Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers: 36 delicious dishes you can try at iconic festival

Fancy a wagon wheel or an apple eclair inspired by the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers? They’re just two of the 36 springtime delights businesses have prepared for the iconic festival. SEE THE FULL LIST

Rebecca Locker from Jillys Cafe with #trEATS item, the fairy floss french toast.

Food lovers, you are in for a treat at the 2021 Carnival of Flowers.

Cafe and restaurants across the Garden City this week unveiled their signature spring dishes, as part of the returning #trEATS program.

Introduced in 2020, eateries create a dish priced between $10-$20 inspired by the event.

This year 36 businesses have jumped on board to delight your tastebuds.

Here are the dishes you can try throughout September:

Another Life Coffee

Address: 114 Bellevue Street, Toowoomba

Dish: Biscoff “freakshake” and duo of karaage bao with cabbage, house-made pickled onion and carrot and Kewpie mayo for $15.

Bar Wunder

Address: 424 Ruthven Street, Toowoomba

Dish: Slow cooked beef quesadillas with locally-grown Coolbardie olives, roast peppers and cheese, served with house made guacamole for $16.

Burrow

Address: 117a Bridge Street, East Toowoomba

Dish: Slow-roast pork belly, garlic rice, hot and sour sambal with a snake bean, chilli and toasted coconut salad for $20.

Cecil Plains Hotel Victory

Address: 27-29 Taylor Street, Cecil Plains

Dish: Grilled barramundi cooked in butter, lemon, and chilli flakes, topped with prawns. Served with a side of salad and chips, lemon, and tartare sauce for $20.

Club Glenvale

Address: 564 Boundary Street, Toowoomba

Dish: Honey chicken on top of a mixed noodle and spring salad, with a honey and lime dressing and colourful prawn crackers for $20

Cobb’s Coffee Shop

Dish: A re-imagined wagon wheel – creamy marshmallow with strawberry jam, encased in choux pastry, garnished with chocolate, marshmallows, raspberries and chocolate crumble, served with chocolate ice cream for $12.

Leanne Bateman at Cobb's Coffee Shop with #trEATS item, the wagon wheel.

Colours of San Cris

Address: Cnr Shostaki Road and New England Highway, Cabarlah

Dish: Carnival Cake – local seasonal fruit in an almond based gluten free cake. Served with a coffee or tea for $12.

De Dutch Cafe

Address: 63 Anzac Avenue, Newtown

Dish: Homemade Oma recipe Dutch pancake rolled with banana, served with strawberry, chocolate sauce, cream and ice cream for $20.

Emerge Cafe

Address: 1 Railway Street, Toowoomba

Dish: Lemon myrtle meringue pancakes with Chantilly cream for $18.

George Banks

Address: Level 2, 206 Margaret Street, Toowoomba

Dish: Spring wine platter: brie, salami, sourdough bread, Lavosh crackers, marinated olives, tomato relish & truffle butter for $18.

Gips Restaurant

Address: 120 Russell Street, Toowoomba

Dish: Pastrami sandwich with Gips signature burger sauce, pickles, melted cheese and pastrami on Turkish with thick fries, includes a soft drink or coffee for $20.

GPO Bar and Cafe

Address: 140 Margaret Street, Toowoomba

Dish: Pork belly with a honey soy glaze, Dutch carrots, cauliflower and pea sprouts on carrot puree for $20.

Greenwattle Cafe

Address: Coles complex, cnr Greenwattle Street and Glenvale Road, Glenvale

Dish: Two fresh house baked scones (one cheese and bacon, one pumpkin) served with butter and chive cream cheese, tea or coffee for $10.

Hogs Breath Cafe

Address: 36 Neil Street, Toowoomba

Dish: 200g smoked sirloin slow cooked for 10 hours, served with curly fries and house salad for $20.

Hop Thru Cafe

Address: 249 James Street, Toowoomba

Dish: House-made cinnamon doughnuts with blueberry jam (serve of three) for $10.

Hotel Norville

Address: 70 Russell Street, Toowoomba

Dish: Moreton Bay bug with pumpkin puree, crushed walnuts, edible flowers, prosciutto and citrus dressing for $20.

Grace Lindsay from Hotel Norville Steakhouse with #trEATS item, the Moreton Bay bug.

Jillys Cafe

Address: 181 Margaret Street, Toowoomba

Dish: Sweet cinnamon French toast with decadent caramel sauce, vanilla ice cream, house made granola, fresh fruit and rosy, Pink Persian fairy floss for $20.

Kajoku

Address: Level 1/430 Ruthven Street, Toowoomba

Dish: Tteok-Galbi (grilled short rib patties) – finely chopped short rib, marinated, mixed with chewy rice cake pieces and pan-fried. Served with a dressed fresh salad and steamed rice for $18.

Kingfishers Cafe

Address: 333 Spring Street, Kearneys Spring

Dish: Local native mushroom Mille Feuille served with balsamic beetroot, goats cheese, glazed walnut, lemon and cress for $20.

Muller Bros

Address: 25-27 Bell Street, Toowoomba

Dish: Charred vanilla poached pear with rosemary meringue, smoked vanilla ice cream and spiced syrup, dusted with rosemary sugar for $12.

Ortem

Address: 15 Railway Street, Toowoomba

Dish: Green pea fritters, loaded with assorted baby vegetables, a deep fried lemon ricotta stuffed zucchini flower, finished with a tangy beetroot relish and basil pesto for $20.

The Jillys Cafe #trEATS, the fairy floss french toast.

O’Shanley’s at Clifton

Address: 54 Clark Street, Clifton

Dish: Braised beef with notes of Guinness beer, accompanied by colcannon, an Irish mashed potato dish with cabbage and parsley, and a side of seasonal vegetables for $17

Phat Burgers

Address: 513 Ruthven Street, Toowoomba

Dish: Pulled Darling Downs lamb, pomegranate and walnut tabouli, minted yoghurt, hummus, tomato, iceberg lettuce on ciabatta with a side of kumara wedges for $20.

Piccolo Papa

Address: Shop 1089, Level 1, Grand Central Shopping Centre

Dish: Spaghetti Tricolore: resembling the Italian flag, this dish is spring itself! Homemade fresh spaghetti, sugo, stracciatella cheese and traditional pesto (V) for $20

Potter’s Boutique Hotel

Address: 258 Margaret Street, Toowoomba

Dish: Chicken tenders with mesclun, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, Spanish onion, bean sprouts and shaved mango with a lime, banana poppy seed dressing for $20.

Rak Thai Kitchen

Address: Shop 4, Westridge Shopping Centre, 300 West Street, Kearneys Spring

Dish: Spicy and tangy fried rice with king prawn, egg and vegetables for $15.

Seasons on Ruthven

Address: 200 Ruthven Street, Toowoomba

Dish: Soft shell crab with lemon butter, light salad and chargrilled lime for $20.

Sofra Turkish Cuisine

Address: 164 Margaret Street, Toowoomba

Dish: Kiymali Borek – fried crispy filo pastry with spiced beef mince, onions and herbs. Served with garlic yoghurt and special tomato sauce for $16.

Stoney the Fishmonger

Address: 127 Herries Street, Toowoomba

Dish: Charred chilli cuttlefish on a bed of cherry tomato, wakame, fetta and capsicum for $15.

Tailgate Sports Bar

Address: Walton Stores, 15/470 Ruthven Street, Toowoomba

Dish: Southern fried chicken and waffle burger for $16.

The Baker’s Duck

Address: 124 Campbell Street, Toowoomba

Dish: Eclair shell filled with baked, caramelised apple pie filling made from locally sourced Stanthorpe apples, topped with house made chantilly cream, salted caramel and crumble mix for $12.

The Bungalow and Basket

Address: 4/400 Ruthven Street, Toowoomba

Dish: Your choice of drink accompanied by a vanilla butterfly cake, a pocket of lemon curd and freshly whipped vanilla bean cream for $10.

The Coffee Emporium

Address: Shop 7, Level G, Grand Central Shopping Centre

Dish: Slow roasted pulled pork burger with apple slaw on a brioche bun, and fries for $20.

Tina’s Place

Address: 580 Ruthven Street, Toowoomba

Dish: Toasted sourdough stacked with chicken, pumpkin, onion, spinach and balsamic dressing for $15

Urban Grounds

Address: 210 Herries Street, Toowoomba

Dish: Salmon, citrus and caper croquettes with avocado and grilled lemon salad and pickled jalapeño sauce gribiche for $18.

Urth Cafe & Co

Address: 195 Hume Street, Toowoomba

Dish: Corn fritters with rocket, chorizo and chilli jam, poached egg, avocado, haloumi and Persian fetta for $19.

For the full guide to carnival visit tcof.com.au.