Ajisen Ramen

Ajisen Ramen

2/414 George St Brisbane

2/5

I was going to a friend’s gig down at tribal theatre on a Friday night and needed to eat something, I have been past this place several times before and thought that I would test it out sometime soon and this particular Friday night happened to be the night I had time and money. This was the second ramen place I had been in recent weeks with my first visit to taros only being a few weeks earlier so the memory of taros brilliant ramen hovered fresh in my memory.

Firstly Ajisen’s appearance is a lot better than taros cafe but then that wouldn’t be hard the only positive aesthetic about taros is the view from the deck eating area with everything else being quite practical and uninteresting. Ajisen ramen’s appearance on the other hand is quite detailed (nowhere near as well as Sono but better than most) the service was nice but because of my presence on the wall and the fact that I was eating by myself, meant that the wait for attention would usually be excessive.

The food was good; however in comparison to taros it was average but then again taros has exceptional ramen. Big differences between the two were that at taros the broth had a strong sweet flavour throughout even when only eating the noodle from chopsticks where at Ajisen the broth was barely present except when drinking it by itself. The noodles at Ajisen were soft and were more like instant noodles than ramen noodles elsewhere, which greatly disappointed me; the only recovering factor of the meal was the fact that I had an imported Kiran can next to my bowl. I wouldn’t return unless I was walking past the place and didn’t have the effort to cross town for taros.

Ajisen Ramen is open from 11:30am to 9pm most days

My meal cost $11.30 and my can of Kiran (500ml) cost $10

Their Website is http://ajisenramen.com.au/ 

Fiascos Steakhouse

 Fiascos Steakhouse

640 Stanley St Woolloongabba

2/5

I have always heard good things about the Morrison and their steaks. Pronouncements such as the best steak in Brisbane aren’t uncommon so I thought that it warranted a look. Using a couple hours I had free on a Tuesday, I went for lunch around 12 and naturally ordered the steak from the laminated one sheet menu.

The feel of the place is very similar to many pubs that had their restaurants renovated in the 2000s, making the place feel dreadfully commercial in nature instead of feeling like a pub. In fact, sitting in the dining area made me feel like I was in for another mediocre overcooked steak. The Morrison is also unfortunate in being surrounded by freeways and main roads, making a decent outdoor eating area nigh impossible. The service was alright, however, the staff felt more put out then enthusiastic and therefore as a lone diner my presence felt like a burden rather than a customer.

After what I believe was actually a relatively short wait, my steak came out (I was eating by myself and was not drinking therefore a minute felt like an eternity) a rib eye with far too many details to be a good steak (10 month aged, 30 month grain, etc.) with chips, salad and mushroom sauce. The steak was a decent piece of meat, however it was unfortunately cooked like I would end up doing it, over-cooked, especially on one side with the red centre being south of the equator. The chips copped the curse of peri-peri (why is peri-peri a big deal now? Chips with steak don’t need peri-peri seasoning.) but otherwise were fine and tasted like chips should. The salad tasted like a pub salad: 2 wedges of tomato, some purple onion, and a bag salad with vinegar drenching. Overall it was a pleasant lunch but I would not be singing its praises: it was almost exactly the same as any pub steak and therefore not worth going out of my or your way for.

Fiascos Steakhouse is open 12pm-10pm every day.

Their mains range from $20-$40 and average around $30.

Their drinks prices are about par for pubs which are on the cheaper end of the dining scale.

Their website is at http://www.morrisonhotel.com.au