The Matriarch
Fancy dining on Mediterranean tapas while surrounded by lush olive trees? You don’t have to jump on a plane – a brand-new cocktail garden and restaurant coming to Newstead will quench your thirst for European hospitality. The Matriarch is the name of the forthcoming luxe locale from Jimmy Truong of Brush and Barrel and chef Matthew De Wacht, who describe the concept as a romantic industrial cocktail-garden oasis. Since February, The Matriarch team has been hard at work converting a warehouse on Masters Street into an indoor sanctuary – think Parisian countryside meets inner-city urban sanctuary and you’ve only just scratched the surface. Behind iron gates will sit a garden patio (boasting a smattering of newly planted 25-year-old olive trees) while on the other side of ornate handcrafted doors sits an interior portion boasting white-marble tables, booth seating, soft velvet furnishings, crystal chandeliers and indoor foliage. The 250-seater venue will offer diners a vegan and vegetarian-friendly menu of eats, including breakfast, lunch, high tea, an evening tapas selection and dessert delivered to your table by roving carts. The bar will pour a selection of signature cocktails boasting a discernible pan-Asian influence (as well as a huge interactivity and theatrical component), alongside roughly 15 rosés and more. The Matriarch is aiming for an early August opening – stay tuned for a closer look!
Wildfire & Pour
If you’ve been looking for a food and wine event with some tasty twists, look no further than Wildfire & Pour. The event, taking place at The Black in Albion on Thursday August 8, will feature acclaimed chef Jerome Dalton pairing up with David Bone from Cuttings Wine and Todd Stevens from Neudorf Vineyards for a venison-based fire-dome feast. Unsure what that means? Don’t fret – the fire dome is a custom-made steel apparatus that will be utilised to flame cook various cuts of ethically harvested venison from Fair Game Wild Venison in New South Wales. This wild-caught venison has been harvested from grazing land, and is free from added hormones and antibiotics. Venison is a key ingredient in the burgeoning ‘pestatarian’ food trend, which relies on chefs utilising invasive species such as deer, subsequently minimising their impact on the local environment while also tapping into an under-utilised food source. Jerome will be working venison into the evening’s culinary offering, which will begin with canapes by the fire, followed by a two-course shared style feast, finished with cheese boards and petit fours. All courses will be paired with wine from Neudorf Vineyards (including a limited release of the winery’s newest pinot), while Jerome and Jonas Widjaja from Fair Game Wild Venison will also be speaking about the importance of sustainable meat. Get your tickets here.
Ar Pe Pe at OTTO Brisbane
If you live for fine Italian dining and crave the taste of authenticity, you’re going to want to be at OTTO Brisbane on Friday August 2. The celebrated restaurant is presenting a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to join Isabella Perego and Giorgio De Maria in celebrating the red wines of Ar Pe Pe from Lombardy. Served from Jeroboam and Magnums, diners will be able to sample the diversity of their hand-tended vineyards, and taste back-vintage treats direct from their cellar in the Italian Alps. That’s not all – guests will also dine on the likes of braised veal shin, hand-rolled pasta with butter, pecorino, pepper and Western Australian truffles, and bread-and-butter pudding with honeycomb gelato. Hit up our event guide for more information.
The Locals Panel Series
Tomorrow night some of Brisbane’s most fashionable forward thinkers will be gathering to dispense their wisdom on sustainable style and ethical practices in the fashion industry. The Locals Panel Series kicks off its third evening of enlightening discussion tomorrow at The Bromley Room #2 at West Village. The likes of Alice Nightingale, Karen Uhlmann, Brittanie Dreghorn and Laura Churchill will be sharing their wisdom with attendees from 6:30 pm. If you haven’t scored a ticket yet, now is your last chance to do so. Grab your tickets here (ticket cost includes a drink and nibbles on arrival).
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