Fortitude Valley’s LONgTIME, a popular Thai restaurant, has evolved into sAme sAme. From its former home in Ann Street, the new foodie spot, which opened in early November, has relocated to the dining precinct on Ada Lane, where its owners hope it will live on with much success as its predecessor.
As they say, it is “same same but different” as the new restaurant‘s core menu pretty much covers the very items served at the old place, such as the lobsters, grilled chicken in lemongrass, crispy pork belly, char-grilled beef short ribs, and curries with coconut and turmeric. However, LONgTIME’s successor will be serving up something new on the menu as well, including some seasonal recipes.
Photo Credit: sAme sAme/Facebook
Photo Credit: sAme sAme/Facebook
The new restaurant’s open kitchen with a charcoal fire pit is two times bigger than Longtime’s, providing the staff, led by head chef Ben Bertei, with more flexibility to work, operate and cook lighter meals. Unlike LONgTIME, this new foodie spot is serving lunch on selected days so visitors have more options to keep coming back.
Seating is 20 seats fewer than the old digs but the ambience is brighter and lighter with its neutral colour scheme. There’s also a long communal table that works as the restaurant’s centrepiece.
However, unlike LONgTIME, there will be no long queues by the back alley whilst guests wait for a table to clear. Instead, diners can head upstairs at LOS (Land of Smiles), where there’s a comfortable 45-seater bar, to enjoy some drinks before meals. LOS boasts of a long drink list, including tequila, and it’s open until 12 midnight.
sAme sAme is open for dinner from Tuesday through Thursday whilst lunch and dinner are served from Friday through Sunday. Meanwhile, LONgTIME will now be used as an events place for group functions.
The former Trails Ltd Ice & Cold Stores heritage-listed site on Bridge Street, Fortitude Valley is now a Stone & Wood Brewery. Officially opening its doors on the 31st of Oct 2019, the famous Byron Bay brewer has 150 seats for the ultimate beer lover thirsting for good-tasting hops.
Stone & Wood Fortitude Valley has the same casual and chill ambience comparable to its first site. As you drink your favourite bottle or glass, you’ll be able to enjoy a variety of eats from a rotating selection of local food vendors that will offer food to complement the beer’s taste.
The opening month has kicked off with Mr. Bunz‘s popular crackling pork bao, king brown mushroom bao and peking duck bao.
Stone & Wood Fortitude Valley, however, is not a pub for late-night unwinding with your pals with musicians providing entertainment. It is a purely working brewery for walk-in beer drinkers and there won’t be spirits, TAB and cocktails for sale at this site.
But the venue is spacious enough to hosts community events, private functions, workshops and training. Catering packages will be available by mid-November.
Does your dog like music? Can your four-legged pal groove to the beat? If you’ve got a furry friend who has a penchant for moving and getting up on its hind legs to dance with you, then sign up for the dog-friendly silent disco, Dogs & Beats, that’s rolling in Fortitude Valley this Sunday, the 10th of Nov 2019.
Prohibition Brisbane, a premier party place located at 206 Wickham Street, is hosting its first-ever doggie disco party to benefit the RSPCA. Since it’s a silent disco, presumably with humans wearing the headphones, the loud music won’t be a distraction nor a stressor for the little pooches.
All setup and ready for the dog-friendly silent disco. Photo Credit: Prohibition Brisbane/Facebook
Have a great time on the dance floor as you shake your groove with your dog. You probably do this at home with your furry pal anyway, so why not dance in the company of other dog owners and get to meet new people (and pets!) of the same interest?
It could be fun to make human and furry friends at this event but you’ll never know until you give it a try!
The Dogs & Beats silent disco will run from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. However, the event is open to doggos less than 25kg only. The puppers must also be leashed during the event to avoid any incident.
For every Dogs & Beats ticket purchased online, half of the proceeds will be donated to the RSPCA.
A sweeping celebration of art, music, food and fashion will be underway at The Hidden Lanes Festival in Fortitude Valley on Saturday, the 26th of Oct 2019. This free event will feature over 50 artists who will showcase their talents, ideas and creations to bring heaps of experiences for families and groups to enjoy.
Celebrating Food and Wine
Little Valley Lane, Bakery Lane, Winn Lane, Lucky Lane and California Lane will each have various establishments participating in the food fare for The Hidden Lanes Festival. Led by The Bowery, visitors may enjoy a sampling of gastronomic delights and satisfying meals from Italian, Korean, Japanese and American cuisines.
Whilst savouring different flavours, visitors can sit down and chill amidst an abundance of live music. Each lane will also feature different musical acts at stages set outside The Bowery, Phase 4 Records, Laruche, Tym Guitars, The Zoo, Little Valley and at corners of Winn Lane, California Lane and Bakery Lane.
Among the featured musical acts and DJs for this year’s Hidden Lanes Festival are:
Some live entertainment and venues are strictly for *18 years old and above. Be sure to show a valid ID in case it will be checked. Look up the schedule of performances so you may be able to plan your visit carefully.
Aside from the live music, there will also be 19 masterclasses and activities where visitors may learn cookie decorating, dumpling making, or preparing cocktails, among other workshops. Below are the schedule of the classes. You may book a slot in advance online as spaces are limited.
Photo Credit: The Hidden Lanes Festival
Celebrating Fashion & Style
When you’re done eating, drinking or joining the activities, you can unwind and do some retail therapy or pampering at the fashion and beauty establishments participating at The Hidden Lanes Festival. So you can cover a lot of ground, check out this map to chart the stores you’d like to visit for discounts and deals.
Photo Credit: The Hidden Lanes Festival
Celebrating the Laneways
Do you have out-of-town guests you’d like to bring to the festival? Sign them up for the Heritage Tour or put your name on the list if you’d like to learn the interesting origin and development of Fortitude Valley’s Laneways. This guided walk will bring you to the oldest preserved commercial buildings in Brisbane, which were built around the 1800s, including an apothecary and one of Brisbane’s longest-running music venues.
The Hidden Lanes Festival is a FREE event. No need to pay for an entrance or masterclass fee. The events begin at 10:00 a.m. and end late in the night.
Are you part of the vegan community in Brisbane? Then don’t miss this special two-day event featuring everything plant and natural-based in Bowen Hills from the 19th to 20th of Oct 2019.
Happening at the Exhibition Building in the corner of Gregory Terrace and Costin Street near the Brisbane Showgrounds, the inaugural Brisbane Vegan Expo will open at 10:00 a.m.
The event will not just showcase vegan food and drinks but also vegan skincare and healthcare products, plant-based clothing, household goods and heaps of other interesting items free of animals and animal by-products.
Expect more than 100 exhibitors at the visitors at the Brisbane Vegan Expo, including some fo these businesses below:
Have little time to shop and prepare healthy food? This store conveniently cooks, packs, chills or freezes healthy, nutrient-dense, low-allergy meals for delivery to your home or workplace.
Featuring a pantry full of vegan biscuits, sauces, spreads, snacks, confectionery, ready-roasted meals, oven and grill dishes, dairy-free cheese, sausages, jerky and a variety of other food, this is the store to visit if you need to start a healthy animal-free diet.
This shop makes small batches of handcrafted, 100 percent chemical-free, Australian-made skin care products for your healthy skin care and maintenance. If you’ve got sensitive skin or develop skin allergies from other brands, check out this healthier option.
Discover the wonders of a Japanese style treatment therapy to refresh and strengthen your body and mind. Consultants and therapists will be at the stalls to impart tips and advice, as well as to conduct a 15-minute or 30-minute session.
Photo Credit: Kohki Therapy/Facebook
For the full list of exhibitors, visit the official site’s listing.
Meanwhile, Australian animal rights activist James Aspey will be one of the special resource person of the Brisbane Vegan Expo. Known for his advocacy against cruelty to animals, Aspey did not speak for a full year in 2014 as part of his protest.
Since then, however, he has helped raise awareness on his advocacy by conducting various speaking engagements about the significance and impact of going vegan.
“The Brisbane Vegan Expo is intended to demonstrate the simplicity of transitioning towards a vegan lifestyle and support those who want to continue along this journey. The journey for some can take time and we recognise the value of providing assistance along the way. We endeavour to inspire and motivate people to consider and/or continue to increase consuming plant-based options,” the organisers said.
Tickets to the Brisbane Vegan Expo cost $12.64 including the fee. Children under 12 years old may enter for free whilst $2 for every ticket sold will go to a vegan charity.
Newly opened Rico Bar & Dining on Eagle Street Pier brings an exciting fusion of Spanish, Australian and Latin cuisines to Brisbane’s bustling inner-city dining scene.
Photo credit: Rico Bar & Dining / Facebook
The man behind Eagle Street Pier’s latest hotspot is Michael Tassis, the culinary mastermind behind Massimo Restaurant & Bar and George’s Paragon Seafood Restaurant. Coming from a family that’s been running award-winning restaurants in NSW and Queensland for more than 30 years, Michael has over 25 years of experience as a restaurateur. His most recent venture, Massimo, impresses with its fresh take on Italian culinary arts.
This time around, Michael has drawn inspiration from Spanish and Latin cuisine in conceptualising Rico Bar & Dining’s menu line-up and overall concept. A day before the opening, Rico Bar and Dining gave a sneak preview of the interior, designed by the same team behind Massimo Restaurant.
57 Deliciosa Dishes
Headlining Rico’s 57 deliciosa menu line-up are the not-to-be-missed Paella, their Pintxo (Spanish Brioche Bug Roll), varied selection of tapas, meat raciones, and fresh-from-the-sea dishes.
The tapa line-up features a selection of slow-cooked, chargrilled lamb ribs, gambas al ajillo, calamari, chargrilled pork belly, empanadas with braised beef cheek, char-grilled octopus, eggplant fritters, and bone marrow.
Photo credit: Rico Bar & Dining / Facebook
Nibbles at the restaurant also include picadas, ceviche cured with lime, chilli and fresh herbs, ensalada, and oysters prepped seven ways at its Oyster Bar.
Photo credit: Rico Bar & Dining / Facebook
Photo credit: Rico Bar & Dining / Instagram
The main dishes are sure to whet your
appetite with its choices of chargrilled pork cutlet, braised beef cheek,
Argentinian style lamb shoulder slow-cooked to perfection, and chargrilled chicken
with chimichurri sauce.
Rico’s signature saffron-infused paella can be seafood, live marron, or vegetarian. (Photo credit: Rico Bar & Dining / Facebook)
For the seafood enthusiast, Rico has equally delectable creations, including ocean trout with saffron beurre blanc, chargrilled barramundi, whole baby South Australian squid with chimichurri, chargrilled live marron, and marinated snapper tail with chimichurri.
All the deliciousness ends with specially concocted desserts, which include Rico’s signature catalana. Check out their complete menu here.
To celebrate their Oct 11 opening, Rico Bar & Dining is giving complimentary cava to all diners upon arrival. Four lucky winners announced on the restaurant’s Facebook page will also be enjoying a $250 dining voucher on the day.
Sea to the City on Opening
Weekend
Rico Bar & Dining will cap its Opening Weekend as the first stop on the Brisbane Bug & Oyster Trail, with special dishes prepared for the Sea to the City event on Sunday, 13 October 2019. Now in its second year, the alfresco food trail will feature 17 of the best Brisbane riverside restaurants. The highlights of the trail also include Georges Paragon and Massimo Restaurant, among others.
Photo credit: Rico Bar & Dining / Instagram
Rico Bar & Dining’s special Sea to the City menu includes Mixed Dozen Oyster Plate with Four Sauces – mignonette, gazpacho, pink pepper and finger lime, along with Spanish Tempura Moreton Bay Bug on Brioche with Cos Lettuce, Chilli & Lime, Aioli. Diners will have a choice of red or white sangria to perfectly complement their meal.
Rico Bar & Dining promises to bring the best in fusion cuisine, blending different cultures through its exciting culinary creations. With stunning views of the city’s river and Story Bridge, this new Brisbane restaurant would be the ideal place for a romantic dinner, a solo dining experience or a simple catch-up with friends.
A new and improved Valley Metro Shopping Centre at Fortitude Valley is on its way soon as Brisbane City Council has approved its refurbishment proposal.
Last July 2019, an announcement was given by the Brisbane City Council with regards to the proposed refurbishment project of the Valley Metro Shopping Centre. The Council has approved the design made by Architectus, lodged by the project’s developer, LaSalle Investment Management.
Apart from the Valley Metro being fully refurbished, the approved proposal also involves the addition of a new cinema, a supermarket tenancy, expanded retail offerings, upgraded central urban common space, and a number of public realm improvements.
Here are the following public realm improvements as stated in the proposal:
Refurbished Brunswick Street Entrance canopy to provide a welcoming, legible gateway to Valley Metro precinct.
New flexible Urban Common to facilitate a community-driven public space, that’s surrounded by natural light and landscape.
Providing new & refurbished pedestrian linkage to allow access from all direction to Fortitude Valley Train Station.
Potential Public Artwork installation to be further developed in future stage.
Valley Metro by Architectus Photo credit: https://architectureau.com/
According to Architectus, the design principle for this project is to create new links and connect them with the refurbished existing links that would result into a revitalised central retail space right at the center of the site.
The designers reiterated that the main goal for this project is to have “a revitalised and accessible public space that complements the busy transport hub of the Fortitude Valley rail station and speaks to the principles of the Urban Common as a piece of social infrastructure, within a functioning retail precinct.”
Photo credit: https://architectureau.com/
Apart from the plans for onsite refurbishment of the Valley Metro, the application also indicates future linkages to Alfred and Alden Streets; however, these linkages are still subject to BCC approval.
To know more about Valley Metro’s refurbishment project, you may refer to its development application here.
On the sixth floor of the new Foresters Restaurant and Bar in Fortitude Valley, the Altitude Bar offers 180-degree views of Brisbane CBD including a panoramic vista of iconic landmarks, such as the Story Bridge and Walton’s building.
The stunning, 250-sqm rooftop bar welcomed the public for the first time in August 2019, taking over the heritage-listed Foresters Hall along Brunswick and Alfred Street.
One of the function areas in Altitude Bar (Photo Credit: forestersfv.com.au)
Altitude Bar is the product of an almost three-year journey for the Signature Hospitality Group, who are also behind the boutique South Melbourne eatery WJ Wills and the renowned sports bar brand, The Sporting Globe. The group lodged a development application and received an approval in 2016, they finally got to open the restaurant and bar this year.
Intricate detailing is found throughout the bar, with monochromatic palettes, timber tables, sleek black seating, and incorporated indoor planting, designed by Melbourne-based design firm Hot Black.
This rooftop bar serves a lively cocktail menu, with popular picks like the Salted Caramel Espresso Martini and Amaretto Brulee as well as craft and standard beers. When hunger strikes, just order off a tasty bar menu featuring calamari, jalapeno poppers, club sandwich, cold meats, sweet potato crisps or various flavours of stone-baked pizza.
Altitude Bar also welcomes events in the function areas and you may choose to have your drinks served in bar carts. Party under the stars or simply unwind on the rooftop for the best views in town.
Altitude Bar is located at 209-211 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley and opens four days a week, Wednesday to Sunday from noon until late. For more information about their menus and functions, visit the Foresters restaurant and bar website.
Australian upscale department store David Jones signed a long-term lease to deliver a unique shopping experience in one of the Fortitude Valley’s best shopping strips. However, as Australia is under a retail recession, David Jones has reportedly struggled to grow its revenue two years since opening on 10 James Street.
David Jones has gone through its second writedown since 2018, as South African owner Woolworths Holdings Limited witnessed its value shrink from its $2.1-B acquisition in 2014 to just $965 million. The writedown does not bode well for the beleaguered retail giant, particularly in light of Australia’s retail recession.
Speculations are rife that the company is “recalibrating operations” at its Fortitude Valley store, although the company has not made any comments on such reports.
Photo Credit: Google Maps
David Jones opened its Fortitude Valley store with high hopes of delivering a very different shopping experience in a vital precinct.
A spokesperson from Woolworths said that operationally, their strategic initiative is to position the store as the “retail environment of the future.”
After Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner announced Brisbane City Council’s plan to rejuvenate the Victoria Park precinct, ideas have been pouring in on how to best transform the area into a 45-hectare public parkland. Now, we can get a closer look into five visionary ideas released by the Council.
Brisbane’s leading design professionals have developed independent creative ideas for Victoria Park to spark interest and encourage more ideas to come in for what the new parkland could look like.
These designs are not necessarily what will be built, but they are intended to capture the public’s attention about different opportunities for the park in the future.
Planners at Urbis suggest an active forest for everyone. They want to do it by making the park an unparalleled destination in the city’s subtropical park network.
Urbis wants to create outdoor and well-being spaces which will maximise the sense of natural refuge within the inner city.
The goal is to reforest the park, which involves dramatically increasing the density of trees in key locations. This will create deep shade and lush canopies, to become a new forest for everyone.
“Barrambin – Reconnection and Restoration” by Lat 27
Barrambin is all about creating a place that will respectfully celebrate the connection between culture and nature. It aims to celebrate Brisbane’s unique interwoven landscape and ecosystems as well as make transformational connections that will stitch parkland back into the city.
Lat 27 aims to celebrate Brisbane’s over 65,000 years of culture by creating a link to the city, a place to tell water stories, a place for morning walks, and a centre for indigenous culture.
The idea is to create a new setting for play, exploration and relaxation by including features like waterfalls, reflection pond, water rock pool slide, children’s pond, and cascades swimming pond.
Place Design Group drew inspiration from the many rocky creeks and rock pools that are one of the characterising features of Southeast Queensland’s diverse landscape. Our vision is to re-imagine these natural settings within the park as a dynamic play.
Known for their landscape architecture and urban design, Tract wanted to make Brisbane a place where people meet to celebrate. Think of places for smaller events and community gatherings, an ampitheater, and Brisbane’s “largest major outdoor events space.”
The planners at Tract are also suggesting to create a connection to Spring Hill and City, to Herston and Bowen Hills as well as a new connection to Busway and Kelvin Grove.
As the name implies, Conrad Gargett’s idea is to design the park with nature for health and wellbeing in mind. They drew inspiration from English broadcaster and natural historian David Attenborough, who once said spending time with nature offers us all precious breathing space away from the stresses and strains of modern life.
Just like Attenborough, Conrad Gargett believes spending time with nature enables us to experience joy and wonder, to slow down and appreciate the wildlife that lives side-by-side with us.
About Victoria Park Vision
Touted as Brisbane’s biggest new park, Victoria Park Vision will be more than double the size of the City Botanic Gardens. BCC has set aside $1 million towards the beginning of this project.
It is located in Herston and bounded by Gregory Terrace, Victoria Park Road, Queensland University of Technology – Kelvin Grove, Herston Road and Bowen Bridge Road. There is a golf course, driving range, putt-putt and function centre.
Presently, BCC is encouraging the local community to have their say in helping create the draft vision. The community engagement runs from 4 August to 29 September 2019. Construction of the park is scheduled to start 2021.
