Kitchen Confidential: Brisbane dining news and gossip

It’s always been a modern take on an old local but now this venue, located in one of Brisbane’s trendiest precincts, has undergone a full refurb including a new bar, new zones, redesigned beer garden, menu and drinks list overhaul.

Mic Uebergang at his Dalgety Public House restaurant and bar at Teneriffe. Picture: David Clark/AAP

TO CELEBRATE its third birthday this week, Teneriffe's Dalgety Public House is unveiling a fresh new look and new downstairs bar.

The Woolstore venue has completed a full refurb, embracing a gastro-pub-meets-sports-bar vibe with an expanded dining room, and new zones for guests to relax.

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A palette of soft pinks, dark grey and light blue will feature upstairs, opening onto a redesigned beer garden; while the new bar downstairs, taking over the old meeting room, will be a place for punters to watch sport, with three large TVs alongside tan leather banquettes, pallet dividers and a vibrant mural celebrating the building’s history from Gold Coast artist MattyBro.

“The biggest thing we wanted to achieve with the rebrand was to incorporate a bit of heritage into the site,” says owner Mic Uebergang.

Mic Uebergang outside his Dalgety Public House restaurant and bar at Teneriffe. Picture: David Clark/AAP

The menu has also been overhauled with the food going back to basics, says Uebergang.

Expect traditional pub classics and counter meals alongside bar snacks, all using the best ingredients like a katsu sambo, steak and chip baguette with bernaise sauce, chicken parma, fish and chips, Bangalow pork sausage rolls and pork belly with watermelon.

The drinks list has also had a going over, with a fresh 40-plus-strong wine list heavy with prosecco and rose, alongside a mix of mainstream and craft beers with three rotating taps, plus their own ginger beer. Cocktails will also be a focus, with a menu dedicated to margaritas.

The new look will be officially unveiled this Thursday.

A CBD CERTAINTY

Brisbane bar tsar Martin Lange will officially lift the lid on his newest watering hole Death & Taxes tomorrow in the CBD.

The Albert St heritage site has been transformed into a 1920s-style intimate and cosy lounge with low lighting, lots of leather and wood and a 4m-tall backlit bar.

In Lange's traditional style, cocktails will be the hero, celebrating all manner of spirits in unique and interesting ways.

Of particular note will be new takes on an old fashioned, daiquiri and martini. There’ll also be a handful of low alcohol cocktails for those who want to have a cheeky tipple after work and still drive home, says Lange.

A 40-plus-strong wine list focused around European styles, with biodynamic and orange varieties will also be in play, plus a generous champagne offering.

MEX FEST

Rockpool Dining Group’s popular Tex-Mex offering El Camino is expanding into Byron Bay.

The eatery, with sister venues in Brisbane’s Bowen Hills and Sydney, will open its fourth cantina in the new retail, dining and entertainment precinct, Mercato on Byron.

The 250-seater will feature 130 seats outdoors and will serve their signature tacos, fajitas, burritos and quesadillas, alongside their beloved shaken and frozen margaritas, and more.

Meal deals will continue to be a drawcard with daily discount offerings, while the decor will be tamed slightly, described as Tex-Mex flair meets beach chic.

ITALIAN NEWCOMER

Fuss-free Italian restaurant Polpetta quietly got under way last week at the newly unveiled Art Series hotel, The Fantauzzo, at Brisbane’s Howard Smith Wharves.

The relaxed eatery has been developed in collaboration with high-profile chef Justin North, with Steven Herold (ex-Kennigo Social House, Spring Hill) as executive chef.

The menu is a mix of classic and modern dishes featuring the likes of fava bean, pea, mint and buffalo ricotta bruschetta, housemade pasta, grilled octopus with nduja, and pork cutlet with fennel and cabbage.

The exposed concrete, dark tiled and timber trattoria will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily.

DAINTREE DRINKS

The Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort Port Douglas’ Daintree Bar has had a refurb, and will officially be relaunched next week.

The bar is specialising in artisan spirits, serving them as special “tasting boards” where guests can experiment with a variety of tipples, from a bushfire-smoked gin to beverages from the likes of Mt Uncle Distillery, only 100km away.

The 74-seater’s new fit-out is inspired by the Daintree and includes private nooks, large group tables, bar front stools.

ISLAND LIFE

It’s one of the most anticipated hotel openings of the year, and now we can exclusively reveal the new culinary line-up at InterContinental Hayman Island.

The resort will offer five distinct dining destinations: Pacific, Aqua, Amici Trattoria, Bam Bam and Bar Fifty.

Pacific will be the signature brasserie-style bar and restaurant offering gourmet breakfast and a la carte dinners, alongside some of the best wines in the country, premium spirits, cocktails and boutique beers. While Aqua will be the poolside eatery serving everything from seafood to salad bowls and classic cocktails.

Amici Trattoria is the resident Italian offering pasta and wood-fired pizza; with Bam Bam a Pan-Asian eatery with an Australian twist. Finally Bar Fifty will be the lobby bar with sophisticated cocktails, canapes and light bites.

In charge of the F&B will be Joshua Dows as Director of Restaurants and Bars, Erwin Joven as Director of Kitchens and Anthony Kramer as executive sous chef.

InterContinental Hayman Island Resort. Picture: IHG