Snack Man
You may have heard the news a couple of weeks ago that Spring Hill’s Italian Food Restaurant is sadly closing its doors at the end of service this Saturday October 20. The concept was cut short due to owners Cameron and Jordan Votan having issues reaching terms with the landlord – however the boys are already in the process of looking for a new space for a revised Italian Food Restaurant format. In the meantime, the Votans are forging forward with a new project – Snack Man. Since re-opening Happy Boy in Fortitude Valley in August last year, the brothers have been toying with the idea of a neighbouring venue specialising in bite-size Chinese eats, which we will see come to fruition in late-November this year. Snack Man will celebrate the ‘Chinese food of the people’ – moving away from the current Chinese fine-diner trend to focus on flavoursome on-the-go-style eats using simple fresh ingredients. Expect to find 20–30 regional Chinese snacks on the menu, including the likes of bang bang chicken salad, dumplings, buns, sticks and small burgers. The menu will be distinctly different from Happy Boy – there will be no wok frying, but rather steaming, roasting, baking and grilling. In addition, Snack Man will have a strong wine focus, sourcing never-before-seen drops from natural and emerging continental winemakers and regions. Mixologist Jack Lio (ex-The Bowery) has come on board to lead the drink selection, creating a rotating list of 5–6 seasonal cocktails using some pretty ingenious techniques. The late-November soft opening of Snack Man will see an abridged version of both the food and wine menus, with the full shebang to launch in early 2019.

My Beer Dealer
Caxton Street’s home of craft-beer goodness and mouth-watering bites is set to unveil the final phase of its evolution this week. After several months of excavations and renovations, Brewski’s much-anticipated drink-in bottle shop My Beer Dealer is opening to the public on Friday October 19, offering a bottle-o experience unlike anything currently seen in Brisbane. My Beer Dealer will stock a gob-smacking amount of Australian and international beers – we’re talking more than 500 labels – alongside a selection of minimum-intervention Australian wines, independent spirits and boozy merch. Thirsty punters will also be able to get a sip in while they browse, with ten taps pouring ice-cold frothies and refills for growlers, squealers and a canning service for 500 ml tins. Keep your eyes on The Weekend Edition this week for a closer look.

El Camino Cantina
More news for King Street! The latest announcement for the fast-growing food precinct is late-night hangout El Camino Cantina, due to open at the end of November. The Tex-Mex concept comes from Rockpool Dining Group, which has already made its mark on King Street with its mammoth Bavarian Beerhaus. El Camino Cantina will have a similar feel to its Sydney siblings at The Rocks and soon-to-open in Manly, offering a vibrant carnival of custom-designed artwork, neon lights, rock ‘n’ roll music, muscle car-inspired touches and distinctly Mexican decorative details – a true representation of Texan meets Mexican. This continues through to the food – the menu will be similar to its southern counterparts with a few new additions, including entrees of ceviche and ensalada de sandia, three flavours of quesadillas, three burritos and a selection of nine tacos, including chargrilled steak, black-bean hummus and cheeseburger flavours.

COS
In March this year we announced that international retailer COS would be opening its first Brisbane store late this year – well, fashion friends, we finally have a location and a date. The London-based brand will be opening its seventh Australian store in Brisbane City’s Wintergarden on Friday November 16! The store will stretch 474 sqm, housing menswear and womenswear over two storeys. COS Brisbane will launch with the label’s spring/summer 2018 collection, featuring geometric drapes, rich textures and soft tailoring. We’ll have more details on the opening for you soon!

Crafty Fox Alehouse & Kitchen
Stones Corner will welcome a new watering hole in the coming weeks, when Crafty Fox Alehouse & Kitchen opens in the former Yard Bird Ale House site on Logan Road. The bar and eatery comes from Glenn Vos, the brain behind Chermside’s Tapworks Bar & Grill, and will offer a wide range of craft beers alongside pub-style food ideal for drink pairing. Much like Tapworks, craft beer will be king at Crafty Fox, with a rotating selection of 18 beers on tap from the likes of Stone & Wood, Balter, Green Beacon and some more niche craft brewers. On the food front, you’ll find the likes of pizzas, burgers, buffalo wings and bar snacks, which Glenn insists will all be “extremely great value”. Crafty Fox Alehouse & Kitchen is set to open in two weeks and will be serving an exciting line-up of opening specials (free burgers, anyone?) – we’ll keep you posted.

DA’Burger West End
It’s shaping up to be a big year for local burger joint DA’Burger. After years of establishing their much-loved New Farm location, owners James and Wendy D’Ath branched out to open a second location in Ascot in August this year, and have now announced a third venue is set to open in West End in mid-November. DA’Burger West End will be the burger joint’s biggest venue yet, taking over the space previously occupied by Copperface Jack’s on Boundary Street. The 200-pax venue will feature an outdoor dining area, two function spaces and an impressive bar with 12 beers on tap – the team is currently working on something special with Green Beacon Brewing, so watch this space. The menu will include all of the DA’Burger favourites, but expand to include a wider range of vegan and vegetarian options as well as bar food. As with its sibling venues, DA’Burger West End will also be supporting a charity, to be revealed in the coming weeks.

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