THE LATEST IN NEW ESTABLISHMENTS:
THE CROSSTOWN EATING HOUSE
23 Logan Road, Woolloongabba
Open: Sun (lunch only) 12-6pm. Tues (dinner only) 6pm-midnight. Wed -Sat, midday to midnight
Located near the Gabba in a quaint spot amongst many character buildings, brothers Matt and Ben Christensen with partner Matthew Howland have opened The Crosstown Eating House. Tucked away in a fantastic old building, the guys have spent four months lovingly restoring it into a funky cafe/restaurant. The interior is quirky and fitted with old-style lights and furniture they have made themselves. Haidee Peterson and Mark Turville man the kitchen, pumping out great simple food to an already appreciative following. The day I dined we perched ourselves on stools and looked out on to the passing parade fossicking in the furniture and bric-a-brac shops nearby. The menu is simple, interesting and “delish”.
BLOWFLY AT TENERIFE
Shop 3, 110 Macquarie Street, Tenerife
Opening hours: Wed-Thurs, 4.30pm to midnight (dinner), Fri 4pm to midnight (dinner), Sat-Sun 7.30am to midnight (breakfast and dinner), Sundays from 4pm.
Blowfly has introduced new dining, wine and cocktail menus which focuses on fantastic winter flavours and produce.
Nathan Lavastec has been appointed chef and has bought new life into the food on offer. The dining menu has many tasting/share items with mains ranging from chicken breast stuffed with prawn mousse to lamb shanks on scented rice. The wine list is now “red heavy” covering all Australian regions with some interesting varietals scattered throughout, perfect for winter. Cocktails are the main drink focus at Blowfly and it is well worth trying one. Ben Howe and Nick Pinn have crafted their own mulled wine (hot spiced wine) for the winter menu.
FREESTYLE TOUT, WEST END
220 Melbourne Street
Open: Sun 11.30am – 11pm, Tues-Thur 5.30pm-11pm, Fri/Sat 11.30am-11.30pm
This is my new baby. Freestyle Tout at West End is the latest eating establishment to open in West End. Situated on the corner of Browning, Melbourne and Boundary Streets in the West End hub of groovy bars and cafes. It is close to the Gallery of Modern Art, Queensland Performing Arts Centre and South bank. The interior has the cool “Freestyle” look with a red berry and chocolate colour scheme, Freestyle fresh flowers and fabulous artwork by Sarah Hickey. Both savoury and bar menus are available along with our famous Freestyle desserts.
PINTXO (PINCH-O)
561 Brunswick Street New Farm
Open: Wed-Sun, 6pm until late.
Lunch Fri-Sun
After her honeymoon in Spain, Melissa Felecia returned to Brisbane enthused and opened her restaurant Pintxo that serves Spanish tapas, which have their origins in northern Spain. The decor is earthy with the use of timber, bricks, colours of caramel with a splash of red and a large bull mural. It has communal tables that seat 28, a conveyor belt and little plates. A separate tapas area offers a banquet menu.
QUEENSLAND IS PRODUCING AWARD-WINNING WINES AND BEERS. LOOK OUT FOR THESE AT YOUR LOCAL LIQUOR OUTLET:
BARAMBAH CELLAR DOOR
AND VINEYARD Barambah Wine Trail,
79 Goshnicks Rd, Murgon
Barambah has just renovated and
re-opened its cellar door in Moffatdale near Murgon. Deborah Sams is the manager and on deck from Thursday until Sunday during the hours of
10am-4pm. Definitely worth tasting the whole Barambah range made Queenslands favourite wine maker Peter Scudamore-Smith. Look out for these: First Grid Verdelho, Chardonnay, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon. They are all winners. The Fantastic Rack Dried Semillon would be great with any dessert. www.barambah.com.au
BURLEIGH BREWING COMPANY
17A Ern Harley Drive, Burleigh Heads
Another great Queensland beer.
Currently producing three Duke beers: Burleigh, Hefeweizen and Bighead. All the Burleigh Brewery Company beers are naturally brewed - pure and free from nasty chemicals with no artificial preservatives or pasteurisation. They have a great selection of beers.
For further details, log on to
www.burleighbrewing.com.au
BRIDGEMAN DOWNS WINES
59 Waterview Drive, Moffatdale
Alex and Jan Brydges’ Bridgeman Downs inaugural Vintage in the Vines dinner in the South Burnett was a hit. About 130 local and Brisbane people attended along with the owners of Barambah Wines, Steve and Jan Wilson. Clovely Estate’s Brett Heading and Tipperary Estate owners Pauline and Craig Gillet also attended. It was great to see such camaraderie and support between competitors. Everyone had an awesome time under the marquee in the middle of the vineyard. I can’t wait for next year’s event. All wines served were from the Bridgeman Downs label. The rose, Shiraz and Muscat were my favourites. With winter here, I can see the Bridgeman Downs’ fortified Shiraz served with a great chocolate dessert.
www.bridgemandowns.com
THE SUNSHINE COAST BREWERY
13 Endeavour Drive, Kunda Park
Sunshine Coast Brewery is tucked away in an industrial estate at Kunda Park between Maroochydore and Nambour.
If you are up that way, telephone ahead for opening times to avoid disappointment. Greg and Brigitte Curran are the owners and delightful hosts of the beer tastings. They have produced many major award-winning craft beers on site. Below are some of the standouts that I really enjoyed:
Dark Lager – a Munich style Dunkel beer with clean malt flavours and a hint of almost coffee and chocolate.
Ginger Keg – real ginger beer made with Buderim ginger. It is very refreshing. I really liked this one; it would be great for a hot day beside the pool.
Chilli Beer – made with real chilli… and does it have a bite!
Dunkelweizen – wheat and dark Munich malts: Really different, I could almost taste the bananas.
IF YOU HAVE ANY “GOSS” OR GREAT LOCAL FOODIE NEWS,
email me on MARTIN@FREESTYLETOUT.COM.AU
