A roast and red night at The Brisbane

To say the weather has been cold lately is a bit of an understatement. It's like every year winter suddenly sneaks up on us from behind, assaulting our senses but distracting us at the same time with sunny skies during the day. While I love the winter fashion and layering clothes upon clothes, I also am extremely vulnerable to the cold so I tend to hibernate over the season. Staying in, rugging up and cooking curries or stews. It's comfort weather.

But receiving an invitation to the Brisbane Hotel's Roast and Red night was definitely enticing for me to head out for dinner, with my boy in tow!

House shiraz

Held every Tuesday night during winter, the Brisbane's Roast and Red is a $25 dinner that features a glass of red wine and a very generously sized roast dinner.

Arriving for an early dinner at 6pm my boy and I are seated at an intimate table for two, with fellow food blogger Foodie Cravings right in front of us. Before long other bloggers Perth Munchkin and Chomp Chomp are also dining, so it's a great occasion for us all to have a quick catchup.

The night is organised very well, with the different staff and management coming by the table to introduce themselves and explain how the night will work. We're offered the opportunity to order some starters, but with that comes a disclaimer - the roast is a very big serving. Taking that advice we decide to skip ahead to the main course. How very unlike me!

The roast

The roast

The roast for that evening is a half chicken, sitting atop of stuffing and alongside cheesy broccoli, roast carrots, potatoes, pumpkin and gravy. My eyes practically jump out of my head when I see the portion size - they weren't kidding!

Roast and red

Everything on the plate tastes good. Roast dinner is such a humble achiever, with all the elements executed just right. Best of all, the chicken is tender, juicy and just plain delicious.

The absolute standout is the stuffing though. In all honesty, I can't actually process just how stuffing could be the star element of a dish, but the Brisbane's version is a knockout. The juices from the chicken have flavoured the ingredients to create a rich, warming and mesmerising accompaniment to the meat. I would seriously order a whole bowl of this to have all to myself!

When our plates are cleared we chat to the manager Matt for awhile, with him telling us about the popularity of their chicken (and the stuffing!). We ask all about the different cuts they feature, with Matt confirming chicken is their usual protein, with beef once a month and the occasional lamb when the pricing allows.

We're both extremely full, but he ends up persuading us (leaving a menu) to browse the dessert options. As we do so, Jeremy orders a flat white to keep him awake now that he's feeling so full. He tells me it's really good - smooth, strong and hits the spot.

Flat white

Dessert is a different stomach we often say in our household, so we both decide to order something from their small but varied dessert options. They're all gluten free to which I'm pleased to see for fellow blogger, the lovely Chomp Chomp.

Chocolate nemesis

Jeremy chooses the chocolate nemesis ($14.90) which is a flourless chocolate cake accompanied with some stewed rhubarb and raspberry gelato. I love how rich the cake was without being sickening - and having no flour leaves you feeling full but light.

Pear frangipane

For my dessert I opt for the pear frangipane cake with brown sugar custard and vanilla bean ice-cream ($14.90). We both agree I win the dessert off after one bite!

The cake is light and sweet, working in perfect harmony with the brown sugar custard that swims around it. I love the gorgeous little flecks of vanilla floating around in that rich custard! It's the perfect way to cap off this lovely winter's Tuesday night.

A big thank you to The Brisbane Hotel and David Gardiner Public Relations for the invitation to their Roast and Red night. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and went home to collapse into a food coma!