Cartel Del Taco
Mexico City is coming to Hawthorne. Cartel Del Taco – a brand-new Mexican-inspired street taqueria opening on Hawthorne Road in November – will look to deliver as close to an authentic experience as one can get without boarding a plane. Childhood friends Marco Ramirez and Erick Martinez (formerly head chef at MAYA Mexican) are teaming up for the venture, which has been three years in the making. The duo is going to great lengths to create a true-to-life taqueria that evokes the tastes and dining experience of their home country. Marco and Erick have travelled to and from Mexico several times over the past few years, undertaking buying sprees that have seem them accumulate a shipping container’s worth of decorative pieces and cooking equipment for the venue. Everything from handmade 1980s Mexican taqueria-style seating, art, plates and glasses to comales (specialty cookware typically used to make tortillas) and a Trompo spit grill has been imported for the concept, which is being built from scratch across the road from Hawthorne Garage in collaboration with ARCHINTERIORS and Shopfit Co. When built, Cartel Del Taco will boast space for 60 (spread across indoor and outdoor seating) and a warm white-and-red colour scheme. As for the fare, tacos will naturally take centre stage with ten tongue-tantalising options to choose from (five street style and five premium options), including the al pastor taco con todo (with everything) and the Gringa, which will boast Trompo-grilled meat topped with melted Oaxaca cheese, special home-made salsa and grilled pineapple. We’ve also been told to expect tequila and coconut sorbets, a killer selection of Mexican beers, and classic and original cocktails. Stay tuned for more!

Longtime Yum Cha
The inner-city yum cha scene is set to grow next month, with soon-to-launch modern Chinese restaurant Longtime Yum Cha currently on track to open at Queens Plaza by the end of October. This arrival is the flagship restaurant from the team behind Yum Cha Cuisine at Westfield Garden City, which will be taking an elegant approach that bridges East and West – think traditional Cantonese cuisine underpinned by health-oriented contemporary culinary concepts like less oil, less salt and no MSG. Situated on Queen’s Plaza’s upper level, the 200-seat venue (140 inside and other 60 on the balcony) has been designed by Clui Design, with a glamorous aesthetic that boasts a raw and bold maximalism – earthy blush tones contrasting with colourful handmade tiles, marble finishes, rattan and blonde timber. The restaurant will feature a curved bar, dumpling kitchen, main dining area (consisting of banquettes, booths and bar seating) and two 20-seat VIP rooms. Two main menus will be available to diners, including a substantial yum cha offering (that elevates the traditional craft of dim sum making with specialty ingredients like black truffle and parmesan cheese) and an a la carte menu featuring Chinese morsels and seafood selected from Longtime’s own fish tanks containing the likes of coral trout and lobster (all available alongside a 20-strong Asian-inspired cocktail list). We’ll have an up-close look at Longtime Yum for you next month.

Valley Hops Brewing
Do you love pints, pizzas and picturesque views? Then Valley Hops Brewing – the brand-new craft-beer brewery opening soon atop Cloudland – will likely become your springtime sipping destination of choice. Last week the Katarzyna Group announced it was in the process of converting Cloudland’s rooftop into the new drinking destination, which is drawing inspiration from its Fortitude Valley surrounds for its core range of beers. A two vessel 15BBL brewhouse is being put to use for concocting a core range under the careful gaze of head brewer Josh Warren (formerly of Green Beacon Brewing), who has assembled a six-strong selection featuring a light-bodied lager, tropical ale, fruity sour, pale ale, an IPA and a Hazy IPA – all named after different people, places and famous Fortitude Valley moments. Aesthetically, Valley Hops Brewing will boast touches of Cloudland’s glamorous identity, with a material palette of stone, brick and metal softened by decorative touches like a metalwork arbour coated in lush vines and a bespoke leadlight made with coloured glass. Meanwhile, wooden picnic tables, booths and high-bar seats (plus built-in benches ringing a large fire pit) will offer plenty of opportunities to sink a cold one and take in the scenic views. Want more info? Click here to read last week’s announcement.

Arté x Ollie
Two of Brisbane’s top culinary wizards – Melrose head chef Arté Assavakavinvong and Siffredi’s co-owner and head chef Ollie Hansford – will be joining forces for one night only to deliver a cracking six-course Southeast Asian experience. The two maestros will link up at Melrose on Tuesday October 12 for the degustation event, with the first three courses featuring a dish from each chef. Morsels will include the likes of oysters with nahm jin, beef tataki with cashew-nut cream and pillow amuse, crispy quail with white wood fungus and tom kra, coal-grilled flametail snapper with sesame cream, duck ballotine with nahm prik jaow and baby bok choy, and peanut and coconut parfait with lemon curd and caramelised-pineapple ice-cream. Each course will be paired with a unique tropical-inspired cocktail crafted by the team from Nusa Caña Rum. Click here to check out the menu and to make a booking!

National Lobster Day at One Fish Two Fish
Those of you that adore lobsters will already know that this weekend, specifically Saturday September 25, marks National Lobster Day. If you enjoy cracking into the clawed crustacean, then you’ll want to make a booking at One Fish Two Fish – the Kangaroo Point seafood emporium is offering a host of lobster-loaded lunch and dinner specials this Friday to Sunday. Guests keen to don a bib and dine in can treat themselves to a two-course feast featuring lobster ceviche with prawn crackers and lobster mornay with fries and butter lettuce. More inclined to take away? One Fish Two Fish is bringing back its lobster roll, which was a hit last lockdown, with the venue selling 1500 rolls over two days. Click here to make a dine-in booking or here to pre-order your takeaway treat.

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