Featuring: The Wolfe, La Lune Wine Co., Fromage The Cow, Sage Hotel, Botanical Bar & Kitchen…
CHEF and restaurateur Paul McGivern knows a thing or two about wine. And food. And restaurants. And now wine bars, happily very good wine bars.
Owner of The Wolfe, a gorgeous jewel of a bistro in East Brisbane has expanded into the southside’s latest food-centric spot, Fish Lane, neighbours to Julius, Maker and around the corner Gauge. La Lune Wine Co. opened earlier this year giving the hotly contested precinct a highly specialised wine experience and some pretty serious eats to accompany the drops.
Meticulously curated with a decided tilt towards Burgundian style – both chardonnay and pinot noir – you’ll find varietals from Geelong, the Mornington Peninsula and Yarra Valley as well as France and New Zealand. McGivern is also utilising the Coravin system, which enables by the glass pours from cork sealed bottles without opening them and thus exposing them to oxygen. A thin metal needle pierces the cork and replaces the wine with a little blast of argon gas ensuring freshness of the often rare and/or aged wines. These wines change daily and more frequently on busy nights. The room is classically fitted out with wooden bistro chairs, small tables and plenty of bar seating. The micro kitchen, equipped with state-of-the-art equipment, well suited to tight spaces punches well above it’s weight with dishes like lamb neck, lentils, carrot and porcini aioli, veal tongue with pumpkin, miso and cress and wagyu flank with barley and garlic. There’s a comprehensive range of charcuterie – think rabbit and pistachio terrines and kangaroo and cocoa tartare as well as a raw section and cheeses that come as complete plates such as L’Artisan La Rouge, a washed rind cheese which is paired with crisp potato, leek fondue and capers. 5/109 Melbourne St, South Brisbane; phone (07) 3255 2420.
Eight years after it opened at the Eagle Street Pier, Aria has undergone a revamp of the venue as well as the menu and wine list. The old burgundy logo has been sidelined in favour of a monotone squiggle, the garish carpet in the entrance has gone and new lighting and artworks adorn the walls.
New menu items include scorched king salmon with kohlrabi, Moreton Bay bugs with shiitake and seaweed butter and the classic combo of roasted loin of lamb with miso and eggplant. Eagle St Pier, 1 Eagle St, Brisbane; phone (07) 3233 2555.
Also following a classical theme is Fromage The Cow, a petite eatery with a cheese room in the front of the two-story heritage-listed shopfront on busy Park Rd at Milton in Brisbane’s inner west.
The menu features a diverse range of classic dishes that hero cheese – think double baked cheese souffles, fondues and figs stuffed with stilton – as well as other dishes with just hints of cheese, namely saffron risotto scallops and mascarpone and duck pappardelle with ligurian olives and pecorino. The head chef is Matt Osborne, ex 1889 Enoteca and Tartufo, both masterful Italian ristorantes, where he perfected his ability with the European classics. Charcuterie boards and the fromage signature platters are available for drop-ins either side of lunch and dinner, and you can expect your choices of cheeses to come alongside quince and other preserves, seasonal fruits, crusty breads and lavosh. There’s no getting away from the dairy when dessert beckons – pannacotta is made with buffalo curd and drizzled with gruyere caramel and raspberry gel, the dark chocolate marquise has a hint of gorgonzola and is topped with walnut praline and strawberry, and there’s an ultra-rich brulee of Tomme with white chocolate and coconut ice cream. 14 Park Rd, Milton; phone (07) 3157 8367.
New to the ever-growing James St precinct in Fortitude Valley is Sage Hotel – a boutique hotel that is championing local produce which is featured in the mini bar of each room. Jocelyn’s Provisions is a James St stalwart and New Farm Confectionery is a relative newcomer to the area and a smattering of both decadent and delicious sweet and savoury products await weary travellers inside the luxury suites.
There’s also Botanical Bar & Kitchen wedged in between the hotel and neighbouring Queen’s Arm’s Hotel. A step above typical pub style dining, there’s a strong focus on plant-based proteins and wholesome grains but carnivores needn’t panic as there’s plenty of quality beef, lamb and poultry on offer as well.
The wine list has a particular focus on champagne and sparkling wines as well as small-batch gins (local legends The Humpybong Distilling Company are front and centre) as well as a range of beers on tap. 64 James St, Fortitude Valley; phone (07) 3358 2799.