Made in Africa, Moorooka

A great place for something a little different.

WHERE // Made in Africa, 197-201 Beaudesert Road, Moorooka

We were invited along to Made in Africa, which is tucked inside a small suburban complex of shops along Beaudesert Road, Moorooka. The manager, Tesfaye, was a lovely man who was passionate about Ethiopian cuisine. We were treated to traditional handwashing prior to the meal and between courses, with water poured from a gilded teapot over our hands into a similarly adorned basin. The brightly coloured tables are known as mesobs, adding to the atmosphere.

WHAT // We tried one of the platters for two, which included a range of meat and vegetarian curries. The food was certainly different from anything we'd tried before, especially the bread (a sourdough known as injera) which had a stretchy texture that made picking up the curry quite easy. Tesfaye encouraged us to try eating with our hands, as is the local custom - it may have gotten a bit messy! We ended the meal with Ethiopian coffee, served up with beautiful crockery.

VERDICT // Made in Africa is a friendly, well priced little restaurant that definitely serves up something a little out of the ordinary. If you're looking for some spice that isn't your usual Indian or Thai, give this traditional Ethiopian restaurant a go!

INFO // Made in Africa

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

Spring Hill Deli & Produce, Spring Hill

Great food in a cosy environment makes this Spring Hill joint a success.

WHERE // Spring Hill Deli & Produce, 2/537 Boundary St, Spring Hill

I last visited this cosy inner city café a couple of years ago, but was drawn back by the numerous bloggers who had visited more recently and posted rave reviews. The red shop front is eye-catching and enticing, drawing you into an airy set of rooms. Staff were friendly, despite one of my friends remarking that the girl at the front counter seemed to be, how shall we say... a bit high. The menu hadn't changed much from my previous visit - if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

WHAT // All day brekky, as follows. I had a spiced chai coffee (sorry, the actual menu name slips my mind) as per the first picture. This blew my mind - please try it!

Avo on house made bread, with feta and chilli jam (15). We were off to a rocky start with this - definitely expected two pieces for the price. Since we commented on this to the café via Instagram, they've changed it to two pieces - great to see them listening to our feedback. However, it was quite disappointing on the day.

 

Israeli Shakshuka with poached eggs, feta & parsley and toasted sourdough (17). Huge serve, would have fed two if you were looking to eat more moderately. It had a generous amount of feta and a nice amount of spice to it.

Eggs benny with bacon (18). A good rendition of the breakfast classic, although one of the eggs was a bit over. The smoked salmon version must have magical powers for it to cost $23 vs the bacon at $18 though!

Banana bread with raspberry coulis and mascarpone (15). We saw this go by to another table and couldn't resist that incredibly glossy coulis. It was huge and delicious - recommend sharing as a 'breakfast dessert'.

VERDICT // Aside from the little avo on toast blip, we enjoyed all our meals at the café. They were flavourful and well executed. I didn't see much of a deli element - a few organic veggies and groceries occupying a small part of the side room. I'd definitely return for the shakshuka.

INFO // facebook

Jo-Jo's Restaurant, CBD

Unexpectedly good food from this 1980 Brisbane classic.

WHERE // Jo-Jo's Restaurant, Queen St Mall, Brisbane CBD

Jo-Jo's is, quite frankly, a Brisbane institution. If you haven't been at some point over the last thirty years, you can hardly call yourself a Brisbane native. To be perfectly honest, I always tend to bypass Jo-Jo's in favour of the more boutique cafés that populate the CBD these days, with my last visit being around four years ago for a friend's birthday. I was excited to re-evaluate my opinion when invited along to sample some of their menu, which is filled with options from no less than 4 separate kitchens. These include a grill, Thai, Mediterranean and a dessert bar. On a Friday lunchtime, the place was full and buzzing. It had a great airy feel - perfect for the upcoming summer.

WHAT // We tried out a few of their starters, mains and desserts. Overall impressions - huge portions, and the quality was definitely high - much more than I was expecting from what I'd misjudged as a glorified canteen. Although the prices are fairly high, they are fair enough for the CBD and the portions you get. The drinks we had (pictured above) were probably the most disappointing thing, with my green 'smoothie' coming out as a very foamy juice.

Salt and pepper calamari (17), with beautifully crisp batter. Well seasoned and very tender, these went down very well.

 

Black angus rump skewers (18), lots of meat here. Tender and we loved the accompanying tomato-based sauce.

 

 Moreton bay bag risotto (27), peas and braised leek with soft goats cheese and crispy speck. I'm a bit of a risotto nut, always ordering it when it's available. I was extremely surprised with this one, which successfully avoided being gluggy and too salty as risottos often are. Polished off the whole thing - no mean feat, if I do say so myself.

Vietnamese salmon fillet salad (27), aromatic herbs with rice stick noodles and tangy dressing. Nicely cooked salmon with crisp skin, which is all you really need. The salad underneath was very light, but fresh. It may have been a little bland for some, but definitely good if you're watching out for heavy dressings.

Belgian waffles (15), with vanilla ice-cream, berries and chocolate. Gorgeous to look at and to eat. The berries were plump and tangy, offsetting the sweetness of the dish.

 

VERDICT // I had reservations before going, but they've been overturned. Recommend this place for a long lazy lunch or large groups, as it's easy to pay separately and provides a huge variety of choice - you'll definitely find something you like. The Thai food is apparently very good - will return to try it out! 

INFO // 10.30am til late, 7 days.

LINKS // Jo-Jo's

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