Food & Wine - Feast On Q
January 2010
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Vapiano opens in Brisbane CBDIf you don't know where Albert Lane is in Brisbane's inner city, you will soon. Albert Lane is a clever rework of laneway space in Albert Street butting onto the T&G Building between Queen and Elizabeth streets.It's now home to an Australian first - Vapiano, part of a chain with 65 locations worldwide. There are another 100 stores in development in the US, Europe and the Middle East. Despite its inner city, fully internal location, Vapiano stands out with its large olive tree and herb garden which provides fresh herbs for each table. Diners can snip pieces of basil for their pasta or pizza which are made to order, right in full view. The chef asks how much chilli, or salt so seasonings can be adjusted to taste. The pasta is made on premise, fresh, daily. Director Will Cooke says the menu is full of good old fashioned Italian recipes. Most of the food is local, coming from within 150km. One exception is the range of cheeses including buffalo mozzarella which comes from Vannella Cheese in Millaa Millaa, Far North Queensland. The olive oil is pressed from frantoio olives grown in the South Burnett, the eggs come from the Darling Downs and the fruit and veg from Bowen, Bundaberg, Gatton and Logan. Another plus is the chip card system which allows customers to order what they want, when they want it and just pay for their own purchases on departure. No more arguments about splitting the bill. Vapiano Albert Lane is open from 11am to 11pm seven days a week. Media contact: Marissa Tree +61 7 3837 3870 More information: Vapiano |
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Lunch at Banca Ridge BistroEnjoy a medley of mains served with Banca Ridge wines at the Queensland College of Wine Tourism’s Banca Ridge Bistro in Stanthorpe. Media contact: Michele Cozzi +61 7 4681 0411 More information: Queensland College of Wine Tourism |
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Skybury’s roaster is smokingSkybury's Australian Coffee Centre at Mareeba has an impressively large, cast iron drum roaster now roasting the daily grind of Skybury coffee in the foyer, sending the aroma of freshly toasted coffee beans into the surrounding fields."We're roasting at 9am each day and it’s a terrific process to watch. It takes about 15 minutes to complete the cycle, and it's tantalising - you really want that cup of coffee when you smell the roasting beans!," said Skybury owner Ian MacLaughlin. Skybury's new roaster has a capacity of 15kg per roast and is equipped with a loader and separate green bean hopper to enable continuous roasting so it’s capable of processing up to 90kg per hour. The roaster has probes which monitor the temperature of the coffee roasting drum and the coffee beans. These measurements are used by internal computers to modulate the gas supply and temperature according to the pre-set roast specifics. Photo: Ian Maclaughlin with the new Skybury roaster. Media contact: Mia Lacy +61 4 1977 1649 More information: Skybury Coffee +61 7 4093 2194 |
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Townsville’s new wine sceneVine 21 is a newly opened wine bar and retail concept in Townsville’s CBD that’s receiving rave reviews from locals. Over 50 wines are available by the glass. Rare and hard to find wine labels can be purchased to take away or to enjoy at the bar with tapas. Vine 21 is owned by Robert Rose, a former Townsville Crocs player and Patricia Rose. Find Vine 21 at 520 Flinders Street, Townsville. |
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New Head Chef at Peppers Spicers Peak LodgeMark Jensen, who has worked in a range of fine dining restaurants, five star hotels and leading resorts in a career spanning 15 years both in Australia and the UK, has been appointed head chef at Spicers Peak Lodge.
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ImagesHigh resolution images for all stories available from Kerry Heaney |
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Berry treatsAlthough fresh berries are available only from late October to March, delicious berry treats are available all year round from The Bramble Patch at Glen Aplin, 15km south of Stanthorpe in the heart of the Granite Belt. |
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SoursopGrown in Tropical North Queensland, soursop is a member of the custard apple family and has a strong tangy sweet acid flavour. It is a superb dessert fruit.Soursop leaves are regarded as having sedative properties and in the Netherlands, the leaves are put into pillowslips or strewn on the bed to promote a good night’s sleep. Originally from West Indies and the Americas, it has a green soft spiky skin with white flesh. The fruit is oval or heart-shaped and typically ranges from 10-30cm long and up to 15cm in width, weighing between 1kg - 6kg. The skin is dark-green in the immature fruit, becoming slightly yellowish-green before the mature fruit becomes soft to the touch. It sounds hollow on tapping when fully ripe and tips break off easily. Soursop is best eaten fresh, although the pulp freezes well. Very juicy, it produces a rich creamy juice which is very refreshing. The seeded pulp may be torn or cut into bits and added to fruit salad or chilled and served as dessert with sugar and a little milk or cream. Soursop pulp dries very well and makes a good base when mixed with other fruits for fruit roll-ups. Immature soursops can be cooked as vegetables or used in soup. More information: Nola Craig, +61 409 593 958 Australian Tropical Foods www.australiantropicalfoods.com |
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Sicilian Vintage Lunch6 FebruaryCelebrate the start of vintage with an afternoon of wine, music and traditional Italian food (Mostarda, prickly pears and more) at Golden Grove Estate, Ballandean. Help bring home the harvest, listen to the blessing and then clap to the music of the tarentella while the grapes are being stomped. Bus pick ups from accommodation houses in Stanthorpe and along the main route to Ballandean. $65 per person, from 12pm. More information: Sam & Grace Costanzo +61 7 4684 1291, www.goldengrovee.com.au |
Dingo Creek Jazz & Blues Festival17 to 18 AprilThis two-day Wine, Jazz and Blues Festival is held at Traveston on the Sunshine Coast. It offers free camping on the property and musicians also stay on site giving visitors the opportunity to meet and greet their favourite musician. The festival is a fundraiser for SIDS and Kids Queensland. More information: Dingo Creek Jazz & Blues Festival 07 +61 7 54851731 www.dingocreek.com.au |
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Feast of the Senses19 to 28 MarchFeast of the Senses is a two-week festival that tantalises the five senses of taste, sight, touch, sound and smell with the treasures of the Ultratropics. Activities in 2010 will focus around three areas - A Feast of Tropical Foods and Produce, a Feast of Nature and a Feast of Culture. Major events during the festival include Food Trail bus tours, a Wine and Cheese Tasting, a Gala Dinner highlighting local produce and a Market Day. Festival events will be held in Innisfail and across the Cassowary Coast region. More information: +61 4 2822 8962 www.feastofthesenses.com.au |
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