Firefly Cafe (Lunch)

Overall score: 83/100

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Urbanised, industrial, arty, hipster-y; everything a pretentious cafe should be and, in our capital cities at least, this is exactly what you get. But not in Toowoomba. No, in Toowoomba you get basic, utilitarian, uninspiring, dated; until you visit Firefly.
   Located smack bang in the middle of the CBD, Firefly hides under an unnasumming, simple facade, and really the front of the shop is small and one could quite easily miss it. As The Chameleon entered this ostensible, albeit almost miss-placed for Toowoomba, cafe, his memories took him back to a place not so long ago down in old Melbourne town, a cafe just like this; warm, with a kitch twist like a cafe should. 
   The decor here was well composed with French inspired chairs and wicked rustic tables. The walls adorned with what appeared like a nice batch of modern art and the colour scheme worked a treat. As The Chameleon approached the counter, a puzzling experience enveloped; there was no menu on the wall! Not even for the coffee! Intriguing start. Was this a part of the pretentiousness? Perhaps. 
   Anyway, he asked the lovely waitress whether they were doing lunch and she promptly handed him a very uninspiring menu. Now, keeping in mind that this was lunch, and that Toowoomba has many many offerings of sub $10 lunches (i.e. the outstanding Phat Burgers just up the road) the menu read very high brow, some interesting offerings. The Chameleon however wanted some meat; it's what he had been consuming for lunch for quite some time, however Firefly is not the place to go if you are after a large, filling, protein based meal. And rightly it shouldn't be, after all, it is a cafe, not Hogs Breath Cafe. So summing up his options, of which there weren't many by the way, he ended up pointing to the "Roast sweet potato w pork belly & sugarloaf slaw" and hoped for the best. He also of course ordered a cap. 
   The staff were very friendly. Urbanspoon reviewers, some of them anyway, have complained of the lacklustre service, the lack of smiles, making it sound all a bit Twilight. But this was not The Chameleon's experience; chirpy, friendly, warm staff, even asking how my meal was, and to top it all off, going to the extra effort of saying goodbye as he left, even though they were busy. 
   First the coffee. It was nice, quite tasty and very acceptable for a lunchtime pick-me-up. There was an added little touch that really impressed The Chameleon. Next to his cappuccino was a beautiful little heirloom teaspoon, all the way from France. Oh how this delighted him, to see just a little glimpse of style and international thought in this regional city. 
   The main was outstanding. Well, it was rather sweet and the jus was very sweet indeed, but geez that pork belly was cooked to perfection. And the sweet potato was great too, the whole meal worked together like an orchestra performing at it's peak. Great work  Firefly. 
   Firefly Cafe is perhaps the only 'real' cafe in Toowoomba. The air of elegance, of art and style, Firefly delivers an ultra-urban high-brow ambience which would see it fit into any of Australia's major cities, if not internationally. As The Chameleon gazed into busy Ruthven Street, shoppers impatiently running past from shop to shop, he could have been sitting anywhere from Rome, to London, to Copenhagen. A few Hiluxes and Navaras quickly bought him back to reality, but alas, Firefly created the desired mood. 
   The food was great, but a lack of options hindered. Should there be more options is perhaps a more pertinent question to ask, as this was a cafe after all. The menu presentation too needed some more thought, but perhaps the pretentiousness that one desires from a cafe has to surface somewhere. 
   The Chameleon thinks they might be going for the "have your coffee and leave" angle, but "if you are going to eat, then we will get that right". Not a bad effort Firefly. 83/100    

Sofra

Overall score: 83/100

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On a beautiful balmy night The Chameleon had the delightful task of attending a work social function at Sofra, one of Toowoomba's highly rated restaurants and the city's only Turkish offering. To say that The Chameleon was looking forward to this visit is a bit of an understatement; urbanspoon consistently rates this establishment in the Top 5 for the Darling Downs Region. 

THE EXPERIENCE
Sofra is located on Toowoomba's well known Margaret Street and on this particular night, it was lucky that parking was not a problem, something that has detracted from the initial CBD experience in the past. Upon entering, perhaps with the preconceived notion that this place was going to be top class, The Chameleon instantly felt at ease. There was a certain warmth, an almost homely feel to the place, with colourful tablecloths, plenty to look at on the walls, and the exquisite use of timber throughout all added to a very well consummated experience. 

The Chameleon's group was seated upstairs on this particular occasion, which gave a a great view of the place, and allowed The Chameleon to perform his critique from a great perch. 

The waitresses were fine yet somehow uninspiring. It was a somewhat busy night and no doubt a few of the girls were just going through the motions. They weren't rude, they didn't make mistakes, but at the same time, there was no extra attention, asking how our meals were, etc. etc.; a stock standard experience. So, the wonderful decor of the place was offset somewhat by lackluster, albeit acceptable, hospitality. 

Also of note was the lack of ambience music. While the chatter of the customers did create some level of privacy, a little Turkish melody wouldn't have hurt. A slight mistake  none-the-less The Chamelon thinks. 

THE FOOD

Sofra excelled here overall. The Chameleon ordered lamb cutlets and man, they were outstanding! Although the presentation was somewhat lacking, that 'flame grilled to perfection' flavour came through in buckets, and the textures were just right. They were accompanied by two pieces of rather large flat breads, which were far too much and the meal presented somewhat thrown together on the plate, but none of this really mattered; the cutlets were THAT good. There was also a very tasty side dish of yoghurt, but the olives that came out were a bit hit and miss.     
    
Of particular note was the use of clay pots for some of the Chameleon's colleagues' meals and it's this sort of unique dining that ads just that hint of interest. 

The desert, strangely, worked very well by accident perhaps. The krem karamel had been burnt and this created a bitter edge. Typically this is a big no no; a bitter desert? But on this occasion, in the way this dish presented overall, the bitterness actually nicely offset the overly sweet, a balance if you will. Was this a mistake or is this the way this desert was supposed to be? The Chameleon needs to research further.

OVERALL

The highly successful execution of the decor and the quality food combined effectively at Sofra. The lack of ambience music and the so so service were a slight distraction, but not enough to really offset the overall feel. A must visit in Toowoomba. 83/100

Thai Royal (Delivery/Take Away)

Overall score: 73/100 (take away adjusted)

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On this particular night not too long ago The Chameleon was feeling very lazy after a busy day's sleeking so the family opted for home delivery. Thai Royal in Centenary Heights poped up on the Chameleon's radar and they promptly ordered some yummy sounding fare and began to wait. And wait. And then....wait. The delivery took a very very long time to arrive, well past what one would deem reasonable. In fact, it was over 30 minutes past the time given to The Chameleon, making it a grand total of approximately 90 minutes. A long time indeed. Apology was received.    

THE FOOD

Having consumed a fair amount of Asian influenced take away in his lifetime, The Chameleon was ready to dig in and sample what this highly rated restaurant had to offer. Things started on a high; the Tom Yum seafood soup was outstanding! Great flavours, spicy (as it should be) and just the right amount of texture. A great example of this soup. A perculiarity did surface though; mushrooms. Floating. Kind of like puffy little boats swimming in an orange ocean. The Chameleon did not know whether this was to his liking, or, whether these 'floaters' could have been left off. I'll let the imagery speak for itself. Floating, grey mushrooms. Hmm.....

Things continued very well with chicken skewers. They were cooked just right and, for the first time in quite some time, a restaurant finally got the peanut paste right. It was crunchy, but not overly, just the way it should be. Well done on these Thai Royal.

From here, a downward spiral unfortunately ensued. It started with the Chicken Penang. While some positive flavours emerged, the texture of the sauce was all wrong. It was very watery and it showed through in the mouthfulls. Unfortunate. 

Following from here was a total disaster. The beef dish was very dry. A little dryness is tolerable, but this particular meal was just all wrong. The sauce had virtually seperated into two layers, a thick pasty top and very watery underneath. It was almost as if the pieces of beef were swimming around inside the container, with a slurry on top. The taste was OK but it was difficult to look past the present dryness. Again, unfortunate. 

The Chameleon must also note the rice, which was quite well done. It was on the sweet side, very sweet infact, but it worked very well with the curries. 
    

OVERALL

Thai Royal did some things very well and the Tom Yum was spot on, as were the skewers and the rice. The mains however were a disappintment. Perhaps a bit of quality control at delivery might have rectified this situation, as a simple shake of the containers could possibly have prevented some of the meal's shortcomings. 73/100 

Toowoomba Hong Kong Chinese

Overall score: 68/100

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An urbanspoon highly rated Asian influenced restaurant in Toowoomba is the very well positioned Toowoomba Hong Kong Chinese, residing in the town's feeble attempt at a mall, albeit, visible from Ruthven Street. The restaurant appears very inviting to the passer by, lots of colours drawing you inside. The Chameleon couldn't resist to try it's delights, and, after a less than satisfactory first visit over a year ago, he was hoping that this time around things might be different; and to some extent, they were. 
   On first impressions, Toowoomba Hong Kong Chinese presents very well; on this busy night, the crowd seemed cheerful and happy, the ambience was one of relaxed dining, although the music was very very soft in the background; not enough to create a privacy screen for chit chat. The room was decorated as you would expect for such a place; Asian influences evident around the room, but apart from a fish tank in the corner that looked quite interesting, the rest was 'stock standard' basic Chinese. 
   As The Chameleon sat down to begin his dining adventure, the staff were initially very helpful and attentive; unfortunately this lasted only until the drinks were bought out. As The Chameleon mentioned earlier, over a year ago, a visit here was less than satisfactory, the main cause being the service and the time for the meals to be delivered to the table. It looks like that time has done no favours, as the service faltered not once, not twice , but over and over again during The Chameleon's visit. Initially, after being seated promptly and attending to the group's needs, the waitress quite simply forgot about us! The Chameleon waited patiently for a while, it was the least he could do on a busy night, but when the waitress begins clearing tables while diners (not just us) were still sitting there without menus, it is an unfortunate mistake. 
   Following this mishap, the orders were subsequently taken quickly, but then a lengthy wait ensued. For the meal that eventually landed in front of The Chameleon, the delays didn't amount to flavour at the table. Furthermore to these 'mistakes', were two glaringly obvious shortfalls. One of the waiters was dressed very much like a call-in; a raggedy shirt, shorts and to top it all off, flip-flops! The final inconvenience presented itself in terms of what The Chameleon refers to as a "dump table"; a table housing serviettes, cutlery, table cloths etc. etc. that is often seen in restaurants pushed for space. While dump tables are not necessarily a dilemma  they are when it's placed in front of the restaurant's visual focal point; the fish tank. Having got up to observe the koi swimming around majestically, The Chameleon had to negotiate the Toowoomba Hong Kong Chinese's dump table. A less than adequate start. 
   Toowoomba Hong Kong Chinese raised its score once the meals began pouring out. As an example, the Tom Yum chicken soup entree was very flavoursome. There were some tiny lime pieces which littered the bottom of the bowl and The Chameleon unfortunately chewed on some of these during some of the last spoonfuls. These could have been larger and hence easier to spot and remove, but overall, a great soup. The BBQ Pork Noodles too were great. Good balance between ingredients, subtle flavours which worked well. These dishes have saved an otherwise dismal score from The Chameleon. 
   The Mongolian Beef dish was marginal. The sauce texture was inconsistent, sometimes gluggy to the point that it diminished the textures, and once again, the over-use of salt before it arrived at the table dimmed what would have otherwise been a shining beef dish. Another unfortunate part of the meal was that, once again, the lacklustre service resulted in our waitress forgetting the group's rice. While free fortune cookies were a slight attempt to make-up for the inconvenience of the night, even some of these were stale to top off a forgetful experience. 
   Atypical Chinese restaurant food, with unfortunately dismal service. While not being particularly costly, the food saved Toowoomba Hong Kong Chinese from a very low score;  it was rather difficult to look past it's shortcomings. 68/100 

Highfields Tavern (lunch)

Overall score: 51/100

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Highfields. The ever-growing utopian suburbia spreading it's wings, the symbol of 'modern living' in the Toowoomba region, the epitome of high brow. But in the centre of all this modern residential growth lies a very un-modern and unassuming shopping center, anchored by Woolies, with the only noticeable dining seemingly belonging to Macdonald's and recently, the addition of a few take away joints hoping for flow on from the multinational. Across the road is a pub. The Highfields Tavern. No surprises there. What was a surprise it that it rated a mention on urbanspoon and hence The Chameleon slinked his way into the car park ready to quench his hunger (and thirst) at the attached bistro.     

THE EXPERIENCE

As the Chameleon exited his car, the unfortunate experience of stepping onto broken glass initially curbed his enthusiasm for the experience that was about to follow. No doubt a lively evening before may have been the catalyst for this unpleasantry; surely a blower in the morning would have taken care of such annoyances to the daytime customers, but alas, beware with kids. 

Upon entering, Highfields Tavern appeared very much like any suburban tavern, with a welcoming pub and a vast eating area at the back. Having visited Crazy Galagher's in Wilsonton not long ago, it was easy to make comparisons to what is basically a very similar venue, with a very similar target market and, surprisingly  an almost identical menu. It dawned on The Chameleon that perhaps these establishments are  in fact linked, possibly even managed, by the same entity. He did notice that the pie ordered at Galagher's was on the menu here as well, so this time round, it was time to see if they can deliver on a decent 'lunch special'. 

In all honesty, Galagher's was way better; the kids area was ten times as good and the spread-out spacious nature of the large room left it with no atmosphere to speak of. A lonely television was playing a lackluster daytime TV drama from the 70s; not exactly augmenting the mood. None-the-less, it was what it was and, for a suburban bistro, satisfactorily acceptable.   

The food ordered was delivered very quickly. Almost too quickly. Freshness questioningly quick.

THE FOOD
The Chameleon ordered the lunch steak (slightly cheaper than the standard steak), and he was also able to sample a steak sandwich and children's menu nuggets from within the group of lizards that the Chameleon was with on this occasion.    

Keeping in mind that The Chameleon is a food critic, sampling some very fine steak in the past, keeping in mind that this was a suburban bistro, AND, keeping in mind that this was a 'lunch steak', it was no surprise that it was barely on par with the steak he sampled at the atypical country pub that was the Pioneer Hotel. The mind boggles when you consider that, in Highfields of all places, the bistro plated up this very, very ordinary piece of flesh. It was overdone, above even the 'well-done' level. Let The Chameleon be clear, he loves well-done steak (charcoal-ed in fact is one of his favourites), he really does, but it is not his preference, and when a bistro goes to the unfulfillable effort of asking how you want it cooked, you expect medium-rare; it's like asking for a cappuccino with two sugars and getting a short black with no sugar. A message for virtually all bistros: please do not ask a customer how he/she/it wants his/her/its steak. You and The Chameleon know that it will be well-done every time. Not that there is anything wrong with well-done, but for the love of god, do not ask!

So, a less than satisfactory steak. The chips too, pub standard, uninspiring. However, there was a very surprising highlight on The Chameleon's plate! The salad dressing that was poured over a very fresh salad was brilliant. The Chameleon is not sure whether it was just the right amount, or whether it was some special in-house sauce or whether it was out of a No-Frills bottle, but whatever it was, it worked well. 

The Diane sauce, as it is in many places, was passable, but definitely not from scratch and did not differ from the atypical lackluster average offerings elsewhere.  

Upon sampling the steak sandwich, The Chameleon approved. It was of a nice consistency, the steak was soft, the overall package was in-fact moreish. The children's nuggets too were 'real' and cooked well. So the Highfields Tavern did some of the food well, but where it counted the most (on The Chameleon's plate), it fell quite short.

OVERALL
The Highfields Tavern had so much potential. New-ish establishment, plenty of space to do something interesting, plenty of time to get the meals right on this slow lunch afternoon. Yet the overall feeling when walking away reiterated to The Chameleon exactly what he was thinking when he saw that lunch time steak; we came, we ate, we will eat somewhere else next time. 51/100

Hog's Breath Cafe Toowoomba (Lunch)

Overall score: 66/100 

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Just by a happy coincidence, a very hungry Chameleon had a chance to revisit Hog's Breath Cafe in Toowoomba for the third time in his slippery slimy little life. It was lunch time, it wasn't The Chameleon's choice, but being in a group and having his meal shouted for him, The Chameleon happily crawled along to this very well known franchise at the end of Russell Street, not far from the Toowoomba CBD. In fact, it's really walking distance from Ruthven, but the location (again) is away from any 'dining precincts' as such, and The Chameleon is beginning to wonder if such a place even exists in Toowoomba.

THE EXPERIENCE

Hog's Breath Cafe is a very popular restaurant. Let's face it, if you get your meal within the hour, you are probably doing well and in Toowoomba, the last two visits by the Chameleon resulted in lengthy waiting times. This time however, considering the size of the group that the Chameleon was with, the service was brilliant. Usually, drinks are well and truly finished before the food makes it onto the table, but upon arrival, the group entrees were ALREADY on the table. "Boss Hog Mushies" and garlic and herb bread greeted the, "we'll eat a horse each" crowd. They were OK, not bad for appetizers  although, as tasty as the mushrooms were (and deep fried 'just right'), they were a bit cold when The Chameleon was able to sample them. The mains were delivered well within what The Chameleon deems acceptable, especially for a large group as this one was.

The setting was as you would expect from Hog's Breath; raw, nostalgic, but tough and ready for whatever crowd were to visit. The furniture is rugged and the effort to mirror it's corporate image of a 'steakhouse for a football team' works in it's favour. In fact, The Chameleon could almost smell the various spilled beverages (of which 95% would of course be beer) from the previous night's festivities. The reality is, this is what you should expect here and, delightfully in some sense, it is what you get.     


THE FOOD
The Chameleon chose the aptly named "Serious Steak Burger". Although at the time he did not know it, it was to be the most expensive burger he had ever eaten at $19.95. Framed by this thought during this reflection, The Chameleon can not but wonder how this burger ended up this expensive. Yes, it came with the very delicious curly fries (and they were very good indeed) and yes, the burger itself tasted awesome and even the chilli edge was spot on, but $19.95? Similar burgers can be had in most take-aways for $8-$12 and you could charge maybe $3 for the fries, so this means, really $11-$15 would of made sense. Hog's Breath would of course say "oh yes, but our burgers have double steak and double cheese". Unfortunately, the 'steak' was two thinly sliced pieces (very much tasty), instead of the 'piece of thick juicy tender steak' as one would imagine in a burger of this charge, and to be honest, who actually wants/notices double cheese on such a burger? Overall, The Chameleon was quite satisfied with the burger and it had that wonderfully grilled onion edge that is the signature of Hog's Breath, but would he spend the money again on the Seriously Expensive Steak Burger? Probably not, as a short walk and $11 get's you a much larger and much more unique burger at Phat Burgers. 
  
OVERALL

Hog's Breath Toowoomba stays true to the franchise niche and delivered positively on much of the experience, including excellent customer service this time around. The food was OK, but the prices are on the steep side for what is basically an upmarket raw-edged premium McDonald's when it comes to their burgers.
The Chameleon is mindful that in the past, a visit to a Hog's Breath in Brisbane delivered one of the finest steaks he had ever sampled, and that must be kept in mind when looking at this overall score, as the burgers probably do not truly reflect the quality that Hog's Breath is capable of on a good day. 66/100  
      

Carousel

Overall score: 59/100

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Restaurants come in many guises and Carousel is, in a typical way for many regional restaurants, one of those that is semi-detached to a motel. Carousel is simply a rather small dining room, fitted with very simple decor and a number of separate dining areas allowing reconfiguration for groups large or small, for casual dining or even for those who are interested in hiding a little bit in a corner somewhere and not draw attention. A bit like The Chameleon. 

THE EXPERIENCE

First impressions were not positive. While The Chameleon is sure the motel is a very nice place to stay overnight, the Carousel restaurant is small and appears 'intimate', but it just doesn't work. There is hardly any parking, yet the Chameleon has never had trouble finding a spot to park his ride (this was approximately his fourth visit), confirming that Carousel is the type of restaurant where you probably don't need to make reservations. 

The staff were excellent. 'Chirpy' is the only way The Chameleon can describe the overall vibe from the waitresses, and the waitress who served The Chameleon did a very good job recommending dishes. Carousel presents as simple and uncomplicated, and although this can be an advantage for some venues, the small size of this restaurant required further thought into the decor. While there were some things to look at around the room,  and the chandeliers added a touch of class, the lighting was just all wrong and the overall feel suffered as a consequence of this simple approach.  

THE FOOD
It pains The Chameleon to say that once again, a Toowoomba based restaurant has delivered uninspiring and discordant food. 

Things started well; the entrees were presented briskly, getting The Chameleon's hopes up that he may finally give away his third 80-90 score for Toowoomba. And they tasted good, very good in fact. While simple and 'no frills', The Chameleon's taste buds soared when he sampled the very well made bruschetta; it was fresh, the right acidity, the right amount. If the meal had finished then and there, The Chameleon would have walked away a very happy camper. Unfortunately, some disappointments followed.  

The Chameleon ordered the special, which on this particular day was the salmon. The Chameleon often orders this, as it's a great litmus test for most restaurants. It was somewhat pricey on the menu, but then again, so is everything else at Carousel. When it did come to the table, the waitress remembered where I sat (and obviously what I ordered) and kudos again to the friendly staff. The salmon was actually quite good in places. The skin was crispy and 'just right', but the flesh of the fish was cooked inconsistently. Some parts were nice and juicy, while some of it was way overcooked. The sides were minimalist and when you see a small piece of fish, you expect some fill; The Chameleon did not get his money's worth on this night. Unfortunately there was very little and regrettably nothing outstanding on the plate.   

When the dessert was sampled, The Chameleon's heart sunk, as he knew the final score would not equate to that wonderful bruschetta at the start of the evening. The dessert, which The Chameleon won't name (because he has forgotten what it was called), was very poor. Dry was the only way to describe the biscuit portion and there was not much of the ice cream to balance it out. In retrospect, had he covered the biscuits with the ice cream and waited slightly longer, it may have worked, but seriously, The Chameleon does not go to restaurants to cook, that's the Chef's job!

OVERALL

Carousel started promising little, rose to great heights early on, but unfortunately faded somewhat dismally by the end of the evening. The food was barely passable and hence very much overpriced for what The Chameleon consumed over the evening. Another case of an expensive 'once visit' motel restaurant in regional Queensland. 59/100

The Everest Spice (Takeaway)

Overall score: 69/100 (take-away adjusted)

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There is no doubt that most people in Australia (and for that matter, England) have at least once in their lifetime, dined on Indian take away. There are so many littered throughout this great country that inevitably you will find yourself trying a korma or a butter chicken, along with a yummy garlic naan and so forth. This was the exact predicament The Chameleon found himself in not long ago; a visit to The Everest Spice, another one of Toowoomba's highly recommended Indian offerings.   

THE EXPERIENCE

The Everest Spice, as it seems is often the case for Toowoomba take-away restaurants, is located in a less than ideal location, squeezed in next to a Chemist at the top part of Margaret Street, away from the main action of Ruthven. It looks very much like a take away and this became very evident when The Chameleon saw that there were no table cloths and no particular effort to dress up the little restaurant. The Chameleon will guess and say that The Everest Spice has become such a busy take away that those who opt to dine-in become more of an inconvenience than the staple. 

But this critique is not about the dine-in experience; no, it's about the take away butter chicken, Rogan josh, the accompanying rice and a plain and garlic naan.  

The Chameleon had high expectations of Everest. The fact that he had to wait for over 40 minutes from when entering the restaurant, to when he got in his car to drive back to the tree house (and repeating the order to the kitchen hand twice after the initial order) wasn't even a major issue, The Chameleon could see they were busy and doing their best. Another kitchen hand/front counter person wouldn't have hurt though, especially on this busy night. Just a small side note; it's great to see the owner of such a busy place working in the kitchen and not barking orders at kitchen staff from the front. 


THE FOOD

The only word that justifies the overall Everest Spice meal was 'inconsistent'. It pains The Chameleon to say this, but unfortunately it is true. As you may have read in past reviews, the option of choice for The Chameleon is butter chicken and The Everest Spice has done what Chutney Mary did not too long ago; delivered a very, very good butter chicken. It had all the character of a beautiful sweet sauce, succulent melt-in-your-mouth chicken with that slightly smoky/charcoal tandoor edge; The Chameleon will be honest, apart from the slight over sweetness, it was exquisite. 

The rice too was very nice; not too soggy, not too dry. It was thus a great shame that the Rogan josh and the naan bought the overall experience back to "average". The Rogan josh had just the right amount of heat for a 'medium' curry, but the sauce was very salty and the lamb was dry, the pieces too large. This was definitely not a more-ish dish; it just didn't work. The naan, both of them, were under-cooked, undersized (in terms of thickness) and very floury overall. The Chameleon has had much better naan in various places, especially the garlic variety, he could hardly notice the garlic. Such a shame after the spectacular opening of the butter chicken.     

OVERALL

The Everest Spice has unfortunately displayed what so many restaurants do; doing an outstanding job on one dish, yet making a horrible mess of another. Such a shame (The Chameleon thinks he has already said this), as he would go back again and again just for the awesomeness of the butter chicken.  The Chameleon hopes to sample The Everest again and report back soon.
69/100  

Chipper Fish

Overall score: 81/100

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Going to a 'fish and chip' shop is often associated with good old fashioned greasy chips, heavily battered fish and wedges of lemon, eating out of paper wrapping next to a beautiful beach. It is thus very difficult to refer to Chipper Fish as a 'fish and chip' shop, as this title is just a very clever disguise, much like The Chameleon's, as all is not what it seems in this little shop in Toowoomba. 

THE EXPERIENCE

Chipper Fish is a highly rated 'fish and chips' shop in a small shopping complex not far from the Toowoomba CBD, but by no means walking distance. Very much a small hole in the wall, Chipper Fish is wedged into your typical suburban shopping complex and The Chameleon noticed that the store didn't even get a mention on the large display board with the names of all the businesses protruding onto Drayton Road. This, The Chameleon believes, is a big mistake made by the managers of the complex, as this petite gastronomic marvel is the highlight. 

The shop itself is unfortunately positioned in such a location that there is no doubt, it  hinders it's potential. A fish and chip shop like this on Ruthven Street, or even in the Brisbane CBD, would have people lining up for miles and miles (that's right, miles) as the dishes claimed to be your typical 'fish and chips' from here would sit very well indeed in any of Brisbane's finest restaurants.

The shop itself is neat, but simple, a black fish sculpture is a vague attempt at creating a nautical feel and a few fishing and boating magazines also helped, but seriously it could do with a decor make over yesterday. 

The menu was very well presented. Retro cool, great colours, simple and easy, not overloaded with too many choices, basically perfect. The Chameleon found it hard not to chuckle at the "Carnival Treats" title given to the usual deep fried food that you can purchase if your heart desires. 

There was one area that unfortunately reduced what was a very pleasant experience, to a mediocre sit down; a TV, positioned above the drinks fridge was on ABC, turned to such a volume that it was neither audible, yet loud enough to be an annoyance. It was also angled awkwardly. A simple replacement of a slightly larger wall mounted unit, or even a small boombox serenading the dinners with cool laid back tunes would create an ambiance worthy of possibly staying to enjoy your meal, but as is, perhaps the TV could be turned off. This shop is unfortunately just the local "fish and chip" joint and in it's current location will no doubt serve 95% take-away and perhaps remain that little bit hidden from the potential monopoly it could have in any decent busy dining location. 

THE FOOD

Let's get this straight: Chipper Fish is not a 'fish and chip' shop. It is a restaurant in disguise, serving up deliciousness in a flimsy paper box. No fanfare, no fancy packaging, just a lot of heart and soul going into what matters the most; great tasting fish. And The Chameleon could really go on and on about the grilled barramundi in his "Queenslander Pack", it was perfect in texture, taste and seasoning. PERFECT. 

The Chameleon was highly impressed from the first bite. The coconut encrusted prawns were a taste sensation and the Cesar salad side dish, while not very impressive, was adequate to moisten the mouthfuls (though, the fancy hard/soft croutons were quite good here). The pineapple fritter was also very well presented, with the slight acidity retained in the pineapple, and the batter, again, unique and very suitable. Perhaps a slight disappointment were the chips; although in a typical take-away they would more than suffice, they simply did not live up to the high quality of the perfectly grilled fish, prawns and pineapple fritter.

A nice little touch was a piece of grease-proof paper between the chips and the fish sitting above; you won't get a soggy mess of chips from Chipper. Well done.     

OVERALL

Chipper Fish deserves all the raving reviews for it's cuisine; the fish was simply superb, the uniqueness of it's side flavours very tasty and overall everything was top notch. It is a pity though that this little hidden restaurant exists only for take-aways, spending very little effort on dining or drawing in a loyal sit-down crowd. The location is atrocious and the effort going into setting up for dining was poor. Do yourself a favour Chipper: move to a decent location on Ruthven. 87/100  

Crazy Galagher's

Overall score: 57/100 
(score to be confirmed with another visit soon)

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Sometimes a lizard just has to go and eat. Sometimes, a lizard has to meet up with other lizards for an after work drink. Sometimes, a lizard has to take his family out of the lizard hole to 'eat somewhere else' so Mrs Chameleon won't have to do the dishes afterwards. The Chameleon does not do dishes. It is thus likely that in any of the above situations, one might visit Crazy Galagher's, a large restaurant attached to a very well positioned pub in Toowoomba. The Chameleon uses the term 'restaurant' very loosely.  

THE EXPERIENCE

The venue is actually quite nice. Plenty of parking, heaps of space and the size of the dining room was more than adequate. Good thing too, as the place was full of customers on this busy afternoon. The tables were neat, the place was clean and the staff were very friendly, so a lot of kudos for the establishment. A special mention for ones with kids; this place has a very well designed kids area, with built in game consoles (must have been at least 8), a TV room and a McDonald's style playground (but on steroids) also attached. The Chameleon highly recommends Crazy's for those with kids. It came as a bit of a shock then, that the food was barely passable.  

THE FOOD

As is The Chameleon's style, he ordered what appeared to be the pub specialty, which was the beef steak and mushroom pie. Furthermore, The Chameleon was lucky to have an accomplice who ordered a gnocchi with chorizos, which he was also able to sample. 

The pie was....a pie. While the taste was as it should be, it was slightly on the drier side, and the pastry was very crumbly. Some people may prefer this, but The Chameleon always looks for the crumbly/soft combination in pie pastry. It should be thick, with the outside slightly crumbly and the inside soft and melt-in-your-mouth. Unfortunately this pie was not. The mushrooms in the surrounding gravy were somewhat above the overall dish, but not enough to save the experience. The steak was OK, it simply had nothing special about it and was akin to a steak and mushroom pie you can find in any decent pie shop. 

The gnocchi serve was very large which was a welcomed surprise. It was presentable and looked much better than the simple way The Chameleon's meal was presented. The taste was a mixture; the gnocchi texture was actually well executed, albeit it was evident they weren't freshly made, but The Chameleon did not have this expectation to begin with, considering that after all, Crazy's IS a pub restaurant which would do quite a few meals that evening. The taste was somewhat of a let down. It was presented very salty and the acidic edge in the sauce was just off the right balance, it bit into The Chameleon's palate as it entered his mouth and swirled over his long and skinny tongue. The Chameleon suspects the 'chorizo' was actually a spicy kabana. To be fair, it was a 'just passable' meal.

The real downer of Crazy Gallagher's however, was the cost. The menu was very expensive and considering the average meals received, it was over-priced across all of the selections. The Chameleon doesn't mind paying prices such as these, but the food has to be equivalent and unfortunately that was not the case here.    

OVERALL

Crazy Galagher's is a pub bistro, not a pub 'restaurant', yet you pay restaurant prices. The meals were average to poor and hence it was overly expensive. If you were to visit Crazy's, it would be to give your kids a chance to have a play while you get a chance to eat/drink/talk/play pokies, or, you may use the tables to have a round of drinks with your mates, rather than actually eat there. The fish and chip shop literally across the road has better fare. 57/100    

Phat Burgers

Overall score: 83/100

Restaurant:

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The Chameleon will admit that he frequents quite a few 'restaurants'. You know the ones, they start with Mc... and Kent... and Hung...  The Chameleon is not even afraid of admitting that he enjoys some of their fare.

It was with delight then when travelling through the main street of Toowoomba that he came upon a burger joint, one that was proud to call itself a burger joint. A burger joint that wasn't afraid to have some 'attitude' and an approach to burgers totally different from the usual fare provided by those other places. Phat Burgers was a welcome change for The Chameleon.

THE EXPERIENCE

A while ago, The Chameleon had one aim, and one aim only; to find cheap and cheerful food, where ever he traveled. In fact, this became such an unhealthy obsession that one day, he woke up and found himself visiting only 'those' take away outlets and nowhere else. This frightened The Chameleon, so much so, that he wowed to himself never to really look at the price of food again. Lucky then that this change in his philosophy occurred before his visit to Phat Burgers, as in his prior life, he never would have even dreamed of paying more than $10 for a burger alone.

As he entered the establishment, The Chameleon instantly felt relaxed. He's not sure if it was due to the relaxing feel all that timber gave the room, or the bar like atmosphere and lighting, or even if it was the vast menu blackboard that had an air of casualness. There weren't many patrons for late lunch and The Chameleon found himself waiting for his burger patiently accompanied by the daily paper which was on offer along with what looked like 100s of pieces of literature to keep you amused.  

He ordered a 'Van Helsing' since the word 'horseradish' caught his attention (horseradish in a take away burger, it couldn't be) and took a seat in one of the darker booths, away from the stylish but glaring orange seats, or the bar seating which was available also. What he really appreciated was that there was at least choice as to the type of dining you were into. The wait for the burger was quite long; there was even an apology when it was bought to the table which made it a little more bearable for The Chameleon.     

THE FOOD

When the bruger did eventually arrive, he was very surprised; it was plainly wrapped in the usual white paper, as you would get in any other take away joint. No plate. No fancy wrapping. No fanfare what so ever. Disgruntilingly (is that a word?), he proceeded to unwrap the package, wondering how he came to pay over $11 for a burger which was delivered in packaging the next level up from newspaper.  

The Chameleon was in for a shock. The burger was MASSIVE! I'll write that again just in case you missed it the first time; MASSIVE! Suddenly it dawned on him why there was no plate and why Phat Burgers needn't worry about packaging. 

As The Chameleon stared at The Van Helsing, staring at him, daring to take a bite, he realised that this sort of a burger deserves his money. The price, retrospectively, was cheap for what you got. The burger was kind of hard to handle, but tasted delicious and left him feeling like a pig in mud once he had finished this monster. The relish, horseradish and caramelised onion dominated the flavours, but somehow it worked; the 'balance' that The Chameleon looks for in a burger was very evident here. 

OVERALL

Phat Burgers produces exactly that, phat premium burgers in every sense of the word. The place is inviting, the burgers are huge and crafted with care and really, $11 is very justifiable for a burger as good as the Van Helsing. 83/100

Chutney Mary (Take Away)

Overall score: 91/100 (Take Away Score)

Restaurant:

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Yes, The Chameleon reviews take away food as well! Through a special formula created by The Chameleon himself, the score is references in a way so that it becomes comparable to a sit-down style meal. Of course it's only a partial way of deciding a restaurant score, but at a minimum you'll get an idea of the food quality and a little bit of the service.

Chutney Mary is a highly regarded Indian restaurant in Toowomba, so The Chameleon went to check out what all the talk was about. Urbanspoon reviews unfortunately appear to be tampered with; a lot of negative reviews from single reviewers. From the perspective of the food, The Chameleon was satisfied.

As a restaurant that does, what The Chameleon assumes, is a lot of takeaway, the place is definitely not set up for it; it's a small, thin room with all the action at the back. There was some waiting time; more than typical , this started things off on the wrong foot.

THE FOOD

Initially, Chutney Mary threw a spanner in the works; it was very expensive for the typical take away portions. The Chameleon left with the thought that it better be a bloody good meal, because there isn't much of it there. The main meat based dishes came in tiny flat Chinese containers; they surely must believe in their product to think that such a small amount would satisfy the customer. 

The Chameleon had what he always has from Indian restaurants; butter chicken. This was accompanied by a plain naan, garlic naan and one other meat dish which the Chameleon just can not remember (the visit was quite a few months ago), it may have been Rogan-josh. The reason why The Chameleon is lost in his memories is that the butter chicken was so well executed that nothing else that was consumed in that meal even mattered! Chutney Mary dishes up THE BEST butter chicken tasted by The Chameleon. No, that's a lie; it's on par with the butter chicken that The Chameleon ordered in Glasgow, Scotland (a city some regard as the second home of Indian cuisine). So really, it's EQUAL TO THE BEST. For the first time in his life, The Chameleon wanted to lick a Chinese container empty.

While it's really difficult to look past this one fact regarding the awesomeness of the take away order, The Chameleon does remember that the naan (both types), while very tasty, were also overly oily, so much so that by the time he returned to its hiding hole in his tree, the 'grease-proof' paper had failed in it's task miserably. 

OVERALL 

Chutney Mary may be a small Indian restaurant in a regional center of Queensland, but the taste of their dishes is highly regarded by The Chameleon. Although a few things were slightly amiss, the food more than make up for the Chutney Mary experience. A sit-down meal/review should not be too far away. 91/100

FEDERAL HOTEL/MOTEL

Overall score: 71/100

Restaurant:

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As often is the case from time to time, the Chameleon is invited to work functions and shindigs to help celebrate milestones, events, farewells, etc. etc. On two such occasions in recent times, the venue has been the Federal Hotel/Motel, an upmarket pub with a busy Dan Murphy's liquor outlet attached adjacent on busy James Street in Toowoomba. What this often means at the Federal is that a). parking is a nightmare and b). the actual hotel bistro is overlooked by many, as the main reason to visit is to buy cheap grog.The Chameleon did not have high expectations.

THE EXPERIENCE

The Federal Hotel must have received an update not long ago as the outside of the building is fresh and new, not like a traditional pub at all, but a high class establishment, almost like a modern chic building that wouldn't be out of place housing architects or perhaps a lawyer or two. As you walk up the front steps, the place looks very inviting, almost cosy in fact, you can tell the designer spent some time getting the light ambiance just right. As the Chameleon's group sat down, it was obvious this was no country pub that was going to serve up the usual bland steak or overly deep fried chicken schnitzel. The tables were neat, presentation was passable and at no time did we feel that our space was invaded, even though there were two other groups also present in the same dining area. There were a few casual bar customers, but getting pre-dinner drinks was a breeze at the Federal, both time we attended. 

The Chameleon took a quick stroll just to see what this place had to offer and was pleasantly surprised to see a very well laid out hotel with small intimate areas, a separate pokies area, a live entertainment area and another small bar section, all very neatly presented, all with a few groups making good use of the beers and other fine beverages that were on offer. 

The Chameleon initially had reservations with visiting this place; it was the fact that James Street is the road that cattle trucks carrying cattle (duh) use to get the poor buggers from the west down to Brissie. As such, the distinct odor that often accompanies these trucks could penetrate into the bistro, but, thankfully, the Chameleon is happy to report that this was an absolute non issue. Secondly, the presence of Dan Murphy's right outside the door may have been a source of annoyance, but again, the design of the Federal meant that we could have been 100 miles away from the busy traffic, it was not noticeable at all.

THE FOOD

On both occasions, the Chameleon had steak, although the menu had numerous yummy sounding options, above the level of typical pub grub. The fact that you have to line up to order was a little off putting, and there was a line up both times, but then he had to remind himself that after all, this was a pub bistro, a very good one at that. The food that was presented both times was excellent. 

There was one slight hesitation when the Chameleon tried to pour the delicious mushroom sauce onto his steak. The texture was horrendous. "Gluggy" is the only way to describe it; this was a real shame as the sauce itself was quite tasty, but surely getting a nice consistency into a sauce is not rocket science. The Chameleon has had beautiful mushroom sauce in the past and, apart from actual mushrooms, the sauce should be of even consistency, smooth and generally 'not gluggy'. 

The steak, ordered medium-rare of course, was divine. The sides were as they should be, but what stood out the most in both of the Chameleon's meals on both occasions was that nothing of real interest actually stood out. Yes, the steak was masterfully manufactured, it came to the table medium-rare and the Chameleon really did appreciate this, as often this is hard to achieve for many a restaurant. Apart from this though, there was no special edge to the sauces, no layers of interesting or intense flavours in the sides, no little garnish that made you contemplate your meal just for that little bit longer. So it was a great steak, served in typical pub style fashion. As the Chameleon stated before, he did not have high expectations and this was confirmed. None-the-less, many many brownie points for the steak. The Chameleon's fellow dinners also commented on the deliciousness of their meals, but there was no 'this is the best XXXXX I have ever eaten' comments.

OVERALL

The Federal Hotel/Motel may conjure up images of an old pub and the Dan Murphy's may turn away a few potential customers, but the Chameleon left on both evenings very content, appreciating a restaurant that can actually cook a steak as it was ordered. Well done Federal. Now let's see if you can add some interesting edge to your meals that will make you stand out from the dozen or so other quality pubs on offer in Toowoomba. 71/100

HANA Japanese Sushi Restaurant

Overall score: 69/100
Restaurant:
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Once in a while something unusual bestows an unusual place and it is such with the HANA Japanese Sushi Restaurant which has operated out of Toowoomba for some while now. The Chameleon never thought that he could put the words "Toowoomba" and "good sushi" into the same sentence, yet here he is, after the experience, very content with what HANA had to offer. 
   Tucked away slightly away from the Toowoomba CBD, HANA Japanese Sushi Restaurant is located on the corner of Hume and Margaret, next to a real estate and take away burger joint. While this area doesn't conjure up images of a fine upmarket dining precinct, parking was easy to find when I visited and the center was clean and had a utilitarian neat feel about it. 
   As you enter the door, HANA is much like many other typical sushi train restaurants, although first impressions didn't inspire a 'quality' feel. Greeted by a lackluster "moshi-moshi" from two of the 6 or so staff, it had the Japanese feel, but in a watered down form. As the Chameleon sat down at one of the booths he noticed it wasn't as neat as it could be and the table wasn't wiped down until after he was seated. These two things can be forgiven though, as booths are often the choice for children and half the fun of a sushi train would be standing up and seeing the small plates going around and around and around, and the place was busy enough to excuse the table readiness. The Japanese music playing in the background was at exactly the right volume and fit the ambiance perfectly. The restaurant wasn't super busy when the Chameleon visited, but the diners seemed to be having a great time and it sure beat sitting in a restaurant by yourself, as the Chameleon had experienced on a few previous occasions at other establishments. The train itself was in a "U" shape and the food preparation occurred at one end of the restaurant. Overall, somewhat of a disappointment when compared to other sushi trains; the food that was to follow though more than made up for it's shortcomings. 
   Staff were nice and helpful, but the cordless phone use and the gesturing from one end of the place to the other while serving customers was an unnecessary, somewhat rude distraction that seemed to be ongoing during the Chameleon's stay.
   What can I say about the food? It was bloody brilliant! HANA had the best sticky rice in its dishes that I have experienced in a long time. The presentation on the little plates was excellent and as plate after plate exited the train, the flavours melded beautifully to represent exactly what sushi should be. The soy sauce being used fitted the dishes very well and, as is the Chameleon's preference, the pickled ginger came fresh in little sachets rather than the dry mass offerings you get elsewhere. The ingredients were fresh and the textures that came with the sashimi were very nice indeed. The variety was OK, but there were some key typical sushi train items that were missing like tempura base dishes. I'm sure however, these could have been ordered specially if the need arose. 
   HANA Japanese Sushi Restaurant was a refreshing experience for the Chameleon, as a sushi train in Toowoomba is a welcomed addition to the typical restaurants which dot the city. While the physical restaurant itself was a bit of a let down, the food was the saviour to score a respectable 69 for a sushi train restaurant. Very much worth a visit. 69/100