The Dish: Brisbane food news you might have missed this week
There’s a lot happening in Brisbane these days, almost too much to keep up with. The Dish is a rapid-fire rundown of Brisbane food news – quick taster-sized tidbits to keep you in the know and, perhaps, tickle your taste buds.
Mitch Orr x B-SIDE & Friends
One of Australia’s most acclaimed chefs is heading to Brisbane for the third instalment of B-SIDE & Friends at Howard Smith Wharves. Mitch Orr, the boundary-pushing wizard – famed for his stints at ACME and Kiln – will be taking over the B-SIDE kitchen on Wednesday May 21 to deliver a cracking share-style five-course dinner. Guests will be primed for a night of fun with a special martini on arrival (featuring sorrel, sake lees and tonka bean), before indulging in dishes like Sydney rock oyster with finger lime and kombu oil, tempura-fish sando with seaweed butter, tuna tacos with creme fraiche, pig’s head carbonara, fried chicken tsukune with shiso ume relish, wagyu tongue kushiyaki, southern calamari with salmoriglio, and salted rhubarb-boshi granita. Seats for the one-off event are available now for $99 per person – click here to secure a spot.
Bar Evelyn takeover at Bar Miette
The team from ultra-cool Coolangatta joint Bar Evelyn is heading to Brisbane this Sunday May 18 to throw a primo pizza party on the terrace at Bar Miette. Bar Evelyn’s Nick Stanton – who worked at Ramblr, Leonard’s House of Love and Leonardo’s Pizza Palace before opening Bar Evelyn alongside Mark Catsburg – will be spinning dough and stoking flames alongside executive chef Jason Barratt from midday. They’ll be serving New York-style pizzas topped with the likes of salami with mozzarella and hot honey, and zucchini with garlic, stracciatella, pickled red onion and chilli oil. There will also be a number of signature Bar Evelyn snacks on offer, so book a table to make sure you don’t miss out.
sAme sAme x Nat Thaipun
Foodies, mark Monday May 26 on your calendars. MasterChef Australia 2024 winner Nat Thaipun – aka Nat Wolf – is heading to Brisbane, teaming up with sAme sAme head chef Arté Assavakavinvong for a team up for the ages. The two chefs will be collaborating on a shared banquet offering that will be bursting with bold Thai flavours, with Nat’s take on contemporary Thai cooking – an evocation of Nat’s travels, her family and heritage, and the belief that great meals are about connection – meshing sublimely with Arte’s own signature style. Two sittings are available for the night, an early sitting at 5:00 pm and a later grouping at 8:30 pm. The banquet is going for $130 per person and comes with a drink on arrival – head to the sAme sAme website to secure a spot.
Yum Cha Sundays at Southside
Fish Lane favourite Southside is giving diners something a little bit different on Sundays. The East Asian-inspired restaurant has just launched a new yum cha service on Sundays, offering a refined take on the lunchtime staple. Promising a lively and flavour-forward dining and drinking experience, Southside’s Yum Cha Sundays will showcase an assortment of handmade dim sum – think pork-and-chive wontons with spiced vinegar and chicken and shiitake siu mai with sweet soy and spring onion – alongside Southside’s established favourites. For $99, guests can enjoy a yum cha banquet as well as two hours of bottomless beverages, including house wines, tap beers and cocktails like the Mando Spritz (a $59 non-alcoholic package is also available). Click here to make a booking.
Festa Italiana is taking over Howard Smith Wharves for two weekends of feasting
Get ready to eat, sip and celebrate Italian-style as Festa Italiana rolls back into Howard Smith Wharves for two weekends of pure indulgence. From May 29 to June 8, the riverside precinct will transform into a sun-soaked slice of Italy, complete with authentic eats, spritz bars and Italo-Disco beats. Guest chef Orazio D’Elia of Sydney’s Da Orazio will be leading the food offering with his distinct Neapolitan flair, slinging juicy pollo al mattone chicken rolls and porchetta-stuffed focaccia, as well as his famed pasta dishes like the saucy strozzapreti. Chef Carmine Guarino will be dishing up Roman-style pizzas and natural wines with a side of old-school disco tunes, and nearby at Ciao Papi, executive chef Dean Anning will be serving a special set menu of bold Italian eats across both weekends. An authentic salumi bar will take over The Greenhouse, serving artisanal charcuterie, crispy fried calamari and deli-style goods, with live mozzarella-making demonstrations to delight passersby. A dedicated spritz bar will be pouring fun sips like Lambrusco spritzes and white peach Aperol slushies, while Felons Brewing Co. is set to join the action with an exclusive Italian lager brewed just for the festival. The third annual Festa Italiana will run from Thursday May 29 to Sunday June 1, and again from Thursday June 5 to Sunday June 8.
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Gum Bistro takes on weekend brunch with its Up Before Noon service
Now well established as one of Brisbane’s best restaurants, the team behind Gum Bistro in West End is setting its alarms a little earlier, with a brand-new morning service set to launch over the Easter weekend. On Good Friday and Easter Saturday, Gum Bistro will open at 8:00 am for Up Before Noon, serving a bang tidy menu of unfussy fare that bridges the gap between breakfast and lunch. The menu will be available until 2:00 pm, and will feature the likes of eggs (your choice of soft boiled, fried or souffle style) on Riser sourdough, soldiers with soft-boiled egg and gravlax, 2GR wagyu strip with boudin noir, fried egg and petit hashbrown, and salad sandwiches. There’s also a clutch of Gum Bistro signatures if you’re dining closer to lunchtime, plus great filter brews from Light Coffee, mimosa spritzes and mezcal-laced bloody Marias. Head to the Gum Bistro website to make a booking.
Petite launches weekday lunch specials
We love a bougie lunch, especially one that doesn’t break the budget. This week, the team behind modern French-inspired restaurant Petite is launching a special weekday lunch menu filled to bursting point with brilliant bistro plates available for $30 each. From Wednesday March 26, guests can pop in for the likes of steak frites, pan-fried fish with beurre blanc and fries, chicken cordon blue with truffle jus and fries, beef bourguignon with vegetables, and a quiche of the day with salad. These dishes are available alongside a selection of add-on items, such as oysters with mignonette, baked scallop with celeriac cream and chorizo, onion tarte tatin with creme fraiche, and creme brulee. A condensed by-the-glass wine list will also be available alongside beers, ciders and non-alcoholic beverages.
Hungry for more? Keep up to date with Brisbane’s most anticipated openings with Pavement Whispers.