Famished on Frasers, Ashgrove

Long time no blog, folks. This morning my family and I popped over to Ashgrove, Entertainment Book in hand, to use up the coupon (2 for 1) at Famished on Frasers. I had previously been for lunch and had to pretend I wasn't sad their breakfast menu ended at 11.30! It's a bustling corner cafe housed in a converted house, with seating inside and outside on the verandah. The service was great despite some troubles with communication due to how loud it was in the cafe. 

We had the pork belly eggs benny, mushroom ragout (with fetta instead of brie) and the coconut black rice and oat porridge. I rated all of them - excellent serving sizes with some unique flavours. I thought the mushroom ragout was the standout - the bowl was chock full of various mushrooms including enoki and oyster varieties, with a rich sauce. I think it was their winter menu still, so better hurry in before these options are replaced by less hearty fare!

 

Elk Espresso, Broadbeach

The lovely folks at Elk Espresso on the Gold Coast treated us to some of their beautiful breakfast options on the weekend! It's no wonder they are super popular, so be prepared to wait at peak times.

The new autumn menu features something to please everyone, from the classics to healthy options like the very green salad. French toast appeals to the sweet tooths amongst us!
A great, hole in the wall atmosphere. 

Try it out next time you head off to the beach!

Dimly lit but atmospheric, garage style.

Autumn menu.

Lindt mocha, coffee and DIY juice.

Potato hash with bacon, eggs, avocado and hollandaise.

French toast, vanilla mascarpone, caramel, dehydrated berries, poached pear.

Very green salad.

Disclaimer: We were guests of Elk for breakfast. All opinions are our own.

IndiMex, Greenslopes

Time for an Indian fiesta with your best amigos.

WHERE // IndiMex, 401 Logan Rd, Greenslopes

As the name suggests, IndiMex is a restaurant serving up the unique fusion of Indian and Mexican cuisine. Having visited once previously, we were invited back to sample some more of their tasty dishes. The atmosphere of IndiMex leans towards the Mexican side, with brightly coloured murals and canvases adorning the walls. It has a really great vibe with an open kitchen that sporadically lights up with flames, releasing unmistakbly Indian spiced aromas.

WHAT // We got to sample quite a few dishes from IndiMex - as follows!

Chimosa - little deep fried bundles of goodness, filled with beans and potatoes. These were crunchy and flavoursome.

The Three Amigos - Mexican salsa, guacamole, and daal makhani. The salsa definitely had a kick to it! In the background are a frozen strawberry margarita and sangria, which were both very sweet.

Filete con Mariscos en Salsa de Ajo Pimienta Crema - put more simply, surf and turf. This dish didn't stand out to me as particularly Mexican or Indian, but that didn't stop it from being delicious. The steak was cooked beautifully and was very juicy. I particularly enjoyed the tender white fish in the seafood mix. The garlic cream sauce was scrumptious - I was using the fries to scrape up every last drop!

Chimichanga (beef) - You can choose what meat goes in your chimichanga. They certainly don't scrimp on the meat in these golden parcels, and it was incredibly filling. My friend commented that the rice was a bit looser and drier than what suited her.

Gulab jamun - This Indian dessert is made of milk proteins baked into a cake-like consistency, soaked in a sugar syrup flavoured with rosewater and cardamom. I was surprised to enjoy these as I'm not usually one for spices in desserts, but the flavour was very pleasant and not too strong.

Brownie - This looked amazing on the plate and was huge (about 10x10cm), but proved to be the only unfinished dish of the night. It wasn't as dense as brownies should be, with the taste and consistency of packet mix cake.

Beef enchilada - Again, huge serving. No complaints about this one!

VERDICT // IndiMex is a great local restaurant with a great vibe, tasty food and a range of drinks. The portions are generous as well. Both the Mexican and Indian food are done well, so I can definitely see myself returning.

INFO // www.indimex.com.au

Disclaimer: BNE Cafés was an invited guest of IndiMex. All views expressed are the author's own.