The Grocer
Cornbread
Food & Drink

The Grocer: Cornbread

Like grits and fried chicken, cornbread is a specialty of America’s southern states. Similar to a northern version of basic damper, the bread was crafted as a solution to a lack of access to typical European groceries. more

The Grocer
Japanese udon noodles
Food & Drink

Paddock to plate: Japanese udon noodles

In this short film, The Perennial Plate tells the story of Shimizu San – a farmer living in a small town outside of Tokyo, who has been growing wheat to make udon noodles for the past 45 years. In a true paddock to plate process, Shimizu also runs a restaurant, serving up his beloved udon noodles, preserving tradition and spreading happiness through shared meals. more

Bars
Lefty's Old Time Music Hall, Petrie Terrace
Food & Drink

Lefty’s Old Time Music Hall opens on Caxton Street

A new kind of resident has moved into the shady shell that was The Velvet Cigar on Caxton Street, bringing a slice of country music and American eats to the inner city. Lefty’s Old Time Music Hall is the creation of Jamie Webb (of Cabiria and Peasant fame) and business partner Jason Scott of Sydney’s Shady Pines Saloon. more

Restaurants
Depo, West End
Food & Drink

Design and food unite at new Depo in West End

Having executed the designs of Limes Hotel, Alfred & Constance and the newly opened Alfredo’s Pizzeria, local design maven Alexander Lotersztain has now opened his own restaurant, Depo, in West End, pairing up with Dutch chef and co-owner Erik van Genderen. West End natives may recognise Erik from his other local venture, Gear bike store, which he opened in 2009. A chance meeting with Alex saw the pair inspired to collaborate, transforming the space next to Alex’s Horan Street design studio, Derlot, into a homely foodie dwelling. more

Restaurants
Cut Steakhouse & Tapas, Petrie Terrace
Food & Drink

The Gambaros open Cut Steakhouse & Tapas

With a focus on succulent steaks paired with crisp local wines, Cut Steakhouse & Tapas is the latest establishment from the Gambaro family. From the family’s first fish and chip shop on Petrie Terrace in 1953, the Gambaro foodie empire has surpassed the seafood lifeblood, homing in on the cattle end of surf and turf at the newly opened Caxton Street steakhouse. more

Coffee
Black coffee culture grows in Brisbane
Food & Drink

Black coffee culture grows in Brisbane

Coffee purists tend to take their coffee black, across a variety of different intricate brewing methods. While to the average cappuccino drinker, a cafe that serves only milk-less coffee may seem bizarre, it’s a model that’s finding a place in the Australian cafe scene. more

Coffee
Four Barrel Coffee, San Francisco
Food & Drink

The Street Photographer: Four Barrel Coffee, San Francisco

Valencia Street was relatively quiet when Jeremy Tooker moved Four Barrel Coffee into the Mission District of San Francisco in 2008. The local independent coffee roastery is serious about its coffee, with the showpiece cafe seeing a Chemex brewing bar at one side, espresso machines in the centre and roasting equipment at the back. The roastery cafe draws a crowd with local punters happy to queue up for a perfect cup, serviced by two espresso machines constantly on the go, the baristas facing inwards. The eye-catching space melds raw woods and metals with plenty of natural light throughout the airy, cavernous cafe. Jeremy has also just opened The Mill – a collaboration with local Josey Baker Bread – pairing the simplicity of Four Barrel Coffee with a delectable bread station. Check out Four Barrel Coffee on The Street Photographer. more

Recipes
Carrot and Ginger Soup
Food & Drink

Warm your cockles with carrot and ginger soup

Just like scarves and mittens, soups and winter go hand in hand. The hearty concoction of vegetables and spices (or meat for carnivores) is a delicious way to warm up on a cool eve. Our soup base utilises carrots and sweet potatoes to comfort grumbling stomachs, but can easily incorporate the flavours of other vegetables including potatoes and cauliflower. To finish, sprinkle with a dash of cumin to make the healthy dish really pop. more


The Grocer
Raw Chocolate
Food & Drink

The Grocer: Raw Chocolate

Beloved by society, chocolate should perhaps have its own food group. With so many different varieties of chocolate out there, it can be overwhelming to decipher what means what, especially with the emergence of raw chocolate delights. more

Restaurants
Popolo brunch
Food & Drink

Popolo introduces a brunch on weekends

Italian eatery Popolo has extended its trading hours to weekend mornings with the launch of its brunch menu. Taking advantage of its setting by the Brisbane River, and the soft light that floods into the restaurant of a morning, Popolo has decided to begin breakfast trade from 8:00 am on Saturdays and Sundays. The restaurant has been quietly trialling its menu for the past few weeks, and the green eggs and ham – a serve of ham and poached eggs on ciabatta topped with a dollop of pesto – has proven to be a popular choice. There’s also a selection of breakfast cocktails such as bloody marys and Italian mimosas to kickstart the weekend. more

Tampopo film
Food & Drink

Revisit the 1985 Japanese comedy Tampopo

If you are a self-confessed cinephile, but aren’t familiar with the ‘noodle western’ film genre, begin your education with a viewing of the 1985 film, Tampopo. The genre, created specifically for Japanese comedy, marked a play on the idea of ‘spaghetti western’ films. The film follows a widow who runs a withering noodle restaurant. Little does she know that the secret to her success will be learning to cook the perfect bowl of noodles, until a truck driver named Goro enters her restaurant and delivers the harsh news that her noodles are unpalatable. As the pair embarks on a quest to cook the perfect bowl of noodles, several characters and plots are woven into the story, with many of the tales being told through the characters’ relationships with food. Image via Nikon Cine Art. more

Recipes
Breakfast Pilaf recipe
Food & Drink

Greet the day with a breakfast pilaf

Spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, and tossed with yoghurt and berries, this breakfast is a sweeter take on the traditional pilaf. We have opted to use quinoa as the base for this morning meal, but couscous, brown rice, barley or a mixture of your favourite grains will also work nicely. The base can be prepared in advance, and then you’ll just need to add yoghurt, fruit and almonds before serving your breakfast pilaf. more

Bars
Le Comptoir Général, Paris
Food & Drink

The Street Photographer: Le Comptoir Général, Paris

Unless you know the way to Le Comptoir Général, hidden away off the banks of the canal in Paris’ 10th arrondissement, there’s a good chance you could spend your entire life oblivious to its existence. But then that would be a shame, as this rustic tipple joint and self-proclaimed ‘temple of ghetto culture’ is an adventure in itself. A ghetto museum by day, home to curiously named sections such as La Petite Boutique des Horreurs (The Little Shop of Horrors), Le Cabinet de Sorcellerie (The Witchcraft Cabinet) and Le Centre des Objets Perdu (The Centre for Lost Property), the locale begins to swell with stylish revellers sipping on jungle punch and African beers as the sun begins to fade, when it takes on its other identity as a bar. The concept behind Le Comptoir Général is a tribute to the creativity that springs up in poor or marginalised places all over the… more

Restaurants
Brunch at River Quay, South Bank
Food & Drink

River Quay beckons with tasty lunch treats

The riverside setting of River Quay transforms into a cosy haven when you are tucked under a warm heater with a delicious meal in front of you. To entice Brisbanites to emerge from their winter slumber, River Quay’s restaurants have teamed up to create a menu of weekday lunchtime specials for winter. All five restaurants – Popolo, Stokehouse Q, Aquitaine Brasserie, Cove Bar and Dining, and The Jetty – have their own deals running, with lunchtime packages starting from $25. more

Cafes
Cafe Regular, Cairo
Food & Drink

Short film: Cafe Regular, Cairo

Culture is an incredibly fascinating and somewhat nebulous term that differs between time and place. Set in the culturally ubiquitous setting of a cafe, Café Regular, Cairo is a short film that eavesdrops on a couple discussing a very taboo topic in a very public setting. As the couple begins to chat about their private life over a coffee, the film not only examines Egyptian culture, but also the strength of a relationship. The endearing film has screened at more than 40 film festivals across the globe, and was followed by director Ritesh Batra’s latest output, The Lunchbox, which won the Viewer’s Choice Award at the recent Cannes Film Festival. Image via Labkultr. more