New Brisbane Quarter restaurant
News surrounding the restaurant offering at Brisbane Quarter is coming in thick and fast, with word arriving yesterday that Michelin-starred chef Manjunath Mural is bringing his Asian-Indian gastromony to the precinct in partnership with Malt Dining’s Nick Pinn and Saffron Restaurant’s Sridhar Penumechu. The as-yet-unnamed restaurant will offer a fine-dining experience serving fare made with traditional Indian preparation methods and imbued with Australian flavours. The venue will be situated on the first floor of Brisbane Quarter’s retail podium, boasting 788 square metres of restaurant space and killer views of the Brisbane River. Nick Pinn is bringing his hospitality know-how to the bar offering – helping conceptualise a space serving unique street-food options, gin, exclusive American whiskey blends and sizeable cocktail selection. While no official opening date has been set, we can expect this anticipated culinary hotspot to arrive mid-year.

Golden Pig transformation
Newstead cooking school Golden Pig has announced it will be closing its doors for renovations from May 24 to June 30 to transform the space into a new pan-Asian restaurant and bar. Owner and chef Katrina Ryan (ex-Rockpool, Sydney head chef) has had the concept in the works for a long time and is working with her partner, building designer Mark Ryan, on the new semi-industrial restaurant fit-out. Katrina’s new menu for Golden Pig will include a selection of small, medium and large share dishes, including betel leaf with rare pepper beef, ruby grapefruit and sticky tamarind sauce, and yellow curry of pork belly with fresh tomato, coconut and lime. Golden Pig’s chef Sarah Hockings will be heading up the kitchen. The restaurant and bar will be open for dinner Tuesday to Saturday from early July, and the cooking school will continue to operate on Saturday mornings, Sundays and Mondays.

Hello Mister Frankie
You might have seen the hoarding up on Brunswick Street Mall, but if you haven’t noticed the signage for Hello Mister Frankie yet, allow us to make the introduction. Hello Mister Frankie is a forthcoming grab-and-go outlet specialising in two recent food trends to take Instagram by storm – poke and puffles. You should be well acquainted with poke by now and sweet lovers will have likely sought out the crunchy bubbled ice-cream puffle cones, and Hello Mister Frankie will be serving up the unconventional pairing with unique flavours and combinations. Patrons can order poke bowls filled with the likes of marinated salmon, brown rice, edamame, bamboo, puffed rice, wasabi peas and kimchi furikake, followed by a puffle topped with milk tea soft serve, tapioca pearls, chocolate Pocky, mochi balls, pudding and almond flakes. You’ll be able to greet Hello Mister Frankie when it opens in April.

Miss Kay’s Springwood
Good news for bun lovers of the southside – local burger empire Miss Kay’s is headed to Springwood. Following the success of the original CBD and Woolloongabba outlets and the warm reception of its Mitchelton store, the brand is responding to the requests of hungry southsiders with its biggest venture yet. Set to open in early April, Miss Kay’s Springwood will feature the Brisbane-meets-American style that diners have come to love with some brand-new twists. Expect OG menu items like stacked burgers, loaded milkshakes, cocktails and beer towers alongside a new range of unique soft-serve sundaes called ‘softies’ to sweeten the deal. In the same vein as the CBD and Mitchelton stores, patrons will also be treated to live tunes on Friday nights. Keep your eyes on The Weekend Edition for an official opening date!

Paniyiri Greek Festival
Tickets have gone on sale this morning for this year’s Paniyiri Greek Festival, set to take over Musgrave Park and The Greek Club on Saturday May 19 and Sunday May 20. This year the festival is placing a special focus on authentic Greek flavours, with speciality dishes from all regions of Greece to sample. The Plateia will return for its second year, including The Kafenio for traditional Greek coffee, sweet haven Zaharoplasteio, the Psaro Taverna to sate your seafood desires, and new stall the Fourno, baking fresh and crispy traditional Greek pies. Plus, The Plateia’s Ouzeri (bar) will be pouring a special new cocktail, the Santorini Sunrise. For full details and ticketing information, head to our Event Guide.

Emporium Hotel South Bank
The highly anticipated Emporium Hotel South Bank has announced this morning it will be opening its doors on July 1. Located in the mixed-used Southpoint development on Grey Street, the 143-suite luxury hotel will rise to 21 levels, featuring a 23-m infinity edge pool with sweeping views of the city, plus a yet-to-be-named signature restaurant, Belle Époque Patisserie, a piano bar, rooftop bar and in-suite dining, all overseen by executive chef Josue Lopez (ex-GOMA Restaurant).

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