The Six Tastiest Events at Brisbane's Good Food Month 2017

From July 19 to July 30, there’s one surefire way to work up an appetite — just head to South Bank’s Cultural Forecourt, peruse the hawker-style array of stalls slinging all manner of food and listen to your stomach grumble. Yes, the Night Noodle Markets are back for a fourth annual round of culinary deliciousness and yes, they’re guaranteed to make you hungry.

In 2017, there will be 23 stalls to choose from, plus heaps of pop-up bars, free music each night and the kind of bustling vibe that comes with a massive food gathering. As for what you’ll be feasting on, expect tasty treats from the likes of Gelato Messina, Waffleland, Teppanyaki Noodles, Little Kyoto, Donburi Station, Spanthai, Hoy Pinoy and an epic collaboration between Blackstar and N2 Extreme Gelato. Make sure to work up an appetite beforehand and be prepared to roll yourself on home.

With Good Food Month underway, our tastebuds are already tingling at the thought of all the epic eats to come. There’s the Night Noodle Markets, Brisbane’s Young Chefs Lunch and the Laneway! Streetfood! Music! celebration — who doesn’t love a good laneway bash, especially when it promises incredible street food matched to a variety of ice cold beers.

In case those Night Noodle Markets aren’t enough to look forward to, this laneway celebration of eats, beats and brews, presented by Beer The Beautiful Truth, is another thing to get excited about. Put aside July 28 to spend a cruisy evening at Fish Lane in Brisbane, listening to live beats while sipping brews from James Squire, XXXX, Hahn and Tooheys, and indulging in a selection of street eats cooked up fresh by some of Australia’s best chefs. For $50 you’ll be treated to four ice cold beers or ciders of your choice along with three substantial street food items — pretty great deal, we’d say.

Sometimes, the best events spring from the simplest ideas. In Hat Swap‘s case, the concept is both straightforward and sure to be delicious. Taking place at the two-hatted Gerard’s Bistro, resident head chef Ben Williamson will join forces with Dave Verheul, his counterpart at Melbourne’s Embla. Together, they’ll be turning out a five-course feast on July 27.

This is the first collaboration for the two highly-regarded chefs and your tastebuds won’t want to miss it. Tickets are at a pricey $165 per person, but do include paired wines with each course. The 2.5-hour dinner will be run over two sessions, with seatings at 5.30pm and 8.30pm.

Who doesn’t want to spice up their weekdays with a three-course lunch? No one, that’s who. For Good Food Month, OTTO Ristorante is turning your average quick bite into a midday feast every Monday through Thursday in July. Let’s Do Lunch treats you to a luxuriously long lunch from noon, with a cheeky beverage thrown in for good measure.

$60 per person gets you two savoury courses and your choice of drink (from house beer, sparkling, white, rose or red wine), along with dessert of petit fours and tea or coffee. Bookings are required, but, given that the event runs all month long, there’s still plenty of time to enjoy a riverside splash of modern Italian cuisine — or, if the temptation strikes, several occasions to do so. You’ll just have to come up with an excuse to be out of the office for a few hours, or finally cash in on that time in lieu.

After the party, there’s the after party. Or, at Good Food Month, there’s the mid-month launch after party on Monday, July 17. Forget the timing and the title — it’s basically just a great excuse to eat, drink and celebrate all of the deliciousness July has to offer. This year marks the first time that this event is open to the public, so you’ll also get to rub elbows with some of the folks behind all of the month’s foodie greatness.

For the very reasonable price of 50 bucks, Brisbanites can head to Stokehouse Q for an edible, drinkable evening of revelry. Tickets include beverages and canapes, as well as some of the best views in the city. It’s a chance to really get into the swing of what Good Food Month is all about and is well worth treating yourself to a cheeky Monday night out.

They’re the chefs of tomorrow — and you can eat their meals today. Everyone loves jumping on a good thing before it blows up to epic proportions, and that’s what Good Food Month’s annual Young Chefs Lunch at ARIA is all about. The July 23 luncheon will showcase the culinary talent of the future and be a much finer midday meal than your average weekday grab-and-go.

It’s an oldie but a goodie, as far as GFM’s regular events are concerned, but is 100 percent focused on young kitchen geniuses. The Urban Group’s Josh Raine, Esquire’s Callum Decosta, Gerard’s Bistro’s Alex Gregg and ARIA’s own Jeong Insik will whip up a four-course meal for you to enjoy. On the menu, you can expect fried prawn heads, wagyu short rib and hibiscus cured cobia, along with a lemon myrtle, pineapple and macadamia curry combo that sounds strange yet particularly appetising. The lunch will cost you a pretty penny, but it is one of those dining experiences that will be oh so worth it.