Kitchen Confidential: South City Wine to open in Brisbane’s south

A relaxed but glamorous wine bar is set to launch in Brisbane offering an experience straight out of Europe.

Wine bars are booming right now across Queensland, and Brisbane’s southside is set to welcome another one from two major players of the Australian hospitality game.

TIME TO RISE AND WINE

Wine bars are booming right now across Queensland, and Brisbane’s southside is set to welcome another one from two major players of the Australian hospitality game.

Vincent Lombino andJared Thibaultof Talisman Group are set to open South City Wine in Woolloongabba next week, just a cork pop from their thriving restaurants Casa Chow and Sasso in the same complex.

A render of the interior of South City Wine in Woolloongabba.

The new vino venue is inspired by classic European wine bars, with specials boards that change daily and a simple menu of classics such as escargot, chicken liver parfait and steak frites.

“I’m so excited about this project – it really pulls on the heart strings,” said Lombino, who fell in love with wine bars while working in Europe.

The 65-70-seater, with a covered outdoor terrace, will be dark and moody, featuring mahogany and brass detailing, custom furniture, chandeliers and candelabras.

It will feature an extensive and diverse 180-bottle wine list, starring drops sourced everywhere from the Napa Valley and Oregon in America to Lebanon, South Africa and Greece, with a particular focus on cabernet, chardonnay and skin contact.

Of course, Australian and European wines will be part of the mix, with an ever-changing array by the glass.

A render of the covered outdoor dining area at South City Wine in Woolloongabba.

Classic cocktails given an Australian twist will also be a significant part of the offering, plus the likes of cognac and armagnac, in addition to the food.

Alongside the aforementioned dishes, the wine bar will serve up about 12 small plates and three or four mains, running from charcuterie sliced in house and cheeses from around the world, to gourmet tinned fish and the classic flounder meuniere, plus a venison tartare and pork croquettes.

The venue, which will open on October 27, will also offer complimentary wine tastings monthly.

South City Wine is just the start of a busy few months for Lombino and Thibault, with the pair due to open the Palm Springs-inspired distillery and bar Purple Palm in collaboration with distiller 78 Degrees in the same Woolloongabba precinct next month, followed by brewpub The Wright House and American steakhouse The Office early next year.

They also have a host of restaurants and a hotel planned for Melbourne.

WHO’S THE BOS

The countdown is on to one of Brisbane’s most anticipated new restaurant openings, with BOS just weeks away from launch.

From local hospitality guru Chris Higgins, top Brisbane lawyer Liam McMahonand Melbourne celebrity chef Adrian Richardson, BOS is taking shape as an ultra glam steakhouse at 480 Queen St in the CBD featuring spectacular river views.

Chris Higgins, Adrian Richardson and Liam McMahon on the site of their new bar The Aviary Terrace Bar and restaurant BOS. Picture: Zak Simmonds

The 120-seat venue will feature a bespoke dry-ageing meat cabinet, a private dining room for about 20, bar and two outdoor spaces with water vistas. While the restaurant is on track, the venue’s whopping 800sq m sister bar next door The Aviary Terrace Bar has been delayed.

The drinking destination, which is set to offer all the fun and frivolity of the Melbourne Cup’s Bird Cage all year round with booth seating, a DJ and dancing on tables, will now open as stage 2 of the project in January next year. Higgins said material delays were behind the minor setback, but it would give the trio more time to perfect the restaurant, opening November 15.

MAGGIE MAY TO SHAKE UP NEWSTEAD PRECINCT

Vinyl DJs on Sundays, trading daily until midnight and a menu that runs from breakfast to late dinners, Maggie May is determined to be everyone’s friend, no matter what their schedule.

The sexy new supper club from the team that brought you Retro’s Nightclub, The Spotted Cow, Finn McCool’s and Lefty’s Music Hall, will open this week beside the famous Gasometer in Brisbane’s Newstead.

Last month, Kitchen Confidential announced the exciting new venue was coming, and now we can give you all the details.

The fresh indoor-outdoor venture from Hallmark Hospitality will be open from morning until night, acting as a relaxed and casual cafe by day, before transitioning into a fun and funky restaurant, bar and supper club by night.

“It is stunning – it’s a really warm supper club experience,” venue manager Jackie Schougaard said of the space designed by international interiors guru Borhan Ghofrani.

Oozing cheek and cheer with velvet curtains, booth seating, plush carpets and splashes of ­orange and yellow, Maggie May will invite diners in from 7am for a casual cafe-style breakfast of anything from baked stone fruit bruschetta with whipped ricotta to a gardener’s breakfast of ­polenta bites, smashed avo, tomatoes and sourdough.

Maggie May venue manager Jackie Schouggard. Picture: David Clark

Alternatively, those in a hurry in the morning can grab and go from a coffee cart out the front serving Bear Bones coffee alongside the likes of croissants, wraps and house-made pork and fennel sausage rolls.

From lunch through to dinner, a broader menu will come into play with small and large share-style plates that take in all manner of dietary requirements from the vegan-friendly harissa-glazed eggplant with coconut tzatziki to the pescetarian South Australian black mussels with garlic, chilli and Napoli sauce, to meat lover treats such as duck shanks and 300g Darling Downs sirloin with cafe de Paris butter, Lyonnaise potatoes and garlic green beans.

Drinks will be just as important as the food, with the broad wine list favouring a strong selection of skin contact drops and pet-nats from around the world, plus Barossa shiraz. There will be plenty by the glass too, as well as a great selection of champagnes and sparkling for those who want to celebrate.

Cocktails will be all about twisting classics, such as a spicy margarita, chocolate old-fashioned and, what’s predicted to be a favourite, the Pina colada featuring coconut sorbet, fresh pineapple juice, rum and champagne.

Beer will focus on local craft, such as Balter and Brouhaha, with punters able to sip until midnight every night, while the kitchen will close at either 9pm or 10pm depending on the night.

Maggie May officially opens to the public this Friday.

Haunt Mackay co-owners Stuart and Debbie Read

SCREAM FOR YOUR SUPPER

Drum roll, drum roll – a new cabaret dinner theatre is set to make its debut in Brisbane, bringing back the beloved concept of dinner and a show to the River City.

Haunt Cabaret will open along Boundary St, West End, in the old live music joint Hi-Fi Bar, and is the work of Queensland couple Debbieand Stuart Read, who have been running a similar concept in Mackay for the past four years.

The long-vacant venue is being transformed into an enchanted wonderland complete with impressive stages, chandeliers, greenery, glitter, magical old clocks and a mezzanine level.

There will be seating for 150 guests for the full dinner and show package, while up to 80 guests can just watch the show from the mezzanine with its own bar.

Neighbouring restaurant FryDays will provide the food for the operation, running a dietary-friendly buffet with plenty of gluten-free and vegan options, including the likes of yellow coconut curry, cauliflower bake, pastas, salads and roast meats.

Meanwhile, dessert will be served at the table as an alternative drop.

But it will be the cocktails that will be the real star, with Stuart having conceived a host of bespoke alcoholic blend-ups to get guests in the mood.

Expect the likes of the Midori and vodka-based “Love potion”, the “Bone Head”, which is a fun twist on the retro Blue Lagoon, and the venue’s potent, “better tasting” equivalent to a Long Island Iced Tea – “The Beast”, which has a whopping 3.5 standard drinks per serve and is limited to one per customer per night.

Haunt Cabaret’s first show will be a Rocky Horror tribute show, the Rocky Shop of Horrors, featuring a unique blend of comedy, burlesque and aerial elements performed by a host of local actors.

It will all kick off on December 7, with the venue hoping to open Wednesday to Saturday nights.

There is also the potential for a naughtier late-night show that will run Friday and Saturdays if all things go well.