The Himalayan Cafe

Tibetan and Nepalese Restaurant

I have wanted to return to this restaurant for over five years but hadn't gotten around to it until a few Saturdays ago when Sanj and I went with my bro and his girl, Hannah. I can't wait to go back again because the food was delicious, the atmosphere excellent and the price was great!

We didn't book early enough to get seating in the back section (which is the cool section with great decor and cool seats from what I remember) but out the front was still fantastic. We arrived for a 7.30pm seating and the place was packed. After finding our seats (with cushions - i always love a cushion or two).... we set about ordering. I was delighted to have so many vegetarian options to choose from and we also settled on a few breads to share!

The breads were excellent and we also ordered a dip to come with it - sooo yumm!! The name of the dip escapes me but it was wonderful.... so very worth remembering.. (oh well!) And as luck would have it I have a menu here and it's no wonder I forgot the name of it... it's called "Traditional Dipping Sauce for Bread" ... straight to the point.... and yum yum yum :)

For the main I had the Organic Tofu Curry for $13.95 which was sweet and very fudilishus!!! Sanj had the Nupalya Sayala for $17.00 a mixture of beef and hot himalayan spices. and Sam and Hannah had a selection of meaty dishes that they shared and enjoyed...



Nepaya Khayala

After this first visit it was less than two weeks ago that Sanj and I returned on a weeknight and had yummier dishes than our previous visit. Sanj had the Nepaya Khayala for $17,95, a chicken dish of mixed spices and a coconut cream (and a few other things too I'm sure :)) that he thoroughly enjoyed (much more than on our previous visit)....


Dal Bhat Tarkari Ra Saag

I had a different meal too (so not like me - usually i have the same thing again and again if I am happy the first time) and enjoyed it as much too. I had the Dal Bhat Tarkari Ra Saag for $18.95 which was a vegetarian platter of lentils, vegetable curry, apple yoghurt and shimpu kwha serviced with good ole jasmine rice.... And they even let us take our uneaten portions home.... I love it when a place does that when you have loved the meal!

All this talk about these fantastic meals is making me hungry (despite the fact I JUST ATE... :)) Oh the power of the tastiness of the food from Himalayan Cafe..... I am keen to return yet again... maybe be more organised this time and book for the back seating section :)

I would rate this place 9/10

You can find it:

Himalayan Cafe
640-642 Brunswick Street
New Farm
Phone: 3358 4015

Gino's Italian Restaurant

Have you ever felt the need to invent a gastronomic time machine? If you are anything like me and find yourself occasionally craving the artery blocking cheesy goodness of the Italian Family Food of your youth, then Gino's in Hamilton, Brisbane is the place for you.

"Retro Italian" is best represented here with generous family portions that encourage sharing - generally baked in a béchamel sauce that rivals that of your mum's.

Gino's has a relaxed feel to the busy restaurant, and while they claim to seat "200+" you cannot help to shake the feeling that you are sitting in Nanna's kitchen. The decor is basic "no frills", but polite floor staff and efficient service make you feel like the valued customer that you oh so deserve to be.

The "baked spaghetti" (I told you... retro) was a dish my husband could not resist. It came to our table straight from the oven, and while we both had a desire for it to be a little more "tomatoey", was hot, hearty and cheesy.

I was apprehensive to order a pizza since my food scan of other people's meal choices on entry showed what looked to be a solid, and over cooked rendition. Nevertheless we risked a traditional marguerita (ham, olives, anchovies and additional mushrooms). It arrived looking burnt but closer inspection revealed a tasty combination with just enough topping on a base as light as a feather. The slices remained super tasty long after the heat subsided.

Ultimately, Gino's is not somewhere you would go if you are looking for wood-firing or gourmet pasta. If you want a hearty relaxed meal it is a great option. The take away service was also doing a roaring trade.

The basic fare is a little pricey - $20-$22 for mains that could feed an army, $16 for the pizza that is really a single serve, but when you see that the packed Gino's is smack bang in the middle of affluent Hamilton / Ascot, you think that the owners deserve the extra $4 a serve that they are charging.

We will definitely give Gino's another shot when our tummies eventually empty.

Cheesy, Cheery, Comfortable - Gino's Traditional Italian Restaurant - 7/10


Gino's Traditional Italian Restaurant
468 Kingsford Smith Drive
Hamilton
http://www.ginosrestaurant.com.au
Ph: 3268 5366

Tues-Sun

Posted by Alison (the first of what has just become a new addiction)

Aromas

We lunch in this cafe on Hastings Street, in Noosa recently. The atmosphere is very casual and you get either a view of Hasting Street or a view of some funky water fountains, depending on which side of the restaurant you sit on.

The lunch menu was mostly made up fanciful items such as quail, salmon steaks and the like and we were hard pressed to find something "normal" on the menu. I finally settled on a Chicken baguette and Annie had a garden salad and a bowl of chips. We got 2 lemon-lime and bitters to go with it. The food was a little expensive. For example, the bowl of chips was $9!!

The baguette was average. The real highlight, as funny as it sounds, were the chips! :) They were coated with a somewhat sweet crusting and the aioli was excellent! The garden salad was about average as well. The lemon-lime and bitters were were excellent too!

I would recommend this cafe based on it's drinks, chips and excellent location on Hastings Street.

Rating: 6/10








[There were 2 baguettes. I unfortunately ate 1 before I took this pic]



Aromas - Modern Australian
32 Hasting Street
Noosa
07 5474 9788

Pizza Italiana

A pizza with a spice tomato base, topped, with veggies and ham.

Steps

1. Prepare/buy a pizza base
2. Apply the spice pizza sauce with a basting brush.
3. Add sliced mushrooms in a circular fashion starting from the outside working inwards with each rotation.
4. Sprinkle thinly-sliced green capsicum
5. Sprinkle coarsely chopped semi-dried tomatoes
6. Sprinkle some coarsely cut champagne ham (optional)
7. Add a few generous shakes of mixed italian herbs [mixture of Marjoram, Basil, Red Bell Peppers, Rosemary, Oregano, Parsely and Thyme].

We found that adding in the herbs, just before the cheese, as opposed to directly on the base, brought out flavours of the spices much more.

8. Add your pizza cheese.
9. Pop in the oven/Pizza oven
10. Enjoy! :)


Before



After

Spicy Pizza Sauce

Keeping in line with all the pizza-related posts, here is my "spicy pizza sauce":

Mix the following in a bowl:

1. 4 tablespoons of tomato sauce.
2. 1 tablespoon of chili sauce
3. 1 teaspoon of Leggo's Basil Pesto (or any other Pesto me thinks)
4. 1/2 a teaspoon of olive oil
5. Salt and pepper
6. A sprinkle of paprika (optional)
7. 1/2 a teaspoon crushed garlic (about 1 pod) (optional)
8. Tabasco and/or chili powder (if you want it a little more spicy) (optional)

Mix the above with a spoon and spread over the pizza base with a basting brush. Add toppings! Pop in the oven. Enjoy! :)

Simple Pizza Base Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups bakers flour (other flour can probably be substituted)


• 2 tbs olive oil


• 1 tps salt


• 1 tps castor sugar


• 1 cup warm water


• 1 sachet dried yeast (2 teaspoons)

Preparation

1. Combine flour, yeast, salt, sugar and 1 tbs oil in large bowl (I use a glass bowl, which helps with the proving later).


2. Gradually add in the water, until a good consistency is reached (depending on the ambient temperature you may not need all the water).


3. If dough is too wet (it'll be sticky & glisten), add in more flour while kneading.


4. Sprinkle flour on bench, and knead dough (around 5-10 minutes until the dough is supple).


5. Roll dough into ball, place into bowl.


6. Pour remaining 1 tbs oil over the top of the dough.


7. Cover bowl with cling wrap and leave in a warm spot for 1-2 hours, preferably in the sun. Using a clear glass bowl for this helps, as the sun shines directly on the dough, helping it to rise (prove).


8. Once dough has risen, make a fist and punch out the air.


9. Take out of bowl, cut in half (for two bases). You may freeze one base now in cling film


10. Take one base and roll it into a ball again and allow to rise again for 30 mins in the covered bowl.


11. Sprinkle semolina on bench, and roll each ball out to fit the size of your tray/stone. Base should be about 8 mm thick. Depending on your oven, this may be too thin, so play it by ear.


12. Place bases onto tray/stone, possibly with some flour or smear of oil (or spray) underneath to stop sticking.


13. Add toppings, etc.

Makes 2 large bases.

Simple pizza delight recipe

Ingredients & steps

1. Prepare a pizza base.
2. Add a thin layer of grated mozzarella.
   
3. Combine tomato base with garlic and herb spice and smear generously over pizza base.
4. Add sliced asparagus.
   
5. Add sliced mild Hungarian salami.
6. Add thinly sliced pieces of feta.
7. Add sliced tomato.
8. Sprinkle some fresh sea salt and some grounded black pepper over the tomatoes.
9. Add a final generous layer of mozzarella cheese and sprinkle some mixed herbs on the top.
10. Add into heated oven at 200 degrees Celsius for 13.5 minutes.
11. Remove from oven, cut and serve.

Before


After

Enjoy :)