Chom Chom - A taste of Hanoi in HK

http://www.chomchom.hk/

Spending a lot of time wandering around the streets of Hong Kong, in particular Central and SoHo, you get a sense for which restaurants are popular and which are struggling a little bit.  I'm often amazed that one funky little dining spot might have a crowd spilling onto the pavement, while another will be empty all the time.  With so many cool looking little spots about to try out, my list keeps getting bigger!

I was recently contacted by a restauranteur I know in Brisbane who has some of the most popular dining spots in town, with a recommendation to check out SoHo hotspot Chom Chom.  It was the inspiration for one of his most popular little food joints called Kwan Brothers (see post here) and DG thought it would be great for me to connect with Chom Chom mastermind Peter Franklin.  So, linking up with our favorite HK food blogger Cynthia from JustCozItsTuesday, we made our way across.

It was a hot and steamy HK evening when we made our way up the hill from Central to Chom Chom and the first thing I noted was how often I'd walked past Chom Chom, not realising that it was one of those funky little dining spots I'd been keen to check out.  Cynthia was already warming a seat while we waited for a table to clear inside, so with nothing else to do, we sat outside catching up while the girls cracked on with some cocktails.

Casual Dining - Kwan Brothers

http://www.kwanbros.com.au/

How crazy is the Valley dining scene getting?  It seems like week in and week out, there is a new dining venue opening and they all seem pretty cool. Much has been written about the ever expanding number of American (Gringo) style dining spots, so it's pretty refreshing to write about a different type of opening.

There are plenty of Asian style restaurants in the Valley and Sunnybank, but new openings don't normally garner much attention.  That's where Damien Griffith and his team come into their own.  Not afraid to mix things up, Damien is responsible for Valley hot spots Alfred and Constance, Chester Street Kitchen and Alfredo's Pizza, a trio of very different styles of food.  It's now a quartet with the opening of the very funky Kwan Brothers and I was invited along recently to check it out.

Kwan Brothers is located in Alfred Street right next door to Alfredo's Pizza and is nothing like any Asian style restaurant I've been to before.  Equal parts hawker market from Singapore and night markets of Hong Kong it balances out the funkier and seedier sides of Asia style dining establishments and bars.  The interior is polished cement floors and dark walls with bright red neon signs that are unmistakably Asian in their influence and all add to the feel that you've entered a different world.  An exposed kitchen has the sights, sounds and smells that further contribute to the sense of disappearing into the depths of Singapore, Hong Kong or even Tokyo.

Casual Dining - Chester Street Bakery & Bar menu reboot

http://www.chesterstreet.com.au/

The Valley has been hotbed of new and exciting restaurants and cafes opening, which, judging by the many new developments still in the pipeline and nearing completion, is not going to let up.  This is pretty exciting when you think about it, Brisbane is really coming of age and developing a dining scene to rival Melbourne and Sydney.  But what does it mean for the existing pool of restaurants that are currently doing a pretty good job of feeding Brisbanites?  Will a rush of even newer and shinier restaurants spell trouble?  It's possible.

With the influx of new restaurants, it means that those remaining need to remain fresh and relevant or find a niche that makes them unique.  Damien Griffiths and his team have a vested interest in making sure his stable of restaurants remains at the forefront of the dining public's imagination and, with an ever increasing portfolio of restaurants and cafes, that gets a little harder.  One approach that seems to be working well for Damien is to regularly refresh and re-launch the menus then invite a heap of bloggers, media and the local business community to come in a test out the menu.  

Alfred & Constance - A change of seasons and a change of menu!

http://www.alfredandconstance.com.au/

Not just satisfied with changing the Valley forever by introducing some of the coolest spots to eat in Brisbane, the team behind Alfred and Constance continue to evolve and stay fresh. Damian Griffiths and his team know they are onto a winner with the very funky Gastro Pub on the corner of Constance and Alfred Streets in the Valley, but never rest on their laurels.  

For those of you who haven't checked out Alfred and Constance, it's probably about time you thought about it.  A&C is known as a Gastro Pub serving tasty and down to earth food, but it's also so much more.  After lovingly restoring two old Queenslanders, Damien and his team set about creating a series of spaces that so completely fit into the vibe of Fortitude Valley, you would be surprised to know the place has only been open since November 2012.  Since opening, A&C has become a favourite drinking spot in its Tiki bar and a favourite local to hit your sweet tooth with its late night dessert cafe. 

Knowing that you need to evolve to stay ahead in Brisbane's ultra competitive casual dining scene, Damien, along with Patron Chef Jocelyn Hancock have again made some tweaks to the A&C menu.  As we move away from Summer (Noooooooo) and head into Autumn, its no surprise that the new Autumn A&C menu takes on a more earthy feel, yet still adhering to their basic principles of honest, full flavoured food.

Alfred and Constance - Summer's on the way

http://www.alfredandconstance.com.au/

There is no better time in Brisbane than spring.  The cold winds that signify the end of the Ekka and therefore the end of winter have been and gone.  It's a time of renewal, of fine weather and of endless possibilities of things to come.  As spring starts and summer approaches it's also a time of renewal for restaurants as they update their winter menus with the spring and summer offerings.  It's my favourite time of the year, with perfect cloudless days and the end of the heavy winter menus that are comforting, but all so bad for the waistline.

The first week of spring has heralded some changes at Alfred and Constance with the early introduction of the new summer menu and I was invited along to the launch party, with a few dozen of my blogger buddies, to check it out.  Owner Damian Griffiths, along with patron Chef Jocelyn Hancock decided to introduce the summer menu earlier this year so they could take advantage of the amazing and fresh produce that is produced at this time of year.

Chester Street Kitchen - a transformation in the making

http://www.chesterstreetkitchen.com.au/

It's not too often that you get invited to a behind the scenes look at one of Brisbanes hottest teams putting together a new venture.  This is precisely what happened when the team from Alfred & Constance and Lucid Media invited a contingent of Brisbane food writers in for a breakfast to witness the Chester Street Kitchen redevelopment.

Chester Street Kitchen opened last year and is part of the ever increasing Damien Griffiths empire, which seems to be growing at a rapid rate in the Valley.  Originally a typical cafe, Chester Street Kitchen has been closed while it undergoes a transformation from a basic cafe into bar,  restaurant and bakery, which will have a much wider food offering including a pretty decent bakery!

At the heart of this transformation is an Alan Scott designed wood-fired oven which is a major centrepiece for the cafe.  Listening to the Chester Street Kitchen head baker Phil Agnew talking about the oven is spellbinding.  Phil is one of a handful of specialty bakers in the world that is confident enough (or crazy enough) to bake the specialty bread that will be produced at the Kitchen.