Mi Casa Saturdays at Casa Chow
Neon-lit eatery and bar Casa Chow is making Saturday lunch an uptempo affair, with a new weekly Latin-themed offering debuting this month. Mi Casa Saturdays will see the crew offer a $49 share-style menu featuring a mouth-watering fiesta of Casa Chow’s Chifa-inspired favourites – we’re talking kingfish ceviche with leche de tigre and crispy wontons, chicken wings coated in a la brasa sauce and chipotle lime mayo, and beef tallarin with egg noodles, fragrant vegetables, oyster sauce and coriander. Guest will also be able to sip refreshing cocktails while DJs keep the vibes on point with a high-energy playlist. Mi Casa Saturdays kick off on Saturday July 27 and will take place every Saturday between 12:00–5:00 pm. Head to the Casa Chow website to make a booking.

Swiss National Day at Bar Francine
Mark your calendars, folks – Thursday August 1 is Swiss National Day and Bar Francine is celebrating with a special dinner event. The beloved West End restaurant and wine bar will be welcoming guest chef Carla Duschletta, who will be crafting a five-course set menu inspired by the cuisine of her native Switzerland. Carla, currently senior sous chef at Three Blue Ducks Byron Bay, will be melding Swiss precision with top-notch local produce, shaping an offering informed by sustainable practices, agroecology and permaculture principles. While there’s no info on menu specifics just yet, we’ve been told that the offering will definitely include cheese and chocolate. Tickets to the event are going for $75 per person, with bookings available here.

Harajuku Gyoza’s Mont Blanc dessert
From sumo-sized sushi tacos to jiggly souffle pancakes and the ever-moreish cheeseburger dumplings, Harajuku Gyoza is never afraid to take on the latest viral food trend doing the rounds on social media. The latest culinary creation is the venue’s own take on the ‘Mont Blanc’ dessert that was made popular by Chacha Futatsume in Tokyo and Malebranche in Kyoto. Not content with merely replicating, the team has combined not one but two viral desserts to create the Mont Blanc air cheesecake. We’re talking about a delightfully fluffy piped cheesecake, crowned with ice-cream and then generously topped with Mont Blanc, which looks like long strands of vibrantly coloured spaghetti made from white bean paste. The sweet treat is available in two flavours, a bright pink strawberry or vibrant green matcha. Mont Blanc air cheesecakes are $18 each and available at all Harajuku Gyoza venues across Brisbane, Gold Coast and Darling Harbour. Make your booking here.

Duck Duck Pinot
The Fish Lane precinct is hosting a laneway wide food celebration this month, with Duck Duck Pinot taking place from July 12–28. A bunch of Fish Lane’s best eateries will be serving its own unique duck dish paired with a glass of primo pinot, with every combo coming in at under $55. This year, sleek NYC-inspired haunt Midtown will be serving a 2022 Delamere Flyleaf pinot noir alongside a plate of slow-cooked confit duck leg with broad beans, peas, zucchini, orange segments and jus. Down the lane, Hello Please will sling serves of its new crispy duck wontons, Julius Pizzeria is the spot for piping-hot plates of pappardelle al ragù d’anatra (served alongside a 2022 In Dreams pinot noir from Yarra Valley), La Lune is dishing out hearty duck pithiviers and pouring the venue’s very own pinot, while Chu The Phat is warming bellies with its tea-salted duck legs with duck-egg noodles, mushrooms and garlic butter (paired with a glass of Coldstream Hills pinot noir). Head to the Fish Lane website to see which other venues are getting amongst the action this year.

Duck Dinner at Southside
Mark your calendars, folks – one of Southside’s most beloved dining events is making its return for the third year in a row. On Thursday July 25, the Fish Lane restaurant will host another edition of its Duck Dinner, with head chef Benny Lam showcasing the culinary versatility of the humble duck across a five-course, ten-dish menu. This year, Duck Dinner guests will be able to tuck into the likes of smoked-duck parfait with Sichuan pickles and crispy rice, duck xiao long bao with master stock and Pedro Ximénez, crispy golden calamari with salted duck egg and chilli, and classic Hong Kong-style tea-smoked roast duck with lilly pilly plum sauce. Diners will also be able to pair the menu with matched speciality ‘flocktails’ and explore a special menu of pinots by the glass. Head to the Southside website for more info and booking details.

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