The Dish: Brisbane food news you might have missed this week
There’s a lot happening in Brisbane these days, almost too much to keep up with. The Dish is a rapid-fire rundown of Brisbane food news – quick taster-sized tidbits to keep you in the know and, perhaps, tickle your taste buds.
B2B: A Franco-Canto Culinary Affair at Central
Following hot on the heels of Southside’s sensational Sunday lunch collab with Baja, the crew at Central is gearing up to combine the talents of two top chefs for an afternoon of foodie fusion on Sunday April 27. Brisbane-born chef Brendan Fong will be returning home for a one-day-only collaboration with Central executive chef Benny Lam, with the two friends harmonising classical French training and the delicate nuances of Cantonese cuisine into a four-course lunch (with a dessert). The menu will celebrate balance, seasonality and understated creativity, dishes set to include the likes of razor clams with fine herbs, artichoke, pickled ginger and kaffir lime oil, smoked foie gras, youtiao, Davidson plum and salted duck egg; lobster and prawn har gow with garlic butter; Moreton Bay bug thermidor with house XO sauce; smoked duck à l’orange; and stir-fried red mmperor fillet with ginger and shallot, and sugar snap peas. Seats for the lunch are available now for $144 per person (wine matching can be added for an addition $88 per person. Bookings are essential – make yours here.
Pilloni Restaurant is hosting Byron Bay’s The Hut for a unique dinner experience
Sardinian-inspired West End restaurant Pilloni is throwing open its doors on Wednesday April 30 for a one-off dinner collaboration with the team behind cherished Byron Bay eatery The Hut. Pilloni’s head chef Pietro Segalini will team up with chef Bruno Conti from The Hut, bringing together the elgeance of Italian cuisine and the bold flavours of Mediterranean cooking. The shared banquet will feature the likes of crostino Cantabrico (hand-filleted Spanish anchovy with ricotta and lemon zest), capesante (scallops with saffron puree and aleppo pepper), pulpo y su tinta (Western Australian octopus, black squid-ink hummus, taggiasca and spicy paprika), paccheri allo scoglio (house-made paccheri with mixed seafood) and pesce alla vernaccia (alfonsino with beurre blanc, cannellini bean puree, vernaccia wine and fried baby capers). Tickets to the dinner are $99 per person – head to the Pilloni website to make a booking.
Gum Bistro takes on weekend brunch with its Up Before Noon service
Now well established as one of Brisbane’s best restaurants, the team behind Gum Bistro in West End is setting its alarms a little earlier, with a brand-new morning service set to launch over the Easter weekend. On Good Friday and Easter Saturday, Gum Bistro will open at 8:00 am for Up Before Noon, serving a bang tidy menu of unfussy fare that bridges the gap between breakfast and lunch. The menu will be available until 2:00 pm, and will feature the likes of eggs (your choice of soft boiled, fried or souffle style) on Riser sourdough, soldiers with soft-boiled egg and gravlax, 2GR wagyu strip with boudin noir, fried egg and petit hashbrown, and salad sandwiches. There’s also a clutch of Gum Bistro signatures if you’re dining closer to lunchtime, plus great filter brews from Light Coffee, mimosa spritzes and mezcal-laced bloody Marias. Head to the Gum Bistro website to make a booking.
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Bottomless bao, beer and prosecco at Ping Pong
Pink-hued Thai eatery Ping Pong is giving foodies the chance to enjoy 90 minutes of unrestrained gastronomic ecstasy with its massive monthly special. Throughout April, from Monday to Wednesday between 5:00–8:00 pm, guests can pop in and enjoy one-and-a-half hours of bottomless boas, tap beer and prosecco. Ping Pong’s kitchen is pumping out six kinds of baos to enjoy, with fillings including sweet and sticky Sriracha-coated fried chicken with sesame, cucumber and kewpie, pork belly with green apple, yuzu mayo, crunchy chilli oil and onion jam, lamb rendang with kaffir lime yoghurt, fried shallot, crushed macadamia and curry leaves, and soft-shell crab with lettuce, gochujang mayo and Vietnamese mint. This deal is $88 per person – while no reservations are required, they are strongly encouraged – book a spot here.
YOMG drops a decadent Easter dessert
Cult-favourite burger and self-serve frozen yogurt destination YOMG, is dropping an egg-cellent Easter dessert that will be available for two weeks only (or until sold out). The epic pistachio choc-fudge hot cross bun will be available from 5:00 pm Thursday April 10 and features a toasted hot cross bun slathered with pistachio sauce, piled high with a swirl of chocolate-fudge frozen yoghurt and topped with YOMG crumble (contains nuts). We have a feeling this one is going to be popular, so hop to it!
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Petite launches weekday lunch specials
We love a bougie lunch, especially one that doesn’t break the budget. This week, the team behind modern French-inspired restaurant Petite is launching a special weekday lunch menu filled to bursting point with brilliant bistro plates available for $30 each. From Wednesday March 26, guests can pop in for the likes of steak frites, pan-fried fish with beurre blanc and fries, chicken cordon blue with truffle jus and fries, beef bourguignon with vegetables, and a quiche of the day with salad. These dishes are available alongside a selection of add-on items, such as oysters with mignonette, baked scallop with celeriac cream and chorizo, onion tarte tatin with creme fraiche, and creme brulee. A condensed by-the-glass wine list will also be available alongside beers, ciders and non-alcoholic beverages.
Sate Sundays at Warisan
On the hunt for a killer Sunday lunch option? The crew at Indonesian-inspired eatery Warisan is putting on a salivation-worthy spread sure to satisfy. Every Sunday, Warisan is giving diners the chance to enjoy 90 minutes of all-you-can-eat sate, with a menu featuring beef sate with sweet soy sambar, chicken skewers with peanut sauce and marinated tofu sate with sweet chilli sauce, plus signature Warisan dishes like nasi goreng, kerupuk and stir-fried kangkung. The offering also includes drinks, including Revel’s lager, Brouhaha pale ales and Warisan’s fizzy punch. Bookings are essential – head to Warisan’s website to lock in a spot.
Sushi and Sake pairing at Sokyo
If you’re yet to dine at The Star Brisbane’s crown-jewel restaurant Sokyo, we’ve got a great excuse to book in. The chic Japanese-inspired restaurant has just launched a brand-new sushi and sake experience, with head chef Alex Yu (known far and wide as Australia’s Sashimi Florist) and Sokyo’s head sommelier and sake specialist Jenny Wang collaborating on an exquisite set menu offering. The experience will see guests treated to a nine-course tasting menu featuring highlight dishes such as miso-glazed toothfish and steak tartare served atop a bed of wagyu fat hash browns, paired with five premium sakes and one dessert liquor. Click here to see the full menu, then head to the Sokyo website to make a booking.
Bar 1603’s Moreton Bay bug roll pop-up
If Queensland had a signature dish, there’s a good case for it to be the Moreton Bay bug roll. For a very limited time, Bar 1603 in The City is hosting a pop-up specialising in nothing but Moreton Bay bug rolls. Highlighting the incredible quality of Queensland’s fresh, locally sourced bugs, Bar 1603’s version of the iconic roll boasts a Japanese twist. Two miso-glazed Moreton Bay bug fillets are paired with cucumber yuzu pico de gallo, sakura sauce, fresh coral-leaf lettuce, cheddar cheese sauce and a side of Tokyo fries. Those feeling extra fancy can add a glass of Veuve Talihan French sparkling for just $10. The pop-up is running from 11:00 am until sold out, every day.
Hungry for more? Keep up to date with Brisbane’s most anticipated openings with Pavement Whispers.