Gather goes Euro – The City eatery unveils a new menu of Italian-inspired bistro bangers
Proving that Brisbane’s appetite for Italian cuisine is insatiable, Gather Bistro at Heritage Lanes has just unveiled a brand-new lunchtime menu filled from top to bottom with a host of modern dishes from lo Stivale. Serving butterflied quail with lentil salsa, risotto with porcini puree and black truffle, and affogato doused in Allpress espresso, if Gather Bistro isn’t on your lunchtime hit list, it should be now.
When Gather Bistro opened in October 2022, owners Dae Kang and Jack Kortlang of Brisbane Cafe Group envisioned it as an all-purpose eatery that could cater for just about everything, be it breakfast, lunch or evening drinks. Though Gather’s lunchtime trade was solid from the jump, the eatery’s morning trade – with its breakfast-leaning menu featuring the likes of buckwheat waffles, Benedicts and bacon-and-egg sarnies – weren’t as hotly devoured. “Breakfast in the city isn’t a big part of people’s day,” Jack tells us. “Everyone has lunch, but most people have breakfast at home, want a light breakfast or just want something grab-and-go.” As The City started to heave with greater numbers of returning office workers, the duo realised that to better capture the tastebuds of the daytime crowd, they’d need to specialise. They’ve devised a fresh approach that sees Gather Bistro orient itself in a new culinary direction. “We couldn’t just do a lunch bistro – it was too broad, very generic,” Jack elaborates. “We decided to find a cuisine which we think could do well and then build it around that.” The cuisine in question? Modern Italian – think piles of pasta, succulent seafood and big meaty mains at lunch, followed by a tight menu of pinsa Romana in the evening.
Gather still opens in the morning, serving specialty caffeine, paninis and pastries from its Ann Street-facing coffee bar. From 11:00 am the rest of Gather’s Studio Spillane-designed interior space opens for lunch trade, with QR codes swapped in favour of expeditious old-school table service. In the Gather Bistro kitchen, head chef Jun Lee (ex-Rosmarino, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal) pumps out an array of small bites such as porcini truffle arancini and Puglian cow’s milk burrata with basil oil and compressed heirloom tomatoes, which lead into share plates of octopus with burnt white bean and caviar, mussels bathing in white-wine cream, and scallops with fermented-leek puree and crispy prosciutto. From there, guests are free to inhale serves of linguine with Mooloolaba tiger prawns, reginette marinara with mussels, prawns and squid, or 48-hour slow-cooked beef short rib. A corresponding beverage list boasts a clutch of classic Italian cocktails (negronis, bellinis and spritzes) and a punchy wine selection encompassing Italian classics and natty Australian drops. These libations are also available in the evening alongside a small after-dark menu featuring charcuterie, snacks and Roman-style pizzas topped with the likes of prosciutto and Abruzzo salami, and porcini, portobello, mozzarella and truffle bechamel. One thing that hasn’t changed is Gather Bistro’s commitment to delivering something elevated in terms of quality. “As we’ve grown, so has the area around us,” says Jack. “[Gather Bistro] is something that’s approachable for The City, but still a little bit more premium than what we’ve had in the past.” Gather Bistro is also maximising its space by increasing its capability for private functions, from the intimate soirees to venue-spanning bashes.
Gather Bistro’s new lunch and bar snack menu is now up and running from Monday to Friday. Hit the Stumble Guide for operating hours and menu details.
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