What do ice plant, sea blight, kutjera, lemon aspen, gubinge, codium, karkalla and sea purslane have in common? Give up? OK, I’ll tell you – they’re all Australian ingredients and you’ll find them all, and many more, on Orana’s current menu. The mastermind behind bringing all of these things (that mostly grow out in the wild) to our tables is Jock Zonfrillo, formerly of Magill Estate.
Orana is an Aboriginal word that means Read more
I often get asked ‘What’s the best restaurant you’ve ever been to?’ In Australia, this is it. Ok – I won’t lie – this place was hard to get into. You can only book online, and you can’t book too far in advance – which makes it a little difficult when you’re trying to make travel plans around it. It’s even harder when you’re wanting a table for 1 or 2 people. At the time I was trying to book, they were releasing tables for 4 people first, and smaller tables were only Read more
This place is a cracker! It’s a little hard to find as the entrance is off a narrow laneway, but it’s casual, comfy and quirky with good food and good service. The décor is interesting – a combination of brick, wood and mosaic tiles. The menu is also really interesting. Based on shared plates, the food shows European, African and Middle Eastern influences. It’s hard to order as everything sounds so good! I love that. Chef, Ben Williamson is well ensconced in the Brisbane restaurant scene having Read more
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from Esquire. I knew little about it, apart from the fact it’s number 17 on the Top 100 list, so here we were, booked in for the 8 course degustation. On arrival we were told there are actually 15 courses all up including a number of ‘snacks’ which are all the rage right now.
It’s a nice contemporary space with concrete floors, a good amount of space between tables and a view of Read more
Well, what a treat this was – this was my first trip to the Gold Coast and I was lucky that my lovely friends picked me up at Brisbane airport and drove me down the scenic route to Burleigh Heads. When we pulled up outside The Fish House, I must say, it didn’t look anything too impressive, and the Read more
From the moment my taxi pulled up at the front of Stokehouse I just knew that this was going to be a great evening. It’s an appealing modern structure right on the river. The area was developed after the 2011 Brisbane floods and Stokehouse, from the same people as Melbourne’s Stokehouse, opened its doors in late 2012. The food is modern Mediterranean, using local and Australian produce. I was still just Read more
I’d been meaning to go to this place for a long time now – it’s been on the Top 100 list for some years, so I was glad to finally get there. It was a bit of a special occasion as it also marked the final Top 100 restaurant in Victoria that I had to do from the current list.
Matt McConnell’s Bar Lourinha is a narrow tapas bar in Little Collins Street, and it’s a great place to enjoy a Read more
I’d wanted to eat here for quite some time as I’d heard good things about it. Joe Grbac is formerly of The Press Club (which I loved!) and Scott Pickett from Estelle Bar and Kitchen (also very enjoyable). Both of these chefs coincidentally worked at London’s two-hatted The Square, but not at the same time.
You walk into a cool vibe – a healthy level of Read more
Once again, a regional restaurant that is worth driving to the middle of nowhere for. You’ll find Brae at Birregurra, about an hour drive north west of Geelong in Victoria. Set on 30 acres, with its own organic produce garden, you drive up past the original old brick house to the restaurant structure that was built around 30 years ago. I think Dan Hunter’s food is even better now than Read more
Another Top 100 ticked off – If you’ve been to The Apollo at Potts Point, you’ll know you can expect a good meal at their new place just down the street, Cho Cho San. This light, bright and modern Japanese restaurant serves sensational food! The space is long and Read more
Jacqui's Food Fetish 