As we get ever closer to the completion of the billion-dollar Queen’s Wharf precinct, we are being drip-fed more announcements of its highly anticipated food-and-drink offering. The Star Brisbane has just revealed details of Cucina Regina, a brand-new elevated dining option and the first to be announced for The Terrace – a riverfront strip located on level four of The Star Brisbane, next to the northern connection of the Neville Bonner Pedestrian Bridge. The 160-seater is the newest venue in The Star’s Cucina restaurant family, which includes Cucina Vivo on the Gold Coast and Cucina Porto in Sydney. Like its siblings, Regina (Italian for ‘queen’) will pay due reverence to the simplicity and quality of Italian cuisine, and the act of passeggiata – a leisurely pre-meal walk where socialising and spontaneous is common. Australian design studio Tom Mark Henry is the driving force in charge of Cucina Regina’s aesthetic. The team will be deviating from cliched design cues to create an interior personality that melds modern and traditional elements with a sense of homely warmth, drawing upon a palette of bold textiles, textured coloured glass and local art pieces to accent the indoor and outdoor spaces. With a menu that mixes classics, comfort food and signature dishes, Cucina Regina will reportedly offer everything from appetite-whetting antipasto and woodfired pizzas to homemade pasta and dessert trolleys loaded with the likes of jiggly panna cotta. The restaurant’s beverage program will be anchored by a sturdy list of Italian wines and carefully crafted cocktails – we’re talking classic negronis, zingy limoncello spritzes and silky amaro sours. Cucina Regina will join previously announced venues Fat Noodle, Sports Bar and Cherry as The Star Brisbane’s first wave of openings. Stay tuned for more details!