Brisbane’s best cafe, bar and service winners in The Courier-Mail Food Awards

WITH Queensland’s cafe scene booming, it takes something pretty special to stand out from the pack and this quaint neighbourhood favourite does just that. Don’t miss our Food Awards subscriber special.

THESE are Queensland’s best cafe, bar and hospitality service provider, as judged by The Courier-Mail Food Awards experts.

Stay tuned to couriermail.com.au today as we announce Queensland’s best regional restaurant and wine list at 5pm, and the best restaurant and top chef at 7pm.

And don’t miss our special Food Week edition of Taste in Tuesday’s The Courier-Mail.

CAFE OF THE YEAR

Jam Pantry, 2/575 Logan Rd Greenslopes

With Queensland’s cafe scene booming, it takes something pretty special to stand out from the pack and this quaint neighbourhood favourite does just that.

Run by chef Naomi Zavackas, aka Nims, the cute cottage with its floral wallpaper, timber floorboards and modern country charm is all about innovation and creativity.

While traditionalists can still enjoy eggs on toast or basic smashed avo, it’s her “flip boards” that are the true star.

Each month Zavackas offers 12 specials, all created to make the most of what’s in season then and there.

Best wine list and regional restaurant: The Courier-Mail Food Awards 2018

Queensland’s top 50 cafes of 2018

Queensland’s most powerful foodies heating things up in and out of the kitchen

With much of her produce coming from local farmers through Food Connect, she lets the ingredients do the talking, inspiring dishes such as pancakes with lemon myrtle batter, poached strawberries, mandarin, ricotta, pistachios and saffron fairy floss; quinoa and cinnamon porridge with poached tamarillo and pepitas; or lamb shoulder with lamb dripping potatoes, baba ganoush, roasted capsicum and tahini yoghurt.

The Jam Pantry. Picture: Mark Calleja

Greenslopes Bircher with pomegranate, poached pear and cacao.

The Jam Pantry also made U on Sunday’s 50 best brunches list. Picture: Ric Frearson

The cafe’s French toast was also chosen as best sweet dish in The Sunday Mail’s U on Sunday Queensland’s 50 best brunches.

With coffees liberally topped with flakes of real chocolate, plus Zavackas’ interesting fresh juices and smoothies and revitalising house-brewed kombuchas, this is a cafe that goes outside the box to charm and delight diners.

Honourable mentions: Wild Canary, Brookfield; Freja’s, Wilston; Pearl Cafe, Woolloongabba; BSKT, Mermaid Beach; Elk Espresso, Broadbeach

BEST SERVICE

Otto Ristorante, 4/480 Queen St, Brisbane

From the moment you walk through the door of this Italian fine diner, you know you are in good hands.

Led by sommelier and restaurant manager Alan Hunter, the charming and altruistic team of waiters and waitresses almost telepathically take care of your every want and need.

Curious how they made the sauce with your lamb or where the mussels in the risotto came from? The staff will explain. Require help navigating the tome-like wine list? Hunter delivers.

Their knowledge is unbeatable and their delivery laid-back and easy.

In fact, it is this relaxed yet clearly polished manner among all staff that make Otto so welcoming.

Otto head chef Will Cowper and sommelier Alan Hunter. Picture: Chris McCormack

Even those intimidated by the high-end dining scene will feel immediately comfortable courtesy of the down-to-earth staff alternating effervescent charm with cheeky one-liners and sassy quips.

Hospitality is a career not a job for the team here, but more importantly, it’s a passion. And it’s this dedication to their craft that ensures diners are delivered the best service in the state.

Honourable mentions: The Wolfe, East Brisbane; Montrachet, Bowen Hills; Black Hide by Gambaro at Treasury, Brisbane; The North Room, Mermaid Beach and Locale, Noosa

BAR OF THE YEAR

Savile Row, 667 Ann St, Fortitude Valley

Stepping through Savile Row’s discreet orange door hidden among the bright lights and crowds of bustling Fortitude Valley, is like sliding down Alice in Wonderland’s rabbit hole.

You see, there’s a magic to this timeless venue from award-winning bartender and owner of West End’s Cobbler Bar, Martin Lange.

Spiralling its way over multiple levels, with nooks and crannies at every turn, the dimly lit, wood-panelled space buzzes with excitement as people of all demographics come together in the spirit of good fun and great booze.

Capturing the crowd’s attention is the glistening wall of spirits.

Spread across shelves five-high with a ladder needed to access them all, there are more than 950 bottles of alcohol on display. Around 450 of those are whiskies — some even hand-bottled in Scotland by Lange himself.

Martin Lange from Savile Row. Picture: Josh Woning

But don’t expect to find a Baileys or Tia Maria among the mix, the abundant offer is all about unique and unusual bottles that aren’t available in your average bottle shop designed to give drinkers an experience they won’t forget.

While these spirits can be enjoyed straight up, the real excitement is in the cocktail list — an eclectic array of clever mixes — each more appealing than the next.

Take, for example, the “Fig and honeycomb” — a perfectly balanced blend of fig-infused Talisker whisky with bitter Quinine, frankincense bitters and macadamia honey. Or perhaps the beautifully refined “Raspberry and hazelnut” made by toasting hazelnuts over flame before sous-viding them with Nikka whisky from the barrel.

But if nothing takes your fancy, have one of the charming, knowledgeable and adaptive bar staff create you a bespoke drink.

A tight, but versatile wine list is also in play, heroing champagne; alongside a small collection of draught beer.

Whether you’re 26 or 66, the warm and welcoming Savile Row is a place where anyone can feel comfortable and where terrific drinks and exemplary service deliver a night to remember.

Honourable mentions: The Gresham, Brisbane; Electric Avenue, Woolloongabba; Lockwood, Burleigh Heads; The Junk Bar, Ashgrove; Lefty’s Old Time Music Hall, Petrie Terrace