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Who doesn’t like a rowdy Mexican banquet and Mucho Mexicano, recently opened in South Bank and Milton, is just the place, designed for shared dining on quesadillas, burritos, build your own tacos, tostadas and more. Choose from slow-cooked lamb, chipotle braised brisket, crispy pork belly, or wagyu, truffled chicken and Moreton Bay bug ingredients. And you can’t miss the Margarita bar.
eat&go Food blogger Kerry Heaney dines out at Brisbane Airport and finds some city favourites have moved in…
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passion for travelling and surfing also led Dan Pappas to the source of good coffee – he soon found that some of his favourite surf spots in Indonesia, Central and South America not only had great coastal breaks they also grew great beans, allowing him the golden opportunity to mix business and pleasure, and Fonzie Abbott coffee was born. Now locals in the know head direct to the source, the roastery in Albion (only minutes from Brisbane Airport), and frequent flying fans head to its newest café corner in Brisbane Airport’s Domestic Terminal, the rustic décor a mini match of the Albion HQ to make them feel right at home. It’s no coincidence that the travelling Pappas should see his favourite brew in an airport terminal. When Brisbane Airport was planning the redevelopment of its food court in the Domestic Terminal it took its inspiration from
caption here Chop Chop Chang’s
Turkey
Aviation Pier Café and Bar
the best foodie hangouts in the city, from the Valley to West End, and from the river to the beach, and Fonzie Abbott’s coffee can be found at many of them. The coffee served at the terminal is the popular signature Highside blend, fresh roasted and served up with a view of the airside action. Where Fonzie’s is designed for a quick getaway, other new arrivals at the food court mimic the buzzy atmosphere of their high street counterparts with share tables, easy to eat one bowl dishes, small taster plates and a reinvention of all-time favourites like fish (craft beerbattered, for example) and chips or gourmetedup burgers (wagyu, soft shell crab). Chop Chop Chang’s caused a stir when it first arrived in West End’s main street with its long bench tables and its modern take on pan-Asian street food, quick and made to order with fresh local ingredients. It’s a pared down menu at the airport but some of the hot favourites are there – steamed pork and chive dumplings, chilli-infused salt and pepper squid tentacles, crispy whole school prawns and red duck curry, as well as some custom plates. It’s a tempter for travellers to allow more time to chill – and eat – before a flight and avoid the stress of rushing for a plane. The new Glasshouse Bar even opens at 4.30am so early birds can still catch their smashed avo on sourdough or dine out on the breakfast skillet of free range fried eggs, pork and parsley sausage, Chriberg double-smoked bacon, mushrooms, roasted cherry tomatoes, avocado and sourdough toast. Later, a porterhouse steak may be called for with a glass of red wine or a local craft brew – Green Beacon and Newstead Brewery both supply from their brewhouses – and, just as you’d expect in the Valley or a local on any Thursday and
Head chef Buphen Gurung brings a taste of the Turkish food bazaar to leafy Hawthorne at Downtown Istanbul. Turkish pizzas, pides and gozleme, a traditional hand-made Turkish flatbread filled with toppings such as sweet potato, spinach and feta and grilled, are menu staples but specialties such as Pilic Sehrazat (a charcoalgrilled chicken breast, with beetroot and creamy mushroom sauce) and Ali Nazik (roasted eggplant, capsicum, onion and garlic with yoghurt and a choice of meat) are highlights. The bevvy of choice – their special Sangria by the jug, of course. Downtown Istanbul, 4/274 Hawthorne Road, Hawthorne. Open 7 days lunch and dinner plus weekend breakfast.
Mucho Mexicano, Shop 15, Little Stanley Street, South Bank and 4/55 Railway Terrace, Milton. Open 7 days for lunch and dinner, breakfast on Saturdays and Sundays.
Vietnam Daniel Ward, whose Stables Craft Bar and Kitchen is already a hot spot in Ascot, has teamed with hospitality veteran Maris Cook to open Hello Please in the funky Fish Lane at South Brisbane. Influenced by the likes of Melbourne’s Saigon Sally and Kong BBQ, and LA’s E.P Eating House, the vibe is fun and casual – the setting a Drapl-decorated shipping container – while food is a take on Vietnamese street eats – fresh-made bao, dumplings, rice-paper rolls and banh mi are signature dishes. Eat-in or take away but we suggest hanging out to sip one of the specialty cocktails. Hello Please, Fish Lane, off Grey Street, South Brisbane. Open Tuesday to Sunday midday until late.
Glasshouse Bar
Friday night in Brissy, there’s some live music to start the weekend wind down as the sun sets. The Glasshouse Bar takes its name from the mountains that pop up on the horizon to the north of Brisbane towards the Sunshine Coast and it offers its own view of planes as they take-off or taxi up to the gates behind the open kitchen and bar, and so its window-seat tables are as sought after as any on Brisbane’s riverfront. But one of the best kept secrets of dining out at the Domestic Terminal is Aviation Pier Café and Bar, a bit further to walk but closer to the departure gates (Gate 43) and a bit quieter to enjoy a plate of a house specialty – barbecue chicken wings with Woombye (Sunshine Coast) blue cheese dressing. I used to be the sort of traveller who arrived at the airport as late as I could to board the plane without actually missing it, but now I’ve changed my tactics and make time – at least for a cocktail or my favourite coffee – to enjoy the departure. Find out more about dining options at Brisbane Airport at www.bne.com.au. Follow Kerry Heaney at www.eatdrinkandbekerry.com.au BNE September/October 2016 | 31