Chow House

Friday night in Fortitude Valley and someone has to have an accident on Ann St.. All I can say to that is ugh. So hubby and I decided to stay in the Valley rather than battle the traffic for our Friday night meal.

We settled on Chow House since it was one of those places that you walk past and it seemed busy and you go 'we should try that some day'.

Alarm bells should have started going off when our waitress showed us a table smack bang in the middle of the entrance, weird set up but at least I have a view of the cake cabinet--a look only affair--$9.00/slice and rest of the restaurant--nice, simple, inoffensive decor.

A quick glance at the far-away specials board outside told me there was confit duck available--interesting since i thought this place was asian themed? But waitress plonked down water, menus and darted off to serve-----no other customers and hang around the register. Hey if you wanted to sell specials, shouldn't you a) have a board that people can see or b) train your staff to introduce the specials? clearly not special enough so we'll move on and we won't ask.

Cake Cabinet average $9/slice

Hubby was in a hungry and happy mood so no complaints from him so far. He had to try the chilli coriander bread with the peanut dipping sauce. I am not letting that man order bread again--- if you ever had toast with peanut butter, thats what this tastes like.

Peanut butter and toast. Wait, it's chilli coriander bread with peanut dipping sauce

Thankfully the spicy thai pork street sausage was a save, juicy and herby porky flavour. The tapioca dumpling dumplings could have fared a lot better without that bed of salad.

Pork Sausages, it's there, somewhere

Tapioca dumplings, you do get 4, hubby ate one before a photo could be taken

Inside of tapioca dumpling 

That ubiquitous, confused and poorly dressed salad. I get fusion cuisine, i'm not a fan but does mixing the pre packed salad leaves bag from Woolworths/Coles with the 'Asian Salad' bag also from Woolworths/Coles constitute acceptable fusion? At least keep the Woolies asian dressing, it would have been better than what dressing was on the salad. Sadly the salad was on everything: the warm twice cooked (dehydrated) duck salad, the bedding to bulk up the meagre but tasty tapioca dumplings, and fill the empty void next to the chicken rendang in young coconut.  Smaller plates may be a better idea, oh wait no, then you can't charge $29 for a salad or $25 for the equivalent of a chicken thigh and half a coconut with 1 tablespoon of rice.

Chicken Rendang in Young Coconut and Woolworths Salad

Twice Cooked duck (jerky) with pancake and Woolworths Salad 

We didn't have a big table and room was pretty restricted once all the food was on the table. Nobody came to refill our water bottle, no one came to clear plates--we ended up stacking our own plates as we were done to make more room. The staff were too busy congregating around the register--and ..moving around...and back to the register.  Must be something about that register.

There must be something about that register

Flavours were acceptable on all the plates (except for the salad, yes I even accept the peanut butter bread). However, I think Chow House needs a reno or at least a home improvement.