Gigi’s
It seems that after the quiet period the precinct endured last year, the team at Howard Smith Wharves is looking to make up for lost time. Recent months have seen the riverside hub transform some of its function spaces into pop-up bars and restaurants, with La Mexicana and Spuntini Bar adding some tasty new elements to the strip’s dining offering. Now, the Rivershed Cafe and its alfresco courtyard is getting a glow-up as the host of Gigi’s – the new homestyle eatery that debuted last Friday April 23. Specialising in woodfired and charcoal-grilled fare, Gigi’s is giving everything from seafood and meat to vegetables and salads a hearty interpretation. We’re talking potatoes cooked in embers, grilled swordfish with celery verde, lamb-loin cutlets, chicken Maryland with thyme, garlic and lemon, chargrilled eggplant with walnuts, parsley, garlic and shallots, and chocolate cake with cream. Gigi’s will be serving coffee and pastries from Monday to Sunday from 6:00 am to 2:00 pm, with its full menu available from Friday to Sunday from 11:00 am to late.
vEEF x BrewDog
It’s been a while since we’ve seen Alejandro Cancino helm the pans, but the lauded fine-dining chef is heading back into the kitchen at BrewDog’s DogTap bar and eatery for a one-off plant-based feast on Thursday May 13. Alejandro – who might be familiar to diners as the former head chef of three-hatted restaurant Urbane – stepped away from restaurant cooking in 2018 to focus on his burgeoning vegan-food concept Fenn Foods, becoming a pioneer of the plant-based scene with his tasty vEEF patties. Alejandro’s forthcoming vegan experience will see the chef plate up four courses of plant-based deliciousness, with each course coming with one of BrewDog’s vegan beers. The evening will also boast some live music, so if it sounds like your kind of night out, then head here to snag one of the 100 total available spaces.
High Cheese at La Valle
They had us at cheese tower. Fortitude Valley wine bar and bottle shop La Valle will make our dairy dreams come true when it hosts a cheese-and-wine extravaganza on Sunday May 16. Guests that book a spot for the experience will be treated to a tiered tower boasting an assortment of cheese-infused morsels – think Queensland Farmers cream cheese savoury tarts, goats cheese zucchini involtini, four-cheese croquettes with smoked aioli, deep-fried crumbed camembert wrapped in prosciutto and truffle-filled brie slices. As if that wasn’t enough, guests can also enjoy two hours of bottomless wine, featuring an assortment of handpicked drops that best pair with the rich fare. This cheese-infused Sunday session boasts three sittings, 11:00 am, 12:00 pm and 1:00 pm, with spots costing $39 per person. Grab a ticket here.
DoorDash’s Pay It Forward Day
As much as we like receiving gifts, we love the act of gifting just as much. Tomorrow, Wednesday April 28, DoorDash is offering locals an incentive to indulge in a bit of generosity with Pay it Forward Day. The first 1000 customers that use the in-app gifting function will score an additional $10 gift voucher, which can be passed on to another pal (to keep the gift train rolling) or used on themselves. So, if you’ve got an altruistic itch that needs scratching, make a mate’s day with a DoorDash delivery and score a little something for yourself in the process – it’s a win-win!
