As the weather warms and summer beckons the year forth, we start to dream of afternoons in the kitchen with family and friends, before relaxing into a dusk dinner party. A rich appetiser where the ingredients acquire a whole new level of indulgence once baked, this recipe for prosciutto-wrapped baked brie served with roasted pears and walnuts will kick off any summer soiree with decadence. more
Wandering through the mass of brightly coloured fashions gracing shops’ shelves at the moment, one can’t help but feel an essence of tropical tiki times is in the air. Embracing this festive spring spirit head on is soon-to-be-opened venue Alfred & Constance. Hosting a second pop-up restaurant and tiki bar this weekend, the Alfred & Constance Pork, Cork & Fork Festival will be taking over the park adjacent to the new venue in Fortitude Valley. Running from 12:00–10:00 pm both Friday October 12 and Saturday October 13, the Pork, Cork & Fork Festival will give punters a preview of the rustic food this gastro pub and tiki bar will offer when it opens on October 25. Serving handmade sweet treats, woodfired meats, spring salads and roast vegetables, the Pork, Cork & Fork Festival will also feature tiki jam-jar cocktails from the White Lightning TIKI Bar within this… more
The vintage-loving ladies over at Paddington Antique Centre’s Plaza Theatre Cafe have dubbed October the month of high tea, launching a new menu for the occasion. Amongst the new high tea offerings are finger sandwiches, frittatas, sweet cakes and friands. And high tea wouldn’t be complete without warm, fluffy scones topped with lashings of strawberry jam and dollops of cream. A cheeky addition to this graceful luncheon is Sandy’s smooth Pannacotta & Campari Jelly Shots. With tea served in fine bone china, treats upon a traditional three-tiered stand and linen napkins for dabbing lightly at your lipstick post sip of tea, these elegant afternoon outings are for ladies and dapper lads alike. more
The latest gourmet installment to join the riverside dining precinct of River Quay at South Bank is Aquitaine Brasserie. Drawing influences from the varied cuisine of the south-west pocket of France, Aquitaine Brasserie delivers classic French fare in a contemporary manner. more
West End expat The Rabbit Hole Ideation Cafe has reopened in Fortitude Valley, situated within a restored 1930s bacon factory. Home to adjoining artist studio space The Meat Locker, with Fries Need Mayonnaise and Ion Design already quite settled in, The Bacon Factory is now, too, home to the renewed The Rabbit Hole Ideation Cafe. more
Catering to a busy lunch trade and discreet late-night dining is new Fortitude Valley haunt, Herv’e Dining & Cocktail Bar. Situated on bustling Brunswick Street, Herv’e Dining & Cocktail Bar embraces a shared-food concept, with small and large grazing plates of intricate flavours featuring on the menu. more
The Feast is a new global movement revolving around the notion of breaking bread with others and sprouting ideas for projects that can help make the world a better place. Bringing people together over the common ground of good food, The Feast connects those with drive to put ideas into action to make a difference to the world in a positive way. Held worldwide on Friday October 5, this dinner party will be popping up at West End’s The Burrow here in Brisbane. Partakers in the Brisbane hub dinner at The Burrow will enjoy entrees and mains, with Home Festival’s Annie Te Whiu and local councillor Helen Abrahams the guest speakers for the evening. Ideas engineers can also hold their own dinner parties, with the meaningful actions and concepts for change brewed at dinner collated as part of the Social Innovation Conference in New York. The aim is that these gathered global plans will… more
Tucked between the busy main streets of Wickham and Ann in Fortitude Valley is lunchtime nook More Wholefoods. Acting as the cafe adjoining the Endeavour College of Natural Health, More Wholefoods was originally a Bar Merlo outfit, before the college relocated earlier this year. more
Kara-age is the common name for Japanese-style fried chicken and, like gyoza and ramen, falls into the wafu-chuka family – the name given to Chinese-influenced Japanese food. From Zenbu Zen by Jane Lawson, this version of tori to gobo no kara-age includes burdock root in the coating and an addictive sweet and tangy sauce. Serve with lemon wedges and a little sea salt on the side. more
Tucked off the main drag in the industrial precinct of Newstead is cafe and espresso machine workshop Divisione Tecnica. A hub for repairs of domestic and commercial espresso machines, buying shiny coffee numbers for your home or business and, of course, drinking coffee, Divisione Tecnica is passionate about a crisp brew. Run by Steven, Daniel and Michael, Divisione Tecnica has only been around for a year and a half and already caters to about 600 businesses along the coast. Having worked in coffee companies, behind a machine and started their own cafes, the Divisione Tecnica lads wanted to get to know the technical side of coffee. Around the space recycled elements speak out amongst the design, like wooden crates and old doors as tables. Check out Divisione Tecnica on The Street Photographer. more
A fun way to get kids helping in the kitchen – they’ll love squishing up the cucumber by hand – this visual Tzatziki recipe shows the Olive Us kids creating the cool Greek dip from scratch. A refreshing snack or accompaniment to grilled meats, serve your homemade tzatziki with crispy, fresh vegetables, crusty bread or crackers. more
The newest venture of renowned Brisbane chef Philip Johnson has opened its doors in Brisbane City. Situated within the Riverside-based One One One building, the much-anticipated Bistro One Eleven mirrors the simple, flavourful Australian cuisine Philip Johnson has become known for at e’cco bistro. more
Mini towers of perfectly rounded cakes, juicy fruit-topped tarts, smooth, layered slabs of chocolate and light-as-a-feather macarons – welcome to the sweet-tooth treasure trove that is Le Bon Choix. more
Wenley House has a deeply ingrained history of housing fresh produce in Brisbane. Built in 1865 Wenley House was the state’s first market open to the public. Horses drew carriages of fresh produce up from the Brisbane River for three years before demand outgrew the site. The markets then moved to Roma St Parklands before flourishing to a final expansive site at Rocklea, where locals continue to visit each Saturday morning. Situated on Market Street in the city, Wenley House acts as a reminder to where it all began, with its current tenant Malt Dining devoted to keeping the story alive. Maintaining the raw, exposed brick and original timber flooring, Malt Dining preserved the building’s history when it moved in, using these handsome architectural pillars to shape an atmosphere of rustic sophistication. Exquisite flavours converge on the finely curated menu of the upstairs restaurant,… more
Employing the mantra ‘greener, kinder, healthier’ in everything it does is vegan grocer and cafe The Green Edge in Enoggera. Tucked off busy Wardell Street, The Green Edge stocks only 100% vegan products, meaning not even honey sneaks into mix. more
Tackling the making of our own pestos, dressings and dips can often seem a daunting task, with the ease of store-bought versions an appealing alternative. But with just four ingredients and a little time up your sleeve, this Roast Pumpkin Dip can be whipped up for an afternoon picnic or pre-dinner snack. And you get the added pride of having made it yourself. more
A quick trip to the serene mountainside can be good for renewing the city-dweller soul – revelling in the fresh air, the smell of nature, the quiet. Without leaving Brisbane, you can happen upon the sleepy little suburb of Samford, which – upon closer inspection – isn’t so sleepy. more
Events at new gallery space The Box in West End have kicked off with fervour, with this long weekend’s addition a sourdough bread-making workshop. Slow Food enthusiasts and lovers of a hot crusty baguette straight from the oven will relish the handy hints divulged at the ‘How to make your own sourdough workshop ‘on Monday October 1. Run by The Art of Eating’sAngela O’Toole and The Box’s Sam Seljak, this foodie session includes a sourdough starter kit, tastings and recipes, shedding light on how to create warm, crisp loaves of your own at home. A second sourdough workshop is also being held on October 15. More details here. Image via Bewitching Kitchen. more
While to some tastebuds, the velvety concoction of a traditional iced coffee complete with a dollop of vanilla ice-cream, a half litre of milk and topped with swirls of whipped cream is the ideal warm-weather coffee beverage, sometimes all that dairy is just too much. Enter the Japanese Iced Coffee Method. Using pourover coffee techniques, the Japanese Iced Coffee Method drips hot brewed coffee directly onto ice, cooling the liquid instantly and locking in all the sweetness and aromas of your single-origin brew. In this video, Peter Giuliano from Counter Culture Coffee demonstrates his version of the Japanese method. Passionate about sourcing handcrafted coffee straight from farmers and celebrating the farms and cultures that create the beans, Counter Culture Coffee skillfully roasts the blends to bring out the unique flavours. Image via Dymaxion. more
They’ve only been running their cafe Pod Espresso since February this year, but when the space next door became available Rachel, Sally and Tess jumped at the opportunity to fast-forward their dreams of opening an organic store. What was an orthodontic practice next door is now a freshly painted enclave of organic, raw and earth-friendly products, which stands alone and acts as a supplier to the cafe. more
