Newfarm Village News July

Well-done Queensland ....Fifteen
on the Southern Downs
FOR THREE days later this month,
the Southern Downs and Granite Belt
region is to host a visit from the top
apprentices from celebrity chef Jamie
Oliver’s Melbourne restaurant, Fifteen.
Oliver’s Fifteen Foundation takes
troubled youths from the community
and trains them to become chefs.
The top apprentices earn a place in
the Fifteen kitchen. Southern Downs
and Granite Belt Regional Tourism
has organised a busy itinerary of
visits to growers, processors and
wineries throughout the region to
provide the students with an insight
into how and where the food they use
in the restaurant is produced and
packaged. Under the watchful eye of
Fifteen Head Chef Warren Flanagan, the
apprentices are to man the kitchen at
the Qld College of Wine Tourism on
Wednesday, July 22, and prepare a
gala charity dinner.

Sirromet’s Viognier
top Qld white wine
SIRROMET’S 2007 Seven Scenes Viognier
has scooped the pool at the Brisbane
Fine Wine Festival. It took out two of the
highest honours – the Judge’s Choice Top
Queensland White Wine and another for
Highest Scoring Queensland Wine. Sirromet
Chief Winemaker Adam Chapman said he
believed the Granite Belt produced great
Viognier. "We’ve ‘benchmarked’ the 2007
Seven Scenes Viognier amongst the best
in the world and found it leaving the great
wines from Condrieu, the birth place of
Viognier, for dead," Mr Chapman said.

The HutchCnr of Lamington & Welsby Streets,
New Farm. P. 3254 4426
Breakfast & Lunch: Tues to Sun
Dinner: Wed to Sat
The night we dined was State of Origin
night and it was probably not as busy
as it normally would be. There were a
few residents from nearby units eating
out so this is obviously the place to go
when you can’t be bothered cooking.
It has a small, simple menu, with
entrees from $15-$17 and mains from
$20-$30. Although the name suggests
a small space, I was quite surprised
at the size of the venue and the
different areas. There is a lovely area
with bentwood chairs and a timber
wine rack that gives it a warm feel and
another area with high ceilings, brick
walls and marble bar. There is also a
large outdoor area under cover. The
wait staff were very attentive and we
couldn’t fault the service. We grazed
on toasted Turkish bread, olive oil
hummus, warm kalamata olives, fried
green olives stuffed with feta cheese,
roast garlic mayonnaise, chili salt
squid, pan-fried gnocchi with roasted
pumpkin, ricotta, sage and nut brown
butter parsley, salmon snapper fish
cakes with buttered spinach and warm
tartare sauce and French fries. The
fishcakes had too much potato for
my liking along with the fries it was a
carbohydrate overload. The wine list is
small and reasonable with something
for everyone. With meals like this, I’ll
never be a size 6!

Vespa Pizza
148 Merthyr Road, New Farm
Dine in / Delivery / Takeaway
P. 3358 4100
This is my favourite little local. I love
the Vespa scooters out the front, the
outdoor dining area, the booths, the
vibe and, of course, the pizzas. Who
needs to go to Rome when it is all here
in New Farm. One of my favourites is
the streaky bacon and red currant pizza
with Camembert. Yummo! I have found
that this menu item is better served
hot, straight out of the oven on site
rather than delivered and of course, it
is low-kilojoules, low-cholesterol – NOT
– or the 9mm pepperoni with ligurian
olives and more pepperoni, not to
mention the mozzarella. The mixed leaf
salad with sweet chili dressing is also a
must – washed down with a nice Chianti
or two. Enjoy!

Desmond and
Molly Jones Café615 Stanley Street, Wooloongabba
Open: Mon to Fri, 7.30am-3.30pm,
Sat 7.30am-2.30pm
Another little gem. Owners Tori Garrett,
James Greville and Jonas McQuiggin
have opened this quirky cafe in one of
the old shops on Stanley Street near
the Mater hospital at Woolloongabba.
It has high ceilings and exposed brick
walls with 1950s and 1960s Danish
furniture. The menu changes daily
and consists of yummy simple food.
Try the homemade sausage rolls or
spinach pie.