DISCOVER MORE AT BNECITY.COM.AU EAT AND DRINK IN BRISBANE CITY contents 3 GUEST EDITOR NOTE Matt Moran 4 AWARD WINNERS Brisbane’s best chef-hatted restaurants 6 BREAKFAST TO BRUNCH Start your day the right way 8 COFFEE FIX Perk up with some fine brews 9 FANCY SOME HIGH TEA? Take your catch-up to new heights 10 HIDDEN GEMS Discover Brisbane’s tastiest hideaways 12 LOVE THE NIGHTLIFE Kick back for a drink at The City’s top bars 14 BEHIND THE APRON Meet the chefs behind your favourite dishes 15 BURGER HEAVEN Wrap your mitts around a hearty burger 16 ASIAN HOTSPOTS From sushi to satay, get your fix 18 MEET THE LOCALS Say hello to The City’s superstars 20 HEALTHY BITES Satisfy your hunger without the guilt 21 QUICK BITES Grab delicious eats on the go DIRECTORY Brought to you by 22 Jam packed with places to eat and drink 27 GETTING AROUND Public transport, parking and map PO Box 12260, George St, This guide is proudly produced by Brisbane Marketing. Brisbane Marketing is the Brisbane, Qld 4003 Australia city’s economic development board. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Brisbane T +61 7 3006 6200 City Council, and the official marketing authority for the Greater Brisbane region. E [email protected] COVER IMAGE Shot at Riverbar & Kitchen, 71 Eagle Street W bnecity.com.au GRAPHIC DESIGN & CONTENT map creative, mapcreative.com.au Disclaimer: The material contained within this guide has been researched, assembled and included with all due care. Material was correct at time of printing. Brisbane Marketing Pty Ltd should not be held responsible or liable, however, for any costs, losses, damages, charges and/or expenses incurred or sustained by any party relying on the material contained, incorporated or included in this guide. All editorial, maps and photographs appearing in this guide are strictly protected by copyright. Any unauthorised use will result in prosecution. All enquiries should be directed to Brisbane Marketing Pty Ltd. 2 | BNECITY.COM.AU #BRISBANECITYFOOD | 3 guest editor note Welcome to the inaugural issue of Dish, Brisbane City’s eating and drinking guide, bringing you the best of what the CBD has to offer. Meet our guest editor Matt Moran, one of Australia’s most loved and awarded chefs, and owner of ARIA. Wow, how time flies! I can’t believe it’s been seven years since I opened ARIA in Brisbane. In 2009 I saw how Brisbane diners were really engaged with the industry and hungry for more, so couldn’t resist the opportunity to take on the site at Eagle Street Pier – right on the water at the edge of the CBD with great views to the Story Bridge. Since then, the Brisbane City dining scene has definitely shifted up a gear and it’s only getting better. There are more offerings now than ever before, whether it’s fine dining to something more casual, espresso nooks to cafes, or pubs to pop-ups. “We are very So I hope you enjoy the inaugural issue of Dish, The City’s lucky to be food and wine guide, packed with the best places to eat while you’re in Brisbane. I am sure you will find a few favourites in surrounded your travels and don’t miss exploring the laneways for some hidden gems. by some of the best producers Enjoy, in Australia!” Matt Moran 2 | BNECITY.COM.AU #BRISBANECITYFOOD | 3 #BRISBANECITYFOOD | 5 awardTip your hat to these critically winners acclaimed dining experiences Image: Urbane. Photography: Scott Burrows Scott Photography: Image: Urbane. TWO HATS Image: e’cco bistro Image: e’cco The two-hatted club boasts exceptional offerings. Legendary chef Matt Moran’s ARIA is a fine-dining experience centred on a seasonal menu that oozes THREE HATS elegance. Patrons can look out over the river and Story Bridge for a view that perfectly complements Taking out top honours is Esquire, a degustation the visual beauty of the food. Adding to the restaurant with all of the sophistication minus the excellence is Esq., the more casual and à la carte pretentiousness. Promising a commitment between other half of Esquire. Esq. provides a simple (but diner and kitchen, Esquire offers a multi-course menu no less delicious) menu focusing on ‘hero’ ingredients that directly reflects market availability. Joining the that are locally and sustainably sourced. Just a little three-hat brigade is Urbane, offering a delightful further out is chef Philip Johnson’s longstanding fusion of modern and traditional sensibilities with e’cco bistro, based around honest, no-nonsense enticing menus that can’t be pinned to a genre. food made with the best local ingredients. Image: BlackBird Bar & Grill Image: BlackBird ONE HAT The City is studded with one-hat gems, covering a huge range of tastes and genres. From international cuisine to local flavours, there’s a hatted restaurant to suit your taste. Along Eagle Street there is boundless Japanese elegance at Saké, modern Italian delights at Il Centro, gastronomic wonder at Alchemy Restaurant + Bar, and contemporary opulence at BlackBird Bar & Grill. The Euro’s Euro-centric influence makes for inspirational bistro food, andModa Restaurant’s rustic Spanish offerings are designed to let the produce shine. Fun and finesse are whatPublic is all about, while Thomson’s Reserve in The New Inchcolm Hotel and Suites takes a progressive approach to its cuisine. Restaurant II focuses on advanced Australian fare with a French twist, and OTTO Brisbane brings Italian a new edge with modern flair. Finally, The Survey Co. serves inventive modern Australian dishes in a hidden industrial laneway setting. #BRISBANECITYFOOD | 5 breakfast to brunch Sit and stay, take away, feast or graze with the best breakfast and brunch spots The City has to offer DOUBLE DOSE USE THE FORCE Nestled near the Edward Hit up Death Star Street entrance of Canteen for a modest Wintergarden, Gramercy but mighty selection of Espresso offers freshly quirky breakfast options, prepared homemade all enhanced by the eats and well-crafted cafe’s Star Wars theme. coffee. If you’re torn 359 QUEEN ST between sweet and 0404 384 405 savoury, Gramercy’s breakfast menu has got you covered with nourishing offerings such as bircher muesli, smashed avocado MODERN CLASSIC on sourdough and the breakfast brioche. As a bonus, Casual yet sophisticated, its sister cafe Irving Place lives just around the Cicada offers an ever- corner. The cafe boasts a nourishing menu focused changing daily menu on seasonal local produce from independently run with specials for all producers around Brisbane. sorts. The paleo-friendly WINTERGARDEN, VIA EDWARD ST | 07 3003 1766 muesli is an instant hit. 48 ADELAIDE ST 07 3211 2161 ROLLIN’ ON THE RIVER Celebrity chef and restaurateur Matt Moran’s Riverbar & Kitchen is a breakfast haven with favourites to suit any style. 71 EAGLE ST 07 3211 9020 AN ODE TO THE BEAN Legitimate caffeine heads are spoilt for choice at this treasure trove of a cafe. Coffee Anthology boasts a large collection of brews from some of the SECRET GARDEN biggest names in the Aussie coffee business, with up A charming heritage-listed curator’s cottage in the to four on offer at any given time. It also holds the City Botanic Gardens, The Gardens Club is a profit- coveted title of Best Cafe in Australia from review site for-purpose cafe and events space with a seasonal Beanhunter. They’re some serious credentials! fresh menu that celebrates Queensland agriculture. 126 MARGARET ST | 07 3210 1881 75 GARDENS POINT RD | 07 3012 9606 6 | BNECITY.COM.AU #BRISBANECITYFOOD | 7 LOCAL AND LOVING IT It’s hard not to stare when you enter the beautiful three-storey heritage- listed building that houses Botero. Locally sourced fare makes up the menu, plus five coffee blends from its very own roastery in Maclean, New South Wales. 258 ADELAIDE ST 07 3040 5114 WEEKDAY WARRIORS: MONDAY TO FRIDAY For a healthy vegetarian breakfast 1 that doesn’t skimp on taste, hit up Kitchen Sanitarium. Pourboy Espresso’s breakfast is 2 based on seasonal ingredients and French techniques. GOODNESS GRACIOUS Recharge from the Hearty, delicious and no-fuss fare is hustle and bustle of 3 what breakfast at The Cutting Board JUST LIKE MAMA MAKES Queen Street Mall at is all about. Nessun Dorma’s weekday Felix For Goodness. breakfast fare reads like a Home to a great bagel menu, Cawfee The light-filled space comforting hug – classics 4 embraces the one-handed breakfast and wholesome like house-made baked staple in style. organically sourced beans and French toast seasonal menu are sure For fresh breakfast favourites with a feature to create a menu to add a dose of calm 5 couple of surprises, The Collective designed to please. Sip on to your city adventure. has it covered. one of the amazing house- 50 BURNETT LN blend coffees to top it off. 07 3161 7966 REFER TO THE DIRECTORY FOR DETAILS PG 22 127 MARGARET ST 07 3003 1346 GIVE ME THE LOT Jabiru offers an all-day breakfast “I love sleep menu that won’t break the bank. Loaded with every favourite you because it’s like can imagine plus a selection of snazzy add-ons, you can build a time machine a meal that’s sure to satisfy. LEVEL 1, 241 ADELAIDE ST to breakfast.” 07 3062 0245 6 | BNECITY.COM.AU #BRISBANECITYFOOD | 7 coffeePerk yourself up with the best fix beans to be found in the CBD PEEK-A-BOO Keep it casual at The STREET CRED Coop, a hole-in-the- Local favourite Strauss wall haunt dishing out is the perfect alleyway delicious coffee and escape for those who freshly baked treats love a seriously good from Kaptain Patisserie.