The Mailman
Rain, hail or shine, the mailman always delivers. This is the kind of service that we also seek from our local nosh spots, so it bodes well for Alexandra Hills brunch lovers that forthcoming cafe The Mailman is named after the beloved postie. This cafe is the brainchild of Jasmin Zhu and Myles Hartley, two passionate chefs that have spent time working in the kitchens of several beloved restaurants and cafes, including Ocean View Estates, Penny Coffee Co. and Todd and Pup. After noticing a dearth of dependable and exciting brunch options in Alexandra Hills, the couple have decided to put their skills towards bringing some life to the suburb’s cafe scene, which has long been overshadowed by its bayside neighbours. The duo will do this via a menu of elevated eats that, while familiar, will boast plenty of imaginative (and delicious) quirks. Though the offering is still being finalised, The Mailman team is excited to showcase standout dishes like cinnamon fried baos with peanut brittle and salted caramel, and garlic mushrooms with romesco and crispy enoki mushrooms – with plenty of options also available for those with strict dietary requirements. Coffee is being sourced from lauded Canberra-based roaster ONA, which will be available alongside non-caffeinated beverages like house-made lemonade, iced passionfruit tea with lychee pearls, Biscoff milkshakes and vegan-friendly strawberry sorbet shakes. As for the cafe’s interior, work on the 30-seat space will soon commence, with Jasmin and Myles aiming for a modern and comfortable aesthetic boasting a white and black colour scheme, concrete and wood textures and plenty of greenery. The Mailmain is targeting a mid-September opening date – stay tuned for more info in the coming month.

’feind Coffee
Last year, coffee lovers and hospo veterans Cameron Walker and Alex Groves broke onto Brisbane’s caffeine scene with ’feind Coffee – an online marketplace hawking beans from some of Australia’s best roasters. The crew quickly found its niche spruiking to the home-consumption crowd, selling stacks of beans, drip bags, capsules and instant coffee to those that seek a specialty experience at home. Earlier this year Cameron and Alex shook up their offering, moving away from slinging beans from other roasters in favour of their own ’feind Coffee label, which launched back in March. The pivot saw a spike of interest from the ’feind fanbase, with the duo frequently fielding calls from customers looking to pick up beans rather than wait for the next mail-out. The perfect solution presented itself in a five-unit complex on St. Paul’s Terrace. The building boasted a small (and vacant) street-facing cafe space that was the perfect size for Cameron and Alex to takeover and transform into a cafe-and-retail-emporium hybrid. ’Feind will softly open at 6:30 am this Friday for a day of free coffee, with its espresso machine primed and ready to pour cups of the roaster’s Homebody blend – a mix of specialty grade Arabica beans from Brazil and Honduras boasting notes of milk chocolate, hazelnuts and honey. Also on offer will be a rotating range of single origin filter coffees (roasted by ’feind), bottles of cold-brew coffee, iced teas, orange juice and a small selection pastries – all available alongside the team’s own drip bags, compostable capsules and beans of Homebody ground on site. Those popping in will be able to score a six-ounce brew of their choosing, be it filter, flat white or long black!

Settimo
Some big news landed last week, causing waves of excitement to ripple across the Brisbane dining landscape. Guy Grossi, the nationally praised chef behind landmark eateries such as Grossi Florentino and Ombra Salumi Bar, announced he would be opening a new restaurant in Brisbane in the coming months. Settimo is slated to open at The Westin Brisbane on Mary Street later this year, taking over the space previously home to Eden’s Table. Taking inspirational cues from the Amalfi Coast, Settimo will channel elements of the region’s cliffside splendour, including tourist destinations like Positano and Ravello. Boasting an estimated 150 seats, Settimo’s design (crafted by Mills Gorman Architects) is expected to spotlight an assortment of materials like split face stone, Fibonacci stone and terrazzo, custom-designed terracotta and ceramic tiles, flax linen, and rattan. Floor-to-ceiling windows will overlook a garden terrace filled with lemon trees, while a temperature-controlled wine room will be used to host wine tastings. While the menu is still being formulated, we can confirm that the restaurant’s take on Italian cuisine will feature a rich abundance of seafood and top-notch local and imported produce. Some other expected elements will include a roaming old-school gelato cart serving scoops of silky dessert, an aperitivo trolley dispensing signature aperitifs and a limoncello spritz headlining Settimo’s beverage menu.

La Dolce Vita at Ciao Papi
If you work within a short distance of Howard Smith Wharves, then this news is going to really brighten up your lunch break. As of Monday August 1, Ciao Papi at the New Farm end of Howard Smith Wharves has opened for lunch and dinner, seven days a week. To celebrate, Ciao Papi has launched La Dolce Vita, a lunch special that is all about celebrating the sweet life. Between 12:00–3:00 pm, Monday through Thursday, lunch hunters can saunter in and enjoy a glass of pinot and one of four pizzas or four pasta dishes for just $29 all up. Ciao Papi head chef Giacomo Favotto has created a tight list of options to choose from, including linguini with prawns, lemon, chilli, garlic and olive oil, cacio e pepe gnocchi with pancetta and cavolo nero, San Daniele pizza with prosciutto, rocket, parmesan, tomato and fior di latte, and the Moreton Bay pizza with bugs, chilli, fior di latte and lemon oil. Fancy booking in for a fun lunch? Reservations are open now.

If you’ve heard something that’s worth mentioning in The Weekend Edition’s Pavement Whispers, email [email protected].