Brighton Hotel
After a near five-month renovation process, a beloved waterfront pub reopened to the public last week, showing off a host of shiny new amenities. Brighton Hotel is now trading once more, with locals encouraged to pop in for a peek at the venue’s new remodelled interiors, beer garden, bistro and dedicated sports bar. The beer garden will be a go-to space for folks seeking a sun-dappled sipping spot, with new picnic-style seating and ambient festoon lighting installed alongside an adjoining kids’ playground for the little ones to enjoy. Inside, the light-filled bistro has been bedecked in an inviting aesthetic palette, consisting of greens and warm timber, with two large skylights and pendant lighting making the eatery an alluring spot for mid-week lunches and family dinners. A refreshed menu also debuted last week, with classic, produce-driven options like char-grilled Australian king prawns with confit garlic butter and dill oil, beef-and-pork rissoles with potato mash, broccolini, onion rings and gravy, and juicy wagyu beef burgers sure to satisfy. The neighbouring sports bar is the place to go if you want to catch a live sporting fixture, with large LED tv screens playing all of the big games. To celebrate Brighton Hotel’s reopening, the venue is hosting a Welcome Weekend on May 17–19, featuring barbecues, face painting, prawn-peeling competitions, live music and a petting zoo. Head to the Brighton Hotel website for more information.
Milquetoast
Last week, we broke the news that two top-flight hospo talents would be teaming up to open Milquetoast, a brand-new wine bar and dining room coming to Brisbane City in July. Operated by George Curtis of Before + After and sommelier James Horsfall (currently restaurant manager at Blume), Milquetoast will transform a gritty laneway garage space off Elizabeth Street (right next door to Alice) into a bar serving fine wines and innovative cocktails, as well as a menu boasting a bit of a British twist. James will be overseeing a tight wine list of approximately 50 bottles to start, encompassing small-scale independent producers from across Australia and the globe. On the cocktail front, Aidan Perkins (formerly of Exhibition, Hôntô and Agnes) will be dispensing a range of creative concoctions that champion seasonal ingredients and utilise contemporary techniques ranging from fermentations to house-made tinctures and sodas. Milquetoast’s menu will be concise, but will be elevated by the use of quality ingredients and top-class cooking. The likes of chicken-and-leek pie, lentils with sausages, jam roly-poly with custard, and bread-and-butter pudding with amaro-soaked raisins will be available alongside snacks, such as freshly shucked oysters, cut-to-order salumi, tinned seafood, cold nibbles, burrata and beetroot carpaccio.
Sbagliata
If you thought Portside Wharf couldn’t top its cracking run of openings in 2023, you thought wrong. The riverside hub is looking to go above and beyond in 2024 with a raft of new arrivals on the cards. In addition to previously announced venues like Portside Social and Uncle Wang, Portside Wharf will also welcome Sbagliata to the precinct this August. The brainchild of Ashley-Maree Kent, owner of Ramona Trattoria and Bar Rocco, Sbagliata will be bringing Ashley’s hand-shaped pasta to Portside. Work is set to commence on the fit-out of the 174-sqm, 120-seat restaurant, which will boast two kitchens. One will be a separate pasta kitchen, in which Ash and her team will pump out a broad array of pasta varieties using traditional, hands-on techniques. Another kitchen, equipped with a woodfire and coal grill, will be tasked with cooking a suite of hot entrees and mouth-watering mains (think proteins and fish – plus vegan- and vegetarian-friendly options). The pasta kitchen will be serving a mix of hand-shaped pasta and pasta al bronzo (otherwise known as bronze-cut pasta, or varieties that are extruded through bronze dies). All of this (plus an extensive list of wines) will be served in a nostalgia-laced space designed by Alkot Studio, boasting houndstooth curtains, cork floor tiles and a red-and-white colour scheme. Want to know more? Be sure to read our full preview on Sbagliata here.
Gerries
A cocktail-slinging staple of James Street now goes by another name. Gerard’s Bar, the popular watering hole sibling of institution restaurant Gerard’s, recently changed hands and, as of last week, has changed its name to Gerries. Previous owners Johnny and Elie Moubarak have sold the venue to old friend Justinn De Beer (of Brooklyn Standard and Hello Gorgeous fame) who, alongside fellow co-owner Mark Rodrigues, will soon be putting their own stamp on the joint. Details are being kept close to the chest, with Justinn encouraging long-time fans and newcomers to follow the bar on socials and check in for exciting things to come. Read more about the news here.
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