Restaurant Reviews – Harriet's Hamper

Restaurant Review: The Wolfe, East Brisbane

Looking for a more decadent, celebratory fine-dining experience? The Wolfe is the ideal place!

Located on Stanley Street East, nestled in-between aged buildings, anyone would walk straight past this restaurant without even realising. Inside, however, The Wolfe’s dark wooden decor certainly makes an impact. Since we left the booking a little late, we were seated in the outdoor courtyard towards the rear of the main dining area. We were happy to be seated outside with the cooler air making for a more pleasant experience, even with the mosquitoes attacking my legs. Decorated with leafy greens, the courtyard was just as elegantly designed as the dining room, making you feel no less important that the interior diners, including the continual dedicated service throughout the evening.

Since we booked and arrived at a later time, many of the menu items were already sold out (which shows just how fresh the produce is) including the oysters, much to my friend’s disappointment. However, we were greeted with some delicious (and dainty) appetizers whilst we scoured the menu. Many of the menu items were gluten-free, much to my delight, making my decision a lot more enjoyable – opposed to the usual experience of just choosing whatever is gluten-free! The menu is changed on a monthly basis, so don’t expect to find the same items I ordered below on the current menu!

I opted for the quail ballotine with red grapes and woodear mushrooms to start, wanting to experience new dishes that I could actually enjoy on my strict gluten-free diet.

Starter: Quail ballotine with red grapes woodear mushrooms

My first time eating quail, it was perfectly moist, tender and perfectly matched the red grapes and woodear mushrooms…and that sauce! Lately, I’ve been opting for more raw dishes to start, so having a cooked entree was a good choice to mix things up a bit. Next up, my main was another first for me – wagyu beef (and a sizeable portion of it too!)

When my main first arrived, I was a bit disappointed that I hadn’t ordered a side to go with it, but half-way through my plate I realised that it simply wasn’t needed. Once again the combination of flavours and the perfectly cooked steaks were to die for, leaving me wondering if I’ll ever be able to enjoy another steak again! And for dessert…

Dessert: Chocolate Mousse with Berry Sorbet

Anything chocolate is a winner to me, but this was just the most divine way to top off an amazing meal. The richness of the chocolate mousse was perfectly balanced by the tartness of the berry sorbet and the crunch of the white chocolate shards. Once again what looked like a small portion turned out to be just the right size for the dish. Whilst the dishes took a little while to arrive, it allowed time to relax and enjoy the atmosphere and good company. Unlike most restaurants, we weren’t rushed out at the end of our meals and the table service throughout deserved a 5 star alone.

I highly recommend the Wolfe for an evening of decadent dishes for a special occasion. Remember to book well in advance as the dining room fills quickly and perhaps book a little earlier in the evening to ensure you don’t miss out on some of the delicious fresh produce.

Happy eating! 🙂

Mount Barney Lower Portals Trek

This weekend we decided to embark on a slightly more intense trek and found that Mount Barney National Park had a range of different tracks on offer. Considering the drive to Mount Barney was going to take nearly 2 hours, we decided to embark on the 3 hour Lower Portals track and set off before 8am (we are still beginners after all!)

Driving down from Brisbane we planned to stop for our ritual pre-trek breakfast at Rathdowney on the Mount Lindsay highway. Just outside of the town centre is Rathlogan Grove with its very own Hilltop cafe nestled amongst the olive trees. The cafe is quite charming with its rural surrounds and small store selling a range of goods from country kitchen wares and boutique skincare to their very own olive oils and dressings (of which we purchased a few). Although their menu didn’t clearly state gluten-free options, they were more than happy to provide gluten-free bread which turned out to be of the best handmade variety.

Breakfast & Views from Hilltop Cafe, Rathlogan Grove

After fuelling up, we made our way to the start of the trek at the Lower Portals car park in Mount Barney National Park. As Upper Logan Road steadily transformed into a dirt track, we were baffled as to where the Lower Portals car park actually was and ended up at Yellow Pinch Reserve.

At this point in time we had both lost mobile signal so we were without navigation. Luckily for us, there were some handy (though no very detailed) maps at the Yellow Pinch Reserve notice board and we discovered we’d somehow driven past Lower Portals road.

We eventually found Lower Portals car park (the sign for Lower Portals Road was obscured by a sign for Barney Creek Vineyard Cottages!) put on our hiking boots and headed out on the track. The Lower Portals track is a class 4 track (based on Australian standards) with a distance of 7.4km return – taking around 3 hours in all.

The track itself had a mixture of terrains, with some very steep inclines and a small amount of rock climbing at points. What started off as a fairly cloudy and cool day quickly turned into a very hot and humid one – add steep and uneven tracks in the mix and you’ve got yourself a recipe for a sweaty hike!

We were already worn out by the time we reached the first creek

Despite the intensity, there seemed to be a great mixture of people attempting the hike including young children and some elderly folks (who we were unsure were going to make it to the end!) Matt described some parts of the track as an ‘arid hellscape’ with the red-orange rocks and tree roots engulfing the steepest inclines. It was certainly a step up from our trek at Lake Wivenhoe!

After around 1 hour and 20 minutes of ups and downs we reached the creek at the end of the track (hurrah!). I was surprised that the creek was so clear and clean and began to regret not taking any swimwear with me (I was pretty hot and sweaty by this point!)

The first point of the creek – the water is so clear!

Although you can swim at the first point of the creek (the first part is surprisingly quieter), you have to jump over the stepping stones and clamber over some rocks on the other side to reach the more popular swimming holes.

The more popular swimming holes & sunbathing spots on the other side of the creek

Here we found congregations of families and friends eating picnics, enjoying a swim and sunbathing on the many rocks. After removing socks and shoes and dipping our feet into the water, we both decided that we probably wouldn’t have been swimming after all – the pool was freezing cold even despite the heat! Despite the large amount of people there, the creek had a rather relaxing vibe to it. We even saw a wild turtle milling around in the water, keeping its distance from the splashing children.

Overall, the trek was quite intense in terms of the steep inclines, high humidity and temperatures, but thoroughly enjoyable all the same! The track provides an array of different scenery and terrains meaning you’ll never get bored of repetition and the creek at the end is just an added bonus! Ensure you take plenty of water, optional swimwear and perhaps a picnic to enjoy once you reach the creek. Expect to be out for at least 4 hours so remember your sunscreen and protective gear. Oh and bear in mind there’s little to no mobile phone signal so make sure you download your offline maps beforehand.

Have you recently completed a Mount Barney trek? We’d love to hear from you!

Happy hiking! 🙂

A day out at Bradgate Park

Bradgate Park is one of those places we visited often as kids and fills me full of nostalgia every time I visit. Located in the heart of the Charnwood Forest in Leicestershire, just 20 minutes from our family home, Bradgate Park makes for a great day out especially during the warmth of summer, although we often braved the cold and visited on Boxing Day as a family tradition.

The park itself is thought to date back to the 11th century where it was first mentioned as a deer park, covering around 850 acres of countryside in the Charnwood Forest. The vast open spaces made it ideal for hunting deer and the park was eventually enclosed with wooden fences and ditches in around the 12th-13th century. Today, the majority of the park is designed for deer to roam freely, although they tend to steer clear of the more traversed areas.

Throughout its history, Bradgate Park was acquired by several noble families and houses, the most famous of which was the Grey family who retained the park for around 500 years. The Grey family constructed Bradgate House as a private residence inside the park, whose construction was thought to be completed in the 1500s and whose ruins can still be seen today. Bradgate House was thought to be the home or at the least the birth place of Lady Jane Grey during the Grey family’s acquisition. The great grand-daughter of Henry VIII, Lady Jane Grey and was famously known as the ‘Nine Days Queen’ – quickly deposed of her rule and subsequently executed for treason in 1554 by the Roman Catholic Queen Mary.

Bradgate Park is a fine example of historic English countryside with vast open spaces covered in dense fern and bracken in the summer, surrounded by pockets of woodland, scrub, rocky hills and outcrops with the River Lin gently flowing through. Some of the twisted and eerie oak trees are thought to date back almost 500 years, although some have unfortunately suffered from recent fires and have been left blackened and charred. If you’re lucky enough, you may spot some of the park’s famous deer. Known for being shy creatures, the deer are often spotted in herds peacefully grazing away at a distance from the visiting crowds.

My last visit to Bradgate Park was in March of this year, just after the first round of snow from the ‘Beast from the East’. Desperate to get out of the house, we headed to Bradgate Park on a fine but brisk sunny day. Since we visited mid-week, we missed the usual crowds of visitors and enjoyed a tranquil stroll before the freezing winds took hold.

We decided to grab a spot of lunch in the surrounding village of Newtown Linford at a charming country pub aptly named The Bradgate. With its cosy decor and smoky open fires (not lit when we visited), The Bradgate creates a delightful atmosphere fitting with the history of the park and surrounding areas.

Luckily for me, their lunch menu consisted of an array of gluten-free options. Already on a break from my somewhat healthy Australian diet, I opted for a gluten-free chicken burger with a side of skinny fries and a glass of my favourite Riesling (why not). Dad opted for a classic beef burger which he was pretty impressed with – a good sign since he’s usually somewhat of a food critic! The gluten-free chicken burger was delicious and the bun held together for the most part. The crispy fries came in a generous portion and were the perfect accompaniment.

The Bradgate: Gluten-free chicken burger and fries

An avid fan of ale, Dad ordered a pint of Tiger Copper Ale which is brewed locally by Everards of Leicestershire (you learn something knew everyday!) Unfortunately the ale is not gluten-free, though perhaps they will add an option to their range soon.

Tiger Copper Ale brewed right here in Leicestershire

The great thing about The Bradgate is it celebrates local produce, even listing where it sources some of its ingredients on a large display in the dining area. They have an open stone-baked pizza oven for fresh pizza cooked right before your eyes (and yes they do gluten-free pizza bases!) Continuing with the indulgent theme, we ordered desserts to share – one chocolate mousse cake and one chocolate chip ice-cream sundae (ensure you specify gluten-free when ordering). The chocolate chip sundae was to die for and although the mousse on the cake was creamy and delicious the base was a bit too nutty and bitter for my liking.

The Bradgate: Indulgent Gluten-free Desserts

Overall, we had a splendid day out enjoying the very best the Leicestershire countryside has to offer.

If you’re planning on visiting Bradgate Park, be sure to check out opening times and park announcements here.

Happy reading! 🙂

Carluccio’s – Walton on Thames

Carluccio’s is, and always has been, one of my favourite places to eat out since my diagnosis. They were one of the first restaurant chains (that I was aware of) that had a completely separate gluten free menu. I remember the first time I went to one of their restaurants as a Coeliac and I was so excited about having a whole menu to choose from. Today, their menu still has a great choice and all of their gluten free pasta is made fresh on site.

The restaurant in Walton on Thames doesn’t feel like a chain. Yes it’s quite large in terms if space but there aren’t that many covers and you hardly ever see the staff running around like headless chickens. It’s always calm, reasonably quiet and pretty relaxed – quite unheard of for a chain restaurant.

Tonight, we selected a cushty corner table and ordered a few glasses of wine. Well, for me it was the Cranberry Reviver – a refreshingly light cranberry mocktail – as I was the taxi driver for the night.

No starter for me as I always know that I’ll want dessert (we’ll come to that later) and I fancied a risotto which is always dependent on the Specials Board which I imagine changes daily or weekly. Today, it was Risotto Di Pollo E Spinaci – a beautifully creamy chicken, spinach and garlic risotto in a very generous portion. I have to sincerely apologise.. I was so hungry and excited that I forgot to take any photos of my main meal. Infact, I didn’t remember that I needed to take a photo until the plates had been taken away, which is when I had my delayed “d’oh!” moment. I’m still new at this blogging thing!

My acquaintances had a normal pasta with meatballs which look delicious, and a chicken in sauce with roasted potatoes which was apparently quite bland. Overall, they were reasonably happy with their main meals and the portion sizes.

Onto the dessert. My favourite dessert of ALL time and the main reason I visit Carluccio’s. The Dolce Di Cioccolato is a divine, melt-in-the-middle chocolate pudding made with almonds, Kahlua and served with creamy vanilla ice cream. It is SO good I get excited every time I see it. Gooey, creamy, chocolatey and nutty – what more could you want from a chocolate pudding? A perfect ending to a lovely meal.

Pizza Express – Lymington

Me and Pizza Express go way back. Back to the days of being able to enjoy delicious gluten-y menu items with the Tesco Clubcard vouchers that our parents would save for us during our University years. Since the Coeliac diagnosis, we’ve had a bit of a love-hate relationship.

In this particular trip, we visited the Pizza Express restaurant on the High Street in Lymington. We decided to visit Lymington as part of our New Year’s getaway, and Pizza Express seemed the perfect place for lunch. We had an online voucher (courtesy of their regular newsletters) which included a deal for a starter and main course. The gluten-y options were fairly reasonable, whereas the gluten-free starter/side option was merely a Mixed salad. To accompany this I chose the Risotto Mio (appears under the Starters menu but can be selected as a main).

When my Mixed Salad arrived dowsed in a white dressing, I was a little concerned and had to confirm with the waitress who kindly went through the allergen list to double check. It turned out to be the House Dressing which was indeed gluten-free. The Risotto Mio was a reasonable portion, however I found that it was lacking in flavour – it seemed a little watery and bland. It was definitely lacking a little more cheese and seasoning.

Despite this, the staff were very friendly and seemed to be up-to-date and knowledgable of the gluten-free options on the menu. They were more than happy to answer my array of questions and check the ingredients for me.

Overall, this was a pleasant enough meal for a quick lunch, however I would like to see more gluten free starter and pasta options on the menu.