of tables spilling out onto the poolside area, lucky it was not bad weather until late. We did have the rain covers in place as we had been expecting a pour at any time.

All the staff enjoyed the night aswell as the customers who were more than satisfied with the value for money they received. The above menu cost only $60 per head.

For us chefs it was a daunting task one of which we will certainly amend for next year, not that we didn’t manage but we can certainly make it easier which allows less room for mistakes.

Chef John ran the pass, Chef Kenny plated, Chef Philip cooked the main meals, Chef Paul controlled the entrees, Apprentice Cassi controlled the desserts and helped Paul. Callum ran the floor. A big congratulations to my team for a fantastic effort.

Wine price hike in local restaurants

Some local restaurants in town have individual wine lists each with their own specialties. There is nothing unusual with that.

But what are you expected to pay for a bottle these days? I guess it depends on your situation. Some high rollers will pay lots for a bottle and drink it like water, were others will savour a $20 bottle throughout the meal.

Wine is a very personal choice and pleasure will come with different varieties for different palates and places.

Now the question I have is what should you pay for a bottle and what should determine the price?

The reason that I am throwing this out there is, recently I have experienced a wide range in price of one particular wine in multiple restaurants, ranging from $31 to $60 for the exact same wine. That is nearly a 50% difference!!

So back to the question of what should you pay for a bottle? It really depends on your pocket. Only if you know your wines well, would you know the value of a bottle. How would you know if  you are paying a price hike or not. Should we be able to trust an establishment to price the wine respectfully? I do think so and would hope not to be taken advantage of, after all we as restauranteurs would like our customers to leave with peace of mind and return with pleasure…..

Technorati Tags: fruit, vegetable, Yeppoon, chef

Pedro Ximenez Sherry Vinegar

Today I received my bottle of Pedro Ximenez sherry vinegar. A very special sherry vinegar.

Sherry vinegar or Vinagre de Jerez is a gourmet wine vinegar made from Sherry and is produced in the province of Cadiz in Spain. Cadiz is situated within the so called “sherry triangle”. The “sherry triangle” is the area between the city of Jerez de la Frontera and the towns of Sanlucar de Barrameda and El Puerto de Santa Maria. Most sherry vinegar .

By law a sherry vinegar that wishes to have the title of “vinagre de Jerez” must be aged for a minimum of six months in American Oak, have a minimum of 7 degrees acidity and be within the “sherry triangle”.

Sherry vinegars are like wines they mature with age and are graded by the maturity of the vinegar. Vinegre de Jerez the standard bottle has matured for a minimum of six months in wood. Vinegre de Jerez Reserva has a minimum of 2 years aging in wood. The Vinegre de Jerez Gran Reserva has matured for a minimum of 10 years in wood. The Consejo Regulador (the Sherry vinegar regulator) is monitored and controlled by its own Denominacion de Origen which is protected by Spanish and EU law.

Well let me explain why the special Pedro Ximenez sherry vinegar is so special. This sherry vinegar is made only in Jerez in Spain and only in the barrels that harboured the sherry many years ago. Pedro Ximenez is made from Pedro Ximenez grapes, where as most sherry vinegar are produced from the Palomino grape. The pedro ximenez grape are sweeter than the other grapes and therefor produce a sweeter vinegar.

On opening the bottle the initial aromas come forth in abundance. Fruity, sweet smell, with a hint of acidity. The taste, smooth and slightly sweet without the harsh tartness that often hits with most vinegars. The comparison between two sherry vinegars that we have at work was vast. The cheap and (nasty) one at $4- has that harsh acidic taste that sends your face into the most strange appearance. The $28- Pedro with the smooth sutle bite leaves a sweet twang in the mouth. Now we have experienced the power of Pedro Ximenez there can be no going back.

Technorati Tags: Culinary terms, Bordelaise

Mayonnaise, quick & easy

Here in ’sunny Queensland’, today, it is raining heavily. Well it has been raining for the last week and the weather bureau claim that it’s here for some time.

Anyway I had to go out and grab a few things from the shops. Read more

No Man-Goes Like A MANGO goes

Here in sunny Queensland the Mango’s are once again in abundance. In this picture are Pearl,Calypso and Honeygold varieties. This year like many before the juicy Mango’s are perfect. Read more

Snails, Escargot, Snails

Call them snails or escargot, it’s up to you, but it is a new one for Yeppoon.

I was treated to some delicious snails for dinner last night. Read more

Truffle Chips with Tetsuya’s Truffle Salt

I have used truffle chips on one of my menu’s before, last time I used the Truffle oil to add flavor, but since I have come across this Truffle Salt from Tetsuya my truffle oil has retired, well for this use anyway. Read more

Technorati Tags: Truffle, Truffle Salt, Tetsuya, truffle oil, Culinary terms, Bordelaise

Oysters; Sydney Rock, Pacific/Tassie, S.A. Pacific Coffin Bay, Angasi/Flat?

What is the difference between Sydney Rock, Pacific Tasmanian, Coffin Bay, and Angasi/Flat oysters? Read more

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