Foodie Friday - Juan Fifty

Mexican In Our Hood!

From the crew who brought us the Good Bar at Mooloolaba, we have a cool Mexican hangout at our fingertips!

Now this is no formal, stuffy restaurant where you sit around waiting to catch the waiters eye for a drink or to order, rather you can go up and order as you go.....this is a good idea for when you are not sure how full you will get (food or drinks ha), so you can sample, experiment etc. 

Image From Juan Fifty Facebook Page

The most wonderful part is that when you go up to order, rather than the face like a dropped pie (or punched pillow) that we see far too much of these days, it seems to be the order of the day to give the customer a big smile, and make whatever cocktail or drink they order to perfection! Who'd a thunk that service and smiles might make a comeback??? Wow!

Evidence of smiling team from their Facebook page :)

The food is closer to traditional Mexican and pretty healthy frankly (not drowned in cheese and sour cream), although they make a subtle appearance. The ingredients are all freshly chopped, and seem to suit all levels of endurance when it comes to chilli or hot food.

 

The reason for this is their secret weapon - the wall of sauces! Make sure when you order that you do a 180 and check it out on the case behind you......this is serious chilli/sauce heaven, so you can add your own (or not if you can't hack it).

Wall Of Sauces - Image from Juan Fifty Facebook Page

The beer drinkers will also be pleasantly surprised by the prices - similar to surf/bowls club prices, which include some basic Aussie and also some great craft beers - hard to find both in the same spot for some reason - this way EVERYONE can enjoy a cold beer at the same place!

Get behind this one crew, we don't want to lose them and have to listen to ourselves whining about "where did it go"! Bel x

Foodie Fridays - Fish On Parkyn

Foodie Fridays - Fish On Parkyn

What sort of person would not mention a long-term stayer in then fly by night restaurant game? Why are they still here? Because they offer beautiful fresh 5 sSar seafood dishes (with a few others for those who can't/don't eat seafood), 5 Star friendly service, a lovely open industrial space and wonderful cocktails.

Image Courtesy Of Yelp

If that's not enough and you are moaning after lunch/dinner, you can stroll next door to the Yacht Club and relax....or just straight over the road to the beach/tables at Mooloolaba spit!

This place is a credit to the owner, and I think the secret must be consistency!

Image Courtesy Of Yelp

Kenlworth - Did You Know?

History Of Kenilworth (Info Courtesy of Wikipedia)

 

The Mary River was known to the Aboriginals as the Numabulla and the name for the Kenilworth area being Hinka Booma. In 1842 Andrew Petrie named the river as the Wide Bay River. In 1847 that Governor Fitzroy renamed the river after his wife Mary.

Image Courtesy Of Qld.com

 Richard Joseph Smith tendered to set up the first cattle run on the east bank of the Mary River in 1850. At the time Mrs Smith was reading Sir Walter Scott's novel "Kenilworth" and she decided to name the property after the novel. The town was surveyed and split off Kenilworth Station in 1921 and took the name of the Station. During the second half of the 19th Century, the Smiths took up more land. 

Other settlers arrived in 1891 originally intending to grow small crops. There was a ready market at the goldfields in Gympie but after the floods of 1893, 1895 and 1898 had wiped out their crops, most ventured into dairying and pig breeding. In 1901 the Kenilworth Farmers' Association was formed and in 1907 they built the Kenilworth Farmers Assembly Hall. This later housed a library and hosted dances. In 1905 the Association was responsible for establishing a co-operative butter factory which opened in Caboolture in 1907. 

Also established was the Kenilworth Farmers' Co-operative Store in Eumundi. In 1912 a steam-powered sawmill was built on Coolabine Creek. In 1921 Kenilworth Station was sold off and divided into dairy farms and allotments. By 1925 all the large estates in the district had been subdivided and sold. Today dairying is still a major part of farming in the area but there has been diversification into fruit and vegetables and pig farming. 

Kenilworth Post Office opened by 1926 (a receiving office had been open from 1896).
 
The first store was opened in Kenilworth on 2 January 1924 as well as the new hall opening and the first butcher's shop appeared in 1925. Kenilworth Provisional School built by the community opened on 22 January 1900. This school became a State School on 1 January 1909. (This school was in the locality now known as Gheerulla).
 
Kenilworth Township was opened in the Kenilworth Hall on 21 October 1924. The hall, in 1926, was equipped to show silent pictures. The site for a public recreation ground was purchased in 1927 and in 1933, the Public Hall was moved to this new location. The Church of England Mary Valley Parish was established in 1925. 

The Kenilworth Library opened in 1986 with a major refurbishment in 2000.
At the 2006 census, Kenilworth had a population of 238.

Image Courtesy Of Kenilworth Dairies

 

Foodie Fridays - Embassy XO Sunshine Beach

 Embassy XO Sunshine Beach

This sneaky little gem has been around for a while now....some friends took us there for a treat one Saturday night a couple of years ago, and I first fell in love with the actual little cocktail bar at the front (funny that)! It is really sort of retro funky, and you can't see from the image I obtained from the website (hope they don't mind the free advertising), but you can see the ocean...absolutely beautiful.

The menu and interior are a bit different day and night - but both have an Asian Fusion feel. I personally favor the evening food, but I think these guys possibly may have been the the first to do this theme on the coast back in the day....(Belinda is latin for "often wrong" though ha)!

When we were in the USA, I asked my husband if he could think of anywhere in Australia that offered the sort of service that we were receiving over there, and this was one of 2 that came to mind. 

Image of the interior below - wonderful at night!