Been lying on a beach or sleeping off too much food? Plenty happening round Brisbane and beyond food wise so you better catch up quick here.
Feeling a bit crabby?
Bar Alto has launched two crab specials for January for The Feast of the Crab. The crab dishes are available for lunch and dinner and designed for sharing between a group of friends.
Granchio arrosto is oven roasted whole spanner crab, garlic, chill , herbs ($32) or Linguini al Granchio - hand cut fresh linguini with local sand crab, chill, cherry tomatoes and basil ($32 half kilo, $64.00 full kilo [half kilo pictured]).
To market, to market
Excited to hear the venerable Peter Hackworth is starting yet another Brisbane market, this time at North Shore Hamilton.
Not familiar with North Shore? It's that large stretch of land that runs on past Portside at Hamilton. I love the way the river connects to the land here with a small beach. There's also a children's play area.
Peter has launched some of Brisbane's best loved markets and currently runs the vibrant Village Markets at Kelvin Grove.
She also gave Brisbane some of its most exciting early restaurants. I remember being awed dining at Scaramouche in a converted city church, but let’s not forget Manouche and The Cats Tango - all landmark restaurants in their day.
Roll on April 20 when the market will open for Saturday trading from 7.30am to 2pm. Befitting the river port connections of the area, the market will incorporate converted shipping containers.
Taste summer at The Long Apron
Fruits, flowers and herbs picked from its garden, locally sourced meats, scallops from Hervey Bay and snails from the Glasshouse Mountains are the stars in Cameron Matthew’s new menu at The Long Apron at Spicers Clovelly Estate at Montville in the Sunshine Coast hinterland.
“The menu is very herb driven and includes lots of things from out in the garden and on the property that we’ve found while they are in bloom, including wild violets, roses, nasturtium, rosemary and fennel,” Matthews said.
Innovative dishes include Mooloolaba spanner crab with beet embers, buttermilk, dill and Yarra Valley salmon roe; roasted duck breast and liver with coastal honey, pear and nasturtium; and braised Glasshouse snails with roasted leek, morcilla crumble, fennel and apple.
“We’ve also introduced a new dish featuring cured Hervey Bay scallops served with an heirloom tomato granita to keep it nice and chilled which is very refreshing,” Matthews said.
“There is also a new steamed fillet of reef fish with beets and radishes from our kitchen garden, prawns and smoked prawn butter which is a simple dish but again very lovely and fresh.
The Long Apron achieved Two Chef Hats and won Regional Restaurant of the Year in the Queensland Good Food Guide in 2012.
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| Local squid, lardo di colonatta , ink cracker and sauce, garden herbs |
Brisbane’s new CBD sweet spot
Noosa Chocolate Factory has opened at 144 Adelaide Street selling their famous rocky road made with the softest marshmallows, made fresh daily with strawberry pectin jelly produced from scratch, along with their coated Queensland macadamias , almonds and exotic dried fruits.
Chris Thomson has been creating Noosa Chocolate from Belgian couverture and local ingredients for the over four years. The products are produced locally and are peanut free, palm oil free and they also offer an extensive gluten free and dairy free dark chocolate range.
It’s also just a hop, skip and jump from the new Monty’s Chocolates opposite Central Station at 288 Edward Street.
Siesta in Mexico!
Wild Lime Cooking School has started the year with cooking classes that will make you feel as though you’ve been OS without even leaving the country. Line up for their ‘Siesta in Mexico’ class on February 23 and learn how to cook and taste Authenic Chicken Mole (with beer!), Beef Birria, Corn Soup with Grilled Prawns and Strawberry Margarita Mousse. After all that you will be sure to need a siesta! Throw in a Wild Lime Ceviche and Mexican Rice and you have the perfect Mexican Feast.
Australia Day dining
Despite chef Dan Smith’s English accent, you can’t get much more Aussie than the Australia Day menu planned for Dayboro Deli.
This little deli in Dayboro’s main street punches above its weight with some great food being pumped out of the kitchen.
Their three course Aussie feast on Saturday January 26 starts with crocodile kebabs with satay sauce and continues with a ‘Coat of Arms’ steak with barbecued prawns, warm bush potato salad and damper. Dessert is a mango cheesecake with an Anzac bickie base and pavolova cream.
On Monday, January 28 which is the Australia Day Public Holiday, they will have an all-day menu full of steak, lamb, prawns and other ‘strayaday’ favourites.Call to book on 3425 1510.
Gold Coast’s top 10 hotel requests 2012
I feel like I need to lift my act a little after reading these holiday requests received at some of the Gold Coast’s five star hotels.
I’m happy with a bucket of fresh prawns and a crusty baguette but here’s was the other people want.
Full marks to the staff who managed to satisfy some of these requirements.
1. Asked to purchase alpacas for a Middle Eastern royal family.
2. An overseas visitor asked if he could organise a day trip to visit Sydney, Melbourne, Alice Springs and the Great Barrier Reef all in the same day!
3. Organised a private jet for the Argentine Polo team to fly from Gold Coast to Malaysia with 6-hours’ notice.
4. Booked rooms on different floors for wife and girlfriend
5. An elderly couple looking to renew their wedding vows at the hotel chapel asked two staff members to be Bridesmaid and Best Man. As regulars to the hotel the couple knew these staff members very well.
6. Organised dinner for two at Gold Coast Hinterland hotspot, “Table Mountain”. Guests arrived by helicopter where a personal chef, waiter and Spanish guitarist were waiting.
7. A guest left his luxury sports vehicle to be sold by a hotel staffer as he had to unexpectedly leave the country
8. A unique wedding proposal - with a gentleman proposing to his girlfriend as staff from the resort all wearing t-shirts that spelt out MARRY ME while a beautiful rendition of somewhere over the rainbow being played on the ukulele from a gentleman that just appeared to be walking by.
9. Exclusive use of the gym for various celebrities
10. Exclusive use of the Executive Lounge for a wedding proposal
Other more common requests of Gold Coast hotels include:
• Unpack suitcases and hang clothes
• Run a warm bubble bath
• Arrange flowers for wife/girlfriend (or both)
• Arrange Rose Petals and candles on the Bed
• Cook dinner in the room
• Arrange high protein foods and menus for athletes
• Arrange birthday cakes
• Stay in a certain room on a certain floor every stay
Kerry Heaney