Yatala Pies

Thirty seconds before the Yatala Pies exit (yes, there’s a sign), I suggested to my partner that we should stop at the 130-year old pie shop. We were passing through to Byron for the weekend and were trying to catch as much poolside time as possible, so chose to go through the drive thru, which I didn’t even know they had. It’s probably busy 24/7 but don’t fret, it’s a well-oiled machine: a staff member would come up to your window, take your order and payment and you’d pickup your food on your way out. In and out in five minutes.

The pie selection is as classic as they get. The main options are varieties of steak or chicken and one lamb, pork or vegetable option. We ordered the pepper steak and lamb coconut curry. The pastry on top was golden and crisp. The bottom pastry had a excellent structural integrity (for all those tradies and roadtrippers eating while driving) and thickness. The filling of both pies were the perfect consistency. In the pepper steak, there was the right amount of pepper — very fragrant but not overwhelming — and the lamb curry packed a little heat too.

Dessert is not to be skipped here. I threw caution to the wind and ordered a lamington (overrated to many — loved by myself) and it was absolutely fantastic: pillow-soft sponge, semisweet chocolate, very fine desiccated coconut. The apple pie was also out of this world. I think the secret is to use semi-ripe apples for a tender but not too syrupy filling. Dream-cream-topped with a lovely, albeit unnecessary, biscuit garnish.

48 Old Pacific Hwy, Yatala

@yatalapies

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SK Steak and Oyster

Definitively the most hallmark-movie restaurant in Brisbane during the Christmas season, I have no doubt that many guests visit SK Steak and Oyster hoping to run into (literally) a beautiful stranger or the one that got away. I respect a restaurant that understands what the customer needs — the cushioning of expensive, potentially overpriced steak and seafood in the form of sparkly lights and gigantic velvet ribbons — it does the job well.

I never know what kind of service to expect when dining on James Street. When I walked through the door at SK, I was ready for aloofness and skepticism — something I’ve experienced at their sister venues Hellenika and Sushi Room, an oh that’s what you’re wearing kind of stare — but instead, all the staff were warm and genuinely welcoming.

One average Martini later (not cold enough), starters were here. The prawns in the prawn cocktail were tender and seasoned well but the lettuce was overly wet and the Marie Rose sauce was lacking acidity. Kingfish crudo with scallion and ginger (Hainanese chicken-coded) was pleasant but for $36, I expect more creativity in the accompaniments. Not every crudo can be a Gimlet crudo but this was a Donna Chang/Snackman effort.

For mains, we ordered a kilo of Southern Rock lobster grilled with garlic butter and the Stockyard New York cut sirloin, medium rare of course, with bearnaise and red wine jus. Dare I say lobster might be the most overrated crustacean — Moreton bay bug or scampi are 1000% better (size matters rule applies, not in the way you think) — but the glamour and luxury of lobster is undeniable and sometimes essential. This particular one was cooked perfectly but the garlic butter was nary present. Girthy lobster meat (sorry) calls for seafood boil levels of butter.

The steak was cooked as you’d expect as this kind of restaurant: nice char, medium rare, seasoned well. The best sauces in the world are sauces for steak — some would argue a great steak doesn’t need sauce but I think steak is a vessel for sauce and I will die on that hill. SK’s red wine jus was a good consistency but quite one-dimensional. Bearnaise (the best, alongside L’Entrecote sauce) was surprisingly sharp — big fan.

Love me the sides at a steak restaurant. The mash with roast chicken gravy could’ve been more indulgent and better seasoned. Everyone was impressed with the wedge salad with crisp bits of bacon, blue cheese dressing and halved cherry tomatoes — a lovely break from meat and butter. Peas and bacon are a fun extra, especially eaten with mash.

I love how classic the desserts are at SK. Firstly, soft serve table service is every child and adult’s dream way to end a meal. The toppings are nostalgic and not-too-serious: ice magic, hundreds and thousands, flake, cookie dough, Reese’s pieces and maraschino cherries. The signature strawberry cake had soft, moist sponge, sweet macerated strawberries and light mascarpone cream — a must.

48 James St, Fortitude Valley

@sk.steakandoyster

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Parkland Restaurant

I, tragically, did not grow up going to yum cha on Sunday mornings. I spent my time at actual Sunday school while I was dreaming of a different kind of Sunday religion: buttery custard tarts, steaming lo mai gai filled with braised pork and mushrooms and crystal-skinned prawn har gow.

The kids are always talking about exercising our free will properly and I, for once, listened. What does my free will look like? It looks like Wednesday morning yum cha.

Parkland Restaurant has been around for a while — you can tell by the decor and lighting. They still do the carts here, something that virtually went extinct after Covid, but it’s kind of half-in, half-out — some of the carts go around but if you know what you’re after straight away, you can go to the front of the restaurant where you can order or pick from the tens of stacked steamer baskets or the fried foods in the cabinet. She’ll give you a tray full of your chosen goodies and back to your table you go. Very efficient.

Surprise, we ordered two types of tripe (offal girlies rise up, once again). They were both braised so well — extremely flavourful, soft and slurpable (sorry). Prawn cheung fun was excellent (is it possible to screw this dish up?) and the fried squid was crispy and I love a long tentacle (haha). Soup dumplings were a bit gamey — skip those. And further skip the turnip cake, which seemed like it’d be dropped and put together again, not to mention not crispy at all.

The food is clearly hit or miss here, but if you’re yearning for the niche, nostalgic comfort of eating around elderly Chinese people underneath mismatched decor, this is definitely the place for you.

407 Mains Rd, Sunnybank

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Becca Wang is a freelance writer and food and drink columnist. She has by-lines in Broadsheet, Boothby, Gourmet Traveller, Escape et al., delicious, RUSSH and others. She is the founding editor of Hawker Magazine, a food and culture publication. You can keep up with her at @supper.partying.

This year, I went to Adelaide, Barossa Valley, Adelaide Hills, Sydney, Melbourne, Yamba, Burleigh, Byron and Taiwan to eat. Apart from these travels, I’ve also eaten at over fifty venues in Brisbane. And somehow, much of the food in Brisbane is better, fresher and made with more heart than much of the food elsewhere.

I am endlessly grateful and indebted to the passionate and hardworking hospitality community, farmers and producers of Brisbane — good food does not exist without them. Tip your waiter, thank the chef on the way out, write a good review if you had a good meal — it’s a difficult industry, especially currently, and we often forget that how you act as a customer reflects who you are as a person.

The 2025 highlight reel is full of soup, rice, steak, noodles and some bread. (No desserts — sorry to any sweet tooths, this wasn’t a particularly good dessert year.) Thank you for reading this far, if you have.

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Quail with mushrooms, Gum Bistro

Vale Gum Bistro — I will miss your balmy dusk dinners overlooking the city skyline. I will miss, even more, your pan-seared quail and mushrooms, the one with the intensely savoury pan sauce, and dipping crispy potatoes into it — the treat to end all treats. Always a perfect medium rare (I ate this dish thrice this year) and presented so chicly medieval with the claws still intact. This dish will live forever in my heart.

Clam and saffron risotto — Marlowe

Risotto, risotto, risotto. How I hate and love you all the same. Sometimes, it’s hate — not for the dish but for my own naivete, unexpected fallible nature as a human being and desire to eat rice even while at a mid-point Italian restaurant. Other times it’s love in the form of a velvety spoon of rice, acidic sauce and tiny clams. It’s a risky move but when it’s good, it’s great, and at Marlowe, it’s f*cking excellent. If it’s not on the menu the next time I visit, I will be going down to Julius for a fix and the inevitable sorrow of that will be only Marlowe’s fault.

Garlic rump cap — O Brasileiro

I’ll say it once and I won’t say it again: this meal is as good as any French bistro/wine bar steak frites. Nicely seasoned, very garlic-y steak, shoestring fries, beans, cassava for dipping, rice, salad and free cepera garlic sauce — and all for $28. The king of the big lunch, make sure you’re starving, have at least 25 minutes to spare and no important work after (I almost fell asleep at my office desk after this meal).

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Pork and offal soup — Bori

This is My Soup of The Year. The broth is so clean and rich it feels almost medicinal, as if it knows exactly how to fix you. It is the bowl you order once and then spend the rest of the year telling people they are missing out — and boy, have I been doing that. I don’t think I have to mention that any place that serves complimentary, home-made banchan deserves to be on some sort of wall of fame forever.

Moreton bay bug, sea herbs, bay leaf butter — ESSA

Crustaceans taste their best when dressed in a carcinogenic amount of hot butter. It’s simple but if the accompaniments are nailed and bonus points, if it’s grilled over woodfire or charcoal, it can be magical. Here, a woody bay leaf butter was spread heavy-handedly on a fresh (and quite large) Moreton bay bug. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to eat a succulent, these sea herbs come close. They’re a little crunchy, soft and lightly salty. An insane way to start a meal.

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Original ramen — Ramen Kann

Decidedly the best ramen in Brisbane is one made on chicken broth. Frothy, rich and savoury — this broth can fix most ailments. The owner pays wholehearted attention the quality and you should as well, to the ramen that is (preferably with your money). Read more about it here.

Trotter a la Koffmann (with truffles) — Milquetoast

This dish is a true classic. Trotter a la Koffmann (invented by Pierre Koffmann) involves deboning a pig’s trotter, butterflying it and stuffing it with chicken mousse and mushrooms. The stuffed trotter is then rolled, wrapped in foil, chilled to set then warmed for serving. Buttery potato purée and a jus are traditional accompaniments. This was my first Koffmann trotter (and hopefully not my last — it’s hard to come by these days). It was a perfect fate that I got to eat this during winter because I couldn’t imagine a better time to experience a dish. And with a layer of freshly shaved truffles during peak truffle season? Stop that, I’m blushing.

Pretzel with cream cheese — Snug

Every time I visit Snug I have to get this pretzel. It’s fresh, it’s hot and it’s gorgeous lathered in cream cheese, flaky salt and chives. I am obsessed with how different (in a good way) the pretzel tastes as you eat — my favourite part is the knot bit at the middle, so crunchy.

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Tuna belly tostada — Birria Boy

Raw fish + creamy sauce + acid + crunchy vessel = I’ll have 14. Tuna belly is also hugely underrated — it’s tender and fattier than regular tuna. And they’ve nailed the tostada. Start with this and then have a duck carnita and a goat birria taco. Thank me next year.

Beef and offal boat noodles, So What Stereo

I am pretty sure this dish is on the list of everyone who’s visited So What Stereo. By far the most flavourful boat noodle broth I’ve had, I couldn’t believe a small restaurant down a random Valley side street could be hiding such treasures. This dish will guarantee you productivity, prosperity and joy if you have it for breakfast. This, and the excellent caffeinated beverage list they’ve got going.

Italian sandwich — Good Things Grocer

Is it a Brisbane list if we don’t include a sandwich? The first time I came upon the most unexpected sandwich spot was when I had their Italian sandwich (forgive me, I don’t remember the actual name), not when I went to review it for my very first Hullo Brisbane piece. This has to be the best sandwich of my year: fresh focaccia, prosciutto and salami, giardiniera (pickled veg relish), marinated peppers, lots of rocket and provolone. Zingy and fresh from the relish and the marinated peppers, salty and fatty from the meats, creamy from the cheese and potential mayo moment — sometimes it’s just a sandwich, other times it’s a religion.

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Becca Wang is a freelance writer and food and drink columnist. She has by-lines in Broadsheet, Boothby, Gourmet Traveller, RUSSH and others. She is also the founding editor of Hawker Magazine, a food and culture publication. You can keep up with her at @supper.partying.

But I am hosting a Pottery & Sip event this weekend in Wilston, Brisbane at Our Space Pottery Studio, and they are going to be SO MUCH FUN.

The lovely people at the studio have provided an actual teacher (because, let’s be real, no one trusts me to teach pottery alone). But I will be there wandering around, hyping you up, judging your creations, and adding the occasional “artistic touch.”

There are a few different sessions left with spots available:

Paint-A-Piece

This one’s easy peasy. You pick a pre-made piece and decorate it however you like — patterns, colours, chaos, beauty… whatever your little heart desires.

I’ll float around helping, offering unsolicited opinions, and maybe adding a tiny flourish to your masterpiece.

Remaining session:
Paint-a-Piece & Sip - Saturday - 5:45 - 8pm - Click Here to Purchase

Hand-Building

This is my favourite. You get a big hunk of clay and I’ll show you how to make adorable tiny homes. OR… you can build literally anything.
No rules. No pressure. Just clay, creativity, and questionable decisions.

Remaining session:
Hand Building & Sip - Sunday - 3 - 5pm - Click Here to Purchase

Wheel Throwing

These are such a blast. You sit at a wheel, spin some clay, get a little dirty, and attempt to make something that resembles pottery. It’s “Ghost,” but with more screaming.

A professional teacher will guide you through the whole process while I wander around adding chaos and encouragement.

We have only 2-3 spots left for these sessions so get in quick!

Remaining session:
Wheel & Sip - Saturday - 12:45 - 2:45pm - Click Here to Purchase
Wheel & Sip - Sunday - 12:45 - 2:45pm - Click Here to Purchase

Wine + Nibbles (The Important Part)

The legends at Poco Vino have supplied the wine, and we’ve got a grazing table ready to go. So yes, you get to drink, eat, chat, and make art. Is this heaven? Probably.

So if you want to come hang out with me, make something cute (or cursed), and have a laugh, this is your moment.

Bring a friend. Bring a date. Bring your mum. Bring yourself!

Can’t wait to see you there 💛
Christian

Ramona Trattoria

If I had to prescribe a quote to Brisbane’s Italian food scene, it would be, “Put the stick down, the horse is dead” from Lorelai Gilmore, titular protagonist of television show Gilmore Girls (2000). Like Lorelai, I eat out a lot. Unlike Lorelai, I don’t live in a walkable town with restaurants with endearing names like Luke’s or Al’s Pancake World. But — once in a blue moon, I find a *good* restaurant in the suburbs and that is practically the same thing.

Let’s circle back to the dead horse quote. Brisbane has dareIsayit TOO much Italian food. There’s casual Italian, fine dining Italian, classic Italian, Italian wine bars, Italian sandwich shops, Italian bakeries, Italian gelato shops, Italian sex shops!!! (Just kidding, but what if?)

Then riddle me this. Why is Ramona Trattoria in Coorparoo the only decent suburban Italian restaurant on the south side? It baffles me. If you love something, open more of it closer to where everyone lives.

It was almost disorienting to eat properly cooked wagyu skewers with salsa verde and a stuffed zucchini flower in blissful suburbia. More disorienting was the fact that actual families with children (gasp) were out on a school night — that’s when you know not only is the food Italian, the culture is seeping through as well.

Pasta over pizza always. Though, you’d be safe ordering either at Ramona. They have a full fledged pizza oven (not just a Gozney) and classic options I respect — mushroom and truffle, prawn and nduja, mortadella and stracciatella. None of that reef and beef BS. (I unironically love that pizza though, don’t @ me.) The fregola with seafood (a true goutfest: mussels, prawn, clams, octopus and salmon roe) was held together by a flavourful bisque. Fregola (pearl) is such an underrated pasta shape — I love the way it gets into all the nooks and crannies of the shells.

Perhaps the hottest take of them all: my least favourite Roman pasta is carbonara. The first 2-3 bites of it are heaven on a stick but then you start to feel a little ill. Ramona’s version may become richer even quicker because of the cold pecorino (?) cream that’s pooled over the top of the sauced pasta itself. Best to split with friends.

Notably fantastic wine and cocktail list. Their house spritz — Hugo adjacent — is made with Italicus, a bergamot liqueur that turns everything it touches to gold. Excellent taste.

131 Leicester St, Coorparoo

@ramonatrattoria

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Doodee Boran

As a rule of thumb, the closer you get to the centre of Brisbane, the better the food is. And at the absolute epicenter is Doodee Boran, the quintessential Thai street food spot. What makes a great Thai restaurant, you might ask? Some symptoms include:

• Karaoke or a live band

• Several noodle options for noodle soups

• A lack of green curry on the menu

• Predominantly all-Thai staff

• Predominantly Asian customers.

Is it masterful, Sorn-level type of cooking? Maybe not. But is it straightforward, delicious and consistently busy? Yes and more.

I genuinely have no idea how this place gets the food out in less than five minutes every single time, despite how busy they are (very busy, all the time). This is even better for me, personally, because I will be ordering a serve of the spicy raw salmon before my ass even hits the seat, which means the salmon in my side mirror is actually as close as it appears. If there are 0 fans of the spicy raw salmon, it means that I am dead. (It’s that good I wrote 400 words about it for Broadsheet.) TLDR: punchy, zingy, fresh, and that prik nam pla!!! It ends up being a dip for everything else on the table. Fair warning, if you can’t handle spice (like my poor partner who ate a piece and couldn’t stop sweating for the rest of the meal), let the staff know, the spice level is adjustable. You can also get a raw prawn version of this dish, also 10/10.

Clams are the bee’s knees. Some might say: yuck, snot rock. I say: delicious things come in small packages (and often inside shells). The Doodee clams (a mountain’s worth, and for $30!) are wok-fried in a sweet Thai chilli paste and basil. I put a little rice in the shell on top of the clam with an extra lick of sauce and that there is a perfect bite.

Call me basic but the soft shell crab is compulsory. These huge portions of golden, crispy, crab is so indulgent and truly perfect paired with their house lemon iced tea or a beer. These drinks will come out approximately 10 seconds after you’ve ordered them and not a second later. It’s amusing how well-oiled this machine is.

Other notable mentions:

• The gai lan. Generous portion considering greens cost an arm and a leg — this one doesn’t and they nail the sauce every time.

• Tom yum noodles with pork. Bit hot for summer eating at the moment but when winter rolls around, the fresh, springy noodle, crispy pork belly and broth combo is wondrous.

• Grilled pork intestine. This is quite adventurous for many people but it’s really such a treat — crispy, salty, nicely chewy. Just don’t think about it too much.

• Crispy chicken skin. This and a Sex on The Beach? Absolutely sorted.

Ground Floor, Shop A/46 Charlotte St, Brisbane City

@doodee_boran

Caravanserai

Turkish food is hard to come by in Brisbane. My only memories of it are dinners at Ahmet’s in Southbank for a special occasion or at the old Gerard’s Bistro (barely Turkish), sipping a cocktail called the Delightful Turk (which is indeed delightful and still on their menu since the late 2010s). But I’d driven past Caravanserai at least a hundred times and not until last week did I actually step inside.

These veteran restaurants (see: Himalayan Cafe, Greek Taverna, Billy’s Pine and Bamboo, etc.) are all time capsule-y. They feel like the mid-2010s, before a time of QR codes and Square POS machines and pet nat by the glass. An old-er restaurant is comforting in its kitschy tablecloths, wide-rimmed dishes and woven bread baskets. Nostalgia is powerful.

Mussels in a tomato wine sauce. (Boo, stop ordering bivalves! Someone in the back yells.) Small, succulent mussels — not the large, dry variety — are perfect for this acidic sauce. It had a thick-soup-like consistency perfect for mopping up with fluffy fried bread.

Mezze is the ultimate girl dinner. Caravanserai’s Ottoman’s mezze isn’t exactly the most accurate Turkish mezze — baked polenta, quinoa, chorizo and mojo verde are very questionably “Turkish” (I think they’ve gotten a little confused with Spain…).

Nonetheless, a fun and balanced spread! The herby yogurt and mojo verde cut through the richness of the meats and cheeses. I would’ve loved a few more spears of asparagus — one asparagus per person is a sad picture. But for $18.50 each, this is peak budget dining out.

1 Dornoch Terrace, West End

@caravanserai.restaurant

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Becca Wang is a freelance writer and food and drink columnist. She has by-lines in Broadsheet, Boothby, Gourmet Traveller, RUSSH and others. She is also the founding editor of Hawker Magazine, a food and culture publication. You can keep up with her at @supper.partying.

Ikkaku Yakiniku

The Sunnybank Plaza parking situation is far too perilous for how many good restaurants and grocers there are. I like driving to dinner because it’s mostly efficient and saves me money but if it means I have to do laps of a hilly carpark in my 2007 Toyota Corolla, count me out.

There is, however, only one thing I would drive up three flights of narrow concrete for: fried chicken cartilage. That’s right — bite-sized pieces of crunchy chicken cartilage (the white stuff that’s neither bone nor meat, edible I promise) dipped in karaage batter and fried until golden. Squeeze of lemon, dip of kewpie, bob’s your uncle. It’s crunchy, light, textural heaven.

The first time I had this glorious izakaya dish was at a yakitori bar in Taipei and I thought about it a lot thereafter. The first time I’ve seen it on a menu in Brisbane (or Australia for that matter) is at Ikkaku Yakiniku — a Japanese barbecue restaurant in the plaza.

Of course, I didn’t go to Japanese barbecue just for cartilage (but don’t threaten me with a good time) — the meat selection was small but had all the essentials and more: basic cuts of wagyu, A5 wagyu, pork belly and jowl, marinated chicken thigh and veg.

They also had a small raw selection of salmon sashimi and beef and salmon tartare. The salmon tartare was Hawaiian-style with diced avocado and mango, red onion and aburi salmon. I’d recommend eating it over some rice with extra soy — a nice poke break from the rich meat.

For drinks, I love umeshu (plum wine) to death. They also have lemon sours and 2 for 1 beers on weeknights for those who didn’t drive (I’m jealous).

The service was a bit of a miss — they brought over our to-be-grilled wagyu before they’d even turned the grill on and didn’t realise it’d never been turned on so we just sat there trying to flag someone down for ten minutes. The staff didn’t seem to know which meat was what (train your staff!). They also didn’t clear any empty plates or glasses throughout the meal, which seems like the bare minimum when there’s approximately one waitperson for every two customers.

341 Mains Rd, Sunnybank QLD

@ikkakuyakiniku

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Banneton Bakery

There are three types of Brisbane bakeries:

1. The new age, minimalist, all stainless steel bakeries with no seating and seasonal twists on classics (usually rhubarb is involved), trendy sandwiches (chicken cutlet or beef and pickles) and a large range of cold pressed juice.

2. French patisserie/boulangerie: lots of wood, simple design, fresh fruit danishes, kouign amanns, very golden brown very voluminous plain croissants, gargantuan almond croissants.

3. The old school Australian bakery where 75% of the space is the pastry cabinet, there’s someone wearing a hairnet and there are eight different pie flavours. Staples like vanilla slice, apple turnover, lamington and finger buns are always present.

Banneton is a mix of the last two — they make the most classic French pastries (no rhubarb here) but you can also get fruit mince tarts and beef pie. Not a single frill in sight and if that’s what you’re in the mood for, this is the perfect place to stop.

This was a slightly above average blueberry danish — there wasn’t too much custard (less is more IMO, it’s not a custard tart, people!), the blueberries were nicely tart but could’ve improved on that signature danish crispy edge and thick-ish laminated dough.

I also tried the cinnamon scroll for which I wasn’t the biggest fan — it was impractically large and dry but I appreciated how much cinnamon sugar there was.

The ham and swiss baguette was a highlight — pillowy, crusty baguette (not too hard as to cut the roof of your mouth); thick-cut ham; good amount of swiss cheese; and fresh lettuce and tomato makes for a simple, delightful lunch.

I wouldn’t be able to tell if the chicken curry pie was chicken curry if I tried it without knowing beforehand — that’s how un-spiced it was. Was it Thai green curry? Malaysian chicken curry? A sweet Japanese curry? No one knows. Standard mid-range pie pastry, nothing to write home about.

Reviewed location: 25 Balaclava St, Woolloongabba (multiple locations)

@banneton_bakery

Bosco

Brisbane is obsessed with woodfire restaurants ever since Agnes opened in 2020. People lost their minds over those basque cheesecakes. I’m relieved to report I’ve seen a decline in woodfired restaurants (not that I dislike them — it just got old because everyone was making woodfired duck, shishito peppers and sardine toast).

When Bosco opened in late 2023, it felt like the woodfired concept had evolved enough to be interesting again. Their food is grounded in Spanish flavours and techniques but there are French and Italian touches throughout. There’s gilda and Spanish tortilla and whole suckling pig — a rare offering that I have only respect for.

Their signature dish is their mussels in a cider cream sauce with their house como vienna (classic Italian hearth bread). The mussels themselves were plump and soft as they were the first time I had this dish (back when they first opened) but the cream sauce was far more unctuous and thick this time — it used to be more of a cream broth, light and briny and moreish, a wondrous bath for the (very good) bread. It was still well-seasoned and I love that they’ve stuck to the same uniform presentation.

Before the mussels, I snacked on baccala mantecato, a Venetian appetiser of whipped salt cod on toast. This was texturally sound — the crumbly chickpea vessel (arguably too crumbly — needed better structural integrity) was a necessary contrast for the creamy fish spread. Nicely seasoned but needed a pop of acid.

What’s tapas without croquetas? This particular one was pork — quite savoury and fried nicely but needed half a pinch more salt.

I also had the baked crab with Pedro Ximinez (sweet sherry often drunken as a digestif), lovely spiced crab but slightly one-dimensional dish. The bread was the best part: Sliced in a pull-apart fashion, sweetish, great crust.

Beans on the side were ‘ember cooked’ but lacked smokiness and could’ve used some char — when in Rome! Ajo blanco and migas (stale breadcrumb topping similar to pangrattato) accompaniments were quite good. Will be renditioned in my own kitchen.

8 Austin St, Newstead QLD

@bosco_winegrill

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Becca Wang is a freelance writer and food and drink columnist. She has by-lines in Broadsheet, Boothby, Gourmet Traveller, RUSSH and others. She is also the founding editor of Hawker Magazine, a food and culture publication. You can keep up with her at @supper.partying.

Birria Boy

I’ll be the first one to say it: Brisbane cannot do Mexican food properly if it had a gun to its head. For a very long time, the only Mexican-adjacent food that was available was from one of three types of venues:

1. A takeaway chain that puts fries and/or plain black beans in everything.

2. A “restaurant” chain with a very dusty back bar with a handful of mainstream tequilas, a concerningly extensive menu of bland dishes covered in tomato sauce and “Aztec”-themed decorations.

3. A pastel-coloured bar to drink fruity vodka cocktails with candy garnishes that also happens to serve guac and chips and chicken nachos or in a similar energy, swap the pink drinks for giant Margarita slushies and free sombreros.

There’s a few reasons why good Mexican food hasn’t reached our side of the world yet. For one, there is a very small community of Mexican people here and as such, there aren’t many opening restaurants + the ingredients are not easily accessible. Did that ever stop us from trying to imitate the cuisine terribly? No. Can we improve the way we research and learn to respect a cuisine? Yes.

Luckily, there are more and more places taking inspiration from true Mexican dishes and flavours. Woolloongabba’s newest pop-up restaurant Birria Boy is one of them.

As suggested, Birria Boy has a birria (a regional variation of barbacoa from western Mexico, mainly made with goat, beef or lamb) focus with beef, goat and mushroom as the options. They are served in house made masela corn tortillas that acts as a crisp, deeply savoury casing. The goat version (with a house-butchered whole goat, pico de gallo, goat’s cheese) comes with a fruity tomatillo consomme for dipping and balancing richness.

The duck carnita read as a French-ified taco — it uses the confited legs of whole ducks (while the rest are used next door at C’est Bon), frijoles, burnt orange, radish and pickled onions.

I was pleasantly surprised by the effort on the snack-front — crisp chicharrones dusted with acidic tajin and dipped in a light mole was an unmatched way to start the meal (Margaritas mandatory here), followed by zingy, ceviche-style yellowfin tuna belly on a tostada with smoked crema and a rich bite of chorizo-stuffed woodfired jalapeno. Whatever you do — do not sleep on the snacks.

If you are ever so Margarita-inclined, don’t drive because you will want to sample all the flavours. I’m a Tommy’s purist but I did have the grapefruit one and it was well-balanced and poured over block ice — pretty nice.

617 Stanley St, Woolloongabba

@birriaboy.au

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Em Saigon

There is much food-related knowledge I have come to acquire over the years but one thing I’ve not been able to wrap my mind around is how a tiny CBD food kiosk produces one of the best pho broths I’ve had in Brisbane. To the owner of this place — Em Saigon — who doesn’t know my name but calls me “Combination Pho” because that’s the only thing I order here — this one’s for you.

Em Saigon is a family-owned Vietnamese restaurant on Gresham Lane I discovered when I was working a corporate job up the street. Since I left that job, I’ve not been able to get my weekly fix (the saddest part). This is why it’s the best combo beef pho ($18, a steal) you can find in the city, or anywhere:

• Broth: so clean and light yet full of depth. Perfectly seasoned — never excessive seasoning or spices to overcompensate for lack of cook-time. Right balance of onions and ginger and star anise. I wish they sold the stuff in takeaway coffee cups.

  

• Meat: the combo option comes with super tender brisket, great meatballs and thinly sliced rare beef. No tripe which is a minor bummer but I can let it slide this time. They also have the classics — just rare beef/just brisket/both.

• Noodles: good quality, roundish noodles (I hate the flat, too-thin noodles that disintegrate). Important: never overcooked.

• Service: quick, no BS. Some oiling of the machine is needed for peak corporate lunch times but overall, seamless. You will get called the name of your regular order if you visit enough.

100 Creek Street, Shop/3 Gresham La, Brisbane City

The German Club

The most German thing about me is that I had a German teacher in primary school that we called Frau Gallagher (I think she was Irish). Or perhaps my obsession with The Sound of Music as a young child (I thought they were German). I’ve always wanted to quell my mysteries about German food (and culture but that’s for another time) — what better opportunity than at The German Club?

My under-qualified impression of The German Club (est. 1883!) is, on the basis of aesthetics, a chicer Australian pub with the addition of vintage German signage, photographs and honour boards with previous families and figures of significance all over the walls. Bar-wise, most of the beer and some of the wine is German (LOVE me a glass of any German riesling) and served in authentic glassware.

Behold: my first ever spätzle. (And definitely not my last.) This was a cross between a dry-ish carbonara and weeknight fridge cleanout (in a good way?). Crispy, salty bits of speck and mushrooms were littered throughout a well-buttered, irregularly-shaped egg pasta. It’s meant to be eaten as a side to saucy meat dishes, hence the relative plainness but I would absolutely eat this as a meal any day of the week.

Then came the main act. This is where I felt a little bit geared up, oddly, like a competitive eater about to throw down. Perhaps it was because of the sheer amount of protein and carbs in front of us. The lowdown? Cheese kransky (excellent, 10/10), roast pork belly (typical, 7/10), roast potatoes (7/10, could’ve been crispier and better seasoned), chicken schnitzel (3/10 quite bland, dry meat), braised cabbage and sauerkraut (5/10 for gut health) and the gravy (6/10 not house made but very nostalgic). We also mistakenly ordered a classic potato salad — very unnecessary but a nice, light respite for the other rich food.

416 Vulture St, Kangaroo Point

@thebrisbanegermanclub

Becca Wang is a freelance writer and food and drink columnist. She has by-lines in Broadsheet, Boothby, Gourmet Traveller, RUSSH and others. She is also the founding editor of Hawker Magazine, a food and culture publication. You can keep up with her at @supper.partying.

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Mountain River Patisserie

Across the road from Fruitgrove station in Runcorn is an elegant Japanese cafe and dessert shop that likely has one of the biggest and most creative cake menus in Brisbane. When I visited, they had eight cake options from chocolate chiffon black forest to a green cake version of mont blanc. This is also a place that could double as a canelé shrine — they have 10 different options and the entrance doorknob is a canelé mould!

In a surprising turn of events, I came for the cakes but stayed for the quiche. Unlike most quiches, which are served lukewarm with slightly flaccid pastry, Mountain River’s quiche improved every disappointing aspect. The house-made pastry was flaky and buttery while the filling is a great consistency. The bechamel “lid” of the quiche was unconventional but very delicious. I will be re-ordering the wagyu one very soon — it’s like a breakfast version of a braised beef cheek.

We also sampled the takana chashu (ramen inspired) and takomeshi (octopus) onigiri. Unlike the onigiri I am used to with white rice on the outside and filling on the inside, the “filling” was combined with the rice. Both rice balls were unfortunately quite dry and bland — the seasoning needed adjusting post-mixing with rice.

The ‘napoli mafia’ cake — is inspired by Culinary Class Wars' Napoli Mafia’s winning dessert from the convenience store challenge where he used chestnuts and cream from doughnuts to make a tiramisu. The cake was complex and well-executed: layers of coffee chestnut almond cake, marscapone chestnut cream, espresso chiffon, chocolate cookie and chestnut “noodle” puree.

The Hong Kong milk tea and cognac canelé was a little dry and the crust was quite thick. It would’ve improved with more milk tea flavour as well.

Mountain River’s tea selection is excellent — they have imported matcha, hojicha, genmaicha and a range of Japanese teas by the pot.

I particularly appreciated the attention to detail from the dedicated table service to the bespoke ceramics and cloth coasters, it’s a cafe experience that goes above and beyond.

84 Mango St, Runcorn QLD

@mountainriver_patisserie

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Milquetoast

Frankly, there aren’t many venues in Brisbane sending out creative small plates anymore — Bar Francine, Gum Bistro, Maeve, maybe Agnes if you only order off the entrees? The trend died off when we weren’t watching and if you were to ask me my Brisbane restaurant hot take, it’s that there aren’t enough *good* small plate offerings.

But that’s where Milquetoast comes in. The menu is tight but inventive with dishes that are actually workshopped and nuanced (personally sick of seeing a plate of salami or “tomato carpaccio” qualify as a dish). The chefs seem to really care about flavour and texture and you can tell they’re having fun, but with a lot of respect for technique and produce.

Take the drunken chicken dish inspired by the yum cha classic. It’s been reimagined as a ballotine, sous vide chicken and mushroom mousse rolled up in its own skin and seared until crisp, then served with a broth spiked with Shaoxing wine. Punchy Chinese flavours with French techniques — now we’re talking.

Oftentimes I find that wine bars drop the ball on their cocktail offering in that the list is too big for what their staff are capable of executing well but at Milquetoast, wines and cocktails have equal real estate. Aidan Perkins knows how to wield a cocktail — just look at that whisky highball above, it’s a tropical version of a shandy with yuzu, jackfruit and a salted rockmelon foam. Another MT hit is an Irish Coffee riff called the Poker Book made with montenegro, coffee liqueur, apricot brandy, honey cream and bee pollen.

The wines are just as creative and interesting — mostly new age Australian drops by the glass and international drops and plenty of classic old world French bottles.

The charisma of wine bar service doesn’t exist in any other type of establishment. At Milquetoast, this much is true and more — you can tell that the people who work there care about what’s on your plate and what’s in your glass but most importantly, they want you to leave content.

Laneway/199 Elizabeth St, Brisbane City

@milquetoastwinebar

Cordeaux Social Club

The upscale West End chicness of Cordeaux Social Club is undeniable. The location, mid-century interiors and street-facing-people-watching window seats are everything you want in a cafe.

Something you wouldn’t want in a cafe is how unwelcome you are made to feel when arriving. On this particular morning, I walked in and waited at the front counter for someone to greet me (as an ex-hospo, never assume you should seat yourself). Let’s just say it was an awkward amount of time to be watching two people make coffees in silent.

The breakfast “burrito” was dry and there was far too much onion in the guac. (Sidenote: guac in a breakfast burrito seems sacrilegious but at this point, I’ve totally given up on Australian takes on Mexican food.) It really could’ve used a hit of queso to pull the wrap together. The tuna melt, though, was solid — well toasted, good balance of filling, simple but satisfying.

I’m not a coffee connoisseur so can’t wax lyrical about the beans/roast/milk texture/temperature of the coffee but my cappuccino was one of the better ones I’ve had this year.

462 Montague Rd, West End

@cordeauxsocialclub_

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Becca Wang is a freelance writer and food and drink columnist. She has by-lines in Broadsheet, Boothby, Gourmet Traveller, RUSSH and others. She is also the founding editor of Hawker Magazine, a food and culture publication. You can keep up with her at @supper.partying.

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La Favolosa

This little Italian sandwich shop on Boundary Street is the definition of a dark horse. There are practically no notable aesthetics — a few tall tables and chairs, a deli counter and a big menu on the wall — and in a camera eats first world, one has to wonder if this affects business. However it may, Brisbane is luckily still a place where if the food is delicious and consistently well-made, people will come. Especially if that food is bread-related.

La Favolosa makes hands-down the best schiacciata in the city. It is — dare I say it, better than the ones I had in Florence. The bread is a moreish, crisp bite into a well aerated pillow that is slightly chewy with a perfect crumb (bread nerds will know). When the bread is this masterful, keep the filling simple.

The menu is categorised into fillings of two types: fresh and light or savoury and briny. I ordered a half size of each in the form of the Lucifer (savoury city: nduja, hot soppressata, pecorino cream cheese, eggplant) and the Paradiso (a mortadella-stracciatella-truffle-rocket situation). Freshness of ingredients: undeniable. The filling to bread ratio: should be studied. Balance of flavours: second to none. Owner Arbor knows something we don’t.

I also *had to* order a few cannoli for the drive home. Also some of the best cannoli I’ve had anywhere — crisp shell, light, almost floral ricotta filling. What is in the water at La Favolosa?

2/163 Boundary St, West End

@lafavolosa_

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Hellenika

Full disclosure: when I was 19, I worked at Hellenika for six months. Was it the best six months of my life? Absolutely not. Did I eat a lot of slow-cooked lamb shoulder and saganaki? Yes — therefore, it could have been the best six months of my life.

In many cuisines, simplicity is king. This might apply the most to Greek food, where most of its dishes are composed of seasonal produce, meat or seafood dressed or seasoned simply, then grilled, fried or baked. This low-intervention cooking translates to Australian produce beautifully so it’s no surprise why there are so many Greek restaurants (and successful ones at that) in this country.

James Street-ified Greek food is simplicity without charismatic provincial edge. Is it the best Greek food in Brisbane? No. Does it work for the poolside, LA-core environment? Very.

Notable dishes include the ladolemeno-dressed Greek salad with whole kalamatas and a slab of creamy feta; the sharp, salty white taramalsata with fluffy pita bread; and most of all, the complimentary herby fish soup that comes out before everything else (exceptional appetite opener).

For mains, always always always lamb cutlets. These were cooked to a blushy medium-rare (without asking) and came with a wedge of lemon and a spoonful of tzatziki. And perfect, tender octopus kissed by the grill was an unexpected highlight of my year.

I remember being obsessed with the tempura-style zucchini chips topped with crumbled kefalotyri (a pungent sheep’s milk cheese) so I had to order those to commemorate. Perhaps my palate has advanced significantly but they were not the same conversation-stopping snack I recall — quite oily, underseasoned, a bit overcooked. The saganaki, also better a few years ago, was served on a cold plate and went hard and rubbery before it even got to the table.

The Hellenkia galakatoboureko will always have my heart. It's a thick square of set custard in filo pastry and served with orange sugar syrup. I’ve not found better in Brisbane (tell me if you have though).

Level 1/48 James St, Fortitude Valley

@hellenika

Little Provence

French food is wonderful when it is done well. It is a highly technique-heavy cuisine — ask any chef what station is the most difficult and most of them will answer ‘saucier’. And what is French food? 90% sauce.

What happens when the sauce flops? Does the whole menu go belly up? Or can it be saved by a well-cooked piece of protein or fresh, seasonal vegetables?

I pondered these questions when I ate at Little Provence, the newest French restaurant in the old Pneuma and Greenglass space (already, big shoes to fill). The answers were conflicting.

The pâté de campagne at a French restaurant is the marker of quality. Little Provence’s pâté was well seasoned and a typical consistency but the cross section (a recognised indicator of skill) left something to be desired. Souffle is another litmus test — all I will say was this salmon version with veloute was objectively tasty but way too heavy and eggy for a souffle.

I appreciate the effort of showcasing some dishes that are actually from Provence (the south), like the squid ‘a la settoise’ — squid stuffed with pork mince and vegetables cooked in a bouillabaise-y tomato sauce with rice. However, the presentation was pedestrian and the pork filling was bland but the sauce was flavourful and silky. The rice in the sauce ruined the dish for me — it was overcooked and added nothing.

I was really looking forward to the braised beef cheek with polenta and a side of Paris mash (1:1 potatoes and butter) but was very let down by what tasted like reheated frozen mash and a powdery slab of polenta. The beef itself was cooked well and the jus was a good consistency.

336 George St, Brisbane City

@lp_french_restaurant

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Becca Wang is a freelance writer and food and drink columnist. She has by-lines in Broadsheet, Boothby, Gourmet Traveller, RUSSH and others. She is also the founding editor of Hawker Magazine, a food and culture publication. You can keep up with her at @supper.partying.

• Toowoomba Pottery Studio: Darling Downs Potters Club

• Cheap Annual Membership $120

• Wheels, Tables and Access to Kilns

• Has A Shop To Sell Your Creations

• Instagram @darlingdownspottery

The Basics

The Darling Downs Potters Club is on the corner of Herries & West st in Toowoomba and is a community potters club that offers really cheap annual memberships of $120. To see all the benefits click HERE

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My Experience

I was told of this club while I was visiting Toowoomba recently for the Carnival of Flowers. They offered to give me a tour and throw some stuff on their wheels.

It is the cutest space across the road from Laurel Bank Park. I popped in and was treated by a shop at the front of the studio where members can sell their works. The first thing I noticed was just how quiet and zen the vibe is. It’s on a very bust intersection but the road noise just disappears when youre in there.

I’m on a bit of a tiny home journey and this pottery studio was calling my name. It was saying “come live in Toowoomba you idiot”.

I am a member of a great studio in Brisbane called Mas & Miek that has everything I need in Brisbane but the pull of moving out to the foothills of Toowoomba is strong.

I’m obsessed with pottery and it is a requirement to ideally be close to a studio space.

If you’re local and interest in joining you can do a class or workshop. It’s a great way to test the waters.

Watch my tour below:

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Bori

My mother rarely goes out to eat mostly because she is a fantastic cook. I can’t recall any distinctive memories of her praising restaurant food ever — she’s like Anton Ego from Ratatouille (pre-ratatouille) but small and Chinese.

Thus I almost fell off my chair when she said, “You should try Bori. The food is really good.”

Bori only seats 15 in a simple, undecorated space smaller than my living room. From my experience, they are busy from the moment they open. Fortunately, Asians are serious about eating — we eat fast and don’t talk that much — which means you won’t be waiting more than 45 minutes like other places with queues.

Soup is to Bori like Michael Jordan is to basketball, Thomas Keller is to French food, Tchaikovsky is to classical music. There are seven different types of soup ranging from clear, hearty broths to the spicy and savoury. They are served in ttukbaegis (traditional earthenware pot) steaming and still bubbling from the heat.

The pork intestine soup is the best intro to Korean soup (don’t be afraid of the word ‘intestine’, it is very approachable and meat is meat, after all. If you’re really weird about it just order the beef brisket, it’s very similar).

This broth could heal a cold, the deadliest hangover, polio even. There’s a generous amount of sliced fatty pork and strips of intestine, a handful of scallions and a constellation of black garlic to cut through the richness. It comes with multigrain rice, gochujang and saeujeot (salted shrimp condiment) and house made banchan (cabbage kimchi and radish kimchi), all complimentary. It’s an entire meal, expertly made with the touch of a Korean amma.

A bonus: After soup, get to Nanaya a few doors down for gelato that’s better than Messina. The houjicha and matcha flavours are so concentrated (just look at the colour) and the texture is silky and stretchy like it should be. The flavour ‘tropical’ (mango pineapple?) goes down superbly on a hot Brisbane day.

Bori: 12/17 Barrett St, Robertson

Nanaya: 8/17 Barrett St, Robertson

Sizzling Birds

The last place I ever expected to find a decent charcoal chicken was at Civic Fair Shopping Centre, an old school shopping centre in Mount Gravatt. At Civic Fair, a handful of food businesses have popped up over the years. There’s now Italian takeaway, an Indian restaurant, a bakery and a Filipino grocer. Among these, a charcoal chicken spot with Middle Eastern embellishments rounds out the list nicely. That’s more culture in a single 200m radius than several suburbs combined. (I won't name names…)

The charcoal chicken is cooked in rotisserie racks over coals. The skin was likely brushed with lemon, herbs and seasoning after the chicken came off the grill — crispy, well-seasoned and smoky. The leg meat was perfectly cooked and juicy but the breast meat was a bit dry. Unfortunately, the only way to remedy this is to cook the legs and breast separately but that’s unrealistic and inefficient for most businesses. Fortunately, a bit of dry chicken breast is the least tragic thing in the world — especially if you have some very good toum to eat with it.

The wings were nicely dressed in a tangy, savoury, slightly spicy buffalo sauce. In a very un-restaurant-critic way, I LOVE ranch and the combination of good wing + lots of ranch = happy days.

The coleslaw was fresh and not too mayo-y (the worst!). The pickles were mostly salty and needed more acid. Toum is non-negotiable here — order more than you think you’ll eat, it goes great with eggs the next day.

(So you’re thinking, what kind of freak doesn’t order chips with their chicken? I promise I intended to and even thought I, as the kids say, “secured the bag”. But when I unboxed my treasures a 20-minute drive later, I found out I didn’t ask for them out loud. Very important, very sad.)

280 Newnham Rd, Mount Gravatt East

@sizzling.birds

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Felix for Goodness

Felix for Goodness was one of the first plant-based, “health conscious” cafes to open in Brisbane. Tucked away in Burnett Lane, you could walk past without knowing if it weren’t for the sound of chatter and often queues spilling out onto the street. It’s been a popular choice for as long as it’s been open, and it makes some sense why.

The split-level space is half the joy of the experience. The lower level has a large communal table (more of these in Brisbane!) and seating along the street-facing windows where light pours in. The rest of the cafe is on the “upper” level where it’s still cosy.

Perhaps it’s an innate aversion to breakfast or my unrealistic expectations for cafe creativity but ultimately, Felix’s menu didn’t excite me. Run of the mill items included avocado on toast, folded omelette (what makes a folded omelette more interesting than one sans modifier?), frittata and a green bowl. They also had a panna cotta… something I haven’t seen on a menu since 2016. What I was most disappointed by was the lack of hash brown add-on. What possible reason would there be to omit the unanimously-decided Best Breakfast Item of All Time?

The potato and chorizo cutlet was golden brown and the chorizo added a warm, savoury flavour. Unfortunately this wasn’t enough to distract from the gummy interior of classically overworked potato. The herby yogurt and sauteed veg were suitable accompaniments to cut through the richness of the potato cake. Finally, I can’t sleep peacefully without airing my sprout garnish hatred to the world. Why are we still putting things on the plate that don’t add any flavour or texture????

I had a decent cinnamon crumble cake to finish. It was served with a side of fresh milk which is thoughtful, especially if you know the cake you’ve made is a bit dry. I should also mention the matcha at Felix has my seal of approval.

50 Burnett Ln, Brisbane City

@felixforgoodness

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Becca Wang is a freelance writer and food and drink columnist. She has by-lines in Broadsheet, Boothby, Gourmet Traveller, RUSSH and others. She is also the founding editor of Hawker Magazine, a food and culture publication. You can keep up with her at @supper.partying.

Ramen Kann

I’ve always said that if I had to choose between pho and ramen, the answer was always pho. It’s light, it’s nourishing, I could eat it any time, any day of the week. Ramen is, of the two, the richer, more luxurious noodle soup. And it has its role, but seldom in my life do I prefer it.

That’s until I went to Ramen Kann.

Going into this, I had heard things about the restaurant that struck me (as someone who has eaten widely across many countries and price points, things seldom surprise me these days) — a) They only make chicken-based broth, and b) The owner will not open for business if the broth is below standard.

This level of commitment to quality rings clearer than a 6am alarm on a Monday morning. The original broth (Nagoya-style chicken paitan) is creamy, complex, deeply savoury, rich and somehow light all at once. The spicy version of the broth has the addition of spicy miso which complemented the clean chicken flavour without being overpowering.

Deluxe ramens included spring onion, bean sprouts, a perfect marinated soft-boiled egg and three generous slices of tender pork. The noodles are cooked how I like it — with a little bite (al dente, if you will).

Ramen Kann is one of those restaurants that only have a handful of menu items but execute them deftly. Other than the chicken ramen, there’s also a vegetable ramen, gyozas (veg or pork) and a pork rice bowl. The pork gyoza were very fresh and well-balanced with a crisp exterior — full points.

14 Annerley Rd, Woolloongabba

@ramen_kann

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Idle

I wonder if Idle’s name has anything to do with the saying, “Idle hands make the devil’s plaything”? This venue feels as if Anyday Group’s hands became idle and they just needed to cross cafe off their list. Is it stylish? Sure, if you’re obsessed with stainless steel. Is it buzzy and atmospheric? Yes, inevitably. Is it what Brisbane is missing? I wish it was.

The menu reads as minimalist, “seasonal” and cool — tomato toast, European breakfast plates (more Scandi rye and eggs than Italian brioche and granita), green bowls and fish burgers. Very Florian, very Apotek 57.

My eye was caught by the steamed crab omelette. Crab omelette is often seen on cafe menus but it rarely tastes like how it reads. Unfortunately, this one was extra confusing — for $36, there was about two tablespoons of crab and it was all in the very top of the “omelette”. (I’ve used scare quotes because it was closer to a brick of egg.) The egg, which is on half a piece of toast, is cloaked with a creamy but bland choron (tomato bearnaise sauce) and some token salmon roe. There was also a negligible smattering of mixed salad leaves in true cafe fashion.

I will give props to their hash brown ($8 add-on) — very crispy and seasoned nicely. The matcha was lacking in flavour and there were clumpy milk solids floating about (is this punishment for drinking full cream?).

The display cabinet boasts a good variety of sweet treats — kouign amann, croissants, doughnuts and miscellaneous laminated pastries (cinnamon log?) — as well as sandwiches, bread and pies. Next time, it might be safer to opt for a couple of sandwiches, canele and juices to take to New Farm Park.

84 Merthyr Rd, New Farm

@idle.bakery

Aribhu

The Ranchhod Arcade in Moorooka has black-and-white tiles, fluorescent lights and a winding staircase straight out of a Stanley Kubrick film. There are multiple small businesses inside — tailors, restaurants, a barbershop.

On the lower ground of the arcade is Arhibu Restaurant, a small Ethiopian and Eritrean restaurant. The space feels like a family home, lined with traditional Ethiopian art and artefacts. On a Friday night, the place is lively with groups of friends and families.

The menu covers a bit of everything: crispy filo parcels stuffed with spiced beef mince, lentil stews and choose-your-own meat and veg platters that come with ample injera (fermented flatbread) for dipping.

I couldn’t quite get used to the fermented, acidity of the injera but it balanced the richness of the curries and the texture is light and satisfying. The curries we chose for our platter — key tibs (spiced lamb), lamb molokhia (lamb and spinach), doro wot (chicken) and key wot (beef) — were complex and comforting, and packed a good amount of heat. The platters are also excellent value at $22pp.

They also offer traditional Ethiopian coffee service, a necessary pick-me-up after a big meal.

Shop 21- 197/201 Beaudesert Rd, Moorooka

www.arhiburestaurant.com.au

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• Gym and Wellness Centre

• $165 weekly membership (that’s my tier)

• In Newstead

• Instagram @totalfusionplatinum

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The Basics

Total Fusion is a $75 million dollar complex with two huge levels dedicated to a gym and the third floor a rooftop wellness centre. It also has a wellness wing downstairs that costs you a gentle $250 per week to be a member of.

It’s membership only and they do offer tours of the facility before joining. You can join for 3 or 6 months or have an ongoing membership. Parking is available in a public lot next door and members get three hours free.

My Experience

Is it the most expensive in Australia, I don’t know for sure but c’mon surely there isn’t another gym more than $250 a week?

Firstly I want to say I’m on a $165 weekly membership and have been a member since November 2023. I am aware that for a gym that’s a fucking huge amount of money. At first I was like ‘who would pay this?’. This is so stupid, for a gym? No way i’ll ever do that.

Then I started seeing tiktok tours and hot models post about this place. I decided to have a tour just because I was curious as to why this was so talked about. Firstly they told me there was a co-working space which meant I could work from here thus justifying this membership as a business expense. WINNER! I work for myself and want the ATO to know that I use this gym as my office. I’m literally here everyday.

The tour made me froth for this place, the gym was good but it was all about level 3, the rooftop.

The gym floors are huge and even have a rock climbing wall and an altitude room. I usually skip the gym and go straight to the rooftop wellness centre. It is AMAZING, It’s like a resort. A large pool surrounded by padded deck chairs sourced from something out of Architectures Digest, umbrellas and a cafe. You head inside and down to the change rooms and pop your stuff in a locker. Then you head up to the roof where you can jump in one of four warm magnesium spas, three cold plunges, salt room, snow room, steam room, dry sauna and 8 inferred saunas.

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There is a women’s only section with four saunas and a cold and warm plunge, which I think is a great idea. THere is no ‘mens only’ and I put that down to the fact it would likely become a sex venue if that was the case. The gays of Newstead are always so thirsty.

What the fuck is a snow room? It’s a room about the size of an ensuite bathroom with a swing in it. There is a nozzle on the roof which I guess sprays a mist and snow builds up on all the surfaces in the room.

Proper snow you can pick up and throw. However this place is so fancy you are just supposed to sit on the swing in the cold and reap the benefits. SO BORING I KNOW! However you can make a snow angel if you want to but I dont think I’d be getting on the floor.

What is a Salt Room? When you order your vegan cabbage fries from the cafe you head to the salt room and hold them up in front of a vent that adds some himalayan rock salt. Obviously that’s not what it’s for! Salt rooms are a place you sit for about 20 minutes and fine salt particles are pumped into the air and you breathe them in. BEFORE YOU CALL BULLSHIT its to increase immunity and help aid in cleaning and sanitizing your sinuses. As a big hayfever sufferer I live in this room. After about 15 minutes your nose starts to get runny and you know its doing the trick.

I have been coming here often. I’m lucky I don’t have a 9-5 job and so I show up in the middle of the day and it’s relatively quiet. I sit in the salt room for about 30 minutes, then sit in the steam room for 12 minutes then jump in the 4 degree cold pool for as long as I can handle and into the warm magnesium spas.

I try to do this a few times a week and because my body is so fucked this routine has been such a privilege. I have seen people pay $175 for a 2 hour visit to a spa. The weekly expense isn’t lost on me and I’m so lucky that I earn enough to justify this cost. I don’t smoke or drink so money I’d be spending on that goes to paying for this.

I still get the odd look of ‘I cannot believe you pay that much’ but for me it works itself out to $33 per visit if I go 5 times a week. That’s the price of a cocktail!

P.S If you decided to order off their menu they do an insane Vietnamese Chicken Salad. Also you can be a member and let a friend experience what it’s like but it will cost you……

Because we’re edging silly season (and it feels like it’s going to be a big one), there’s a bit of that calm before the storm tension in the air. By the end of this month, restaurants and bars all over will be heaving with people — if you’re into that, you’ll blend in just fine. If not, you’ve got some eating to catch up on.

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Marlowe

Marlowe is a sharp left-turn for what the Fanda group (Southside, Rick Shores, Central, Norte) have previously opened — so much so that I had (good) whiplash when I first saw the place.

Beautiful ceiling moulding and mid-century furniture complemented by bauhaus finishes; former sunrooms used as almost-private dining areas; and hand-collected vintage utensils and serving dishes both used and on display — 10/10. It’s really important that a space reflects a venue’s intention, and by no means is it easy. But when they get it right, the difference is palpable.

Is this the Gimlet-ification of old school Australian dishes? Perhaps. But it makes a world of sense for the site — a 1930s apartment — and where the Brisbane restaurant landscape is right now (More retro! Less marble!).

Oysters with bisque and saffron sauce is a delightful, bouillabaisse-y way to start — as is the hash with smoked trout, a well-balanced bite of savoury whipped brandade (emulsified fish, olive oil and potatoes) and lemony pea mayo.

Then, clam and saffron risotto and duck pie with radicchio jam and tableside jus followed. Risotto can be such a hit or miss but this was spot on — a perfect consistency and cook, briny from the clams and surprisingly light and acidic. The duck pie was acceptable and a good starter size but the filling was uninteresting and more radicchio jam would bode well.

We opted for the rump cap (250g) with the surf and turf add-on, a whole Moreton bay bug coated in herb butter. The rump was cooked nicely rare (as requested). Paired with the bug and a generous dip of bone marrow mash (with onion gravy) was a bite as glorious and gluttonous as it sounds. The mixed leaf salad broke up the richness well but it was inconsistently dressed.

Two weeks before this visit, I popped in for drinks and I tried the rhubarb trifle (don’t say I never order dessert). Unfortunately, that time it was dry and lacked any distinctive rhubarb acidity. I also rarely see the point in making one-serve trifles — the beauty of a trifle is in its grandness and the visible layers of fruit and cream and jelly. Forget about tableside jus, tableside trifle is much more important news.

105 Melbourne St, South Brisbane

@marlowebne

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Sen Legend

The first time I visited Vietnam, I was 18 and dating a strict vegetarian. (He was so anal about his vegetarianism to the point where he scolded Vietnamese aunties for putting pâté on his banh mi when they couldn’t understand his wretched screeching but still wouldn’t bother to learn how to say ‘no pâté or egg’ in Vietnamese.) It was uncomfortable for me to order meat dishes when he was around but when we were in Hoi An, I stumbled across a small shop by myself that specialised in bánh xèo — a very crispy crepe filled with pork, prawns and bean sprouts. The crepe (Old El Paso taco shaped) is eaten wrapped in lettuce and fresh herbs or in rice paper, with pickled carrots and dipped in nước chấm. You can bet your top dollar I savoured every bite sitting on that busy street front.

All that’s to say I have not had bánh xèo since, but I was over the moon to discover that Sen Legend, a Vietnamese restaurant a mere 11 minutes away from me, makes it. It’s a somewhat underground Vietnamese dish in Brisbane, unlike bánh mì, phở and bun thit nuong (noodle salad).

Sen Legend’s bánh xèo is the real deal. The exterior: shatteringly crisp, the pork and prawn inside: flavourful and tender and the accompaniments: just like I remember. (Although, I would’ve preferred nước chấm over hoisin.) Top three hot weather lunches of all time. Note: it’s only available Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

The premium beef pho with brisket, rare beef and beef balls was solid — good broth, good balls, passable noodles (bit overcooked). It is a shame they didn’t have a combination pho option as that’s my go-to order (offal girls rise up).

My lunch date (shoutout to Elliot Baker, fellow food critic) was craving bún chả (another underrated star). The broth was not as intense and acidic as the ones I’ve had in Vietnam but it had a lovely oniony sweetness. The meat didn’t taste like it was cooked over charcoals (like it usually is) so was lacking that authentic smoky flavour.

Notable mentions: very good coconut coffee, cool rice paper contraption that wets the paper vertically without making a sticky mess and the friendly and timely service!

6/45 Wellington Rd, East Brisbane

@sen_legend_restaurant

West End Coffee House

I’m not an avocado-on-toast-bircher-muesli-orange-juice type of breakfast person. I only feel like toast twice a year and when I buy cereal, I have to buy the travel sized box (you’re wondering who‘s buying them? It’s me. I am) because I risk getting bored and having to throw it out.

I wish for lunch food for breakfast always and forever.

At West End Coffee House, the lines of lunch and breakfast are blurred. Punchy, vibrant Thai street food dishes like red curry prawn omelette on rice, Laos sausage with wok-fried egg, fried leek dumplings and drunken noodles are available first thing in the morning. Every time I drive by this place, it’s packed, it’s buzzy, everyone has something delicious in front of them — no sad oatmeal here.

Exhibit A: Pulled pork roti tacos. Excellently dressed with a spicy mayo situation, crunchy slaw, guacamole-adjacent spread. And the roti is so hot and crispy and buttery.

Exhibit B: The king’s omelette. Bits of chicken mince inside the egg for texture (and extra protein, if you care about that). A slightly sweet but tangy fermented chilli sauce to balance. More slaw with extra crispy shallots.

80 Vulture Street, West End

@westendcoffeehouse

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• Shop Selling Gems and Opals

• Has big gemstone pits

• In Glenview (Sunshine Coast)

• Gem fossicking for $12

• Instagram @opalsdownundersc

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The Basics

A shop off the highway as you head up to the Sunshine Coast. Just before you get to Aussie World. Inside are collections of some gem stones to buy as well as a big collection of opals. However the main attraction is the huge pits of polished gems. You buy a cup and head into them and can fossick and collect the gems.

My Experience

As someone who has collected rocks since I was 8 this place is my heaven. I had driven past it so many times and seen the sign ‘OPALS DOWN UNDER’. A shocking admission is, I’m not a big fan of opals so never really paid this place much attention. That all changed when I discovered there are four huge outdoor pits filled with gems you can go into and fossick.

Fossicking for rocks is so much funner than seeing them on a shelf and just buying them. I don’t know why but I have always loved a good fossick. It’s so much more rewarding. I love going to those junk shops where things are just dumped into piles and trawling through trash to find treasure. Opals Down Under has that same vibe. The inside of the shop is all curated and fancy but head outside and thats where the fun is.

I bought a large cup, trust me ALWAYS get the large cup, and spent hours sitting in the sun and occasionally the shady spots, looking for rocks. They had all of them and you needed to go looking for the good ones. Dalmatian Jasper being my favourite.

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The kids love this too and you can just take them here and let them do their thing for hours.

It also has this sensory experience. Sitting on the rocks and just pushing them around with your hand feels so good. I did feel like Scrooge McDuck in his vault of coins at one point.

They do have a rock chart you can take into the pit with you to help identify the stones or just use the digital one.

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In the next few weeks, the venues included in Table for One will be notably excellent for summer eating. Whether you need a place for a work party or a girls’ debrief (Tommy’s Margaritas compulsory) or just somewhere to get some aircon and a snack — I’ve got you.

This week, I visited three vastly different spots: a Thai eatery that doubles as a listening bar, a bustling Korean barbecue restaurant and a multi-level Middle Eastern restaurant. All summer certified, all visit-worthy.

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Bornga

I used to walk past Bornga and their life-sized picture of Paik Jong-won (judge on Culinary Class Wars and prolific restauranteur) every week on the way to work. In the picture, he’s smiling like he knows what’s best for you — and in a way, he does know what’s best for me. At least when it comes to Korean barbecue.

Bornga is perfect for social eating affairs. Because of the condensed menu (there’s not as many meat options as I’d expected — a blessing in disguise), it’s not a mission to decide what to get. It’s pretty much high quality pork or beef in various cuts; soup or japchae; and a few fried pancakes. As usual, everything is cooked over charcoal and for the uninitiated, there are plenty of staff around to help (though, they are hard to flag down when it’s busy). While you’re waiting, order a few lemon highballs — they are strong and sweet and go perfectly with the fatty meat and punchy kimchi.

The stand-out aspect of Bornga is by far the self-serve banchan station. (Banchan are Korean side dishes — usually cold and pickled, fermented or marinated.) There’s endless cabbage kimchi, radish kimchi, garlic shoot kimchi, Korean potato salad (sweet, carrot-y mashed potato and egg), julienned scallions, pickled onions and sesame-dressed leaves. There’s even a fridge filled with sliced raw garlic and trays of lettuce and perilla leaves for wrapping your grilled meat, condiments and banchan in. I will be requesting the closest table next time.

Level 1/153 Elizabeth St, Brisbane City

@bornga_aus

Golden Avenue

The palatial scale and eco-brutalism of Golden Avenue is a spectacle in itself. The Anyday group describes it as a “lush Middle Eastern oasis in the Brisbane CBD,” which is fairly accurate for passersby. (And to some, will remind them of Southside in Fish Lane.) As a diner, however, it feels similar to eating in a museum or gallery environment — grand, sleek, hard-surfaced — which is quite a contrast to a name that implies warmth, kitsch or old-world elegance.

Contemporary Middle Eastern food in Brisbane seems to have a minimalistic approach when it comes to dishes and variety of flavour. Anyday group are playing to their demographics (of which they evidently understand very well) but it leaves something to be desired. Whether it was the obscurely quiet music, sterile service or the underdressed tabouli, there were overlooked details that made the visit just another dinner.

Alas, there were a few saving graces: a shaving-cream-light toum (very good on the lamb cutlets); a zingy mint salad on the side of said lamb with hits of sweet onion; and a well-seasoned laham nayyeh (beef tartare) with nodules of goat’s cheese. I wish I could comment on dessert but my dining partner and I overestimated our ability to eat six lamb cutlets (which were $76, a steal!?).

The cocktails were textbook crowd-pleasers, aka easy-drinking and fruitier than a Liza Minelli concert — strawberry, watermelon, mango, you know the drill. A watermelon vodka highball at the GA bar is ideal in the hotter months.

67 Edward St, Brisbane City

@golden.avenue.restaurant

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So What Stereo

So What Stereo ticks so many boxes. The retro colours, mismatched Marketplace furniture, exceptional vinyl collection and diner counter seating is so effortlessly cool and eclectic — something that’s hard to come by in this city full of curated steakhouses and beige marble fitouts. The front of the restaurant shelves a collection of jazz, art rock and metal records and it doubles as a host desk. It’s like walking into a listening bar.

Their specialty drinks are trendy and not too serious — iced coffee with orange juice (don’t knock it til you’ve tried it), pandan lattes and iced coconut juice matcha with soft coconut meat.

I only had the beef and offal boat noodles when I visited but my food critic friends have all reported that the other dishes are just as good. Offal is so underrated and I will have it anytime, anywhere I see it. There was super soft tripe and bouncy tendon in a rich, slightly acidic broth, as well as generous hunks of tender brisket and bite-sized pieces of crisp crackling — textural heaven.

I’ve heard excellent things about the kao soi (soft and crispy egg noodles in a curry broth) and the kao kai kon (omelette on rice with your choice of protein). They also have congee for something light and nourishing.

4/15 Little St, Fortitude Valley

@so.what.stereo

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I recently became obsessed with tiny homes. I have been staying in as many tiny homes as I can in order to gather much needed data. I want to live in one.

I currently live alone in a 2 bed, 2 bath appartments in Teneriffe, Brisbane. It’s a gorgeous space but after spending time in random tiny homes that are surrounded by nature I discovered I love it way too much and I need my own.

The 5 year plan is to buy land and get all the permits required to build and live in my own home. Likely spending 6 months in a remote location living off grid and the 6 months living in the heart of Brisbane.

I decided to spend two nights in this gorgeous tiny home in Withcott which is at the base of the mountains just outside Toowoomba, about 15 minutes from Toowoomba city.

This place was in a multi million dollar location. On top of a hill with 360 degree views of the most stunning landscape.

It was a pre-designed home and was on a property of its owners who had a big house and a working farm. It was more a holiday vibe than a place you’d live. I spent the best two nights here.

I booked on Airbnb and have noticed over the last few weeks there are so many tiny homes listed for rent. My dream of experiencing so many different designs and picking my favourite bits has been easy. I have 6 tiny home stays planned in the Sunshine Coast!

My take aways from this place are:

1. The location is so important. I have realised that I don’t want to see a single soul. Not a dwelling in sight. Maybe off in the vast distance but I don’t want to be near anyone. Basically I wanna walk around nude without traumatising anyone. This home absolutely allowed for this. It had a huge deck that you could sit on and take in the view as well as beautiful gardens. This is what I want. However the work involved in upkeep seemed huge, but also rewarding.

2. A bifold canteen window. This was a little bit of a luxury that I didn’t think I’d like. It allowed me to open up the little dining area and take in the fresh air.

3. Windows and lots of them. I have stayed at a few but this was the first one with so many windows everywhere. I live in the dark usually so stepping into the light was also something I was surprised I enjoyed. It meant waking up to the sun was easy and going to bed early when it was dark. I didn’t need to watch the clock at all.

4. They didn’t have sky lights. I missed being able to open nice big sky lights. One tiny home I stayed in, in NZ had huge ones on the roof with automatic shutters. I really loved this feature.

If you want to book a stay here you can do so on AIRBNB. I stayed in mid September during the Carnival of Flowers for $225 per night.

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Hullo Brisbane reviews are not sponsored or endorsed and are paid indepedently.

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Nos Bakehouse

Bread is one of life’s greatest joys. It is the perfect vessel for most food (but especially very ripe tomatoes and flaky salt, chicken salad and taramasalata) and even better toasted, dipped in egg and baked as pudding or torn up for stuffing. At Nos Bakehouse, owner Susan Koh has mastered the shokupan – Japanese milk bread. It is fluffy, subtly sweet and the base of 90% of the menu (which if you’re asking me, is an infallible hospitality concept: make one thing exceptionally and you will have the world!).

I visited this week to try her new menu items. Since opening, she’s focused on a big range of sandos (bulgogi beef, prawn, tamago, tofu, the list goes on) but now, there are more Asian fusion breakfast dishes like Singaporean kaya toast (a must if you’ve never had kaya, a pandan coconut spread), Korean-inspired shakshuka and an English breakfast with Japanese embellishments of tornado egg omelette and sesame-dressed salad. There are curries and pasta for the lunchtime crowd and as usual, a vast number of sweet treats – the matcha purin, bruleed yuzu cheesecake and ube basque cheesecake are my personal picks.

Not to drag Brisbane but many venues jump on the matcha train without doing enough research on how it’s made, how it’s served and the type of matcha to buy in (not culinary grade, for the love of all things good). Nos does matcha justice in many ways but the lavender foam matcha – a floral, earthy, spring-has-sprung addition to an already excellent beverage is a must.

109 Annerley Rd, Dutton Park

@nos.bakehouse

Good Things Grocer

What do Brisbane sandwich shops and Timothee Chalamet have in common? They’re everywhere all the time but always passable and rarely foul. From four cheese toasties and croque monsieurs to wagyu sandos and prawn clubs, there is little ground that needs covering. Somehow, I was still surprised (and impressed) when I came across the sandwich offering at Good Things Grocer.

The universe threw me a bone when it opened Good Things 5 minutes away from where I live. I relish any excuse to visit but usually, it’s for a pantry restock of the boutique, upmarket variety – extra-virgin olive oil, anchovies, French potato chips. They also have an exceptional selection of fruit and veg, fresh cheese and meat. The sandwiches are made fresh every day and they always score high on my sandwich criteria:

• interesting but not too crazy like venison with candied walnuts and blueberry jam

• perfect filling to bread ratio (let’s say for the sake of the exercise, 2.5:1)

• flavourful bread that’s soft-ish, a little chewy and won’t cut the roof of my mouth

• and most importantly, seasoned well.

On this particular day, the chicken with pesto, rocket, grilled capsicum, pickled onion, cheddar, parmesan and aioli and the ham, provolone, seeded mustard and pickles (with a grating of parmesan on the toasted side of the bread!) were exceptionally fresh and well-balanced. A perfect lunch moment with their fresh OJ and a slice of pecan pie after.

304 Toohey Rd, Tarragindi

@goodthingsgrocer

goodthingsgrocer.com.au

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Kiku

Three months ago, Anzu Tanaka and Yuma Iwami turned their popular market stall into a permanent izakaya spot in East Brisbane. The space is relatively small and minimalist, with a wabi sabi dusty navy backdrop. Kiku’s menu has a bit of everything, from a daily sashimi selection and nigiri to rice bowls and salads. Their yakitori offering is small and on the safe side, with staples like momo (thigh), tsukune (meatballs), tori kawa (skin) and teba (wings).

If you live under a rock, yakitori – “yaki”, meaning to grill and “tori” meaning bird – is the opposite of typical Australian barbecuing. It’s the Japanese practice of carefully butchering, skewering and coal-grilling all parts of the chicken from the skin to the heart and gizzards. It’s a far more intricate process that takes years of training to get right, which could be why they are hard to come by.

The chicken skin, wings and wagyu skewers are finished with a tare sauce (typically made with soy, sake or mirin and sugar) that is sweet and umami. When I visited, the chicken skin was lacking crisp and the wagyu was quite chewy – and both skewers’ smoky charcoal flavour was overpowered by the tare.

There was an unusual wait time between interactions despite there only being four or five tables in the venue. I appreciated the food being served by the chefs and their thoughtful descriptions of the dishes, especially the daily sashimi plate – it’s always nice to know what fish you’re about to eat.

For drinks, they have a few Japanese beers and a generous highball menu typical of izakayas. The gari sour – a pickled ginger, vodka and sparkling water number was light, slightly sweet and pairs perfectly with anything on the menu.

892 Stanley St E, East Brisbane

@yakitori_kiku_charcoalgrill

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Honestly here are some reason to go:

All the places I ate:

The Bakers Duck
Morning or Afternoon Treat

This bakery was highly requested. I visited here at the worst time of 3:30pm before it closed at 4pm. I was to eager and wanted to visit before checking into my airbnb. All they had left, because they were cleaned out, was a Calabrese Roll. Buffalo cheese, pesto, roasted tomato’s on fresh herb bread. I picked off the tomato’s because I’m not a fan. ROLL WAS 10/10!

The Bakers Duck team found out I had visited and were like “you have to come back and try the pork, sage and apple sausage roll”. I swanned back over a few days later at about 11am and it was BUSY! A line almost out the door that was moving pretty quickly. After feeling like Taylor Swift with all the locals asking me for pics (huge ego boost) I got my sausage roll, sat down and it was the most flakey delicious pastry. It wasn’t searing hot so you could actually eat it straight away. They had an incredible boujee selection of pastries. I had a Dubai chocolate croissant bar which wasn’t super rich and just the perfect amount of sweet (I’m not really a sweet tooth I’m definitely a savoury)

124 Campbell st, Toowoomba.
7-4pm daily
@thebakersduck

The Finch Cafe
Came for Breakfast

Gorgeous cafe, I stopped in for breakfast for the classic ‘Christian Special’ scrambled eggs on toast with a side of smoked salmon. The eggs were folded and there was about an entire fish worth of salmon on my plate. The serving size was AWESOME! I left feeling so full. I really enjoyed this dish. I ended up making a sandwich out of it with the two slices of sourdough. The relish and rocket made the CRAZY GOOD. It tasted even better as a little sando.

Also shout out to this amazing elephant on the coffee.

2/469 Ruthven St, Toowoomba
7-2pm daily
@thefinchtbar

Super Rooster
Snack

Another highly requested food stop over was Super Rooster to try their fries. Think of it as the local fast food chain, there are three locations in town and i popped through the drive thru and got a large fries. HOLY JESUS! I can see why the fires are so loved. There was about a week’s worth of sodium intake over these fries and the salt tasted slightly like chicken salt but not quite. These fries were like a more crunchy KFC chip and while delicious I could only do a quarter of the box before the salt took over. I rated these but should have opted for a small.

They sat in my car for a few hours and when i got home after finishing up for the day I ate the rest and even cold and a little stale they were so good.

10:30 - 8pm daily
@superroosterbbq

Loulaki
For Dinner

I bumped into a local while out in the Carnival of Flowers who strongly suggested I try a Greek restaurant. When I googled it the reviews convinced me that she was a crazy lunatic in a park talking nonsense. Turns out the lady was right. THIS RESTAURANT WAS AMAZING!

I arrived and was seated, I was told you’d need to book ahead usually as a safe guard as this place gets packed out. I ordered the Saganaki, which is a hunk of delicious fried cheese and it came out in about 60 seconds sizzling. IT WAS DELICIOUS, not too sweet and you squeeze the lemon over it…perfection. Usually a dish best shared with a friend but FUCK FRIENDS, I love dining alone.

I’m not a big eater due to the weight loss medication im on so while I wanted to try a few things on the menu I just ordered the Keftedes, lamb and beef meatballs, garlic labneh, salsa and spiced chickpeas. This was an incredible dish. I polished it off.

Did I get a cocktail? I did just for the gram, an Auras Kiss, Lychee and Elderflower, Gin and Prosecco. This wasn’t sweet as you might think it was more heavy on the Prosecco flavour and I really enjoyed it.

14 Duggan st, Toowoomba
12-9pm Tuesday - Saturday
@loulakirestaurant

Urban Grounds
For Breakfast

This place is right next to Laurel Bank Park, where the Carnival of Flowers is happening. It feels like it used to be a big Queenslander home that’s been converted into a cafe. I sat out on their gorgeous big front deck under a big umbrella in the sun. I was told the more popular ‘verandah’ was fully booked.

I got the Christian Hull special again, scrambled eggs, toast and salmon. However we hit a small hurdle as they don’t have salmon as a side. Not to worry, as a creature of habit I have been used to some cafes not having this on the menu. While I don’t like change very much I ordered it with bacon and honestly I’m so glad I did. Bacon is so risky, with salmon I know exactly what im getting, there really is only two version of salmon, cooked or not cooked. With bacon there are 1000 ways to make it. I find it so hit and miss.

Out comes my meal without so much as a wait which I was shocked at as they were pretty busy. I saw the bacon and initially I was sceptical as it didn’t look like how it was about to taste. I scooped it up with some eggs and bread and that first mouthful was CRAZY. I know I’m being dramatic it’s just who i am BUT FUCK ME THIS WAS THE BEST BACON. I think it’s because it’s how mum used to make it. It’s not soft about it’s not crunchy. It’s so hard to describe, the edges were crispy and the middle was cooked but softish, moist. There was also a bit of oil with the bacon which really enhanced the flavour.

I FUCKING RATED THIS BREAKFAST. I would make this my local if I lived here. Fuck the salmon off!

210 Harries St, Toowoomba
7-9pm Wednesday to Saturday
7-2:30pm Sunday - Tuesday
@urbangroundscafe

Greek Yiros
Lunch

While out wandering around the Carnival of Flowers I stoped by a food truck for a meal. The smell was calling me. It was also next to a delicious cinnamon donut truck. I got the chicken yiros with chips and then sat on a near by picnic table in the gardens to enjoy. $18! I enjoyed this. Especially sitting in the beautiful gardens.

Food trucks are around the major hubs for the Carnival just keep an eye out. Mine was in Laurel Bank Park.

Picnic Point
Lunch

I was told, as this was my first trip to Toowoomba that I would HAVE TO got to the lookout at picnic point “where the giant flag is”. When I got there I was very impressed with the view, It overlooks the huge Lockyer Valley and it’s just stunning. Everything in Toowoomba is so close. This look out feels like it’s right in the city, it’s on the edge of the escarpment and a 5 minute drive from town.

There was a cafe/restaurant that I popped into for lunch and ordered the Blueberry, BBQ Beef Burger. Again the wait times for food in Toowoomba have been very short. It didn’t take long to come out and it was a classic! Exactly what I want in a burger, soft bun, meat that’s not SCORCHING hot, crispy lettuce.

What I was delighted with was the actual blueberries on the burger. It was like a relish but with blueberries. Like full blueberries. IT WAS SO DELICIOUS!

164 Tourist Rd, Toowoomba
8:30 - 5pm
picnic-point.com.au

The Other Bird
Breakfast

A gorgeous cafe nestled at the top of the mountain. It’s almost the first cafe you come across when you arrive. I was here early and sat in the stunning morning haze. I also got a coffee here one afternoon and sat in the sun and it was a really nice spot.

I loved that its part of the rehab centre next door, some of the employees are trained up as baristas and wait staff as part of their recovery so its easy for them to be able to find a job and get back on there feet. Loved how this place was helping those in the community and it was such a beautiful spot to go and eat. The breakfast burger was so delicious. Friends (yes I have those some how) ordered the avo on toast and also loved it!

2 Margaret St, East Toowoomba
6:30 - 2pm
@theotherbird_tba

Hello Harry
Lunch

After doing a full day of op shops and flowers we were exhausted and stumbled upon a lane way with some great restaurants and bars. Hello Harry had some nice taco options and loaded fries and my Mounjaro shot hadn’t kicked in yet so I was feeling hungry.

Loved the vibe of this place and really LOVED the loaded fries. I ordered the pulled pork soft shell tacos with a delicious BBQ glaze. I was so exhausted from such a huge 5 days in the womb and it was nice and quiet and peaceful when we were there, 3pm on a Friday!

Shop 6/476 Ruthann St, Toowoomba
11-8pm
@helloharryburger

• Sculpture Exhibition on Currumbin Beach

• Free

• 80 works

• Runs Until 21st September

• @swellsculpture

The Basics

In its 23rd year, Swell is a collection of mostly local artists who have made works to fit the landscape along Currumbin Beach. 80 works spanning 1.5km are on display until the 21 of September.

My Experience

One of my favourite memories is mum loading us into the car and taking me (and dragging my brothers) to Sculpture By The Sea in Bondi. I would walk along the coast admiring beautiful works that used the surrounding land to make something so spectacular.

I remember these trips with mum each year so vividly. I even tried to enter one year with a very ambitious piece but sadly didn’t get in. I wanted to make a large fishing net out of fish using rusty wire. The idea which I still want to do, was to drape it over the cliffs at Bronte. Maybe I’ll try enter something in Swell?

This morning I drove an hour out of Brisbane to Currumbin to walk through a very similar experience.

It’s called SWELL! 20 years since I walked with mum through Bondi, SWELL was a wave of emotion as I walked past and got to explore some of the most beautiful sculptures. The ceramics were an absolute highlight. It reminded me of those times with mum back in 2004.

The work and dedication that’s gone into each piece is truly mind blowing. It opened yesterday and the 80 works are on display till 21st of September. It’s free and trust me when I say drag the kids along they will be in awe.

I am just so thrilled to discover this annual exhibition and cannot believe I didn’t know about it until now. It’s in its 23rd year!

Here are some of the highlights.

The Beach Ball spider is so cool. It’s something fun mixed with something scary and the two come together so well. It feels like something out of Toy Story.

The mosaic Medusa was INSANE! I meet the artist and he told me it took him 5 months which I think is quick considering the amount of work involved. Make sure you go up close to see it as the tiles have been machine cut and they way they fit together is crazy.

The coloured pelicans are made by Pim who actually goes to my ceramic studio, not to brag, but I got to see her work on these and she is so talented. These were so brilliant and the kids loved them. Such a process watching her make her sculptures from clay. The time and dedication these artists have put in!

Pretty much all locals and all wonderful people.

GO AND WALK THROUGH ALL THE SCULPTURES YOU WONT REGRET IT.

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TLDR

• 17m High outdoor restaurant on the side of the Powerhouse

• Located in New Farm

• $500 a table ($250ea)

  

• The Basics

Open Fridays & Saturdays, this restaurant is unique experience costing around $500 for a table for two. Tables are bolted 17m high on the side of the Powerhouse Theatre. You get harnessed in and take the stairs up to the roof and then climb onto your chair which is then lowered slightly to you table.

The experience lasts about 2 hours and finishes with the option to jump off the side of the building.

My Experience

I FUCKING HATED IT SO MUCH!

However I decided to do it again and the second time around I loved the experience. I first dined at Vertigo when it opened in October of 2023. I’m someone who is afraid of everything but willing to give it a go. The first time was vastly different to my second time.

My second visit was March 2025, they had improved the food and the staff were way more experienced, they had nailed down the operation. The reason I hated my first visit was because I was so anxious about having to jump off the side of the building and that nervousness sort of ruined my night.

I was on edge (literally) and while the view and the food were good I wasn’t able to relax on my first visit.

The second time around was FUCKING BRILLIANT. I knew what to expect and I had done this all before so I wasn’t nervous at all. I was so impressed with how little I was affected by the height this time around.

It also helped that the person I took up on my second visit was shitting themselves which brought me great joy.

The view is honestly INSANE. You get a great view on the city and of north Brisbane. The sunset is magical and the weather was great for both my sessions. It is worth noting umbrellas for shade and shelter from the rain have been added to each table.

When you get done with a brief safety briefing you pop your stuff in a locker and you get given a neck strap for your phone if you wish to take it up. The team are super patient and accomodating if you have a little freak out and are really supportive.

Once you get up to the top via a few flights of stairs you see just how beautiful the view is and then see the tables and freak out a little as you do need to climb up onto the top of the building dangle your feet over the edge and shuffle forward into your seat for the evening.

Once you’ve bum shuffled onto the chair it’s lowered about a metre and you are now on your table. The seats and table are bolted to the side and I’m 110kg and it held. I will say any bigger than me might not fit. I’m 169cm and 110kg, so I’m a bigger lad. I just squeezed in and was still comfortable for the night.

You get given a choice of beverage which i downed pretty quick to help calm the nerves, alcohol is limited as they don’t want people getting to adventurous. You are harnessed in so not going anywhere however getting drunk up there isn’t a smart idea. You are breath tested first to make sure you don’t go up to the top WASTED!

Cutlery is then given to you and it’s all on string which you clip onto your table. However plates and cups are just a free for all. Trust is a real factor here. I was told nothing had fallen off the side apart from the odd napkin.

Below the restaurant is a public walkway. The walkway is wide and no one is dumb enough to really venture under everyone however it is open to the public.

The bathroom situation! How do you go to the toilet. You are given a piss bottle and are allowed to wee into it….is not true. You have to hold it, no weeing allowed or pooping. You are told to go to the bathroom before they take you up. To be honest you’re so preoccupied and sitting down they you don’t feel the need to go.

The menu has expended and you now get to choose your mains. When i went in October of 2023 it was a set meal and you shared it. While it was nice is was a little on the smaller side. This time the meals are individual and you have a selection to choose from and FUCK ME! They were so good.

The overall experience for me was amazing. I’m lucky to be in a position where I can afford a $500 dinner and will let you know the second time I visited the team shouted my meal. If you are looking for something to do that’s out there and different this sure is the dinner for you.

It’s in a beautiful part of Brisbane, the parking is decent in the area and the public transport is also good. Jump on the ferry get off at New Farm park and its 3 minute walk.

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