Calida Argentinian
The culinary traditions of Argentina will be celebrated at Calida, a fiery new 220-seat steakhouse concept coming soon to South Bank. The latest concept from Alemre Hospitality Group (Ole Restaurant, Vici Italian and Downtown Istalbul), Calida will see the team transform a 210-sqm corner space on Little Stanley Street into a striking dining destination – one boasting a dark, moody and modern fit-out envisioned by Collectivus and built by UNITA. The space will feature an aesthetic rawness, with exposed brick, burnished-metal accents and charcoal tones softened by warm leathers, ambient lighting, Argentinian textiles and a large ficus in the middle of the space. The restaurant’s commitment to quality will be reflected in its menu, which features the finest cuts of meat (supplied by S. Kidman & Co grain-fed beef) prepared with authentic cooking techniques and presented with modern flourishes. Alemre Hospitality Group’s executive chef Adam Starr is overseeing the offering, which starts with the likes of char-grilled semi-cured pork sausage, marinated lamb-rump skewers with tomatillo salsa, hand-cut beef fillet tartare, pork chop on the bone with roasted-carrot puree and slow-cooked whole lamb shoulder. Calida’s custom Parilla grill will also be utilised to cook a five-strong selection of steaks, each served with house-made chimichurri sauce and Australian red gum smoked salt. Once open, Calida will host beef and wine dinners and Argentinian-focused events. Calida Argentinian is set to open in June – stay tuned for more details.

Much Love
The team behind uber-popular Auchenflower brunch spot Peach Cafe is making some exciting moves. The team has just cut the ribbon on Much Love, an offshoot cafe concept bringing a slice of Peach’s picture-perfect dishes to in Spring Hill. Located at the base of the new Spring Hill Day Hospital on Boundary Street, Much Love sees the crew offering a curated selection of Peach Cafe’s crowd-favourite brunch plates – we’re talking the Boyfriend Benny (bacon and soft-poached eggs on a house-baked croissant with misoracha hollandaise and greens), the Sweetie Pie Hotcake (condensed milk creme brulee hotcake with vanilla ice-cream, macadamia crumble, winter fruits and gold leaf) and the Sunny Side Halloumi Flatbread with hummus, fried eggs, sunflower dukkah and green-onion oil). In good news for fans of Peach’s range of covetable cookies, Much Love will also be serving a collection of the very same chunky confections, with flavours including strawberry matcha, red velvet and peanut butter. On the drinks front, Much Love’s own custom coffee blend is available alongside three kinds of matcha-based beverages (original, peach milk and the virally populat strawberry milk matcha), Biscoff lattes, Teddy Bears’ Picnic hot chocolate and chai lattes. Much Love is now open Monday to Friday – keep your eyes peeled for a look inside later this week!

Temple Boba
Bubble tea is set to get the gourmet treatment with a luxe new dispensary opening at Portside Wharf this August, as part of its ongoing rejuvenation. Temple Boba is a luxe bubble tea bar from the crew at Better Foods Family, designed to be a sophisticated yet moody escape where guests can linger a little bit longer with their boba-filled beverage. Boasting a fit-out designed by highly regarded interior architects Muscolino Shaw and built by Lowry Group, Temple Boba will look unlike any bubble tea joint you’ve seen before. The 60-sqm space will feature Calacatta marble, textured walls and a rich burgundy and plum colour scheme that mirrors the eye-catching beauty of cherry blossom trees. Seating will be divided across indoor and alfresco spaces, which will be furnished with stylish round tables and timber chairs. As for the offering, Temple Boba will serve a range of traditional boba flavours (think creamy taro milk tea, matcha, brown-sugar milk tea and passionfruit black tea) with a wide variety of toppings. We’ve also been told to expect unique, limited-edition and seasonal flavours. We’ll be taking a closer look at Temple Boba when it opens later this year.

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