Hit song inspires new Brisbane restaurant

If you love cheese and Korean food you’ll want to dance right into this new Brisbane eatery, inspired by one of the world’s most popular songs.

For those craving authentic Korean fare, you’ll want to dance right into the new Gangnam Style Korean Cuisine at Toowong in Brisbane’s west.

For those craving authentic Korean fare, you’ll want to dance right into the new Gangnam Style Korean Cuisine at Toowong in Brisbane’s west.

The eatery has just opened on the High St side of Toowong Village shopping centre with a menu that goes well beyond the well-known bidimbap and bulgogi.

The cheese buldak at Gangnam Style Korean cuisine

The industrial, cafeteria-vibe venue serves authentic eats such as jjajangmyeon – a popular pork and noodle dish, the Korean favourite tteokbokki featuring rice cakes and fish cakes, and a feast of cheese-fuelled wonders including cheese buldak, alongside well-known classics like kimchi pancakes, dumplings and fried chicken.

Open for lunch and dinner until 10pm, the eatery will also pour a variety of popular Korean alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, such as soju and rice punch.

It’s the first of a feast of new food venues due to open at Toowong Village shopping centre in the coming months, including a sushi eatery, deli and cafe.

ITALIAN WITH A TWIST

Carafes of Aperol spritz, tiramisu martinis and made-to-order lasagne in a bowl – Brisbane is set to welcome a playful, new, all-day eatery serving up Italian with a twist.

Italia Lane will take over a holy spot surrounded by churches at 900 Ann St in Fortitude Valley, and is the work of Dalgety 2.0 Public House, Teneriffe, owners James Griffithsand Marc Kimmich, alongside Dalgety head chef Stuart Smith.

The trio has bold and ambitious plans for the new venue, with the goal to have it running from morning to night, serving grab-and-go breakfasts and great coffee as the day starts, ­before moving into bigger meals, as well as express offerings at lunchtime, ahead of a share-style dinner menu built around a wood-fired pizza oven imported from Italy and a top-of-the-range meat slicer to shave charcuterie to order.

Marc Kimmich, James Griffiths and Stuart Smith at their new restaurant and bar Italia Lane in Fortitude Valley. Picture: David Clark

“It will be an Italian bar with great wine and drinks and great food,” Griffiths said.

The spacious site will be split into three zones, with a business-style area for local corporates with room for meetings and working on laptops, a dedicated restaurant space, and a bright and colourful outdoor area decorated with festoon lights where DJs and acoustic music will pump up the vibe on Friday nights and weekends.

The whole space will also be available for functions of up to 200, ideal for upcoming Melbourne Cup festivities, Christmas parties and weddings.

“The vibe we’re chasing is really exciting and fun, catering for all types of groups from families to parties,” Griffiths said.

While the culinary offering will be Italian, Smith said it would have “a point of difference” to the throng of Italian restaurants nearby, instead featuring a quirky factor, with dishes such as savoury cannoli filled with parmesan and pumpkin, untraditional pizzas, and what’s sure to become a hit – a made-to-order beef lasagne filled with smoked-in-house brisket that’s served in a bowl.

Cured meats sliced to order will also be a star, served as charcuterie, topping many of the 14 or so pizzas, as well as stuffed inside New York-style Italian deli sandwiches, which will be available at lunch. A couple of pastas will also hit the menu each day for lunch and dinner; while on weekends, a full breakfast extravaganza will be rolled out, featuring everything from a twist on avo on toast with burrata and flat bread, and a spin on Italian baked eggs.

Wine and beer will, understandably, be Italian leaning, with 12 brews on tap; while a 25-strong cocktail list will be in play, including a variety of fun takes on the Aperol spritz served by the glass or carafe, classic shake-ups such as the negroni and bellini and a trio of dessert drinks.

Italia Lane is due to open ­October 21.

HOLE IN ONE FUN

IT’S become the ultimate place to put partygoers in the swing of things, now mini golf course-cum-bar Holey Moley is set to open its fifth Queensland venue next month.

The liquor-licensed putt-putt will launch at Westfield Chermside shopping centre in Brisbane’s north featuring 18 holes, each with an individual theme, such as The Simpsons, The Flintstones and new creations like a dart board and surf.

Holey Moley will open at Westfield Chermside.

Alongside the course at the 350-person venue will sit the Caddyshack bar, decked out in an ’80s and ’90s theme with signature cocktails, such as the Sugar Caddy and Rub a Dub Tub.

It will also serve a variety of snacks, ranging from toasties to burgers and pizzas.

The family-friendly venue is due to open on November 18.

PAINT THE TOWN PINK

Brisbane’s favourite wine festival, Rose Revolution, kicks off this Saturday in South Brisbane’s Fish Lane.

Extended to a month-long celebration of the pink drink this year, the event will feature a host of ticketed and non-ticketed activities, including long lunches, bottomless brunches and super Sundays presented by Fish Lane venues, such as Butler Wine Bar, Maeve, La Lune Wine Co and Kiki.

Igniting the fun will be the Taste, Drink, Enjoy opening party this Saturday from 2pm featuring wine tastings from more than 32 wineries from across Australia, New Zealand, Italy and France.

roserevolution.com.au

CAFE EXPANSION ON TRACK

Opening two new cafes within a month might sound like a recipe for stress, but not for brothers Mustapha and Adam Habbouchi.

The pair behind Indooroopilly eatery Two Brothers Cafe, which opened in March this year, is expanding their brand, with two fresh venues of the same name in the works.

The first will be in the new Valley Metro train station in Fortitude Valley – a sprawling 150-seat tenancy due to open early November. Featuring a dark, slightly upmarket aesthetic with booth seating and hanging plants and greenery, the cafe will serve its signature breakfast and lunch offering made popular at Indooroopilly, while also dishing up dinner for the first time.

Throughout the day, diners can expect a mostly classic menu with a few twists, such as a potato scallop stack with smashed avo, lamb flatbread and shakshuka.

At night, some of their lunchtime favourites, including burgers and salads, will be on offer, alongside the likes of steak and chips and schnitzels.

The same all-day offering will be carried into the third venue due to open at the end of November in Springwood Shopping Centre, which is currently undergoing a multimillion-dollar makeover. Both new cafes won’t have a liquor licence, but instead offer milkshakes, juices, smoothies, mocktails and coffee.