OTTO Brisbane
We’ve been waiting with great anticipation for the opening of OTTO Brisbane, and now it’s so close we can almost taste the beef carpaccio. The Fink Group’s first interstate restaurant, located in the new 480 Queen Street building, has announced its official open date as Tuesday June 14. The impressive space will offer sweeping views of the Brisbane River and Story Bridge, and serve up modern Italian dishes using seasonal Australian ingredients. Allow your mouth to water over the thought of carbonara spaghetti with smoked ham hock and pecorino, black and white tagliolini with Moreton Bay bugs, cherry tomatoes and basil, and OTTO’s signature baby barramundi fillets with salsa verde. We’ll have full details for you later this week!

Mt Gravatt Marketta
Lovers of the Gold Coast’s Miami Marketta, listen up! You no longer need to trek to the coast to get your marketta fix. The organisers have announced a sister market, Mt Gravatt Marketta, planned to open July/August this year. The street-food night markets will be held every Saturday evening from 4:00–10:00 pm, with street food, live music, wine and cocktails on offer. The Mt Gravatt Farmers Market will continue to run in the same location every Sunday from 6:00 am to 12:00 pm.

Brewhouse Woolloongabba
Iconic pub Brewhouse Woolloongabba (once known as the Clarence Corner) is undergoing a $2-million facelift, transforming the traditional public house into a new craft-beer haunt. Owners Grant and Michelle Clark, who are also the brains behind Brisbane Brewing Co in West End, have owned the pub since 2010 and have been working to create an exciting new dining and drinking space. The renovation sees not only a fresh new look for the interior, but also the removal of the TAB and addition of new craft beers and a refined yet traditional pub-style menu. The Brewhouse is planned to re-open in late June, we’ll keep you posted.

Meat at Billy’s
Much-loved Ashgrove butcher Meat at Billy’s has just opened its second store, taking over the former space of Village Meats Rosalie on Baroona Road. Meat at Billy’s Rosalie offers its signature range of quality meats, hand-made sausages and ready-to-cook dishes, as well as a wide selection of grocery items to complement the meats, such as sauces, marinades and honey from local Brisbane and Southeast Queensland producers. Swing by the new store this Saturday June 11 for its opening celebration from 10:00 am, with a pecan-fed pig on the spit, local product tastings and more.

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

Image credit: Nikki To