Black Bird Bar & Grill opens in Brisbane City
06 Mar 2014When your setting is the glittering Story Bridge and a 1920s-inspired fit-out, the only suitable accompaniment is a Prohibition-era cocktail and a sumptuous seafood feast. more
Wild Canary settles inside Brookfield Garden Centre
06 Mar 2014Set amongst the lush green backdrop of a sprawling edible garden and neighbouring nursery, Wild Canary offers fresh local fare in an idyllic setting. more
The Grocer: Kaniwa
06 Mar 2014Step aside, quinoa – there's a new super grain in town, and it packs a powerful punch. more
Indulge in crumbly raisin and almond halva
06 Mar 2014Afternoon sugar cravings can be risky business. They fling some of us straight to the nearest vending machine and others ferreting around in the freezer, but those who have equipped their lunchboxes with homemade goodness can enjoy an indulgence without the added preservatives. Halva is a sweet snack favoured in parts of the Middle East and across Africa and Asia, and sculpted from either tahini or semolina. The dessert’s sweet embellishments are open to personal taste, with ingredients like rosewater, orange oil, pistachios and coffee all weaselling their way in to the different variations. We’ve opted for almonds and raisins, with a sprinkling of cocoa on a tahini and honey base. more
Peace, Love & Vegetables makes superfood sauerkrauts
06 Mar 2014Peace, Love & Vegetables is the result of the blossoming love between co-founders Adam and Anya Yarrington. Introduced to the art of fermentation in Los Angeles, Anya began using sauerkraut and kefir to transform her health, and began making it for friends when visiting Australia. more
The Street Photographer: Rooftop Honey Harvest
06 Mar 2014Up a stairwell, then a ladder and on to the sunlit rooftop above Gerard’s Bistro we climbed, before donning beekeeping attire to eagerly discover the busy pollinators up close. Jack Wilson Stone of Bee One Third walked us through the layers and activities within a hive frame. We then descended to ground level to extract the honey from the frames – gently scraping off the outside layer of sticky honeycomb in a mesmerising process that leaves spectators entranced, eyes locked on the slow-falling gold liquid. The frames are then placed in a drum and spun at high speed to loosen the honey from the comb – the hard work rewarded by a plentiful pool of raw sweetness. Check out this rooftop honey harvest on The Street Photographer. more
Apple & Grape Harvest Festival returns to Stanthorpe
06 Mar 2014We may not experience the distinctly auburn-coloured change in season that befalls our Northern Hemisphere friends each year – but as autumn ushers in its slightly cooler temperatures, you’ll be treated to the apple and grape harvest of the state’s local growers. more
The Alliance Hotel and The Boundary Hotel turn 150
06 Mar 2014While most of us fret over frown lines and additional candles on the birthday cake, two old Brisbane beauties have hit 150 years and never looked better. Spring Hill’s The Alliance Hotel and West End’s The Boundary Hotel both celebrate their 150th birthdays this year – giving locals plenty of excuses for celebratory beer clinking. The Alliance Hotel will be giving away 150 gifts throughout the month of March, as well as hosting a special birthday bash on Saturday March 29, with free entry to all five bars and live music across three levels from 4:00 pm. Head along for a peek into the new underground apres-ski haunt, Chalet Bar. more
Uncover the Brisbane Taste at Vintaged Bar + Grill
06 Mar 2014Hilton Brisbane’s executive chef Jeremy Clark and former Vogue Australia editor Kirstie Clements have paired up to create a three-course menu that reflects the quintessential tastes of Brisbane. Using local and organic produce and simple cooking techniques, the menu focuses on fresh, light, clean and uncomplicated flavours tied together by a motif of the colour pink. To start, the menu offers salmon sashimi with pink grapefruit, seaweed and ocean trout roe, followed by rib eye of lamb with zucchini flower, green peas, polenta panisse, romesco and red vein sorrel. To close, a refreshing dessert of local organic berries, yoghurt sorbet and raspberry juice is paired with a kir royale cocktail. The menu will be running at Vintaged Bar + Grill all through March, alongside an Instagram competition using the hashtag #thebrisbanetaste. The competition challenges local foodies to snap and… more
Elixir Coffee adds machine pods to the menu
06 Mar 2014Brisbane’s Elixir Coffee has been scooping out fresh coffee beans and steaming-hot cups of brew from its roasting warehouse in the back streets of Stafford, but now it’s added a new item to the menu with the introduction of Elixir Coffee Pods. The roaster’s classic, full-bodied Espresso Blend and velvet-smooth Velluto Blend are both available in pod form, which means you no longer have to suffer through inferior coffee simply because you’re pyjama clad and house bound. Pop a pod into your Nespresso machine for notes of rich chocolate and maple, or a nut and butter indulgence. more
Follow wheat harvest crews across America
06 Mar 2014While some kids might think cereal grows in cardboard boxes and bread is picked in bakeries, farmers are all too familiar with the hard work and hardship that goes into cultivating and harvesting wheat. Upcoming documentary The Great American Wheat Harvest follows harvest crews as they toil on the land, giving viewers a fascinating insight into the processes and people that help feed the population. more
The Elephant Hotel relaunches on Wickham Street
27 Feb 2014Erase old memories and clean the slate – the Elephant & Wheelbarrow has shut down the backpacker hostel and evolved into a slick offering in Fortitude Valley. more
The Lunch Box Kiosk opens at Wandering Cooks
27 Feb 2014If you forgot to pack your lunch today, local food business incubator Wandering Cooks has you covered with an innovative new food market launched in South Brisbane. more
Brisbane’s newest cafes open late-night bars
27 Feb 2014Bar flies who are partial to sinking a few beers as the sun goes down are spoilt for choice in Brisbane, with some of the city's newest cafes evolving into bars this month. more
Hoe down a plate of duck fat potatoes
27 Feb 2014One joyous twist to the end of summer is the reintroduction of hearty, warming meals back into our diets. We’re starting the transition on an uncomplicated note with simple yet scrumptious duck fat potatoes. You can find a tub of duck fat to call your own at The Standard Market Co. at Gasworks, and use it to cook root vegetables and meats, when popping popcorn from dried kernels and making terrines. more
The Grocer: Salak
27 Feb 2014Habitually branded as snake fruit, thanks to its gleaming scaly exterior, salak is a tropical fruit native to Indonesia. more
Classic meets contemporary in Philip Johnson’s kitchen
27 Feb 2014Renowned Brisbane chef Philip Johnson is pleasing all parties, with a five-course culinary experience planned for e’cco bistro and Howzat Burger gaining permanent status. more
Celebrate the International Day of the Pig
27 Feb 2014That dapper little Porky Pig may not have needed any PR, but some of the lesser-known breeds of pig could certainly do with a little help. Saturday March 1 marks the International Day of the Pig and Pig ‘N’ Whistle Indooroopilly is using the occasion to raise awareness of some breeds that are in danger of becoming extinct. In a weird contradiction, experts say the best way to see these breeds survive is to boost demand by consuming them. If you’re partial to a little pork, settle in for an epic feast featuring a spit roast of Wessex Saddleback, and wash it down with cider tastings from Stanthorpe’s Sutton’s Farm and beers from Newstead Brewing Co. Pig ‘N’ Whistle executive chef Deniz Coskun and a pig farmer will be on hand to discuss at-risk breeds and answer any questions, while live music will round out the festivities. more
The Street Photographer: Gordita, Fortitude Valley
27 Feb 2014Lounge back in a leather booth, order a sweet drop of wine and prepare your palate for a journey to southern Spain. Set amongst the globally influenced restaurants of the M&A precinct, Gordita is the latest establishment from local restaurateur Jamie Webb – the man behind Peasant, Cabiria and Lefty’s Old Time Music Hall. The sophisticated menu has been crafted by esteemed Spanish chef Alfonso Ales, while the interior murals were created at the hand of Brisbane artist Sofles. Check out Gordita on The Street Photographer. more
Learn about genetically modified food in GMO OMG
27 Feb 2014The quest to find food that hasn’t been genetically modified takes one inquisitive father from his family’s dinner table in the US to Haiti, Paris and Norway in the award-winning documentary GMO OMG. Filmmaker Jeremy Seifert argues that consumers have a right to know what they’re putting into their bodies, and asks if the world food system has gone so far that we now have no way back. This controversial and provocative film explores grassroots movements around the world and asks major corporations the big questions. more