Bazaar

Overall score: 83/100 

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Buffet dining, in a way, is admitting defeat. Let The Chameleon explain. Dining experiences are far and wide, and at different times of the day or different occasions, a suitable dining option is required. A buffet thus fits into...which one? The correct answer is of course all of them; it can offer options for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dining for two, or 50. With a varied menu on offer from a basic breakfast bar, through to a full smorgasbord (which is very much what you get at Bazaar), The Chameleon has to wonder how right the food can be with such variety. And more often than not, his hesitation has proven correct with bland offerings that were not far off from Sizzler levels. He approaches with caution.  

The Bazaar however has changed his perception...somewhat. As you see, another dimension has entered the fold.     

THE EXPERIENCE

Bazaar is located inside the QT hotel, a glitzy venue but let's be honest, The Chameleon couldn't help but think back to any number of motels with a 'restaurant' attached and images of the Carousel began haunting his thoughts. These were quickly dismissed however, as when he slithered up the staircase he was greeted with a friendly staff member and instantly, he knew this was going to be a different dining experience. 

As he was shown to his seat, The Chameleon couldn't help but notice a glaringly obvious  fact; it was very very busy. So much so in fact, that you almost needed to pack a lunch just to get to the buffet section, traversing, if not climbing over and bumping into other guests along the way. This got to a point where The Chameleon at one stage got out of his seat, raised his little head high above the crowd and scouted out a route prior to his quest to get another delicious plate. So a piece of advice Bazaar: Bulldoze/redesign an entire level of your hotel to fit in more customers. Perhaps a trip to Sizzler for inspiration (not for the food). And while The Chameleon is having a go at your layout, it's noteworthy to add that you have tucked the actual business end of this dining experience into a nook! A nook for all those people! The Chameleon also suggests a police officer strategically placed to direct the flow of traffic. 

In all honesty, Bazaar is a wonderful place, very well decorated and a great dining experience albeit very busy and a little bit squashy, some design lacking. Perhaps initially the designers didn't think it would be this popular. 

A quick word about the staff; The Chameleon really appreciated the chirpy friendly nature of the staff here. Smiling, joking, catering to your specific needs is a refreshing change at a buffet. Well done Bazaar. 

THE FOOD

This buffet scores highly on urbanspoon, as well it should. The food, for a buffet, was outstanding. In fact almost all offerings would have gone down favourably in most dedicated restaurants and the variety naturally, was great. But it was more than that; the offerings included stuff like paella, on the spot cooked steak, dumplings, pasta, etc. etc. it was the way a buffet should be.

The highlight came as a surprise. The Chameleon ordered a freshly cooked steak and when he saw what arrived on the table, his heart sank. A piece of thin, flimsy slither of a beef sat, albeit very well presented on a wooden serving board, staring at him. Inside, The Chameleon cried. However, when he tasted what was supposed to be a rare steak, the flavour and texture hit him much like a wrecking ball hits a derelict building. It was superb! AND, even though it was so thin, it was cooked rare! This was by far the highlight, although the steamed dumplings weren't too far behind and let The Chameleon reiterate, this was at a buffet. The rest of the food was of a high standard, the only thing letting the culinary experience down were flavourless prawns, but there was plenty to offset this small mishap. 

A final note; the wine, while on the expensive side, was very nice and a great one on offer to diners.  

    

OVERALL

So this brings The Chameleon to an indifferent conclusion, a dilemma if you will. An outstanding buffet from the food perspective, the best ever actually. Offsetting this is the obvious by-product, a LOT of dinners and unfortunately, to such an extent that it was a significant annoyance. At a quality buffet, come people and come busyness. The cost too was high, something that entered the equation regarding the score. Something to think about Bazaar. 83/100   

Bistro Gitan

Overall score: 85/100

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Oh Melbourne, how cultured, how divinely old and new, how wonderfully diverse is her weather. The Chameleon recently enjoyed another trip to this wonderful city that is the mecca of multiculturalism in Australia and so it was that the visit to this French inspired restaurant on Toorak Road reflected much of what this wonderfully contradictory city is all about.    

THE EXPERIENCE

Bistro Gitan was (literally) only  a stone throw from where The Chameleon was staying on this particular trip (if you throw the stone that is a little bit round and it rolls along a little, perhaps helped by some moisture on the footpath, and a good arm, but I digress) and having walked past it a couple of times on previous evenings, a peek through the windows was all that was needed to lure this little critter in for a visit.   

The Chameleon was very, very glad he did, as Gitan excelled when it came to the atmosphere and, perhaps more importantly, created the type of mood that fits it's Melbourne location down to a tee; urban cool, old and new, simply brilliant. Any new restaurant looking to create that 'just right' ambiance should look no further than a visit to Bistro Gitan; wonderful use of textures and layout, mixed dining options (bar style/formal seating/group seating/casual/romantic are all options) and the lighting....oh the lighting was exquisite. How can lighting be exquisite The Chameleon hears you ask? Well, Gitan had successfully created an intimate, yet lively and adventurous mood by setting the brightness low, but with intense highlights and focal points with the employment of interesting lighting. In the past, The Chameleon has raved about the wonderful atmosphere created at Brisbane's Verve Restaurant Bar Cider House but Gitan has easily overshadowed that wonderful offering. Add to this the clever rich display of wine, artifacts, a creative bar, open see-through kitchen and music that worked a treat and you get one of the best ambiances you will find anywhere in Australia. It was no surprise that The Chameleon's group had a wonderful evening. 

As The Chameleon's party walked through the door, the host/owner welcomed them in with a cheeky smile, and, without appearing desperate nor pretentious (but just letting  the group know that he is doing us a small favour of some sort), he found us a table. The service continued to be quite acceptable throughout the night.

THE FOOD

On this particular evening, the Chameleon was able to run his long sleek tongue across an escargot entree, two different types of steak (one a special, the other off the menu), as well as some delectable red wine that the Chameleon tried to match to the steak.

The escargot (read: snails) was good. The unique texture, which in this case resonated as a somewhat unusual mixture of thick snot, loose overcooked tripe and melted duck lard, was quite pleasant. The flavour from the accompanying sauce was overly buttery, and the escargot only just emerged on the palate; but it worked. So a decent start to the evening. 

The mains were steak; Gitan did not get this right. The Chameleon's specials menu steak came out overcooked, definitely not medium rare. The texture too was overly dry and the flavour, passable if you were sitting in a pub. That's a bit harsh to be honest, but The Chameleon expected much higher considering the prices that were paid. The side of spinach that was ordered never really got past bland. It was...spinach; and nothing else, which came as a surprise since the robust full flavours of any steak will hide untouched spinach every time. A little garlic, some chilli perhaps, just SOMETHING to give it an edge  of flavour, but nothing emerged. Unhappy Chameleon. 

In stark contrast, the menu steak was absolutely spot on. Cooked as per ordered, it left The Chameleon yearning for someone else's meal. The meat was soft, flavoursome and looked outstanding on the plate. It didn't cost much more than the special and was by far the better choice. 

So there was some inconsistency and, for the price the group ended up paying, this is reflected in the overall score. 

A word on the drinks. Bistro Gitan is very much on the expensive side. You pay top dollar for beer. You pay top dollar for wine. The Chameleon paid top dollar for both. There are no cheap alternate offerings, no 'house wine' to quench your thirst. So expect to pay $40+ upward for a basic bottle of red. The French dry chosen by The Chameleon was a very unusual spicy merlot/shiraz style, not a bad drop, but there are better sub-$20 Aussie reds that you can pick up at a bottle-o. If you are interested, there is a very good selection of premiums, reaching over $500 per bottle, which The Chameleon can not comment on for various obvious reasons.

    

OVERALL

Wow, what a glorious bistro! Highly impressive atmosphere/setup, in fact, would visit again for this singular fact alone, but there were some deficiencies in The Chameleon's meal. Getting it right on one plate is fine, but to appease this reptile, it must count on his plate. Pricey for food, a bargain for the atmosphere. 85/100 

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

PIONEER ARMS HOTEL (lunch)

Overall score: 43/100

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Country pubs are wonderfully diverse places, some full of character and characters, while others are plain and drab with little on offer to draw back potential customers. The Pioneer Arms Hotel is somewhere in between; a country pub that has the character, but unfortunately not the food to match.  

THE EXPERIENCE

Situated not far from Toowoomba, the Chameleon recently stopped over at this picturesque hotel to have a bite for lunch. The long, inviting verendah which spans the entire length of the hotel was the first indication that this should be the stereotypical country pub with that dated decor which the Chameleon has come to expect from a lot of sub-par pubs. What greets a visitor inside though is positively different; the dinning benches are solid timber tables and the bistro eating area is surrounded by antiques and relics, taking the dinner back to a bygone era not too long ago. 

As it was lunchtime, the Chameleon would have thought there'd be a few patrons, but on this occasion there was one gentleman in the bar, sipping his XXXX Gold, letting the world drift by. The publican was friendly and took the order, making the experience of a lunch all the better.

THE FOOD

It's very difficult to comment on 'pub grub', especially during a lunch. Typically the main chef isn't on until dinner; the Chameleon had to wonder as to the mastery of the person behind the grillers. 

The food was bought out quite quickly which was a pleasant surprise. The Chameleon was very hungry indeed on this day and to see the dish appear so quickly was a welcome experience. Some pubs take excessively long to serve up dishes, perhaps to do with the defrosting first, but at the Pioneer Arms, the waiting time was very reasonable. 

The Chameleon had steak. He ordered it medium-rare and of course, it came out inconsistently medium to well-done.  This is a common issue with pubs and one that was replicated here. Although the steak was passable in terms of taste, it was simply overdone and some of the textures that the Chameleon expects with a piece of meat was unfortunately found wanting. The meal overall was passable, but definitely nothing spectacular. The sauce was of a nice consistency (are you reading Federal Hotel/Motel?)  but too salty and was not a good example of the particular sauce ordered. 

OVERALL

The Pioneer Arms Hotel in Goombungee delivers what many country pubs do; reasonably prices meals that you would return in a real restaurant, but is acceptable in this setting. Overall, a typical pub gastronomy experience where nothing went really wrong, but also nothing really went right. 43/100

FEDERAL HOTEL/MOTEL

Overall score: 71/100

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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