Brisbane Archives - Page 4 of 10 - Wander Wonder Wonton

Why Seeing A Mortgage Broker Is The Best Thing I Did

July 31, 2018May 9, 2018

Perhaps that title isn’t quite right… I should update to say, ‘Why Seeing Kelly Cameron At Get Real Finance In Brisbane Changed My Property Strategy For The Better’… but that’s really wayy too long for a blog title!

I was content as can be. I live in Kangaroo Point in Brisbane and I love it there so I decided that obviously that is where I would spend my dollars to buy an apartment and live happily ever after. But that was before, when I was naive and didn’t understand the market. I didn’t even realise I didn’t understand the market!

A colleague (thanks Kate), suggested I go talk to her mortgage broker, Kelly Cameron at Get Real Finance to have my pre-approval sorted but also for some strategic advice. And boy did Kelly give it to me. Straight. I loved her direct and honest feedback immediately.

I’m not from Brisbane, or even Australia for that matter and my local market knowledge isn’t strong. Kelly took me through both the local and national market, presented data to show trends and how that could impact the future. Well that changed things for me to start with but her insights went much further than that.

I came out of my first meeting with Kelly feeling slightly mind blown and like I had a real plan and the knowledge to make the right decisions in purchasing property. And of course with how to structure my mortgage too! I could happily have walked out of that consultation paying thousands and felt like I had received my money’s worth. To me, that was invaluable. And I was very grateful.

I highly admire Kelly and hold in high regard her insights and advice. And also the way she made me feel. My questions weren’t stupid and I felt like she genuinely wanted to find the best solution for me. I’m eternally thankful I took Kate’s advice to go to Get Real Finance and meet with Kelly.

Why did I write this? I hope that it inspires other first home (or second or third) buyers to find someone like Kelly that can provide strategic insights so they too can make an intelligent and informed decision with their hard earned cash that will provide the best possible footing in the property market. You don’t know, what you don’t know.

PS. Kelly has no idea I wrote this but I will send it to her to share how brilliant I think she is!
On her profile it says “She is intensely passionate about her work as a mortgage broker, and she stays at the cutting edge of what is happening in the financial and property markets, which is of enormous benefit to her clients.” And I agree.

Oh and if you want to speak to the team, here are their details:

Phone: 07 3852 5755
Email: admin@getrealfinance.com.au
Website: http://www.getrealfinance.com.au/

Junk Asian – Needs Work. South Bank, Brisbane

May 4, 2018

Ten months ago I visited Junk Asian in South Bank and was really disappointed. I thought I would give them another try in the hope they have improved. Unfortunately, I had a similar experience again.

I will start with the good stuff! Soft shell crab bao was excellent! The bao was soft and heavy, the crab crispy. The masaman curry wasn’t bad.

We actually chose Junk Asian because we wanted to have a drink with our meal, low and behold, they had lost their liquor licence.

Okay now for the rest. The dumplings (usually my favourite part of a meal) were soft and mushy like they had been steamed from frozen. The roti to accompany the curry was a weird texture and very oily. It was partly crispy and then heavy with oil. It should be soft and lightly doughy when made fresh. The pork belly was deep fried and very oily, crispy on the outside and then just averagely cooked inside. The spring rolls were mushy inside but at least the sauce was nice.

I don’t particularly like writing reviews that aren’t nice, however you can’t always just share the good ones and I stand by providing authentic reviews. There’s many other places to dine cheaply on Asian food in Brisbane that is fantastic, I suggest going to one of them.

Banter Bar Kangaroo Point – Fresh Fish & Chips

April 29, 2018

A new-ish edition to Kangaroo Point, Banter Bar has been on my list to visit for some time.

The restaurant itself is a converted Queenslander, well fitted out with a beach-side, simplistic feel to the interior. The bar is a bit more funky with a giant neon sign and there’s plenty of tables around.

I ordered the special of the day, the Red Emperor and chose for it to be crumbed with a Greek side salad. I didn’t drink (I know you’re all shocked – ha) BUT they have a big selection at the bar and even nice champagne by the half and full bottle (hello Louis Roederer!) would go down well with some of their fresh oysters if you ask me.

Our meals came out quickly and looked as good as they tasted. Crunchy chips, fresh Greek salad and a herb crumbed, generous piece of fish. Delightful!

I’ll definitely go back soon, especially now I have oysters and champagne on my mind. They have a take away menu too, would be lovely to grab some and watch the sunset on the Kangaroo Point Cliffs.

You’ll find Banter Bar right off Main Street, next to The Pineapple Hotel and there’s parking out the back.

PS. I’ve been back since and the beer battered fish is just as delish!!

Good Unassuming Vietnamese. An Cafe, Kangaroo Point, Brisbane

April 13, 2018

I stumbled across this little Vietnamese Cafe a while ago. Funny thing is, I drive past it on the way to work everyday!

It’s a very unassuming cafe, as often Vietnamese places can be. It’s in Kangaroo Point, near the KFC on the same side of the road. There’s parking at the back too which is convenient.

We shared vegetable spring rolls to start – yumm! They were very generous portions and full of flavour. They were so big that I actually only had one so that I could enjoy my pho too.

I’ve visited An Cafe before and the pho was great then too. My only issue then was that the meat had quite a bit of gristle in it which I didn’t enjoy. This meal too, the pho was great (rich broth, good side portions and noodle texture) but the meat was gristly. I left half of the beef behind.

I also had a green juice to try and stay healthy, I needed a bit of pep and it worked!

The Only Way To Watch The Footy At The Gabba – The Verandah!

April 11, 2018

The Brisbane Lions have launched a new space at the Gabba for their first home game of 2018, and it is pretty impressive. So impressive in fact that I think they have just set the standard for all the AFL Teams. That’s the way I want to watch the footy!

The Verandah (that’s the new space – used to be the pool area at the cricket) looks phenomenal. It’s like walking into a whole other zone. Almost like a pool bar, or the races except there’s no pool or horses. There’s green turf, white umbrellas, media walls and green foliage walls, furnished with stylish, comfy chairs. Right in front of the action and with a private bar. Everyone is slightly more dressed up. It’s not a corporate box but it’s definitely not the stands either. There’s lots of space to be social and to watch the game. I met some lovely ladies and gentlemen over drinks by the bar – my idea of a good time.

AND the food is AMAZING. I am never eating Red Rooster at the Gabba again! Not that there’s anything wrong with it, but when I can choose a gourmet prawn salad or lamb kebab skewers, guess which I’m going to pick?! Just so we are clear, I’m picking the gourmet tapas-like plates at The Verandah.

Oh and you can get daiquiris at the private bar. You hear me girls?! Those frozen, pink little glasses of happiness… they’re there. There’s no running to the main bars in between quarters with thousands of others only to line up for ages with no daiquiri in sight.

I will definitely only be booking tickets at The Verandah from now on. Next up, 22nd April clashing against the Gold Coast Suns.

My pictures didn’t do the space justice so I nabbed a few from a friend and you can see the Brisbane Lions gallery here.

Oh and you can grab tickets here too.

Nodo, How Did It Take Me So Long To Find You?!

April 6, 2018

Sooo I just discovered Nodo in New Farm, Brisbane. Nodo are dedicated to being GF, and if you’re anything like me you’d be slightly cautious as GF doesn’t always taste the best. HOWEVER, all my Nodo experiences so far (and I hope there are more) have been incredibly delicious.

I’d seen the social posts and it has been on my list to visit for a long time… I just hadn’t made the effort to get there. That all changed last weekend. My friend Jay (who is GF) wanted one of their very popular hot crossed buns. We called in and I immediately succumbed and bought a bun AND a hot cross donut (yeah you read that right – treat yo self!), when the smell was mouth-watering as I walked through the doors.

The bun was soft and had all the right spices but oh my life, that donut was a-mazing!! I actually saved half so I could enjoy the decadence again later on.

Then, I had a breakfast meeting scheduled there for the start of the week. The menu really does read like all the popular items from many restaurants collated in one place. You know every choice is a good choice and that they will all be Insta-worthy.

I went with the Beauty Foods Smoothie Bowl and a cacao mint tea. It looked gorgeous and was a huge serving. I loved all the toppings (of course it was the UnRefined granola, a local Brisbane brand full of texture, flavour and goodness) and devoured the lot.

Looking forward to going back to try more of their menu!

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