Lobby Bar at The Calile Hotel
Known for its lavishly appointed rooms, luxurious amenities and suite of high-end restaurants, it’s no secret that The Calile Hotel is one of Brisbane’s leading accommodation spots. But did you know that the James Street jewel also boasts its own rooftop garden? The hotel has installed a bunch of wooden planter boxes – each tasked with growing organic produce – alongside four Langstroth hives that house thousands of pollinating bees producing honey and ingredients exclusively for The Calile’s guests and diners at Lobby Bar. As part of its commitment to sustainable practices, The Calile has teamed up with urban cultivators, Future Wild, to maintain the nutrient-rich soil and farm the garden with a goal of achieving zero waste. To date, the garden has produced the likes of lettuce, sorrel, tomatoes, sugar snap peas, garlic, and grapevines. Lobby Bar head chef Andrew Gunn is drawing upon this yield for a rooftop-to-table program, designing a flexible French-inspired menu (also boasting pastries made by Andrew’s wife, Amélie Gunn) that makes the most of homegrown ingredients harvested directly from the urban farm. The Calile Hotel will be hosting a special Homegrown How To event as part James St Food + Wine Trail on Saturday July 29, with aspiring green thumbs able to learn the secrets of soil maintenance, composting, growing from seeds and pest control from Elia Guy, founder of Future Wild. Get your tickets here.
One and Two at Before + After
Two of Australia’s best new bars will be teaming up for a boozy takeover on Sunday August 6. Andy Chu of Melbourne-based cocktail and small-batch whisky bar One or Two will be heading up to Brisbane to pour drinks at slick inner-city boozer Before + After. The second part of a home-and-home series that saw Before + After’s George Curtis dispense his famed amaro-infused cocktails at One or Two back in May, the evening will see Andy (who worked famed Melbourne spots such as the Everleigh, Above Board and Black Pearl before opening his own bar) whipping up a trio of iconic One or Two’s cocktails. We’ve heard there might be a mixture of stir-down drinks and maybe an appearance of One or Two’s signature milk punch, plus the night’s soundtrack will also be Andy’s to curate. Before + After’s kitchen will be pumping out moreish grilled-cheese sandwiches, for those feeling peckish. With both bars having just been named as finalists in the New Bar of the Year category in this year’s Australian Bar Awards, this is shaping up to be one choice collab for fans of fine booze. The fun will kick off from 5:00 pm.
Zazu Dining & Bar
If you visited West Village over the weekend, you might have spied that a new eatery has quietly opened on the corner of Mollison Park, just next to Betty’s Burgers. Zazu Dining & Bar is a chic restaurant serving a tasty amalgam of European and pan-Asian cuisines, with a balance of flavours offering something for most tastes. Boasting indoor and outdoor bar spaces, mezzanine function space and sunken private dining room, Zazu is putting its best foot forward on the aesthetics front. As for the menu, you’ll find tuna carpaccio with toasted edamame and fried shallots, slow-cooked lamb shoulder on the bone with salsa verde, Peking duck-style glazed pork hock with pancakes, homemade plum sauce and cucumber, and an iconic Brisbane dish – Gillian Hirst’s famous sand crab lasagna, popularised at Il Centro and now available at Zazu. As for the drinks, guests can select from Zazu’s 90-strong wine list or opt for a signature cocktail like the Negroni Cloud, which comes topped with pineapple foam, a sprinkling of crushed chocolate and honeycomb.
Da Biuso
One of the year’s most memorable openings didn’t actually open in a fixed location. Da Biuso, a degustation restaurant on wheels, has been serving high-end fare (boasting Sicilian and contemporary European roots) from inside a splendidly appointed bus since March. Always intended as a roaming eatery, Da Biuso is finally putting wheels in motion once again – departing its debut location at Ascot Green and moving to iconic riverside destination, Bretts Wharf in Hamilton, on Thursday August 3. While the operating hours will remain the same, Da Biuso will be launching a new seven-course menu to celebrate the relocation. Expect to find new additions like risotto with carnaroli rice infused with pickled beetroot juice and veal osso buco, and corn-fed chicken with Etna rosso sauce, sugarloaf cabbage and chickpea polenta. Da Biuso is serving dinner on Thursday evenings, and lunch and dinner from Friday through Sunday. Bookings can be made here.
Paella y Pa’Mi
In sad news for fans of Spanish cuisine, cosy Coorparoo bistro and wine bar Paella y Pa’Mi will be closing for good on Sunday July 23. The restaurant, which opened in 2021, enchanted locals with its contemporary twists on Spanish classics (including its iconic paella) and its breezy aesthetic inspired by the Andalusian coast. Paella y Pa’Mi will be going out with a menu featuring all of its best-selling dishes – make a booking quickly or risk missing out on one last taste.
And in case you missed the news …
Straits
Caffeine-obsessed Coorparoo locals will soon score a coffee spot servicing their cravings every day of the year. In mid-to-late August, pint-sized piccolo pourer Straits will open on Leicester Street, with owner Brendan McCrystal (formerly of Blackout in Paddington) looking to add some fun vibes to the leafy strip. Work will soon commence on kitting out the 37-sqm space (tucked in next to hairdresser Isabis Hair), with Brendan eager to make it a happening, energy-filled spot for locals looking for a pick-me-up. Straits will have The Black Lab Coffee Co. on deck for its house blend, but Brendan will also be serving rotating single origins from a heap of other roasters. A small menu of sweet and savoury pastries will be available alongside the brew, too.
Ballers Clubhouse
These days, we like our nights out to come with more than just food and drink. We want to be entertained, which is exactly what adult playground Ballers Clubhouse is promising when it arrives in Brisbane early next year. The Melbourne-born concept, which combines tech-enhanced games with cocktails and hand-held eats, is taking over the King of King’s space near Chinatown Mall in The Valley. Once complete, Ballers Clubhouse Fortitude Valley will be equipped with a number of its signature games, including Party Pong, Social Darts, Neo Shuffle and Cool Pool, plus Karaoke Ball Pit for all of the performers to belt out the high notes. The Ballers bar and kitchen will ensure everyone is fuelled up and ready to play, with panko-prawn tacos, chicken schnitty sliders and green-curry arancini available alongside beers, wines and an interactive cocktail menu. Read all about Ballers Clubhouse’s plans here.
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