Euro 2008 - Sweden

Unfortunately Sweden are now out of the tournament, after losing to Russia in their last group game. I was really hoping that the Swedes would do well, to give the great Henrik Larsson a memorable finale (if you don't know who Henrik Larsson is, here is a great video of his goals). But it wasn't to be. The Swedes will now have to focus on qualifiying for the next World Cup in South Africa.

It took a bit of hunting, but there are a couple of places in and around Brisbane where you can try out Swedish food. One such place is 670 Cafe Bar at Corinda. I haven't been able to find a copy of its menu online, but it seems to serve up a mix of Scandinavian and Mediterranean food. You can read what The Courier Mail had to say about 670 Cafe Bar here.

Another place to track down Swedish fare is at the Scandinavian Bakery Cafe at Springwood. I've had trouble finding out too much about the Scandinavian Bakery Cafe, but it seems that the bakery does serve cafe food as well, including Swedish meatballs. It's a bit of a hike from my place, but I'll have to poke my head in next time I'm down Springwood way.

And I know Ikea is known for its furniture, but they also sell Swedish food. There is a small selection of hot food in their restaurant (like Swedish meatballs) but the Swedish Food Market is much more interesting. Every time I go to Ikea I always spend about 15 minutes checking out crazy Swedish food you never see anywhere else. If you need some herring, lingonberry preserve, whitefish roe or crispbreads to console yourself after Sweden's early exit from Euro 2008, drive down to Ikea and fill your car up with food, rather than furniture.

670 Cafe Bar
Shop 5, 670 Oxley Rd
Corinda 4075
P - 07 3278 2993

Scandinavian Bakery Cafe
Shop 9 , Springwood Plaza
3-15 Dennis Road
Springwood 4127
P - 07 3208 1067

Ikea Swedish Food Market
Ikea Logan
3539-3565 Pacific Highway
Slacks Creek 4127
P - 07 3380 6800

Euro 2008 - France

Next up is France. After their hiding this morning courtesy of the in-form Dutch team, things are looking a bit shaky for Les Bleus. If Romania manage to beat The Netherlands in their final group game, both France and Italy will be out.

Luckily there are plenty of French eateries in Brisbane. I won't try to list them all, but here are a few of the better ones.

Top of the tree when it comes to French food in Brisbane is Montrachet. I still haven't eaten here, but its high on my list of places to get to. There are some incredibly tempting dishes on the menu. For entree, try coquilles St Jacques sur ses beignets de crabe (char grilled sea scallops on sand crab dumplings with tarragon jus - $21) or cervelles panées aux tomates confites (deep fried crumbed lambs’ brains, semi dried Roma tomatoes with fennel and green olive tapenade - $18). Mains cover some French classics, like bouillabaisse (reef fish, Queensland scallops, fresh green prawns and Moreton Bay bugs served in a rich seafood broth with aioli and garlic French toast - $32) and steak, frites, salade (eye fillet cooked to your liking and served with green salad, homemade French fries and choice of either green peppercorn or béarnaise sauce - $38). No good French meal would be complete without a glass of wine or two, and there is a terrific wine list at Montrachet, including a lovely selection of Burgundy (as you'd expect from a restaurant named after one of its most famous vineyards).

Not far behind is Baguette, which has been operating in Brisbane for over 30 years. Bruno Loubet is now in the kitchen, putting together some great French menus. Options at Baguette include a plate of house made duck charcuteries ($26.50), roast white rabbit, preserved lemon and orange puree, breaded fennel confit ($36.50) and quail “crepinette” - corn risotto, pomegranate jus and wild rocket ($38). I had a beautiful cassoulet when we ate at Baguette last year. It was so good I still remember it vividly. Unfortunately I was a bit disappointed with the wine list, which doesn't have the strength of the lists at Montrachet or La Belle Epoque.

La Belle Epoque is a relative newcomer to the Brisbane food scene. As soon as you walk in the door, you know you're in a French restaurant. La Belle Epoque has an enormous menu for any time of the day, and is more focused on classic French bistro food. The wine list is completely French, which I think is fantastic to see for a Brisbane restaurant. I've already done a couple of posts about La Belle Epoque, the main one you can read here.

Finally, if it's a patisserie that you're looking for, head to Chouquette in New Farm. You'll find beautiful breads, pastries and cakes here that will bring back memories of your favourite French patisserie or boulangerie.

Montrachet
224 Given Terrace
Paddington 4064
P - 07 3367 0030
W - http://www.montrachet.com.au/

Baguette
150 Racecourse Road
Ascot 4007
T - 07 3268 6168
E - info@baguette.com.au
W - http://www.baguette.com.au/

La Belle Epoque
Emporium
1000 Ann Street
Fortitude Valley 4006
P - 07 3852 1500
E - info@labelleepoque.com.au
W - http://labelleepoque.com.au/

Chouquette
Shop 1, 19 Barker Street
New Farm 4005
P - 07 3358 6336

Euro 2008 - Austria

Seeing as I'm going through the countries in alphabetical order, Austria is first up.

Austria is one of the co-hosts of the tournament, so there is plenty of pressure on their team to perform. They are also the lowest ranked team in Euro 2008, so its not going to be easy by any stretch of the imagination. Losing their first game to Croatia means they might be gone after the first round, but hopefully their home crowd will get them through.

When it comes to Austrian food in Brisbane, head out to K&K Austrian Bakery and Coffee House at Sinnamon Park. I haven't been there, but the menu on their website has a pretty extensive range of Austrian food, covering breakfast, lunch and dinner. The menu includes Tiroler speckknodel (bacon dumpling soup), beuschel (braised veal heart in sauce with steamed dumpling), a range of schnitzel, sausages and their signature dessert of kaiserschmarren mit zwetschgenroster (souffle pancakes with a plum compote). You can even have an Austrian wine or beer with your schnitzel, to complete the Austrian experience.

K&K Austrian Bakery and Coffee House

Shop 7, Sinnamon Park Village

58 Oldfield Road

Sinnamon Park 4073

P - 07 3376 1822

E - info@kank.com.au

W - http://www.kandk.com.au/index.html