Cheese Fattoria by Salt Meats Cheese
Two thousand kilograms of mozzarella seems like it would take forever to get through, right? Not as long as you think – that’s how much mozzarella Salt Meats Cheese customers consume each week across its Queensland and New South Wales stores. With that in mind, the team decided to import a machine from Italy to start producing its own cheese, using jersey cow milk sourced directly from Toowoomba. The cheese will be produced at the Cheese Fattoria by Salt Meats Cheese right here in West End, soon to open in the ever-evolving West Village precinct. Cheese Fattoria has enlisted the help of cheesemakers from Puglia in Italy for the first six months of production, who will assist in the training of its Australian cheesemakers. Mozzarella logs won’t be the only creation – expect to see the likes of nodini, treccia, truffle burrata, scamorza, pecorino, provolone and buffalo mozzarella. Cheese Fattoria will form a part of SMC West Village Restaurant and Cooking School, where you can learn to make cheese by hand. We’ll have more details for you this Thursday in Food & Drink!
Ripiena
We’re certainly not scientists, but we feel like a pasta laboratory is the kind of place we’d feel right at home. Lucky for us, Brisbane is about to get its very own pasta laboratory in mid-October, when Ripiena opens in the Mosaic Building on Ann Street in Fortitude Valley. The Ripiena idea is simple – creating real, fresh pasta. The providore comes from Italian native Nicolo’ Campagnari and partner Anita Schenk, who wanted to create a concept reminiscent of neighbourhood pasta shops in Italy, where you can pick up fresh handmade pasta to cook at home, or dine in for a casual meal. Ripiena will specialise in filled pasta, sticking to tradition with the likes of tortellini di Bologna and tortellini di Valeggio, and creating innovative specially filled ravioli, agnolotti, tortelli, cappellacci and more using local ingredients. Traditional recipes aren’t the only authentic Italian element – the couple are strong supporters of Italy’s DOP certification, so you can expect to find prosciutto di Parma, mortadella di Bologna, Parmigiano-Reggiano and flour imported from Italy.
Moda Tapas Brasa Bar
After eight years at its Edward Street location, Javier Codina’s Moda Restaurant is on the move. Javier and co-owner François Le Savéant have announced the restaurant will be moving to the historic stables building at The Barracks (formerly The Underground nightclub and more recently, Burnt Ends Kitchen & Bar), transforming into Moda Tapas Brasa Bar. The new concept will continue to embrace Javier and François’ ‘everything made in house’ philosophy, serving an extensive selection of tapas and entremeses, plus a rotisserie and over-embers carnivore menu, cooked in a Mibrasa charcoal oven. Although a more relaxed experience than Moda Restaurant, Moda Tapas Brasa Bar will continue to offer the much-loved Javier’s Table rustic degustation. Moda Tapas Brasa Bar is due to open in early October – we’ll have more details for you soon.
The Catbird Seat Bistro
Sad news for fans of cosy East Brisbane spot The Catbird Seat Bistro – the owners of the Stanley Street favourite announced last week that the venue would close after its final dinner service on Saturday September 29. Although the announcement is devastating for long-time lovers of the venue, there is an exciting silver lining in the fact that the space will soon be transformed into a hot new eatery. A Modern Australian-meets-Korean concept will pop up in the space in the coming months, so keep your eyes peeled for more information as it comes to light.
If you’ve heard something that’s worth mentioning in The Weekend Edition’s Pavement Whispers, email [email protected].
