Brisbane Ice Cream Festival
I scream, you scream, we all scream when the Brisbane Ice Cream Festival announces its return. Yes, the beloved dessert-centric celebration is coming back in 2022 for its fifth iteration, taking over West Village with its jam-packed (or, perhaps, topping-stacked) events from Thursday March 17 to Sunday April 3. Ice-cream seekers can pop into West Village daily for the festival’s Ice Cream All Day and All Night offering, which will feature a host of sweet specials available from day one to the festival’s weekend-spanning finale on April 2–3, where vendors like Ungermann Brothers and Roll It Ice Cream Co will be slinging the good stuff. The weekend of March 18–19 will see the return of Chef’s Playground, where an assortment of creative culinary minds will gather to craft a dreamy degustation featuring sweet and savoury interpretations of iconic desserts. Philip Johnson from e’cco Bistro, William Wallace and Matt Golinski will be lending their talents to the inventive and experimental outing, so be sure to snag a ticket as numbers are limited. On March 26–27, the Brisbane Ice Cream Festival will host its Sundae Funday celebrations, where little ones can take part in some cool and craft activities before enjoying a complimentary scoop of gelato from West Village’s own Anita Gelato. Sessions will be available at 10:00 am, 12:00 pm and 2:00 pm on Saturday and Sunday, with bookings essential. Tickets for this year’s Brisbane Ice Cream Festival will be available from tomorrow, Wednesday February 23 – bookmark the festival’s website ahead of time so you can swiftly snag your spot.

The Lodge Bar & Dining
An innovative concept is coming to James Street, with the team behind New Zealand-born clothing company Rodd & Gunn announcing plans to open The Lodge Bar & Dining on the buzzing high street in May. This concept, which blends food and fashion, is taking shape at 49 James Street and will house refined retail and elevated-yet-approachable hospitality under one roof. This will be the fourth location for Rodd & Gunn’s The Lodge Bar Group across New Zealand and Australia, with the James Street locale following hot on the heels of the November 2021 opening of The Lodge Bar & Dining at Melbourne’s Myer Chadstone. The Lodge Bar & Dining will boast 730-sqm of interior space divided amongst a downstairs dining room, corner bar with banquet seating, retail space, upper-level bar, private-dining room and wrap-around balcony. The venue’s interior will boast plenty of bespoke touches, from the American oak wood flooring and wool rugs to tan leather upholstery and brass accents. When it comes to food, The Lodge Bar & Dining will look to offer a modern take on timeless classics, with executive chef Matt Lambert harnessing a bounty of Southeast Queensland produce to create dishes like meat pie croquettes, lamb-shoulder ragu, steamed snapper, dry-aged bone-in NY strip and coal-roasted lamb. Master sommelier Cameron Douglas is overseeing the venue’s beverage program, which will feature a wine list filled with New Zealand vino alongside a curated selection of Australian and international varieties. Rest assured, we’ll be taking a look inside this multifaceted arrival when it opens in a few months.

Hervé’s Restaurant and Bar
Last year was a big one for Albion. Down on Collingwood Street, anticipated food and drink hub Craft’d Grounds officially opened to the public, launching with first-wave operators Brewtide and Seven Miles Coffee Roasters. Next month Craft’d Grounds will welcome another resident to its culinary community – one boasting some formidable hospitality talent at the helm. Hervé’s Restaurant and Bar is a French-inspired eatery and cocktail spot operated by accomplished sommelier and operations superstar Hervé Dudognon (previously front-of-house director at Howard Smith Wharves), who, alongside wife Cristina and business partner David Lyons, will be celebrating the cuisine of his homeland from the restaurant’s location on the upper floor of Craft’d Grounds. Helming Hervé’s kitchen as executive chef and executive pastry chef will be accomplished duo Chris and Alex Norman (formerly culinary heads at Emporium Hotel in South Bank), who will be tasked with transforming exceptional local and imported ingredients into French-inspired delights. The wine list at Hervé’s will spotlight environmentally conscious producers from Australia and abroad, while cocktails are also expected to be a sizeable component of the beverage program. Byron Bay-based interior designer Katie Cameron is curating the restaurant’s aesthetic, using timber and terrazzo tones, textured fabrics and soft lighting to create an intimate vibe laced with heady romance. You can read more about this exciting opening here.

Tannins Brew
There are some fun things brewing up in Brendale. The northside suburb is shaping up to become a beer-lover’s destination in 2022, with Tannins Brew opening in the area later this month. Tannins Brew is the brainchild of David Johanson, a 20-year hospitality veteran who has struck out on his own to open a small nano brewery, bar and coffee spot. When it comes to the cold ones, Tannins Brew will be concocting small batches of the good stuff on its own NANO-X 2V system, which can pump out 100 litres of beer in a brew – just enough for the venue’s six taps. An even smaller 25-litre system will also be used for limited amounts of experimental beer, including choc-vanilla stouts and New England IPAs. Beyond beer, we’ve been told to expect Witches Falls rosé cider, wine and spirits from local distilleries. David is giving over the venue’s kitchen to the pit masters at Meat Me BBQ, who will be keeping Tannins Brew regulars fed with a menu of smoky barbecued morsels – think wings, briskets and pulled pork. Tannins Brew will be open in the mornings, slinging coffee and toasties through its own drive-through window. The space itself is described as boasting a sleek industrial vibe, roughened up some by the addition of polished wooden-slab tables and greenery. Tannins Brew is targeting a late-February opening date – keep your eyes peeled for more.

Keep 15
Fortitude Valley’s coffee scene is set to grow in March with the forthcoming opening of hole-in-the-wall espresso joint Keep 15. This piccolo-sized caffeinery will be the next tenant to open within the revitalised Stewart & Hemmant building, with its cosy space currently being transformed into a takeaway-only dispensary. Once open, Keep 15 will serve espresso-based coffees made using beans from Sunshine Coast roaster Tim Adams Specialty Coffee as well as iced teas, milkshakes and a concise grab-and-go food offering. When it’s up and running, Keep 15will look to offer a coffee drive-through on Marshall Street via an order-ahead app. We’ll have more details on this spot as they emerge.

Sunday School at ESSA
Since it opened its doors in August 2021, Fortitude Valley restaurant ESSA has wowed diners with its forward-thinking menu of hyper-seasonal eats, its moody interior the perfect setting for experimental epicurean indulgence. Until now, ESSA hasn’t offered a Sunday lunch service, but on Sunday February 27 (and on every Sunday thereafter), the team will be opening up the blinds, turning up the volume and loosening the top buttons for its Sunday School offering. Described by the venue as “a family roast but a bit more boozy”, ESSA’s Sunday School will see the kitchen craft a new set menu every Sunday that will be available at a lower price point than ESSA’s nightly offering. Guests can expect dishes like Falls Farm cucumbers with black sesame and togarashi, raw bonito with green tomato and fermented jalapenos, crispy chicken thigh with mortadella and green garlic, grilled baby leeks from Loop Growers with sheep’s milk, horseradish and parsley, fried kipfler potato with comte and chives, and lemon myrtle meringue with peach, almond ice-cream and fennel pollen. Bookings for Sunday School are now available for seatings starting from midday – click here to secure a seat.

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