http://theflyingcock.com
New eating establishments in Brisbane always pique my interest but this year, there seems to be endless new brunch cafes and Southern American style diners. Sure, I'm still curious but they have all blended into one vague heap on my radar of places to try. What's much more exciting to me is a new establishment that also supplies top notch booze. Enter the gastrobar, a haven for those who can't pick between spending their weekends eating or drinking. After all, in the age of indulgence, why should we have to choose?
The Flying Cock (TFC for easy typing) first flew under my radar when Jenny mentioned driving past the 'coming soon' sign on Brunswick Street. I later learnt that workmate PDizzle is friends with David Flynn, one of the owners. Not long after the opening night at TFC, we arranged to head there for dinner and drinks.
TFC is located in the old Tempo Hotel building an as such, takes up a lot of space. There are distinct areas within the building that you might find more suitable for different occasions. We took up one of the larger tables in the downstairs 'restaurant' area and later moved upstairs to the proper bar to check out the live music.
One fact must be confessed to: in the spirit of the weekend, I arrived at dinner very well watered by a lethal combination of homemade sangria and espresso martinis. On the plus side, this made all the food that much more inviting and tasty. On the down, my memory isn't the best but being the good little food blogger I am, I actually took down notes on the night. The trouble is, most of these don't actually make sense but with the help of the other guests, I've managed to make sense of my mumbo jumbo.
Food and beverage is ordered at the counter and brought to you as it's ready. The current food meu contains all the necessary offerings to help you enjoy your drinks. Just think chips, wings, ribs, burgers, pizzas and more all with delightfully punny names (at a venue called 'The Flying Cock', that's only to be expected). Basically, if it's a food you've craved whilst sipping a beer or cocktail, they've got it. Jenny chose a selection of nibblies for our table to try although she did mention that some of the food items she wanted (e.g. sweet potato fries and pop corn chicken) were sold out.
Campari orange
On the topic of drinks, the range is even more extensive. There was a bit of confusion (and subsequent disappointment) because I tried a sip of Jenny's cocktail and it was really tasty so I wanted one of those. The cocktails at TFC use freshly squeezed juice, which practically make them health tonics. Hien, being a typical boy, misheard or ignored my request and ended up getting me a Campari orange. I've had terrible experiences in Italy sipping on Campari soda (which IMO tastes exactly like soap) but to be fair, when mixed with orange juice it's not so bad.
Our food started arriving not long after. Although many of these items are typically 'sides' at other restaurants, they were big serves here, perfect for sharing.
Chips with herbed mayo
Nothing makes my heart gladder than the sight of a mountain of crunchy chips. I've been really, really addicted to burgers and chips these past couple of weeks. What I've noticed is that especially when it comes to chips, not all are made equal. That's quite obvious when you think about it but whereas a poorly made burger can still taste good, crappy chips are barely edible. These were golden and crunchy and freshly cooked. The menu stated shoestring fries but these were definitely proper chip-sized so maybe they ran out of fries too? I really liked the accompanying sauce. Plain garlic aioli is considered boring now but this had a fresh rosemary tang that was a great addition.
Olympic rings - housemade brown and spanish onion rings with panko bread crumb and fying cock house sauce
There's something very retro about onion rings but I think they're making a huge comeback. After all, they're delicious and they fit into people's desire for shareable food that goes with alcohol. The onion rings at TFC were plentiful and had a fine, crumb coating.
Alice Springs hot wings - hot, sticky chicken wings with house sauce
Next up were the Alice Springs hot wings. They looked deliciously messy and were served with a dollop of 'house sauce' which was creamy and complimented the spiciness well. There was the option of crispy or sticky on the menu and because we had a lot of crispy dishes already, sticky was an excellent choice. At $13 for a kilo, these are amazing value too.
You bloody ribber! - smokey BBQ plum ribs slow cooked for 6 hours in coffee, finished to charcoal on the grill and served on smashed potato
Our last food order of the night was the bbq ribs on a bed of mashed potato. I'll suggest there's a rosemary fan in the kitchen because the potatoes were also seasoned with rosemary. I love the stuff so that's fine by me but I know not everyone likes it. The ribs themselves were incredibly tender and saucy with a lovely sweet, smokey marinade.
The food at The Flying Cock is no-fuss but plentiful, freshly cooked and full of flavour. It's all the things we like to eat whilst sipping beer or cocktails on a weekend, with plenty of crunchy, saucy, creamy and slurpy. Most dishes invite people to share, which is great for a meal with friends. Our critique is that the music, even in the downstairs restaurant, was a bit too loud for easy conversation. On the plus side, service was pretty quick considering how big the venue is and food prices are very cheap for a Valley establishment!
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