As anyone fond of lounging away the day mashing buttons knows, gaming and coffee go hand in hand. That's the idea behind Cafe de SOYT, though the Albion coffee house would like to tempt you away from your couch and onto theirs. Opened on Sandgate Road on April 8, the new venue brings gaming out of the house, beyond the arcade, into the cosy confines of a cafe. Customers can geek out over consoles, comic books, manga and pop culture while sipping caffeinated brews, hot chocolate, juice or soft drinks, and snacking on cheesecakes, tarts, muffins and brownies. The monthly rotation of machines and games will cycle through Sega, Nintendo, Playstation and Microsoft offerings, with the store's Atari collection currently being assembled. Themed sections also spread the Star Wars, Batman, Dr Who and anime love. Unsurprisingly, Cafe de SOYT is a passion project for owner Eskabar Page, who has been a gaming and comic book collector for many years. "It was actually leaving a Supernova convention a couple of years ago [that] I had an idea," he explains. "That idea was to try and showcase what I had collected and spent my hard earned dollars on — because usually, who sees this? Your friends and family mostly. Otherwise it's hidden for no one to enjoy but yourself. There were a few ways I thought of doing this but ended up with the coffee house you see today." Page says that Cafe de SOYT aims to submerge patrons in all things gaming, rather than just playing with a novelty concept. Expect new additions to their range as time goes by, plus an array of special events, with plans for a May the 4th celebration currently being thrown around. If you're more of a casual gamer, don't worry. "I've tried to make it so a large demographic can walk in and familiarise themselves with at least something because we have a little bit of everything," Page reassures. With Super Mario painted on the walls, Rick and Morty's Mr Meeseeks on the chalkboard menu and Pokemon featuring too, that's easy to see. And with Brisbane currently boasting Netherworld's arcade bar, Super Combo's Street Fighter-themed burgers and the soon-to-open 1UP Arcade, it's never been easier to head out for some pop culture fun. Find Cafe de SOYT at 1/ 135 Sandgate Road, Albion. For more information, head to their website and Facebook page.
Stars and stripes waving proudly over the Mary Street entrance of Buffalo Bar salute the vast American delights waiting within. In the wood-panelled front bar of this heritage building, tiles of red, white and blue make the bar counters pop with patriotism, and the motif continues with a buffalo mural trampling across the outer courtyard wall. The beer-garden is crisscrossed by hanging lights, with an outdoor bar and big-screen TVs for sports, Stateside or otherwise. Beverage-wise, Buffalo Bar has brews, cocktails and wine, and the front bar offers American whiskey and Scotch whisky selections. It leans into the Americana with diner-inspired food and full-throttle flavours. Burgers, ribs, Philly cheesesteaks and chicken wings — individual or sharing platter, choose your spice level. It wouldn't be American without a food challenge, and Buffalo Bar offers the USA burger with special sauce, cos lettuce, tomato, red onion and American cheese as a worthy challenger. Pair it with a side of hot wings and you've got yourself a fight at Brisbane's Buffalo Bar. There is regular trivia and a strong focus on sports, so head on down to catch the next game of whatever it is you're into. Top images: Grace Smith.
Halal food, and the certification around it, has popped up in the Australian news a lot lately — mostly in the form of straight-up racist commentary that has no basis in fact. Most recently, newly elected Australian senator Pauline Hanson, threw a childish fit on Saturday after senator Sam Dastyari offered to buy her a Halal Snack Pack (HSP) as jesting congratulations. For those that don't know, an HSP is a greasy concoction of hot chips, kebab meat (chicken and/or lamb) and cheese, covered in sauces, including the 'Holy Trinity' of garlic, chilli and barbecue sauce. This dish is so popular among uni students that the Halal Snack Pack Appreciation Society (HSPAS) is nearly 150,000 members strong. Hanson has repeatedly made fact-less allegations that funds made from halal certified food goes directly to fund terrorism. Her blatantly discriminatory remarks, which have been repetitively disproven and shown to have no factual research behind them, got us thinking — what is halal certification really all about? We're bringing you some plain old facts on the subject, because knowledge is power. [caption id="attachment_578771" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Flickr.[/caption] WHAT IS HALAL FOOD? Halal (حَلَال) is an Arabic word that means 'permissible' or 'allowed' and refers to the dietary restrictions of the Muslim law. Foods that are explicitly prohibited by the Qur'an, and are therefore not halal, include: Alcohol (including used in food) Meat from carnivorous animals, most notably pigs and dogs Any bi-product of carnivorous animals, including lard, gelatine, blood, broth and enzymes (which many non-halal cakes, biscuits and ice-creams contain) Meat of an animal that has died of natural causes or as a result of strangling or beating All foods that do not meet these above restrictions are considered halal (that includes fruits, nuts and vegetables, to name a few). WHAT IS HALAL CERTIFICATION? Halal certification denotes to the consumer that the food is certified to fit the dietary restrictions of halal, much the way organic and gluten-free products must be certified. In order for a food to be certified as halal, it must be: Free from any meat or bi-product from a carnivorous animal Slaughtered with a Muslim person present and in compliance with Islamic rites Processed, manufactured and stored by using equipment that has been cleaned according to Islamic law (e.g. not cleaned with alcohol or in proximity to carnivorous animal bi-product). [caption id="attachment_578769" align="alignnone" width="1280"] CEphoto, Uwe Aranas.[/caption] OTHER USEFUL HALAL FACTS Food that is already halal is not changed during the certification process; it is simply certified to show that it has not broken any of the dietary restrictions within halal eating methods. Hundreds of Australian food products exist as halal certified, including Vegemite, Nestle Crunch bars, Maggi Two Minute Noodles and Kellogg's Coco Pops. Essentially, the animal used for food needs to be slaughtered humanely and using clean instruments that are namely pork and alcohol free. If you're thinking logically about it, a halal certification is similar to a food being certified as organic or gluten free — it simply tells a person who has specific dietary restrictions that they are able to eat the food and is actually very inline with standard ethical eating practices. ABC News Fact Check recently assessed Hanson's claims that halal certification directly results in funding terrorism and could find "no evidence whatsoever ... that money from halal certification has ever flowed to terrorist groups." They also debunked her claims that halal certification is a $3-trillion dollar industry — in fact, most responsive manufacturers claimed that their certification cost was negligible, even as little as $1-$2K per year. What is true is that the halal food industry is estimated to be in excess of $1-trillion. This means that the world economy profits in the trillions off of manufacturing halal food. [caption id="attachment_578861" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Dan Nguyen.[/caption] When it comes down to it, all the fuss is really about nothing but and Hanson's comments are just an embarrassment. Halal food is embraced around the western world and is specifically prevalent in New York City, where halal carts are seen on every corner. The city's famous Halal Guys, which is the "longest running and best known street cart in New York City", serves the cart equivalent of the HSP and is an integral part of the food scene in the city. They're also donating $30,000 to LaGuardia Community College this year, which sure doesn't sound like global terrorist activity to us. Sources: Australian Food & Grocery Council, The New York Times, SMH, ABC Fact Check, Junkee, Merriam-Webster. Image: Toby Jay, Halal Snack Pack Appreciation Society (HSPAS).
If you're going to open a new burger place in what must surely be the country's meat-and-bread capital by now, you probably want to give the concept a bit of a kick in a different direction. Or a sonic boom, or maybe a hadouken, perhaps? Don't worry, once you're done eating, you won't have to travel to a different country to do it all over again. Yes, that '80s and '90s arcade and Super Nintendo staple that is Street Fighter is the source of inspiration for Super Combo, which joins the growing number of eateries making the Brisbane's Showgrounds' King Street precinct some of the most coveted culinary real estate in the city (with The Lamb Shop, GG's Espresso, The George, Fat Dumpling, Il Verde, Sushi & Nori and Hello Chicken also among the current or coming tenants). From March 9, they'll be slinging burgs with the same fury that Ryu, Blanka and company approach brawling in public — that is, with plenty. The retro-styled joint comes from childhood friends Michael Nham and Hao Vu, who, as you might've guessed, found hanging around their local Brissie takeaway shop smashing out super Street Fighter combos the best way to spend their time. They're also behind Melbourne's NSHRY, with Nham boasting two Vietnamese restaurants including Banoi on his resume. When it came to opening a place with such strong ties to their youth, however, it made sense to get things started in Brisbane. Indeed, the King Street digs is being trumpeted as Super Combo's first in Australia, so you can bet that more burgs will be flying to more cities in good time. As for just what those edible morsels will be, expect a menu influenced by international cuisine, plus sides, globally sourced speciality sauces and epic shakes. Yep, everyone really is a winner here. Find Super Combo at Shop 01B, 20 King Street, Bowen Hills from March 9. Keep an eye on their website and Facebook page for more information.
The sandstone building on the corner of George and Elizabeth streets has been home to many things over the years, including Queensland's first radio station, government departments, offices, cafes and a bank. These days, it's the site of one of Brisbane's hottest places to eat, drink and hang out. Patrons will need to head down to the basement of the heritage-listed art deco building to find Boom Boom Room. Chinese diner Donna Chang lies above it. The duo are ventures from the Ghanem Group — the folks behind Blackbird Bar & Grill on Eagle Street, Byblos Bar & Restaurant at Portside and Bisou Bisou in the valley. Boom Boom Room launched as a Japanese restaurant and bar in 2020, but the group switched gears in February — the underground supper club is now serving up an Asian street food-inspired menu. Executive Chef Jake Nicolson and Head Chef Lyndon Tyers draw on their travels through Japan, China, Vietnam, Thailand, Korea and Indonesia to produce the ultimate fusion plates. Bites like lobster siu mai with ginger and lemongrass broth pour-overs sit alongside rendang beef curry and a nuoc cham-glazed BBQ barramundi. Boom Boom Room regulars will be pleased to know that the crowd-favourite yakitori remains on the menu. The cultural mash-up continues with dessert and drinks: think matcha affogatos with Vietnamese coffee gelato, a passionfruit rum concoction infused with five-spice, and a whiskey-and-banana-liquer-spiked mix with caramel miso. A pair of $79 banquets (one of them vegan) is on hand for the indecisive. Decked out in rich reds, blues and black, Boom Boom Room leans into its decadent bunker-like surrounds. Old bank vaults are transformed into private rooms, while the bars sit underneath arched corridors with plenty of booth seating. Burlesque shows and live soul and jazz performances tend to dominate the early evenings, while Thursdays are dedicated to vinyl sessions. Like what you see? Subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter to get stories just like these straight to your inbox.
If you hadn't noticed, fermentation is a bit of a thing. One of the driving forces behind the movement is the fact that fermented food and drinks can help promote good bacteria in your gut. So it's not surprising that one of the more popular workshops at Cornersmith — who dish out hearty breakfasts and hold workshops in cheesemaking, pickling and fermenting among others — is the wild soda class, where you learn to make a fermented, fizzy fruit beverage that's both delicious and good for your digestion. That's the domain of Cornersmith's head fermenter Jaimee Edwards, a veteran in teaching lucky folks how to make wild soda, and then supervising as they make their own. For those who haven't attended one of her sessions — which have fittingly taken over nature-filled houses — go DIY and follow the instructions below. WHAT ACTUALLY IS WILD SODA? A wild soda is a fizzy fruit drink with a slightly sour, yeasty taste that's derived from the fermentation process involved in making it. The flavour is richer and more complex than any fizzy fruit drink you could pick up from a store because — like sour beer or wild fermentation wines — they're a product of nature. There are no artificial ingredients added. The fermentation process is unpredictable and gives each batch a unique flavour — even if you use the same ingredients and follow the same method each time. The process of making wild soda is similar to that of making wild fermentation wine. In winemaking, the yeast overpowers the lactic acid and turns the drink into alcohol, but in wild soda the lactic acid overpowers the yeast and creates carbonated water. Winemaking is best left to the professionals, but you can easily create wild soda on your own. Here's how. GET OUT THERE AND FORAGE To make wild soda, pick some of your favourite native plants, flowers and fruit. Edwards encourages you to get out there and forage. Supermarket fruit has likely gone through numerous cleaning processes, which means the natural microflora living on it (essential to the fermentation process) has likely been washed away. The more microflora, the easier the fermentation process — and the tastier the drink. "Foraging is pretty key," says Edwards. "That way you're not dealing with stuff that's gone through excessive washing." She recommends foraging for clean leaves and bark for bacteria, and wild flowers and fruit (strawberries, lemons and blueberries) for flavour. Once you've foraged, break up your flowers, leaves and bark, pulp your fruit and place it all into a plastic bottle. "Experiment with almost anything — that's part of the fun," says Edwards. "You're going to have some failures, and you're going to have successes. The ingredients you've added are obviously going to add a strong flavour, so you have to like them." GET THE FERMENTATION GOING When starting out, Edwards says it's a good idea to use plastic bottles. The natural carbonation that results from the fermentation process could cause glass jars to crack, and the last thing you want is a kitchen filled with half-finished strawberry and lemon verbena soda. Making a carbonated soda relies on the natural yeasts and bacteria that are available on the surface of plants. These microorganisms turn sugars into lactic acid and produce CO2 to make your soda bubbly. Because there is very little sugar in the foraged material in this recipe sugar is added. Mix all ingredients in a clean jar of filtered water and cover with a clean tea towel. Stir three times a day while the soda is fermenting. This will take between two and three days. Then strain the soda from the plants and bottle. Carbonation will occur as the CO2 builds up in the bottle over a few days. Refrigerate, and when it's nice and cold, take it out of the fridge and enjoy. HOW DOES ALL THIS RELATE TO WINE? Stoneleigh use a similar process of natural fermentation to make the wild fermentation wines in their Wild Valley range. Rather than adding a yeast known to produce a certain flavour, the yeasts and bacteria that naturally present on the grapes (aka microflora), are tasked with the fermentation. By letting nature do its thing (and because of the many different types of yeast getting involved), the wine ends up with a more complicated flavour profile. That means that just like wild soda, each vintage has its own unique flavour. Follow Jamiee Edwards' adventures at @fermentingprojects. Images: Steven Woodburn.
The world is a very strange place. While you might think your love of fried chicken reigns supreme or that you can scoff M&Ms like no one else, there are people out there who take this food obsession to the next level and erect shrines to honour the One True Foodstuff. Recently, New York opened the sensory-focused Museum of Food and Drink, where you can taste the exhibits. But there are more specific foodie shrines for you to sample. Whether you worship at the altar of the noodle or at the temple of ice cream, there is a motherland somewhere for you to pilgrimage. Come with us now on a bizarre journey to the best and strangest food museums from around the world. IDAHO POTATO MUSEUM The potato may be the subject of much internet derision and meme-ification, but it is a staple in some of the tastiest foods of all time, including — but certainly not limited to — fries, potato chips, mash, rosti, wedges, potato skins, potato gratin, poutine and baked spuds. All hail the mighty potato. And where better to celebrate the potato than the potato state? Idaho is home to a very Napoleon Dynamite-esque potato museum, which features a potato hall of fame and a giant potato statue that would even leave Australia, the land of big things, suitably impressed. The gift shop sells potato sack dresses among some of the dorkiest merchandise we've ever seen, which actually seems befitting of the potato aesthetic. Idaho Potato Museum, 130 Northwest Main Street, Blackfoot, Idaho, USA. RAMEN MUSEUM Ramen is a universal divider, no matter where you're from. In Japan, people pledge allegiance to their regional ramen the way we pledge allegiance to our sports teams. While history thinks that ramen may have originated in China, Japan has adopted the dish so completely, it doesn't even know it's adopted. So it makes sense that Tokyo hosts the Shin-Yokohama Raumen Museum, which they describe as the world's first food-themed amusement park. The park is made to look like a '50s Japanese street straight out of a Studio Ghibli film, and goes into the extensive history of ramen — that is, the breakdown of ingredients, toppings and broths, and the regional variations. And you'll be pleased to know that once you've nailed the theory of ramen, you can try steamy taster bowls from eight different regional stalls. Shin-Yokohama Raumen Museum, 2-14-21 Shinyokohama, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama-City, Japan. INSTANT RAMEN MUSEUM And of course, because Japan has a ramen museum, it must also have an instant ramen museum. Instant ramen is, after all, the lifeblood behind historically important struggling artists and students. Momofuku Ando is the genius behind our favourite just-add-water lunch option, which he invented in 1958 after spending a solitary year spent working on just four hours sleep a night. While the ramen museum is traditional in every way, the instant ramen museum is contemporary and clean. It features a CUPNOODLES park for children, a chicken ramen factory where you can invent and make your own instant noodles by hand, and an Instant Noodles History Cube (we could not say exactly what a history cube is, but that's all part of the fun). Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum, 2-3-4 Shinko, Naka-ku, Yokohama, Japan. ICE CREAM CITY After you've checked out all the ramen museums, head to Ice Cream City, also in Japan. Ice Cream City and its Cup Ice Museum can be found in 'Namja Town', a theme park housed inside the Sunshine City shopping complex in Tokyo's Toshima area. Yes, it's all very confusing, but a 500 yen ticket will grant you access to all the bizarre food areas of Namja Town. Ice Cream Town has a smorgasbord of bizarre ice cream flavours to sample — some you would never have imagined in your wildest dreams. Think corn, chicken wing, powered pearl, squid, cheese risotto, sake, silk, charcoal, salt and soybean. You know it's worth a visit. Namja Town, Sunshine City World Import Mart, Toshima, Ikebukuro, Japan. Image: istolethetv via Flickr. CURRYWURST MUSEUM It should shock no-one that Germany has a currywurst museum in Berlin — or that the mascot is a terrifying, anthropomorphic sausage man with a maniacal smile. This kind of lunacy is completely expected of the sausage-lovin' European country, along with sausage-shaped couches and currywurst-themed dress up competitions. The currywurst is a delicious fast food treat that's not easy to get your hands on outside of Germany, unless you head to speciality restaurant. Simply, it's a fried pork sausage served with curry ketchup and topped with curry powder. And obviously, it's delicious. Plus, it pairs well with German beer and is totally worthy of having an entire museum (with merchandising) dedicated to it. Currywurst Museum, Schützenstraße 70, 10117, Berlin, Germany. MCDONALD'S #1 STORE MUSEUM Unfortunately, the first McDonald's restaurant was demolished because short-sighted Americans didn't appreciate the longevity of the Big Mac. But if your love for the golden arches goes beyond McLovin' a greasy wad of 'food' after a bender, there are many famous installations in America for worshipping Ronald the terrifying clown. There's the oldest operating McDonald's in Downey, California (it's been running since 1953), the rock and roll McDonald's in Chicago, or the McDonald's #1 Store Museum in Des Plaines, Illinois. The latter chronicles the history of Mickey Dee's through its early days — and yes, don't worry, there is a fully operational McDonald's across the road to complete the experience. McDonald's #1 Store Museum, 400 N. Lee Street, Des Plaines, Illinois, USA. JELL-O MUSEUM Jell-O is so much more than the worst dessert served on an airplane, or an erotic lubricant for wrestling. You might not know or care, but Jello-O has a long history as America's most famous dessert. The Jell-O Gallery in New York (the state, not the city) has chronicled this rich history in their museum. They also share some questionable Jell-O based wartime recipes such as olive relish: a lime Jell-O, olives, pickles, celery and vinegar concoction to fortify gallant American infantrymen against the Axis Powers. The Jell-O Gallery is quaint and also offers some of the most legitimately post-ironic cool Jell-O themed merchandise we've ever seen. Jell-O Gallery, 23 E Main St, Le Roy, New York, USA. KIMCHI FIELD MUSEUM The Kimchi Field Museum first opened in Seoul 1986 as South Korea's only food museum at the time — a testament to the nation's love of the fermented vegetable dish. The museum offers up valuable insight into not only the history of kimchi, but also its significance to South Korean culture. There's also kimchi-making courses that vary in complexity and cost (between $18-$65), and you get to take the kimchi home. Score. Kimchi Field Museum, 35-4 Insadong-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea. Image: ecodallaluna via Flickr. FRIETMUSEUM Frites is the OG name for the most universally successful of all the deep fried delights: the french fry (or, as we say in the Antipodes, hot chips). But did you know that frites are the national food of Belgium? Or that they originated in Peru ten thousand years ago? These facts, life-sized serves of chippies and many fry-related puns (including the 'eye on the fries' gift shop) await you at the Frietmuseum in Bruges, as well as actual, edible fries. So, until you head to Bruges and try the originals, you can't claim that Maccas make the best chips. At least, not with a clear conscience. Frietmuseum, Vlamingstraat 33, 8000, Bruges, Belgium. Top image: Guilhem Vellut via Flickr.
A spirits brand that shares its moniker with one of the most influential movies ever made, about vampires or otherwise, was always going to stand out — and that spirits brand is Nosferatu Distillery. The fact that its eponymous gin is a tasty blood orange number was always going to earn attention, too, as well as the Count Orlok-shaped silhouette on the bottle's label along with it. Here's another reason for Brisbanites to throw the company some love: its newly opened headquarters in Bowen Hills, which operates as a distillery, bar and cafe. Located in Jeays Street and welcoming in gin lovers Monday–Saturday, it'll actually celebrate its grand launch on Saturday, October 15; however, it is indeed already trading. Get a caffeine fix by day, then sip gin by night: that's on the menu at the boutique brand's new Brisbane base. The drinks lineup includes all of the usual coffee options, teas, StrangeLove sodas (keeping the movie theme) and non-alcoholic beers for those keen on a non-boozy beverage. Or, there's wine, beer and the company's range of spirits — Nosferatu Blood Orange Gin, Mandrake Cucumber and Mint Gin, Giselle Pavlova Gin and Bunyip Sticky Gin — including in cocktails and flights. While the company has taken its cues from a horror great in its title, its new industrial-style warehouse space definitely hasn't. Here, in a light and airy setup, expect leafy plants aplenty around the venue, a retro-style van as a bar, and the distillery's operations in full view. Bites to eat are served up by a rotating array of food trucks. And Nosferatu's Bowen Hills location is dog-friendly, too, so add it to you and your pooch's next cafe or bar outing.
Do you heart brownies? We know we do — and we know some other folks that take their brownies seriously. That'd be the gang behind the aptly named I Heart Brownies, the artisan baking wizards who turned their love of sweet treats into a business. Indeed, they're so batty for their baked goods — as is everyone else in Brisbane — that they're now turning their thriving market stall into their own shop. Come April 11, the I Heart Brownies Bakery and Cafe will be the place to be for everyone fond of their melt-in-your-mouth baked goods. If you've tried their 100 percent gluten free brownies, you'll know what we're talking about. If you haven't, your taste buds better be ready. Every brownie contains Belgian black cocoa and couverture chocolate, and comes in raspberry, chocolate mint, cherry coconut, chocolate orange, Turkish delight and salted caramel flavours. When the shop is operational, expect that list to grow, with peanut butter and jelly a certain addition to the menu. Though I Heart Brownies' handcrafted products have been available at Jan Powers Markets and a smattering other cafes around Brisbane for some time now, their new bakery and cafe will serve their delicious morsels hot out of the oven every day of the week. Yes, that means more brownies more often. All you have to do is check out their shiny new digs at — where else — Fortitude Valley's Bakery Lane. Find the I Heart Brownies Bakery and Café at Shop 7 Bakery Lane, 694 Ann Street, Fortitude Valley. For a list of other stockists, visit their website. Want more baked goodness? Check out our list of Brisbane's ten best brownies.
When you've been screening movies under the stars for 25 years, it's worth celebrating that fact. And when you're hosting your newest season of outdoor flicks in a year of significant worldwide change, giving viewers something comfortable and reliable to watch is a mighty sensible approach. Moonlight Cinema is doing both when it returns for the summer of 2020–21, all by packing its program with a heap of film favourites — so get ready to kick back on the grass and watch Moulin Rouge!, Black Panther, When Harry Met Sally, Bohemian Rhapsody and Dirty Dancing. Indeed, there's a definite retro air to Moonlight's lineup this year — which arrives after the outdoor cinema first announced that it was definitely returning in this chaotic period, and then revealed its exact dates. Between Friday, November 27–Sunday, February 21, the event will head to Brisbane's Roma Street Parkland with a heap of old-school flicks. You'll also be able to see some recent releases, in case you haven't had the chance since cinemas started reopening. In the classic camp, a week of Christmas films will help you feel merry, with Die Hard, Love Actually, Elf, Home Alone, The Grinch and The Nightmare Before Christmas on the bill. Or, if you'd like to revisit non-festive faves from the past few years, you can check out The Greatest Showman, Frozen II, Thor: Ragnarok, Guardians of the Galaxy and Captain America: Civil War. From this year's releases, there's a little bit of everything. Christopher Nolan's Tenet will screen in the evening air, this year's new version of The Secret Garden will play surrounded by plenty of grass, and Australian comedy Rams — about feuding sheep-farmer brothers — will do the same. There's also Russell Crowe getting angry over the phone and in his car in thriller Unhinged, the cringe-worthy teen romance of After We Collided and the delightful Dickens adaptation that is The Personal History of David Copperfield. It's also worth remembering that Moonlight Cinema isn't BYO in Brisbane— but there'll be food trucks, a bar, snacks and (if you'd like to pay for them) bean bags as well. And, in great news for movie-loving pooches, you can bring them along, too.
Touring outside of France for just the third time since it was designed in Paris circa 1500, medieval masterpiece The Lady and the Unicorn tapestry cycle comes to the Art Gallery of New South Wales this month and everyone's pretty excited. On special loan from impressively named Musèe de Cluny – Musèe National du Moyen Âge, the six exquisitely beautiful, mind-blowingly intricate wool and silk woven tapestries span over 20 metres in length and are considered to be some of the greatest surviving textiles from the European Middle Ages — the French national treasure has been dubbed the 'Mona Lisa of the Middle Ages', after all. (Can you imagine being in charge of packing these things up and getting them to — literally — the other side of the world? No pressure.) Embodying meditations on earthly pleasure and courtly love, they depict a bejewelled lady in richly adorned costume alongside a majestic unicorn set against a luscious millefleur ('thousand flowers') background. Five tapestries explore the senses of touch, taste, smell, hearing and sight, with the sixth said to represent an internal sense — usually interpreted as the heart, desire or understanding. There's a whole host of talks, activities and workshops designed to complement the exhibition (textile fans may want to take Natalie Miller's tapestry masterclass) so you can make an entire morning or an afternoon of it. Take note: this is going to be busy. It's not every day that you get to see a 15th-century national treasure up close, not to mention one that has directly inspired everyone from George Sand to Rilke to Jean Cocteau. You'll want to book ahead. Image: Sight c1500 (detail), from 'The lady and the unicorn' series, Musée de Cluny – Musée national du Moyen Âge, Paris Photo © RMN-GP / M Urtado.
With more than 150 years of winemaking history, the Mudgee region is a well-known weekend destination for wine lovers exploring New South Wales. Sheltered in the Cudgegong River Valley and surrounded by fertile farm land, it's the third largest grape-producing area in the state. The warm, temperate climate is ideal for varieties like tempranillo and garnacha. And many of the varieties you'd find in the Hunter Valley are also on offer here. Whether you're taking a road trip from Brisbane, Melbourne or Sydney, we've partnered with Destination NSW to bring you a guide to spending 48 hours in the wine region, from which vineyards and restaurants you should visit to the boutique accommodation on offer in the region. Start planning your road trip now. Please stay up to date with the latest NSW Government health advice regarding COVID-19. [caption id="attachment_790168" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Pipeclay Pumphouse via Destination NSW[/caption] EAT Thanks to powerful promotion of local produce, Mudgee specialises in high-quality eateries. Market Street Cafe is one of them. The large, sunny space feels like a French country kitchen and the food follows suit — classic dishes, cooked with premium ingredients. For dinner, there's Pipeclay Pumphouse. It's part of the Robert Stein Winery and Vineyard, one of Mudgee's best-known winemakers. Opened in October 2013, the fine diner presents a range of seven- and ten-course degustations and you can add on matching wines from the Robert Stein range, or from Mudgee vineyards more broadly. Meanwhile, good coffee can be found at cute, French-influenced, courtyard cafe Alby + Esthers. [caption id="attachment_790162" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Gilbert Family Wines via Destination NSW[/caption] DRINK Start your wine tasting experience at Lowe Wines. Headed by sixth-generation Mudgee man and intelligent farming advocate David Lowe, it's home to expansive organic, biodynamic vineyards, rescued donkeys and a recycled 'chook palace'. Take it all in on a self-guided walking tour. Next, head to one (or more) of several wineries in the area specialising in European varieties. Mudgee's warm, temperate climate is ideal for them. Vinifera is known for its excellent Spanish-inspired drops and was one of the first wineries in Australia to experiment with tempranillo. Then, at Di Lusso, you'll find a focus on Italian wines and food, and at Mansfield, you'll discover unusual Portuguese-style drops. There are another 30 or so wineries to visit, including slick, big-name operations like Robert Oatley and smaller, fifth-generation winemakers Gilbert Family Wines, so be sure to book into your favourites in advance to secure tasting sessions before you travel. [caption id="attachment_790153" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Roth's Wine Bar via Destination NSW[/caption] DO When you want to drink somewhere other than at a vineyard, head to Roth's. It's the oldest wine bar in New South Wales, having set up as an illicit operation in the 1920s. And the 80-percent local wine list gives you the chance to sample anything you might have missed on your tasting adventures. Just up the road, the Mudgee Brewing Company is where to sample locally made ales and, when up and running again, hear local live music. If shopping is more your thing, check out the diverse range of native products and foods at the cafe and shop by Indigiearth. [caption id="attachment_790157" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Dunns Swamp, Destination NSW[/caption] For those looking for some outdoor adventuring, there's the western fringe of the Wollemi National Park to explore, including the incredible scenery of Dunns Swamp, which forms the head of the Cudgegong River, and has plenty of opportunities for cycling, walking and kayaking. [caption id="attachment_790159" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Sierra Escape via Cameron D'Arcy[/caption] STAY One of the most beautiful (albeit pricey) options for sleeping is Evanslea. The estate sprawls across nine acres on the Cudgegong riverfront, yet it's within walking distance to town. Accommodation takes the form of five-star luxury spa cottages, and there's a communal pool and a tennis court. Here's the clincher: private wine tours in a vintage Valiant can be organised on request. Alternatively, you can stay at luxury glamping site Sierra Escape, which is only 20 minutes' drive from the centre of Mudgee, but feels a million miles from anything as it's surrounded by rolling countryside as far as the eye can see. Two-person tents start at $440 per night. Or, for a more architectural experience, there's The Black Shed. The newly built shed is found five kilometres from Mudgee, set within a working vineyard with free-roaming chooks and farm dogs. Now that interstate border restrictions have started to ease, start planning a trip to this picturesque wine region in NSW. For more details, visit Destination NSW's website. Top image: Lowe Wines, Destination NSW
Brisbanites, grabbing a beer and feasting on British food just got a whole lot easier. Okay, so with five Pig 'n' Whistle pubs around town, it wasn't too difficult to begin with — but now you can do so south of the river. Yep, the city's favourite UK-themed watering holes have set up shop on the corner of Melbourne and Merivale streets. If you've stopped by one of their other bars (and who hasn't?), then you know what to expect. That'd be a jam-packed range of craft brews and hearty meals, with two 16-tap fonts pumping out tasty ales, and a menu featuring the likes of beef and Guinness pie and wagyu burgers. Plus, the new venue also boasts a barista station for all your Mantle & Moon craft coffee needs — aka the perfect thing to accompany your breakfast, because this pub opens at 7am daily. All that and more will be served up from their prime location opposite the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre; while the Pig's latest venture makes its West End affiliation known in its name, it's actually housed smack bang in the middle of the titular area and South Bank. Such close proximity to the home of Supanova, the Good Food and Wine Show and the Lifeline Bookfest sets it up as the perfect place for afterparties. Thankfully, with 550 seats, the venue can cater for a crowd. Of course, that's not the most exciting part of the Pig 'n' Whistle West End, particularly if you like jumping between drinking venues. Five of the chain's locations — West End, King George Square, Queen Street, Riverside and Fortitude Valley — are now little more than a short stroll or a quick taxi trip away from each other. Yes, that means your Pig-centric pub crawl just got even bigger. Find Pig 'n' Whistle West End on the corner of Melbourne and Merivale streets, South Brisbane. For more information, visit their website or Facebook page.
Located in Brisbane's Paddington, Noir is the quintessential neighbourhood wine bar. On the ground floor, you'll find an intimate bar with enough stools for you and a couple of mates, while a few extra high tops flesh out the room. Upstairs, you'll find a small but comfortable loft with some leather lounge furniture and a view of the scene below. The place is cosy and dimly lit, with fresh sounds and artwork on the wall and staff who'll make you feel right at home. It has a rotating wine list, so you'll never know what you'll find at Noir. But the team does focus on local producers, minimal intervention wines and harder-to-find varietals. Trust them to know what they're doing and follow their advice. Noir is run by the crew behind Blackout Paddington, so you know you can trust them when it comes to world-class snacks, too. The focus here is charcuterie — think locally sourced cheese, premium grade salamis from Saison Salumi, and all the fresh pickles and condiments you could poke a breadstick at. It's open Wednesday to Friday, from 4pm until 10pm or 11pm, and from 2pm on Saturday and Sunday. This isn't the kind of joint to rock up close to midnight with six of your boozed-up mates — rather it's the place to come in the early afternoon and catch up with someone over a bottle of wine and a charcuterie board, who you're actually interested in talking to. It could be an old friend, could be a first date, could be the old folks. The music here is chill so you'll be able to hear one another over the top of it, and the service is intimate and friendly. If Noir is your local neighbourhood wine bar, we're more than a little bit jealous.
With a classy gastropub vibe, a seasonal menu and two gorgeous beer gardens, the Pig 'N' Whistle on Brunswick Street offers a charming bit o' British — a world apart from the high-octane Valley nightlife. Equidistant between Brisbane's entertainment hubs of Fortitude Valley and the Powerhouse, this friendly venue draws in pre-show crowds and New Farm locals alike. The stylish exposed-brick and timber decor of the heritage-listed building creates a trendy, inviting ambience. Hanging lights drip over plank tables and greenery of the beer garden, and it's the perfect venue for regular live music. Pig 'N' Whistle dishes up British classics as well as contemporary Australian meals and traditional Italian pizzas. It's accompanied by a prodigious list of Australian and New Zealand wines, as well as cocktails and local and imported beers. Starters include mushroom arancini balls, snapper and prawn spring rolls and crispy chicken bites, while mains include a range of burgers including a delicious broaden falafel burger with avocado and tomato relish. From the grill, enjoy a 300-gram sirloin with chips and pepper sauce, while a range of pizzas offers up the classics as well as meat lovers with salami, prosciutto, cacciatore and olives. This spot, and the several other Pig 'N' Whistle locations in Brisbane, are also well-known haunts for watching some live sport. And unlike most bars that play matches silently in the background, the volume is turned right up here. You won't miss a thing when watching a game at the Pig 'N' Whistle. Top images: Grace Smith.
Want to run your own cinema? Well, here’s your chance. 346 George Street, the address most recently known as Tribal Theatre, is up for rent. You might have your work cut out for you though, with the state of the venue pretty ambiguous. When it was last operational, it was the type of place you might say 'has character' if you were being nice. Think decades-old chairs, furniture hardly made for comfort, stained carpet and a rather specific smell. It has been more than a year since Tribal Theatre hosted events of any kind, and longer still since it boasted anything resembling normal film sessions. Their website is no longer up and running, and their Facebook page has become an echo chamber of uncertainty about the venue’s outcome. The saga of the site is longer than a horror movie marathon, and comes with more meandering diversions than The Room — and yes, upon hearing it, you’ll want to start throwing spoons at something. Weekly screenings of cult films, alternative programming and retrospectives started winding down towards the end 2011 amid widespread reports of the cinema’s closure. Thankfully, new operators swooped in and saved the day — well, kind of. Tribal's doors remained open, but its focus turned to hired events over film. After a parade of gigs, hypnosis shows, stand-up, burlesque, and even live grindhouse wrestling — yes really — it has sat empty and unused since late 2013. In its most recent versions, Tribal Theatre was always unconventional — and not just because of the ghosts alleged to haunt the place. The name stems from the travel agency that was based in its foyer from 2010 to 2013, spruiking tours to backpackers. Again, we’re not joking — and it was something that needed to be seen to be believed. A coffee cart and a bank of computers also took over parts of the entryway, similarly aimed at travellers. Indeed, despite its beloved program of weird and wonderful movie delights and its use as a base for the now-defunct Brisbane International Film Festival from 2010 to 2012, film increasingly felt like an afterthought. Plans to renovate, add a bar, and revamp the site into a live music venue were rumoured, but didn’t eventuate. It’s a sad state of affairs for a cinema that had been running in one form or another since 1910. The site started as the Lyceum Theatre, before becoming the George from the 1960s. Dendy took over in 1994, adding a second screen and running the place as Brisbane's premier arthouse cinema until 2008. This isn't the first time the building has faced an unknown fate, but just what comes next is anyone’s guess. For now, it remains home to ghosts, stories and memories, unless someone new comes to its rescue. Perhaps you? Just think of what you could do with the place.
Leaving the safety net of university life can be daunting. Taxes, health insurance, budgeting and eating greens are all tricky requirements of adulting, not to mention trying to get a job ("Graduate position, minimum two years of experience required..." what is this madness?). But fear not, there is hope. We've profiled five young go-getters who hit the ground running after uni and achieved their success through unconventional means. They did it and you can too (stop that, yes you can). [caption id="attachment_562120" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Image: @sedgebeswick.[/caption] SEDGE BESWICK, 26, GLOBAL SENIOR SOCIAL MEDIA AND COMMUNITY MANAGER AT ASOS For most of us, using social media is just that a social activity. For others it’s a way of life and a strategic marketing tool; when wielded properly can elevate a start-up and polish a personal brand no matter how small. Sedge Beswick is one such social media maven and part of a young generation of digital natives that are coming up through volunteer positions and internships to absolutely kill it at the media game for big companies. That playful tone you adore on ASOS social media? That’s Beswick. And while managing the global social media for ASOS, she’s also racked up a neat little 11k on her personal Instagram, written a book about using Twitter strategically and designed a line of t-shirts emblazoned with social media slogans. She’s literally #killingit. BECKY SUI ZHEN, 31, MUSICIAN Sui Zhen is one of the many monikers of Melbourne-based musician Becky Sui Zhen who has risen through the ranks of the music scene to be hailed as a 'social media musician' due to her pristine and eye catching artistic vision. She’s put in the hard yards over the years, studying graphic design and Japanese, winning grants, releasing EPs in Japan and doing overseas residencies and all while playing prolifically around Australia. She also produces and edits the iconic film clips for Sui Zhen and has collaborated with artist and photographer Phebe Schmidt. She’s poised to take over the world in 2016 following the late-2015 release her first Australian LP ‘Secretly Susan’. The LP caught the attention of FADER who clocked her as one of 25 international artists to watch and she’s supported Toro Y Moi in Melbourne on his 2016 Aussie tour. We imagine 2016 is only going to get better for this kawaii gem. GERMAINE STATIA, JAMAL OULEL + AYOUB AOURAGH, 23, 25 + 24, FOUNDERS AND DEVELOPERS AT REFUGEE HERO When the Syrian refugee crisis peaked in 2015, Dutch trio Germaine Statia, Jamal Oulel, and Ayoub Aouragh, responded with a contemporary and altruistic solution. Refugee Hero, hailed as the Airbnb for refugees, is a platform that allows people to offer their spare room up to refugees who have just arrived in their country. “We want to give back humanity to mankind,” says Statia. The service is 100 percent free and mobile-friendly. It allows individuals or institutions to offer help and shelter whether or not their government is pro-refugee. The team hopes the service can one day expand to cover all elements of resettling, from applying for passports to finding a new school for children and is a shining example of how modern technology can be used for good in the face of adversity. EMMA MULHOLLAND, 27, DESIGNER There’s something about Emma Mulholland that Australia is crazy for. The young designer hit the ground running after graduating from TAFE in 2010 and hasn’t stopped since. Her latest project, a collaboration with iconic Aussie label Mambo, proves that in a few short years, she’s explored, honed in on and defined exactly what makes her work so popular. The garish '80s and '90s themed prints and icons of our childhood combined with a(h)ctivewear references hit the nostalgia nail right on the head and the collection has resonated with Aussie kidults who grew up wearing bike shorts and climbing trees. Far away from the catwalks of Paris and Milan, Australia often struggles to define itself outside of a European reference and it’s no easy feat to export a uniquely Australian line, but Mulholland has done so with aplomb, straight outta TAFE. [caption id="attachment_562121" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Image: @louislazarus.[/caption] LUKE HAMPSHIRE AND ALEXANDER ROBINSON, 28 AND 32, AVIATION ENTERPRENEURS AT AIRLY In January, the Australian aviation scene had a sorely need shake up. Two young guns, 28-year-old Luke Hampshire and 32-year-old Alexander Robinson announced their airline company Airly which completely turns air travel on its head. Airly members pay a fee of $2550 (minimum) per month to fly as much as they like on the company’s private jets which operate between Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney. For frequent fliers, the minimum waiting time and luxury service is a tasty drawcard. Hampshire, a former Air Force pilot, recognised a gap in the marketplace and despite the pair’s youth, turned an insight into an industry shake-up and paved the way for more options and versatility in air travel. Top image: Sedge Beswick.
Equal parts delicious and disturbing, Dark Mofo is an immersive celebration of the winter solstice that descends upon Hobart to flaunt the gruesome and the visceral, exploring ancient ritual and ceremony from the past to the present day. Kicking off on June 8, the 14-day festival features a slew of music, food, performance art, light and sound installations alongside exhibits that are beyond the boundaries of regular categorisation. Presented by the Museum of Old and New Art (Mona), the festival is the brainchild of the museum's founder David Walsh and creative director Leigh Carmicheal, and 2017 will be its fifth iteration. Mona was built as an extended, underground labyrinth, 11 kilometres north of Hobart — an easy 25-minute ferry ride along the Derwent River — with the private fortune of Walsh. It's explicit and unashamed, and is affectionately referred to as 'the museum of sex and death'. In short, you have to go. And Dark Mofo is the perfect excuse to head down to Tassie and make a weekend of it. Spectacular events (like this one) are worthy of a big trip, and aside from casual laziness and a little lack of inspiration, there's really nothing stopping you from squeezing Dark Mofo into your schedule. We've teamed up with Mazda3 to help you plan your out-of-the-city trips ahead of time, so you can detour from your regular routine and inject a little adventure into your life. The festival will keep your schedule jam-packed, but you should make some time to explore Hobart too. Here are the best places to eat, drink and stay if you're visiting for Dark Mofo. Pack a coat (and gloves, and a beanie) and bring a palate laced with intrigue — hedonism is the order of the day. [caption id="attachment_619495" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Dark Mofo's Winter Feast, shot by Rémi Chauvin.[/caption] EAT It's no coincidence that Hobart's restaurant scene is undergoing a new wave. Local chefs are giving restaurateurs on the mainland a run for their money, establishing eateries that significantly reduce the time it takes to transport produce from paddock to plate. No visit to Hobart would be complete without a Saturday morning trip to Salamanca Market. Every weekend, the harbourside suburb becomes a bustling marketplace, showcasing a broad and delicious range of local produce, artisanal crafts and food stalls. Be sure to drop by Machine Laundry, a cafe that doubles up as a laundromat serving some of the best coffee in town. Another honourable mention for coffee and brunch is Room for a Pony — it's located up the hill in North Hobart. While Salamanca is an iconic (and necessary) weekend tourist stop, it's worth noting that the market can get very busy, particularly over the festival period. A quieter alternative is the Farm Gate Market, which closes off Bathurst Street every Sunday from 8.30am until 1pm (late enough for you to sleep away the sins of the previous night). Brimming with local farmers, this is the place to source some of Tasmania's best game and fresh meat, as well as fresh-from-the-farm produce, such as pickles and chutneys. Bathurst Street is also a hotspot for brunch options; The Flipped Egg serves a mean breakfast burger, while Bury Me Standing is your go-to for pot-boiled bagels. Tasmania is also said to boast some of the freshest fish outside of Japan and the Farm Gate Market is lucky enough to host Masaaki Koyama's hugely popular sushi stall. And you absolutely need to get a dozen oysters (yes, even for breakfast). If your budget extends beyond market nosh, make time to have a meal at Franklin. David Moyle's ten-tonne Scotch oven warms up the concrete space with a tight but top-notch menu of modern Australian dishes and some prized Tasmanian seafood. It's also totally fine to drop by for a drink and a snack before or after a show, so you can still visit without spending up a full storm. In the evening, Dark Mofo offers two avenues for gluttonous excess. Set along Hobart's waterfront, the Winter Feast is a holy pilgrimage for the hungry. Local and international chefs serve hawker-style hedonism within a medieval-themed banquet hall, lined with naked flames and a diverse range of food outlets. Otherwise, head down to Dark Park at Macquarie Point — this is the free and interactive epicentre of Dark Mofo. The space is an industrial expanse littered with art installations, food trucks and the obligatory fire pit — a must for anyone still fanging for sensory stimulation. [caption id="attachment_619511" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Preachers.[/caption] DRINK If you're looking to make a boozy discovery, Hobart is a bonafide goldmine. Cascade Brewery sits pretty at the foot of Mount Wellington and takes home the trophy for Australia's oldest operating brewery. For a small fee ($25-35), you can tour the 185-year-old building before enjoying a selection of ice-cold, just-pulled beers and ciders from the Cascade portfolio. If whisky's more your thing, Lark has won countless awards for its single malt, a dram that holds its own on the global market. For $75, you can take a tour of the distillery — it's located 15 minutes northeast of the CBD — and discover the intricacies of the production process. Of course, whisky tastings are included in the cost of the ticket, and you'll round off the tour with a well-earned G&T made with their Forty Spotted Gin. And if you've got access to a car, it's worth making the 20-minute drive out to Sullivans Cove. In 2015 they were awarded World's Best Single Malt Whisky at the World Whisky Awards for their French oak cask — so a dram of their stuff is hard to come by. They do tastings and tours on the hour, Monday to Friday. Back in town, Preachers is your go-to for craft beer (they have 16 on tap), cider and boutique wines. It's a laidback pub with a vibe suited to all seasons — they have open fires to warm you up on cold nights (and the nights are very cold). There's even a vintage school bus parked on the front lawn — a gimmick that doesn't seem to wear off. Keep an eye out for South Seas Cocktail Lounge too, a secretive den for rum-based cocktails and tropical vibes. It's tricky to spot and often bypassed — but be sure to look for the red abstract artwork at the front of the building, located at 13-17 Castray Esplanade. At Dark Mofo's own Dark Park, drop by the Talisker Dark Bar serving hot toddies and Irish coffees, and pairing ten-year-old single malt whisky with blue cheese jaffles — a melty fusion of Tasmanian stilton and mozzarella. DO Dark Mofo's creative director Leigh Carmichael has called this year's program the most ambitious to date. The lineup combines typical plumes of fire, feasting, bacchanalian imagery and challenging performance pieces that are as confronting as they are spectacular. Austrian artist Hermann Nitsch will exhibit 150.Action, a visceral performance piece that is not for the faint-hearted. This performance will feature 500 litres of blood and an animal carcass with the backing of a full orchestra. Heavy. On the lighter end of the spectrum, Crossing invites participants on a 200-kilometre pilgrimage north of Hobart, visiting six different churches across six different nights. Each church will provide a backdrop for soundscapes and light shows. This year, Mona will also host The Museum of Everything for its first Australian showing, a world-wandering exhibition that lays focus on the untrained, the unintentional, the undiscovered and the unclassifiable artists of the last three centuries. The musical lineup is the strongest yet. Scottish post-rock stalwarts Mogwai will perform a vast and soaring soundscape, and German experimental noise art pioneers Einstürzende Neubauten will delve into their portfolio, which spans 37 years. Dark Mofo has also secured a performance from indigenous hip-hop group A.B. Original and Norwegian black metal experimental musicians Ulver. Xiu Xiu will celebrate the music of David Lynch's Twin Peaks. Then there are the Dark Mofo regulars. The Nude Solstice Swim is a communal dip in the ocean on the first sunrise after the winter solstice, and the Ogoh-Ogoh, the traditional Indonesian monster procession, arrives in Hobart in two parts: the purging and the burning. STAY If you're visiting Hobart during Dark Mofo, you'll want to be in the thick of it. Events are scattered across the city, but are centralised around the Salamanca, waterfront and CBD areas. Filling the gap between backpackers and budget chain hotels, the Alabama Hotel offers boutique, budget-friendly accommodation at the centre of Hobart. You won't find elevators, fluffy robes or en-suite bathrooms here — rather, every room has its own decorative style, heaps of character and super-fast WiFi. The bar is well-stocked and serves a good coffee throughout the day. If you're on a higher budget, consider renting a Mona Pavilion. You won't be staying at the museum (you're only allowed to do this if you're dead, the Pavilion website kindly reminds us) but a luxury den sitting on the bank of the River Derwent. Each pavilion is named after an influential Australian architect and is decorated with Mona artworks. It's fancy. Alternatively, The Henry Jones Art Hotel is close to the waterfront and just steps away from Macquarie Point, the site of Dark Park. Rooms are pricier than The Alabama, but tastefully decorated with works from local artists. You'll also wake up to the glorious views of the harbour. Dark Mofo runs from June 8 to 21. Top image: Rémi Chauvin (2014), courtesy of Mona. Personalise your next adventure via The Playmaker, driven by Mazda3.
It's possible to live without cheese. Plenty of people do it every day, in fact. They enjoy their Vegemite sandwiches free from the sharp crumbliness of aged cheddar and they wolf down slices of pizza sans molten strands of mozzarella. They also dip fondue forks into pots of olive oil, looking perplexed and feeling rather short-changed — because it's pretty much impossible for a cheese-free fondue to be any good. To be honest, while it's all well and good to survive without cheese, this list is not for cheese dodgers. This is for people who love cheese, hunt it out in all its glory and start planning the cheese platter while they're ordering their entrée. So if you're seeking Brisbane's best cheese spots, read on. And as you visit these fromage joints, be sure to revel in the smell of a perfectly ripe gorgonzola or the heady waft of a ripe truffled brie, knowing that you are on a noble path indeed. A STACKED CHEESE PLATTER AT GERARD'S BAR Tucked off James Street in Fortitude Valley, Gerard's Bar takes its cheese and charcuterie game seriously — whether you like to balance a little of both, or you're really only in it for the dairy. It serves up a pick-your-own spread, which means you can select your favourites with no messing around. Cheese-wise, choose between cave-aged cheddar, manchego, Bleu d'Auvergne, the double creaminess of Lingot d'argental and the smokey San Simon da Costa, with one costing $12, two coming in at $18, three on offer for $24, four available for $30 and five costing $36. You can also add your choice of charcuterie for the same price. Or, you can get tempted by the jamón serrano and manchego toastie for $12. [caption id="attachment_625090" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Tim Grey[/caption] JAPANESE-STYLE CHEESE TARTS AT HOKKAIDO BAKED CHEESE TART Among the many, many great qualities of cheese, its versatility is right up there. Cheese can be a starter, a snack on the run, a whole meal or a garnish. And it can be dessert, too — as proven by Hokkaido Baked Cheese Tart's decadent eponymous dish. A huge hit in Malaysia before making its way around Asia and Australia, HBCT's namesake is a a savoury-sweet three-cheese concoction that comes in a shortcrust shell, and can be eaten either hot or cold. Even better — it's available in original, chocolate and blueberry flavours from the chain's Myer Centre and Garden City stores. THE MOUSE TRAP TOASTIE AT MELT BROTHERS Cheese toasties are never unwelcome. Whether you're hungry, hungover, tired or just can't be bothered to think about anything else, the humble toastie is there for you. And when Melt Brothers opened its grilled cheese kiosk as an homage to the snacks of New York laneways, Brisbanites opened their arms to them. Top on our list is the OG cheese toastie, the Mouse Trap, which is made with two cheeses (mozzarella and aged cheddar), paired with thyme and smeared with a lick of dijon mustard for bite. Flock to the cheese haven in Post Office Square to get it or one of the seven other toasties on the menu to take away — or you can also order delivery. A CHEESE TOWER FROM LE FROMAGE YARD'S CHEESE ROOM First, it was a market stalwart, from everywhere from Queen Street to Mount Tamborine and even out at Cleveland. And, in case you couldn't head along in person, Le Fromage Yard set up an online cheese shop, too. Fancy dropping by their shop, chatting cheese and buying some? Thanks to a bricks-and-mortar setup at Morningside, you can do that too. It doesn't matter what direction your cheese pendulum swings in, you'll find something that pleases you here. From raclette to washed rind and blue to truffled brie, the folks at Le Fromage Yard know a thing or two about cheese, specialising in high quality French and European varieties. Mosey up to the counter and ask them for their recommendation. Or, get indulgent and order a custom-made cheese tower (yes, that's a real thing). CHEESE WHEEL PASTA AT SALT MEATS CHEESE Cheese and pasta go together like few food combinations. As great as they both are individually, a particularly enticing alchemy of flavours occurs when they join forces. But simply sprinkling grated mozzarella or ground parmesan over your spaghetti is yesterday's news. Eating pasta served out of a cheese wheel is what it's all about now — including at Salt Meats Cheese on Wednesdays. Drop into the chain's Gasworks eatery from 5pm, and you'll tuck into the cheesiest bowl of pasta you're ever likely to taste — for $25, plus $5 for toppings. Flavour-wise, there's a few available, because even a meal like cheese wheel pasta can use a few additions. Just classic cheese is still on the menu, as are two other varieties each week. In the past, everything from truffle and carbonara to pesto genovese, gorgonzola and smoked mozzarella have been dished up, so arrive hungry. THE MAC 'N' CHEESE BURGER AT MISS KAY'S There's only one place in Brisbane that serves Mac Daddy burgers filled with mac 'n' cheese. Well, four if you count Miss Kay's different stores in the CBD, Mitchelton, Springwood and Birkdale — although the CBD store is currently temporarily closed. Back to the food, though. Whether the Kris Kross joke came first, or the idea for a macaroni and dairy-filled burg, we don't care — not when you're going to put cheesy pasta between two slices of bread. The pop culture-themed, American-style diner's concoction also features a beef patty, American cheese, lettuce, sweet barbecue sauce, mayo and fries. Cheese lovers can also enjoy a poutine burg with haloumi, or a good ol' fashioned cheeseburger of the single or double variety. A VISIT TO THE OLYMPUS CHEESE FACTORY Got a free morning off and stuck for something to do? Why not spend it educating yourself about the wonderful world of haloumi, ricotta and feta on a visit to the Olympus Cheese factory in Coorparoo. This award-winning family-owned cheese manufacturer is responsible for some of the tastiest cow and buffalo cheeses you're likely to find this side of Cyprus. Every cheese is made to a traditional Cypriot recipe, and quality control is strict throughout the process to make sure every wedge of cheese comes off the production line in superb condition. Learn all about the excellence of Olympus Cheese from Monday to Thursday between 7am and 3pm, and Friday from 7pm til midday. WHOLE BAKED WHEELS OF CAMEMBERT AT PIANO BAR Everyone loves pairing cocktails, live jazz tunes and a glitzy bar vibe. There's only one thing that can make the experience even better: warm, gooey cheese. While Emporium's Piano Bar boasts booze aplenty, including a hefty 14-page drinks list, you'll want to make a beeline here for the whole baked camembert wheel. A reasonable $20 gets you a 150-gram morsel of dairy, plus a sourdough baguette to dip in it, and a pear and walnut salad on the side. If you're after more cheesiness from the eatery's all-day menu — which runs from 10am till late Wednesday–Sunday — the hotel bar has a cheeseboard, too, which heroes Aussie slices. Top image: Salt Meats Cheese.
Need to do refresh your spring or summer wardrobe? Online vintage treasure trove Hawkeye Vintage will let you into its covetable virtual closet with a huge sale on bags, clothing and accessories. Held over on its Instagram on September 11–12 and 18–19, it'll feature 1000s of items from the 70s to the 90s, including the likes of Chanel bags and Gucci scarves. The pieces on offer will run from the affordable right up to the super expensive, but all will be going at a reduced price. Given some of the brands on offer — including Louis Vuitton, Hermes, Chanel, YSL, Celine and Fendi — you'll be able to pick up some bargains, or opt for a few investment pieces. As the sale will be help on Instagram instead of in-store (unlike the brand's previous sales), the rules are a little different. There'll be no jostling over bags and boots at this one. You'll find all the nitty-gritty over on one of Hawkeye's Instagram Story highlights, but the short of it is this: when you see an item you like, DM sold with the item number and description, wait for a confirmation message and then you'll need to make a payment within 30 mins. There are a few different payment options available, too, including layby, and shipping is free across Australia. Hawkeye Vintage Marathon Live Designer Sale runs from 9am–5pm.
Desperately need to be snapped from that mid-summer stupor? A few rounds of beverages at Blackbird's outdoor terrace bar should do the trick nicely. Here, you'll sneak a peek at the setting sun while enjoying views across the river to the Story Bridge. There's an impressive selection of oysters and caviar on offer for a truly decadent sundowner session — because nothing screams 'Queensland summer' quite like champagne and seafood on the waterfront. But despite this, most people flock to Blackbird Bar & Grill for the steaks — all served with coleslaw and beef fat vinaigrette. On the menu's cheaper side, enjoy a Beef City premium Angus cross 200-gram tenderloin or a King River wagyu 350-gram rump. The opposite end of the scale offers up a 2GR 200-gram wagyu sirloin or a Grasslands Angus 400g rib eye on the bone. If you don't fancy a steak, try the smoked duck breast and confit leg with baby turnips and puffed wild rice or the coal-roasted market fish with seaweed butter and dill. If you're a vegetarian, it's got you covered too, with a bean sprout, almond and fregola risotto and starters such as baby beetroot, blue pumpkin and steamed broccolini. Their oyster menu is also impressive, while the caviar options include salmon, oscietra and ale blue scampi.
The pod bay doors have opened on Sydney's space-themed cat cafe. Named Catmosphere, this new food 'n' feline venture is home to fifteen cats in total, all of whom reside in style and comfort on the second story of a refurbished terrace on Fouveaux Street in Surry Hills. There's Deckard (named after Harrison Ford in Blade Runner) and Leeloo (Milla Jovovich in The Fifth Element) and Fuzz Aldrin (you get it) and a particularly striking black cat named Darth Beauty. Personally, we're smitten with Ewok. The cat's room is separated from the food service area by special airlock doors — a council requirement, although it does fit quite nicely with the space age vibes. The cats, for the most part, seem unperturbed by our presence, although one or two of them eventually saunter over in the hopes of getting a pat. Still, it's safe to say, it's us fawning over them, and not the other way around. Catmosphere Sydney is owned by Thomas Derricott and his partner Wenee Yap, who were inspired after they visited the original Catmosphere in Chiang Mai, Thailand. After returning to Australia they set up a Facebook page to gauge community interest — and the community didn't disappoint. Local cat-lovers were soon falling over themselves to volunteer their time, while their IndieGoGo campaign raised more than $40,000. Derricott and Yap also struck up a partnership with the World League Protection of Animals. As a result, the cats at Catmosphere are all rescues — and while they themselves aren’t up for adoption, Derricott does hope visitors to the cafe might be inspired to foster a furry friend of their own. So now that they're open, how does it all work? Visitors to Catmosphere Sydney can pay $20 to spend an hour with the cats, a deal that also comes with a complimentary coffee and cat shaped cookie. A maximum of 15 people are allowed in the cat room at a time, ensuring the feline-to-human ratio is never more than 1:1. Downstairs, the cafe is run by Yun Xia, who previously managed the cafe in Kinokuniya. According to Derricot, the plan is for Catmosphere to provide a quality food and beverage experience independent of the cat theme, to ensure longevity once the novelty starts to wear off. Hence the menu, which features smoothies, teas, juices and barista-made Karmee coffee alongside handmade cakes and a wide selection of gourmet sandwiches. Even if you're strictly a dog person, it's hard to go past roast pork and sesame mayo on brioche. Catmosphere is located at 66 Foveaux Street, Surry Hills. For more information, opening hours and to book your very own cat cuddle session, visit www.catmospherecafe.com. Images: Andy Fraser.
In hospitality, bars come and go. Shooting stars in the great galaxy of bevvos. Then there are the supergiants, the bars with a bright, slow burn — the ones you know are bound to be pumping out the drinks for years to come. That's Canvas. A Brissy stalwart nestled in a small pocket of Woolloongabba cafes, bars and restaurants on Logan Road, Canvas has been going strong since 2010 (back when Sunday sessions at Chalk Hotel were still a thing). Chalk has since closed its doors, but Canvas has only gone from strength to strength. They've been famous for their cocktails for years, and with classics and new-style drinks aplenty you can limber up with a magical tiki tipple called Dumbledore on Tour ($19) or enjoy the simplicity of a perfectly made martini (from $18). And just in case you find yourself standing at the bar, staring perplexed at the cocktail list, simply put yourself in the capable hands of your bartender and get them to whip you up a drink on request for 20 bucks — a blank canvas, if you will. With some of the most delectable food and drinks around, the Johnny Cash Pizza ($23) with salami, chorizo and bacon — or hell, any pizza — is a must. Plus if you need a reason to leave the house mid-week you just might find it here; Tuesday is $10 tapas and $10 tequila cocktail night, on Wednesdays you can get ribs, wings and a rye cocktail or a beer for $25, and Thursday has you covered for date night with two drinks and a large pizza to share for $30. Not to mention their weekend specials, which include cheese boards on Saturdays with your choice of cheese and a glass of vino for $20. When you've eaten and drunk your fill but still have your dessert stomach to satisfy, we suggest choosing a treat like the New York baked cheesecake or the choc fudge caramel brownie ( both $14), perhaps paired with a dessert cocktail. And a nap afterwards. But hey, the fun doesn't end at the cocktails and dessert comas. Canvas is open for brunch on weekends for soul-soothing bloody Marys ($17) and avo on toast ($17), and has a fully decked-out function space at the rear of the venue, complete with private bar. So it doesn't matter what you're after — Canvas is your spot. Like a boozy chameleon, this little bar provides for every whim.
Who doesn't love a good dining hall? Done right, they offer a distinctive restaurant experience: a big room, a menu to match, and a busy, buzzing atmosphere. You don't need to take our word for it, given that cafeteria-like establishments are popping up all over town. Metropole Bar Eatery is the latest — and if you're dining out in the CBD, the new haunt from the folks behind Bar Pacino just might become one of your favourites. It's not just the 180 Ann Street location that'll lure inner-city types in, though Metropole's shiny modern digs on the first floor of the just-opened Daisho Brisbane building is certainly part of its appeal. Alongside a choice of booth, communal and outdoor terrace seating (the latter with views of the heritage-listed former School of Arts next door), there's also the hefty selection of meals. If you're after a whole host of food choices, served buffet-style, you'll find it here. Think East meets West with all the international cuisine that comes with it: sushi, banh mi, satay chicken and Caesar salads among them. There'll be a number of different types of beverages at various drinks stations, from the caffeine fix you need with lunch to the beers, ciders and cocktails that'll make your night. Metropole isn't just a dining hall — it's a bar as well, after all. Find Metropole Bar Eatery at 180 Ann Street, Brisbane, or check out their Facebook page for further information.
It takes 50 minutes to cook the 1.2-kilogram tomahawk cut of angus beef that's on the menu at Black Hide Steak and Seafood. When it's ready to serve, the $240 dish caters for up to three people. It's a big meal, with a big price, available in a big new location for The Gambaro Group's upmarket steak brand. Black Hide by Gambaro at the Treasury is no more, with the chain moving its Brisbane CBD restaurant into the Queen's Wharf precinct. This is a change of space by necessity, of course, and one that's impacted the other restaurants and bars in the Sunshine State capital's old casino as well. Fat Noodle has moved, too, as has LiveWire, with the latter changing its focus to late-night entertainment and live music. Black Hide announced back in May that it would have a new home in The Star Brisbane, then opened its doors on Wednesday, September 11 as part of The Terrace, on the same level as the landing for the new Neville Bonner Bridge. Black Hide is The Terrace's largest restaurant, catering to more than 250 guests. The Gambaro team has embraced the opportunity to scale up, as well as the chance to ensure that seafood is a key focus alongside steak. That menu shift seems fitting given the restaurant's prime waterside location, with river views while you eat as much as a highlight as the range of wagyu cuts and multiple lobster dishes — whether or not you're sat on the balcony. While the food remains a drawcard — oysters, caviar and caviar oysters are among the starters; tuna tartare and miso-glazed beef skewers are snack choices; Black Hide's signature meatballs and kingfish crudo feature on the entree lineup; mains include grilled Moreton Bay bugs and chargrilled squid; and dessert picks span sundaes, lemon meringue, and coconut tapioca, ginger and avocado sorbet — the new site is also a cocktail lounge. A shorter small-plate menu is available to pair with drinks, and the bar operates from open till close, even when the restaurant isn't serving lunch or dinner. It was back in 2018 that Black Hide set up shop at the Treasury, expanding from Caxton Street in Petrie Terrace, where Gambaros has long been synonymous. The eatery made the Queen Street side of the casino its home, delivering river views, a bar overlooking Reddacliff Place and a six-room setup that makes the most of the heritage building's features — including a ten-person private dining space filled with timber, brass and marble. At its new digs, the same team remains on staff, with new additions given that the restaurant is bigger. Meals are whipped up in the open kitchen, letting guests view the culinary magic as its taking place. "We are thrilled to be establishing a fresh-look dining presence at The Star Brisbane while paying homage to familiar favourites," said The Gambaro Group Director John Gambaro. "Our team is dedicated to delivering exceptional food, service, and atmosphere, and we look forward to welcoming guests to experience what Black Hide Steak and Seafood by Gambaro has to offer." Find Black Hide Steak and Seafood at The Star Brisbane, Queen's Wharf, 33 William Street, Brisbane CBD — open 11.30am–midnight Tuesday–Thursday, 11.30am–1am Friday–Saturday and 11.30am–10pm Sunday. The restaurant serves from 11.30am–2.30pm Tuesday–Saturday for lunch; 5.30–9.30pm Tuesday–Wednesday, 5.30–9.45pm Thursday and 5.30–10.45pm Friday–Saturday for dinner; and 11.30am–8pm on Sunday for lunch and dinner. Head to the venue's website for more information.
Within a concave of urban luxury, on a street that emits the same, sits a restaurant that skips the thrills and provides food unrateable by Michelin stars. It combines class with culinary perfection, simplicity with authenticity and uses the finest picked ingredients, sourced from local producers to create meals that exceed perfection to something rather enigmatic. Vintaged Bar + Grill, on the sixth floor of The Hilton, is by no means fit only for the rich and famous – it's a gift for any palate. There's a certain authentic awareness that goes into every meal at Vintaged. Components aren't put on a plate for mere presentation or to show off, that yes, this kitchen can afford truffles – deep thought goes into the marriage of flavours, textures and aromas. And not in cheap Heston Blumenthal methods like so many contemporary chefs are attempting to pull off today. The food is rich in its raw components, and most dishes have an organic, homely feel. The beauty of Vintaged Bar + Grill is that it has its thumb in every meal and course. Lunch is extra special here, with a hint of extra class and a menu that throws away the BLT, instead offering ravioli, burrata, 250-gram beef rumps and meals you won't fathom deserving. Dinner surpasses each sitting before it, with a menu as perfectly curated and tasteful as the culinary passion expelled throughout the Vintaged restaurant. It includes grilled prawns with Spanish onion salsa, pork cutlets with sautéed brussels sprouts and grass-fed Tasmanian eye fillets. Vintaged Bar + Grill is a jack of all trades, though don't let any aspect of this idiom diminish its flaw-free name. It caters to high tea, hosts birthday parties and runs special events and functions — all to a glamorous backdrop of mood lighting and contemporary furnishings. While the setting screams ritz, the food declares otherwise, showcasing what homegrown excellence tastes like – humble, hearty and just perfect.
Maybe you're a Gold Coast-based movie buff. Or, perhaps you're a Brisbane cinephile prone to holidaying, day-tripping or just hanging out down south. Either way, you now have a new picture palace to visit. Making its first move into the region, Dendy has just opened a new site in Southport — bringing big-screen dreams to the new Queen Street Village. If you've been past the suburb's Queen Street of late, you would've noticed that the old Gold Coast Hospital site has been undergoing quite the revamp — and yes, a place to see flicks is part of it. Welcoming in film lovers from Thursday, May 26, the new Dendy features 11 screens, which means that it boasts quite the opening lineup that spans both blockbusters and arthouse fare. Cinephiles making the trip during launch week can check out everything from the just-opened Top Gun: Maverick and The Bob's Burgers Movie through to recent releases such as Operation Mincemeat, Petite Maman, The Drover's Wife the Legend of Molly Johnson and To Chiara. Also on their way in the coming weeks and months: Jurassic World Dominion, Lightyear, Elvis, Thor: Love and Thunder, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Avatar: The Way of Water. And yes, all the usual snacks are on offer — choc tops, popcorn and the like. Dendy Southport marks the chain's first new Queensland site since 2017, when it opened the doors to its Coorparoo cinema — joining its Portside site in Brisbane. Long gone are the days when the brand's now-defunct George Street venue was the only Dendy in the state. As for Queen Street Village, the 3.2-hectare spot — which also runs along Nerang Street and Little High Street — will include shops, dining, offices, apartments, student accommodation and a hotel, all perched around a central plaza. It's opening in stages, with the Dendy among its first spots to get up and running. Find Dendy Southport at Queen Street Village, 129 Queen Street, Southport, from May 26, 2022. Head to the website for further details.
Low on cash but still craving a night on the town? We've all been there, so here's what we suggest. First, grab a cheap, hearty bowl of pho at AJ Vietnamese Noodle House on Charlotte Street in the city. These legends dish up the good stuff, nailing the perfect combo of freshness and spice. Plus, a bowl will only set you back $10.90. Total win. After dinner, mosey on over to Brooklyn Standard for a gig, where you could see anything from a mariachi band to a funk and soul group. The bands are fabulous, dancing is encouraged and to top it all off, entry is free.
A members-only cafe? Really? You've got to be bloody joking. TRIPE. Nope, it's a Thing — London's opened its very first members-only cafe, SL28, a Holloway coffee shop at which you pay a monthly membership fee to hang out. But it's not as ridiculously shut-the-front-door as it sounds, it's actually a pretty great concept for co-working. Pioneered by and located inside the HQ of a British working environment specialist company called Net.Works., SL28 is indeed a members-only cafe. It's £10 (about $14) a month for full membership, with which you're both allowed in the space and able to order unlimited £5 batch brew coffees — they even give you three free cups a month (which kind of makes the membership fee a little less flabbergaster-inducing). There are baked goods from Aux Pains de Papy, as well as soups, sandwiches and teas, which you can take to fixed-desk spaces, couches and armchairs. If you're still scoffing and ready to whip up an angry social media storm, there's a pretty good intention behind the whole members-only schtick. Basically, the crew want to provide a space for freelancers and collaborative workers to be able to stay for hours on end, whittling away at their projects — without getting shamed for lingering too long. Freelancers, you feel this? If you've ever worked purely from your laptop, you've been shooed away from free wifi cafes after a few hours, death stared from the counter, asked to pay for more bevs or get out. So this is a pretty great alternative; it's almost like a hot desk set-up that happens to be a cafe. The best bit? You'll have company, like this genius Hoffice concept. Hooray for friends! Surrounded by co-freelancers, students, laptop-bound creatives and general coffee enthusiasts, SL28 members have the warm fuzzy advantage of having active minds around them — as opposed to your ever-tempting PS4, loudly mowing neighbours and indifferent axolotl. We'd pay cash money for that. Via Sprudge. Images: Net.Works.
Sydney’s most beloved southern cooking restaurant just got a little sweeter. Now you can take Hartsyard home with you — no, not a new takeaway window, a family cookbook which includes all of your favourite recipes from Enmore’s go-to eatery. The restaurant’s dynamic duo, Gregory Llewellyn and Naomi Hart, give patrons their own way to enjoy their recipes at home. The couple make a great team — Gregory the cook and Naomi the writer — and easily caught the attention of Murdoch Books. The publisher loved the idea of their neighbourhood eatery, a place where friends can gather for food that is simply home cooking at its best. Since the fried chicken is the Hartsyard claim to fame, they’ve based their cookbook around the recipe and its counterparts. For a quick preview of how you can impress your friends with your Aussie-American flare, we’re bringing you our picks for the top recipes from the cookbook (apart from the fried chicken, of course). SNACKS: PORK BELLY CRACKLING An ode to street food from San Juan, the chicharron you’ll find in the cookbook is unlike any pork crackling you’re used to. Gregory combines the crispy skin with the supple fat of the pork belly for an indulgent snack. True to the recipe’s Puerto Rican roots, it’s suggested to serve with Hartsyard’s now infamous hot sauce (pg 188) and a lemon wedge. Since this recipe will take a while, take Gregory’s advice and have a few drinks at hand. pg 41 THE FEED: OYSTER PO' BOYS A real down home, Louisiana dish, Hartsyard is known for these sliders nearly as much as for their fried chicken. Of course, the dish has an Aussie twist, served on homemade English muffins instead of the traditional baguette. The oysters soak in buttermilk for a full day, which gives them that creaminess that you love from the restaurant. Again, the homemade hot sauce really gives the dish that extra kick. pg 97 SIDES: HUSHPUPPIES The Hartsyard team loves corn done any style, but there is no better way than fried. Essentially a cornmeal fritter, the recipe is a basic version that encourages experimentation. Southern cooking is a heavy meal from entrée to mains to sides, and hushpuppies are a prime example of this classic combo of fried with fried. Recommended with the dirty chicken gravy (pg 191). pg 128 SALAD & VEG: BROAD BEANS ON THE BARBIE This dish really sticks to the motto 'keep it simple' — charred broad beans with salt, made Hartsyard-style with their lemon jam and romesco sauce (pg 198). Tender and juicy, this dish is a perfect excuse to get your hands dirty, and southern cooking really should be eaten with your hands. You’ll also get to enjoy making your guests do most of the work for you, just like Gregory does with this dish in his kitchen. pg 172 SWEET TREATS: BANANA CREAM PIE A brainchild of Hartsyard pastry chef Andrew Bowden, the key to this dish is the fresh cream. No matter how full your friends are after your decadent meal, they’ll be fighting over the last piece of this pie. Gregory’s favourite part of the dish is the combo of cocoa and banana, making this dessert one irresistible treat. pg 230 Fried Chicken & Friends: The Hartsyard Family Cookbook is out now via Murdoch Books. Order your hardcover copy for $49.99 over here. Images: Fried Chicken & Friends: The Hartsyard Family Cookbook.
Oversized, OTT burgers from Getta Burger are no longer on the menu in Brisbane, with the chain suddenly calling time on its River City stores. After starting in Carina and growing swiftly since, the brand has shuttered its local venues, leaving only outposts in Townsville. On Friday, November 24, owner Brent Poulter advised that rising cost-of-living pressures are behind the decision in a post on the chain's website. "I've taken the tough decision to close our Brisbane stores. Our Townsville stores remain open, and we appreciate the ongoing support of the local community," the statement begins. "Like many small businesses across the state and the country, our stores have felt the full impact of the rising cost of living. I know we are not the only local businesses facing this pressure, and mine is not the only family feeling the pinch." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Getta Burger (@gettaburger) "At Getta Burgers, we built our burgers by sourcing the best meat from local butchers, supporting great local producers, and knowing what goes into each burger. Our stores are known for their quality product and great dining experience. In the current operating environment, it was becoming increasingly difficult to meet our great standards and be a successful business," Poulter continued. "We don't want to cut corners. We don't want to sell inferior meat and charge the same price. As many businesses know too well, it becomes difficult to carry increasing costs and not pass them on to our customers." "During COVID, we chose not to take any assistance. We adjusted our business model to takeaway and delivery so we could keep our staff employed and serve our customers. Although the cost of delivery was (and is) 30 percent, we wore these costs to keep going. Now though, small businesses across the country are facing severe challenges of increased rents and outgoings, increased cost of goods and staffing challenges, but without any support." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Getta Burger (@gettaburger) Getta Burger's Brisbane footprint grew to include Bridgeman Downs, West End and Clayfield, as well as Capalaba, North Lakes, Cannon Hill, Victoria Point, Carina, Springfield Lakes, Holmview, Yamanto and Yatala The chain attracted burger lovers with its handmade patties and hefty size, with its burgs crafted American-style and loaded with everything from fried mozzarella sticks to 12-hour smoked brisket. Loaded fries proved a hit among the sides, plus doughnut fries among the dessert options. To keep up to date with Getta Burger's locations, head to its website. Top image: Google Maps.
Melbourne's purveyors of fine stadium-ready electropop Client Liaison, have finally dropped their long-awaited video for newest single 'Off White Limousine' and it stars a pretty damn slick-looking Melbourne CBD. Directed by Zachary Bradtke (BANALARAMA) and Tobias Willis (KEWL), this little piece of storytelling gold is more akin to a short film, brimming with excess as it follows your favourite pair of pastel-loving hotshots through the streets of Melbourne. Expect six and a half lush minutes of sweeping Melbourne skyline shots, Collins Street motorcades, Flinders Street Station glimmers, St Kilda trams, extravagant suits, free-flowing Champagne labelled as Fosters, and assassination attempts, with none other than Kristian Nairn (Game of Thrones' Hodor) acting as limo driver. Have a watch: Not shy of dabbling in a few different projects (Client Liaison followed the success of their debut record Diplomatic Immunity with the launch of a fashion range, Designer Line), the duo's also announced a foray into the limo biz. Yep, you'll soon be able to hire that soon-to-be-iconic, off-white chariot for affordably stylish jaunts in Victoria. They're taking expressions for A Limousine Service Courtesy of Client Liaison here. Client Liaison's Diplomatic Immunity Australian tour is selling fast. See the Client Liaison website for dates and venues.
There's no doubting what Winghaus specialises in: wings. Seating 240 both inside and out, the brand is an offshoot of Rockpool Dining Group popular Bavarian spots. And when it opened on Edward Street in the Brisbane CBD, European and American-inspired joint became the hospitality empire's first such venue in the country. Chicken is main culinary attraction — buffalo wings specifically — although you can also tuck into fried wings dusted in either chipotle or habanero powder, or opt for boneless chicken tenders. They're all available in servings of ten, 15, 20, 50 or 100 pieces, with eight hot sauces and six dips on offer, including teriyaki, blue cheese, ranch dressing, and honey and mustard. For folks hankering for other US-style bites, think burgers slathered with Texas barbecue sauce, sides such as onion rings, potato gems and corn ribs and salt and pepper calamari. And if you like your desserts both sweet and warm, a selection of deep-fried chocolate bars are a certain highlight, with patrons able to choose from hot, gooey Mars, Snickers and Picnics. While the food menu skews American, European influences come through in the drinks and decor. Like The Bavarian, Winghaus features a stein chandelier made from 200 one-litre glasses, and serves German brews such as Löwenbräu, Paulaner, Franziskaner, Spaten and Hofbräu. US tipples like Goose Island also feature, plus Aussie beers such as Pines and Pirate Life. And, cocktail-wise, the bar's taps pump out margaritas, sangria, spritzes, negronis sand espresso martinis. Brisbanites can also expect plenty to keep them entertained at the diner-style spot, whether you're settling in at the long bar or getting cosy in a leather booth beneath neon signs. Given that sports memorabilia lines the walls, it should come as no surprise that big-screen TVs can play up to 30 live sports games at a time — and that you can use your phone to listen into your game of choice. If you're not interested in whatever match happens to be on — or sport in general — you can hit the Winghaus pinball machines and arcade games instead.
With over 35 locations scattered across the world, Ramen Danbo brings authentic tonkotsu all the way from Kyushu Island in Japan. After the original Fukuoka location won a local television contest, the brand became famous across the country, eventually making its way to Australia. [caption id="attachment_776493" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Karen-Boshoff[/caption] We feel incredibly fortunate to have six Ramen Danbo restaurants at our fingertips, with locations in Southport, Brisbane City East, Pimpama, Surfers Paradise, South Brisbane and Sunnybank Hills. The delivery menu is a ramen lover's dream, with no less than eight varieties on offer. Our pick is the classic ramen with nitamago egg, or the fragrant negi-goma ramen with sliced spring onions and toasted sesame seeds. Bonus points if you add in some traditional Hakata-style gyoza with dipping sauce. Other side dishes from Ramen Danbo include danbo karaage strips, kaedama noodles, chasshu pork donburi and omusubi rice balls. Either come for nothing but a big bowl of heart-warming ramen or create your own feast with mates. The choice is all yours at this brilliant Japanese restaurant in Brisbane. Top image: Karen Boshoff
Whatever dinner plans you had for Thursday, December 21, you'd better cancel them. Instead, we'd suggest heading to Newmarket to welcome The Yiros Shop to the neighbourhood. If you do, they'll return the favour. Not only will you get to tuck in to one of the new store's grilled pita and meat combinations — think fresh, fluffy and filled with pork, chicken or lamb, then topped with tomato, onion, parsley and tzatziki — but you'll get to do so without opening your wallet. Just drop by 400 Newmarket Road between 5pm and 8pm to brighten your evening with a free yiros. Now that's something to say "opa!" to. Anyone who has already checked out The Yiros Shop's existing Cannon Hill, Fortitude Valley, South Brisbane, CBD or Capalaba outlets will know the tasty meal that they're in for — and for everyone else, there's never been a better time to get acquainted with their gourmet Greek fare. Free Yiros Night might be the main attraction, and rightfully so, but don't forget desserts such as baklava and galaktoboureko (semolina custard in filo pastry) are also on the menu. Plus, if you can't change your plans for a free feed, then you can mosey along and fork out some cash any time from December 19. Free Yiros Night takes place between 5pm and 8pm at The Yiros Shop at Newmarket Village, 400 Newmarket Road, Newmarket. For more information, visit their website.
Western Australia is famous for its exports: gold, iron-ore, wheat and, of course, ‘I heart WA’ fridge magnets. Basically, what they've got we’ve gotta get it, and there’s no better example of that than West Australian wine. Because, let’s be honest: Australians love a good drop. Quite a few, actually, given the average consumer enjoys around 30 litres of wine each year. In all, that's 530 million litres the nation over, and while it’s an impressive number, it’s nothing compared to the 750 million litres we send off to the rest of the world. In fact, Australia is now the fourth largest exporter of wine globally, and while just 5% of that comes from West Australia, what those vineyards lack in volume they more than account for in quality, boasting 20% of the ultra-premium market. So how much do you know about WA wine? Here are all the facts you need to start 'researching' your new passion. WHERE IS WESTERN AUSTRALIA? West of the rest of Australia. This is called ‘easing you in’. HOW MANY WINERIES? WA is home to more than 150 wineries broken up into nine separate regions, almost all of which sit on the south-western tip due to its cooler climate and favourable growing conditions. The best known of these regions comprise: The Margaret River Perth Hills Swan Valley Coastal Pemberton and The Great Southern HOW OLD? One-hundred-and-eighty-six years. The oldest established winery in West Australia, the Olive Farm Winery, was established back in 1829 by Thomas Waters, an English botanist who kicked things off with an olive grove (hence the name) and then quickly moved to vines, because seriously, who drinks olive juice? WA’s PRETTY WARM, RIGHT? Damn you’re good. West Australia is indeed a ‘warm wine-growing region’, which in the simplest terms means the grapes are able to ripen more fully, allowing for a higher build up of sugars. The result is threefold: Lower acidity — the wines are sweeter, meaning less tongue tingling or the pulling of that ’sucked in / duckface selfie’ expression Heavier body — the sweeter the wine, the more viscous it’s likely to be Higher alcohol - you’re probably across this one, but just in case, the higher the alcohol, the warmer that feeling it enkindles all over the palate. ALL THIS KNOWLEDGE IS MAKING ME THIRSTY Okay okay, we’ll get into it now. We just didn’t want to jump right to the wine chat in case your emergence as a wine buff occurred a little too early, not unlike some early budding varieties of grape such as Chardonnay that can break bud prematurely during WA's warm winters on account of temperatures exceeding 10°C. SEE WHAT WE DID THERE? Your bluffing game just got stronger. But now, to the wines. MARGARET RIVER (Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon) Where else but ‘Margarets’ to begin any discussion of West Australian wines? Located about three hours drive south of Perth, the first of these now 100 or so vineyards were established in 1967, although it’s really only in the last 20 years that the region has come into its own and forged a reputation as home to some of the finest wines in the world. The Margaret River’s climate places it in a vinicultural bracket not unlike Bordeaux, only more attractive courtesy of a drier ripening period and low risk of frost. No surprise, then, that it’s best known for its prize winning cabernets, and you won’t do much better than the 2012 Cape Mentelle Trinders Cab Merlot. As you sip away, why not show off some of your newly acquired knowledge with: “Mmm, well obviously because of the warmer climate this cab merlot is well rounded and richly textured, and given its ability to ripen more fully, it’s punctuated with... I want to say... blackcurrant, cherry and hints of sweet vanilla". Fun Wine Fact: knowing about good wine is impressive, but knowing about good wine when other people haven’t even heard of it is even better. To that end, why not get a little more adventurous and try the 2013 Miles from Nowhere Margaret River Shiraz, a solidly built, handsome wine distinguished by red berries and spicy highlights that — unlike the Cape Mentelle Trinders — is designed to be consumed in its youth rather than cellaring. But there’s more to Margarets than just reds. This region offers some of the best conditions in the world for Semillon Sauvignon Blanc blends, and right now it’s hard to go past the dry, crisp and fruity 2013 Evans & Tate Semillon Sauvignon Blanc, or — if you’re again keen to sample one of the newcomers, the almost-tropical 2014 Catching Thieves Semillon Sauvignon Blanc. Another icon of this region is Leeuwin Estate with its famous 'Art Series Chardonnay'. Regarded by some as the best chardonnay in Australia, each Leeuwin Estate vintage comes complete with new paintings on the label from an Australian artist. The winery boasts a fantastic gallery to enjoy alongside the wine tastings, but if you can’t get there in person, then picking up a bottle and admiring the small-scale version is the next best thing. THE SWAN VALLEY (Fortified Wines, Verdelho and Chardonnay) The Swan Valley is a favourite of the locals, given its proximity to Perth (just a 25 minute drive, or 10 from the airport if you’re really in a rush). It's also the hottest and driest of all the Australian wine growing regions, making it an ideal location for fortified wines, Verdelho and Chardonnay. Last year the Swan Valley celebrated 180 years of winemaking, with many of the vineyards still owned by the same families that arrived as early European settlers (including the Olive Farm Winery from above). GREAT SOUTHERN REGION The Great Southern Wine region is the largest in Australia, and accordingly boasts the widest range of varietals from its 48 wineries, although the Rieslings are its most celebrated. This is also the coolest of WA’s wine regions, making it ideal for Chardonnays like the 2012 Byron & Harold Tandem WA Chardonnay. James Halliday just named Bryon & Harold one of his top ten wineries for 2015, and given the deliciously crisp lemon and peach flavours that burst from this particular drop, it’s not hard to see why. SO WHERE TO FROM HERE? Dive in, buy some WA wine and see what tickles your fancy. If you already have an inkling as to your preferred varietals, then keep an eye out for the regions from where they’re produced. Fancy a Merlot? Look for something from Perth Hills. Prefer a Pinot Noir? Hard to beat the ones coming out of Pemberton. You’ll also often see ‘best of’ bundles like this one around the traps, which can give you an excellent sampling across the board before you start to commit to the pricier individual bottles. If you’re lucky, they may even throw in an ‘I heart WA’ fridge magnet.
A 30-year retrospective of one of the most dazzling pioneers of multimedia installations and experimental video art opens at the MCA this month with Pipilotti Rist: Sip my Ocean. In what's being heralded as the most comprehensive exhibition of the Swiss artist's work ever held in an Australian gallery, you'll get to see pieces right from the start of her practice (including her early single-channel videos created during the 1980s) up to her most recent immersive environments and large-scale audio-visual installations. A truly unique artist whose practice explores the connection between the human body, nature and technology, Rist creates colourful, enchantingly sensual worlds for viewers to lose themselves in – such as 4th Floor to Mildness, where you'll get comfy on one of 18 beds and gaze upwards at a hypnotic underwater world projected onto massive abstract panels. It's not often you lie down on a gallery floor amongst strangers to soak up some art — and its this particular atmosphere of community and togetherness within the way you experience Rist's work that cements its charm. Taking place as part of the Sydney International Art Series, Sip My Ocean runs until February 18. Images: Courtesy of Pipilotti Rist / Ken Leanfore for the MCA.
Things got feisty and fearless at the Opera House when the fourth All About Women Festival took over on Sunday, March 6. Leading the prodigious, 30-speaker-strong program? None other than the inimitable Miranda July, Sleater Kinney's Carrie Brownstein, and Orange Is the New Black memoir author Piper Kerman — not to mention one of the best Women of Letters events we've ever been to. Sleater Kinney and Portlandia's legendary Brownstein talked about her October-released book Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl — before Sleater Kinney melted faces the same night at the Opera House. And Anne-Marie Slaughter, who worked as the director of policy planning at the US State Department when Hillary Clinton was running the show, argued that we can't have it all — well, at least not all at once, anyway. Emma Jane, Ruby Hamad, Michelle Arrow and Charlotte Wood unpacked 'The Women We Love to Hate', while Masha Gessen, Crystal Lameman, Mallory Ortberg, Ann Sherry, Anne- Marie Slaughter and Jenny Brockie attempted to change the world overnight. Didn't get a chance to head along to All About Women? You're in luck. Sydney Opera House's Ideas at the House team just released a whole bunch of free podcasts from the day via iTunes. We reckon you should start with 'The Boys Club' if you want to hear total boss Van Badham slam the gender dynamic in the Australian theatre industry and contemporary culture. Phwoar. Download Sydney Opera House's All About Women 2016 podcasts on iTunes for free here. Images: Yaya Stempler and Prudence Upton. By Jasmine Crittenden and Shannon Connellan.
You're at a dinner party. Chats are going strong, your drunk uncle at Thanksgiving has been deconstructed, Australia's latest novelty dessert trend raved about. Then someone brings out a new bottle of red. "Pinot noir?" your host casually offers. Sweat beads form, hearts race, eyes shift. Without warning, the pop culture fiends in the room explode. "CAVIAR." "MID-SIZED CAR." "SMOKE A CIGAR." "MYANMAR." The Kimmy Schmidt fans in the house have been unveiled — and if you're one of those, we've got some solid news for you. Ready? Tituss Burgess, well known as Kimmy's roommate Titus Andromedon in the highly popular series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, stole hearts worldwide with his unforgettable masterpiece of an "ode to black penis", 'Peeno Noir'. Now, Burgess is releasing his own pinot noir, an actual wine called Pinot by Tituss. Announced on Instagram this week, Pinot by Tituss will sell for US$24.99 a bottle online. Unfortunately they're only shipping to the US so far, but if you have American mates who could send it over, you can preorder the pinot noir and smoke a cigar right now. The bottles will be shipped after March 14. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt returns on April 15, and if you're drinking anything else, au revoir. Via Refinery29.
The thing about Brisbane is that, whether you think of yourself as an indoor person or an outdoor person, you’re inevitably going to spend most of your time outside. As Brisbane is almost constantly blessed with the kind of weather you see on the classic Microsoft screen saver, we’ve naturally become an outdoorsy city. Nearly every café and restaurant has an al fresco area, every house worth its salt has a verandah and everywhere you walk has long green expanses that are perfect for soaking up the sun. It’s no wonder, then, that when we spoke to Last Dinosaur’s bass guitarist, filmmaker and all-round cool guy Michael Sloane (above, right) about his perfect weekend in Brisbane, it was mostly spent outdoors and under the sun. The Last Dinosaurs are just about to release their second studio album, Wellness, and embark on a national tour, so Michael’s wholesome outdoor weekends may be something to do with the hectic schedule of touring band member. "Coming back home to Brisbane after being away is like a moment of decompression, in a good way," he tells us. "It has a feeling of laid-backness." The Last Dinosaurs are a Brisbane born and/or bred cohort and Michael (above, second from right) says for him the culture of comradery between Brissie-based bands is a huge influence on the music scene. "You can't help but be influenced by the place you live and grow up, but I'd say our biggest inspiration from Brisbane is other Brisbane bands,' he says. "It's a cosy enough city to cross paths with other bands of the same mindset and it's always nice to share touring moments or shows with other Brisbane bands, even when we're not in Brisbane." Indeed, much like the bar from Cheers, Brisbane is the kind of intimate city where everybody knows your name – and if you’re in an incredibly successful local band, they might just scream it at you as you walk past. You can grab the Last Dino’s new album, Wellness, on August 28, or catch them on tour from September 25 to October 18. In the meantime, here are Michael’s five steps to the perfect Brisbane weekend. TAKE THE CITYCAT TO SOUTH BANK Brisbane has a good mix of city and bush, so my little tour of Brisbane would have a bit of both. Take a CityCat from wherever you are over to South Brisbane. (Yes, the CityCat is part of the experience if you can be bothered.) Choose your own adventure here.. Either you can wander through South Bank, eventually getting into the cultural precinct to check out GoMA and the museum, or you can venture deeper into West End and find a place for lunch along Boundary Road. TAKE A CITYCYCLE RIDE ALONG THE BRISBANE RIVER From there, get on a CityCycle and ride along the river until you reach a bridge; we have plenty of them to choose from. Ride across the bridge of your choosing and continue around the Riverside of the CBD until you feel like having a look at the city centre itself. STOP IN AT WAGAYA Straight from the city to Fortitude Valley for dinner in Chinatown mall. Wagaya is a favourite. It's a pretty authentic Japanese 'Izakaya', and you get to order off a touch screen. After that, you're in the centre of nightlife for Brisbane and, for good or bad, it's worth experiencing. There's a bar for every type of night you'd like to have. CHECK OUT MOUNT COOT-THA Maybe I'm biased living close, but I'm a big fan of Mt. Coot-tha state forest. The Mt. Coot-tha Botanic Gardens at the base of the mountain are actually Botanic Gardens, unlike the CBD version. That means there's a huge array of environment types and plants. They also have a planetarium and library, if you're into that. From there, Mt Coot-tha has a lot of wood fire stoves dotted around, so cook up some grub on the barbie and get the Aussie out of your system. Slaughter Falls (don't be scared) picnic area has a bush track leading up to the lookout of Mt Coot-tha. It's actually a pretty great view if you don't mind a few tourists taking selfies. Image via Facebook TAKE A DAY TRIP TO NORTH STRADBROKE ISLAND Assuming you have a long weekend or can chuck a sickie, try to get the ferry from Cleveland to North Stradbroke. I'm always surprised when I go to Straddie that I don't go more often. It really does have awesome beaches, with campgrounds right on the edge of the beach.
Lucky Egg and The Brightside once went hand in hand. Hitting up the latter to see live tunes in Fortitude Valley meant tucking into fried chicken, be it as pieces or via three types of burgers, from the former while you were there. It was a perfect pairing, but not all dreams last. Thankfully, this match made in heaven — and on Warner Street — is now recurring. At the end of May 2024, The Brightside celebrated ten years of hosting gigs with a weekend-long party — and it couldn't mark the occasion without welcoming back Lucky Egg. The reunion wasn't just a once-off, however. Brisbanites will now find the chicken joint serving up its burgs and chook four nights a week on a permanent basis. Whether you have a date with a heap of bands on The Brighty's states or you're just dropping by to hang out in the beer garden, you can add Lucky Egg's wares to your visit. You'll just need to be at the venue from Wednesday–Saturday from 6pm. And if you're keen to just nab takeaway, you can do just that within the same window — from the Warner Street window, in fact. As well as slinging juicy poultry at The Brightside, Lucky Egg expanded to the Good Time Bar at Max Watts in West End in 2017, then served up its dishes via Blute's Bar in Fortitude Valley. But since 2021, it's been a quiet few years for the brand. Lucky Egg's return comes at a time when well-loved eateries renowned for their burgers have largely been closing in Brisbane, not opening. Getta Burger said goodbye to Brisbane in 2023, and so did plant-based joint Grassfed. Ze Pickle then shut its Brissie locations in 2024. The River City's burger scene did just welcome the Burleigh-born Two Yolks to South Bank to start June, though, before Lucky Egg confirmed it is back to stay. Find Lucky Egg at The Brightside, 27 Warner Street, Fortitude Valley — open from 6pm–late Wednesday–Saturday. For more information, head to the Lucky Egg Facebook page.
You can't stop the music on the relatively quiet stretch where Upper Roma Street approaches Petrie Terrace. Long-standing venue, The Beetle Bar, might've closed in mid 2016 but it hasn't taken long for a newcomer to take over the space. Say goodbye to insects and hello to — a fiery bird? The Flamin' Galah is swooping in. Quietly opening its doors just before Christmas last year and officially launching as a live music spot in early April, The Flamin' Galah aims to combine gigs, ace events, drinks and food. Drop by for whatever's on each evening, or just for a tipple and something tasty. Eventually, there'll be something entertaining on the bill every night, whether it's a touring band, local talent, a party, trivia or a DJ, and from April 15, the kitchen will be whipping up burgers and fries, midday 'til close, seven days a week. The current lineup for April and May includes a Yeezus Has Risen tribute shindig, a '90s house party, a collab by Brisbane favourites, Kooii and Kafka, Spanish legends La Pegatina, and a Detroit techno-groove rave. It's a diversely curated selection that promises more curveballs to come. It sounds like the kind of place you'd be more likely to find in the Valley than a part of the city not really known for its hangout spaces, as co-owner Billy Grantley is well aware. "You're spoilt for joints when it comes to fun things to do on a Friday or Saturday night in Brissie," he says. "There's so much happening, but our goal is to offer a different destination outside of that usual craziness." Grantley, who's also behind local booze delivery service Knock Knock Booze There with Flamin' Galah co-owner Leon Lechner, has capitalised on the space's existing design to make that happen. "It's a purpose-built live music venue... the building was actually custom-built with a sound architect, so it's got double-layered walls, it's got a mezzanine," he explains. Accommodating between 300 to 330 people, "it has been designed in a way that we crank the sound up really loud, we don't have any close residential neighbours, so it's this perfect little party spot." For those wondering just how loud that is, The Flamin' Galah has a 115-decibel limit — the level of your usual huge concert. Patrons will also find walls adorned with murals by Brisbane street artist Drapl — his vast, painted bird is impossible to miss. Plus, the interior has been given a renovation to feel "new and contemporary" after The Beetle Bar's impressive decade-plus run. Find The Flamin' Galah at 350 Upper Roma Street, Brisbane. Head to their Facebook page for further information. Images: Lachlan Douglas Photography.
Think you've tried every kind of ice cream that there is? Think again. Sure, you've eaten it in a cone and a cup, scooped and served soft, covered in chocolate, smashed up with lollies and even served between two cookies — and in every flavour from rainbow to wasabi imaginable, too. But have you had it made fresh to order on specially imported cold plates, from European liquid gelato, and then rolled up? Scrolled ice cream is the latest addition to The Doughnut Bar's menu, as well as an added incentive to visit their brand new permanent store. Come midday on February 25, their fresh Wintergarden digs will be making your frosty dreams come true (as long as those dreams involve a low-fat, low-sugar sweet treat that's crafted before your very eyes — and, be honest, whose doesn't?). At launch, Tiny Timmy Tella (tiny teddies, Tim Tams and Nutella), Vovoreo (raspberry, coconut and oreo) and Snickers (chocolate, smashed nuts and caramel) flavours will be available, with the selection rotating every fortnight. That sound you're hearing? It's the sound of an entire city licking their lips. Don't worry, The Doughnut Bar haven't stopped slinging the doughy orbs of deliciousness they're famous for. In fact, they're now also cooking up brioche doughnuts, alongside their existing jam-packed pastries and cronuts. Grab your handcrafted artisan delights at their new haunt, their existing Edward Street location and from their roving vintage kombi at markets, too — but remember to head to the Wintergarden if you'd like something cool and creamy to go with it. It's not just the only Doughnut Bar site that's selling scrolled ice cream; it's the only place in the entire state of Queensland. The Doughnut Bar's new permanent store opens at midday on February 25 at Shop K3 in the Wintergarden, 185 Queen St, Brisbane. For more information, visit their website and Facebook page.
Whether it's in the name of bread or pastries, Brisbane's bakers rise early in the morning to produce some damn fine offerings for your daily delights. So it's only fair you put down that $2 generic brand bread and get yourself a hearty, handmade loaf of artisan dough. You can thank us when your gob is full of gluteny goodness. FLOUR & CHOCOLATE What's in a name? When it comes to Flour & Chocolate, there is no denying the main ingredients to be found in the Morningside kitchen. Lachlan Scott is the man behind the magic, and has found a well-earned spot as one of Brisbane's best bakers. The lines of locals that snake out the door of a weekend morning simply affirm this. As at any good bakery, bread is in abundance, with traditional and specialty sourdoughs (think fruit and walnut, caraway and rock salt, and chocolate on special occasions) filling the baskets alongside Vienna, country rye and French baguettes. Cakes, tarts, savoury treats, brownies, croissants and pastries round out the rest of the store. If, like us, you have a penchant for pastry, you may already know about Flour & Chocolate's dedicated days for specialty products. If not, grab your diary and make note: Wednesdays are for doughnuts, Thursdays are for gonuts, Friday's are for bagels and brownies, and the weekends are for focaccia and flaky, fresh pastries. 4/621 Wynnum Road, Morningside JOCELYN'S PROVISIONS If you've had the pleasure of devouring one of Jocelyn's Provisions' iconic bar cakes, it should be no surprise that the establishment makes the cut as one of Brisbane's best bakeries. Beyond the cakes, loaves of sourdough, baguettes, and ciabatta are baked using organic flour and a long fermentation process, which means a tender crumb and complex flavour. Depending on the day, seeded sourdough and seeded baguettes are available alongside the traditional loaves, as well as a specialty fig, fennel and aniseed sourdough on Friday and Saturday. Stop by in the morning while they're still warm. A variety of, pies, sausage rolls and savoury tarts, as well as individual sweet treats (there are too many to name but watch out for the salted malted chocolate cupcakes) are available, with exact offerings varying depending on the day. Shop 11, Centro on James, 46 James Street, Fortitude Valley BANNETON The beautiful minds behind Banneton Bakery have mastered the art of woodfired baking and stolen the hearts of Brisbane bread fiends across the city. The philosophy behind the delicious dough at Banneton is grounded in a belief in using natural ingredients and traditional baking methods to craft textured crusts and aromatic insides. Although it is hard to look past the signature 'Banneton' loaf (100% sourdough), choices such as French baguette, New York deli rye, multigrain, gluten-free corn bread or even the gourmet potato and cracked pepper loaf are sure to liven up your lunchtime sandwiches. Grab a loaf from one of the two cafes in Woollongabba or Ashgrove, or find the stall at Kelvin Grove Market on Saturdays and Boggo Road Market on Sundays. 25 Balaclava Street, Woolloongabba and Shop 3, 584 Waterworks Road, Ashgrove THE BAKER'S ARMS The Baker's Arms offers Brisbane the best of both worlds as a specialty bakehouse and cafe. If you don't have the time to sit down and enjoy the changing specials menu, we're begging you, please make time to grab a French baguette, beef sausage roll or slice of pumpkin pie to go. It won't be easy to pass up the opportunity, as the cabinet and the countertop are brimming with all things baked, from traditional pain au chocolat to inventive cheesecakes (we've seen honeycomb, banana butterscotch and rocky road). Embrace The Baker's Arms with arms wide open and stomach empty. 29 Logan Road, Woollongabba LE BON CHOIX Le Bon Choix now bring French Renaissance-style sweets and savouries to four locations across Brisbane — Queen Street, Edward Street, Paddington and Racecourse Road. Silky macarons, glossy eclairs and a range of gateaux that would make Marie Antoinette proud steal the show on the menu. But it's not all about the sweet; the croque monsieur is pleasingly cheesy. Various locations. BREWBAKERS Brewbakers in Albion are all about baking bread, bagels and sourdough doughnuts, and we are all about devouring them until our heart's content. Bread comes in the form of the high-top como, French baguette and sourdough fruit loaf to name but a few. The bakers like to experiment, so don't be surprised to see any number of fusion baked goods (think: bagel dog). Still, they don't forget much-adored favourites like drool-inducing jam, chocolate and butterscotch sourdough doughnuts. 337 Sandgate Road, Albion BOTANICA Botanica might be famed for their wholesome, hearty and damn delicious takeaway salads, but one look at the homemade sweets in the window will confirm that we are definitely not dealing with a one-trick pony. All the sweets are gluten-free and baked fresh each morning. You heard right, Brisbane, baked goods minus the gluten for all stomachs to enjoy. Vegan brownies, cinnamon bundt doughnuts, cherry white chocolate and sour cream muffins. So, coeliac friends, run, don't walk. 1 Enoggera Terrace, Red Hill BEERKARY BAKERY Beerkary is not your standard bakery; it seeks to combine some of life's greatest pleasures — beer and baked goods. When you stop and think about it, you quickly realise that brewing and baking stem from a similar science, and the combination is not quite as wacky as you first thought. It's a pop-up venture, but we'll take beerclairs, beercarons and malted brioche from masterminds Ben Devlin and Yen Trinh when and where we can get them. Popping up at events around Brisbane. CRUST & CO The success of Crust & Co stems from the French and Italian heritage of owner-baker Sebastien Pisasale, who has brought joy, happiness and authentic crusty French bread to the welcoming mouths of Brisbane bread lovers. From baguette to batard, or sourdough to ciabatta, all loaves are baked according to traditional, long-fermentation methods and liquid sourdough, which produces the irresistibly crunchy crust we covet. Perfect pastries and tempting treats will catch you at the counter as you tuck your baguette under your arm like a true Frenchperson would. 140 Edmondstone Street, Newmarket CHOUQUETTE Sister company to Crust & Co, Choquette will have you thinking you've stepped into a Parisian patisserie as you 'ooh la la' and indulge your inner Francophile in buttery and flaky croissants, pain au chocolat, pain aux raisins, torsades, brioche, macarons, eclairs and millefeuille. All breads are baked by Crust & Co. 19 Barker Street, New Farm
As many films do, The Space Between begins with a series of influential events that shake up an otherwise stagnant life. When his stint in New York came to an unplanned end through a family tragedy, Marco (Flavio Parenti) returned to his home town of Udine in Northern Italy, gave up on his dream of being a chef and carved out a routine existence — and just as he has somewhat accepted his fate, more hardship strikes. But at the same time, he meets Olivia (Maeve Dermody), an Australian in the country wading through her own family and career matters. A connection forms as the two try to find their path forward. The film's narrative isn't just an interesting story worth spending 98 minutes watching — it's also somewhat based on reality. In fact, The Space Between is partially inspired by the day that Melbourne-based writer-director Ruth Borgobello met her husband Davide Giusto (who also serves as one of movie's producers), and the bond they forged as he coped with his real-life grief. In turning the tale into a film (her first feature, no less), Borgobello has not only transported parts of her life to the big screen, but has also crafted the first-ever Australian-Italian co-production in the process. While the former feat has personal significance, the latter is no lesser of an achievement; indeed, a filmmaking treaty between the two countries was signed back in 1993. Just how did Borgobello draw from such intimate experiences? And how did she manage to make history with her debut feature? With The Space Between currently touring Australia as part of the Italian Film Festival, we chatted with the filmmaker about finding inspiration in Italy, working through trauma and turning an aspect of your life into a feature film. ON LETTING REALITY INSPIRE THE NARRATIVE "I met my husband the day he lost someone very important to him unexpectedly. We'd sort of already had this plan to spend a couple of weeks together, because he's a good friend of my cousin in Italy, and he was planning to come to Australia, and he had his visa ready. And so, in spite of this loss and grief he was going through, we spent a couple of weeks together, and I guess that always stayed with me as a very transformational moment for both of us. We were in our early 20s, so it kind of throws everything into question and makes you think very carefully about the life path that you want to choose when something like that happens. You tend to think you're quite invincible when you're that age, I think. Years later I kind of was developing another project focused more on a migration story of my family and my father, but I guess just spending time in Italy and thinking about that moment, I was sort of quite inspired and pushed to do something a bit more personal as my first film. And talking about contemporary Italy within that as well. So, it was inspired by that moment — but the actual characters and the journey that they go on is very fictional, and very, much more connected to Italy today than back in that time." ON DRAWING FROM EXPERIENCED GRIEF AND TRAUMA "When I set out to write this script, I was sort of basing it on my husband's experience of losing someone close to him — and I had never lost someone, especially not a close friend in the way that he had. So I tried to get inside his head, I guess, and his grieving process. And then also working with my co-writer who had lost his father when he was quite young, so he had gone through that. But then, strangely, in the journey of writing it — and it was something that really kind of terrified me when it happened — my best friend actually was in an accident, a very unexpected accident, and was in a coma for a few weeks hovering between life and death. Luckily now she's fine, she's got through it, but I guess it strangely sort of brought me very close to that experience, which can be quite challenging because when it happens to you — you don't know if you can actually go there to bring it into the script. But, I tried to write during that period just to tune into the emotion of it all. I guess with the grief, I think the lesson that came for us that was very powerful — it was that he left...but then someone else arrived in that moment that would be very important and play a similar role, I guess, in Davide, my husband's, life. Just that sort of interesting thing that someone leaves and someone else arrives, and I guess to trust in life sometimes that it will bring you support in those kind of moments, and then opportunity to maybe grow and evolve." ON MAKING THE FIRST AUSTRALIAN-ITALIAN CO-PRODUCTION "It's just enormous, and I think it's not just sort of all the relationships and paperwork and trying to make the two governments sort of work — or their rules — really work together. Also, then you've got to translate everything and every time it changes you've got to re-translate it. So it is an enormous amount of work. I guess, at the end of the day, it's just kind of willingness and determination to make it work. And we sort of sensed that if we could make it work, then there would be a lot of positivity that would come out of that — obviously for the film, but also creating future possibilities between the two countries. So it's worth it. When you know you're going to make history, it's worth it to persevere. And we had a lot of willingness from Italy and the Italian government too, that really supported us in wanting to make it work, so that helps." ON SETTING HER FILM IN ITALY — AND FINDING THE RIGHT LOCATIONS "We spent years of research looking at locations that are not the typical tourist locations. They're not the places you could open a book and find out where they are — they're all sort of quite hidden and you have to know people who know people. So it took a lot to find those places that would really serve the psychology and the narrative of Marco's journey, and with Olivia. So I spent time myself there in Italy, living for periods of six months or so, just to also really get to know the people and the place. And trying to perceive the current climate of today, and what's going on, and the relationship between the environment and this sort of crisis as well, which I always found quite contradictory because there's so much beauty and inspiration in what's been created in the past, but it feels very stagnant in the present. So it was about sort of being able to marry those two together." ON HER TIES WITH ITALY "I've got two projects that I'm working on, and both are connected with Italy again. One of them is also sort of connected to climate change, and I really want to do a sort of original creative story around that, kind of featuring nature as a main character — and it's positive, not fear-driven. So that's something that I'm heavily researching at the moment. And then another film, perhaps with Italy dealing with refugees and what's happening at the moment in Europe with that crisis, through quite a courageous character who goes out on a limb to help the refugees. So sort of inspired by a true story that we've come across. I think we've learnt so much, so it will make the next one easier. I'm sure it will always be challenging, but it feels like there's a clear path now." The Space Between is currently screening at the Italian Film Festival, which tours Australia until October 19. Check out our top five picks of the festival.
