It's quite easy to find an Italian restaurant that doesn't veer too much from it's traditional roots. But what about one that serves up goji berries with its carpaccio? Or edamame beans with it's pesce?

Are these dishes crazy or ingenious?

To find out, we paid a visit to Il Locale Italian at Rosalie; a restaurant that isn't afraid to take inspiration from all corners of the world.

So does this creative flair fare well for the food here? Let's find out. 

I have four words for you: Ricotta Blueberry Breakfast Dumplings. 

When I heard these were on offer at our local Nordic-inspired café, I was there faster than you can say blåbær. 

Lokal + Co at West End offers a very innovative menu which puts the old plate of bacon and eggs to shame. But does this creativity translate into deliciousness?
​
Let’s go and find out.

Ever wonder what other people around the world are eating right now? No? Ok, I do on a regular basis, so go with me on this. 

Using recipes that have been handed down from generation to generation, and original sauces imported directly from Thailand, P’Nut Street Noodles has made a name for itself as offering some truly authentic Thai food in Brisbane. 

With restaurants in South Bank and Bulimba, there’s a brand new local P’Nut that has opened up at Windsor.
​
So what are people eating in Khon Kaen at the moment? Let’s go to Brisbane’s northside to find out. 

Moorooka may be the go-to suburb to buy a second-hand car, but it’s also becoming the place to find quality brunches thanks to a burgeoning café scene in the winding streets behind the “magic mile”.

One such café to have popped up is Todd and Pup. As the cute name suggests, dogs are welcome here. So are Todds.

This family friendly café also extends its bear hug to kids, so is already a winner in the minds of local families. 
​
For those of us though on the other side of town who aren’t in the market for a new SUV, is it worth the drive to this café? Let’s find out. 

It’s been three years since I last wrote about a dining experience at Brisbane’s Aria, where I found the food, and river-front views, and all that to be, you know, tolerable.

Ok that’s a lie. I loved it.

As such though, I had great expectations to love it again this time around, because things only get better with age, right? Apart from Germaine Greer.  

Sometimes though, setting the bar too high is the perfect way to be disappointed, so there is always a bit of a risk involved with the return visit to a much loved restaurant.
​
How did Aria’s fare fare this time around? Let’s find out. 

While there’s nothing technically wrong with the standard bacon and eggs on a Sunday morning, it can start to feel a little same-old, same-old each week.

​Yes I try to spice up my life by switching from fried eggs to scrambled eggs now and again, but lately even a poached egg hasn’t been quite cutting it.

Enter Freja’s. 

Located in trendy Wilston Village in Brisbane’s inner-north, Freja’s Cafe has an all-day menu that is nothing if not outlandishly creative. I’m talking beef cheek and macaroni croissant, confit garlic waffles or panna-cotta with your granola. 

But do these plates of art translate into tasty tidbits? Let’s take a look. 

There are two things I truly love- eating out for dinner and my toddler.

​Sadly, both of those things don’t always go hand-in-hand. Nothing strikes fear into the heart of someone standing behind a white table cloth as the sight of small sticky fingers.  

As such, I’ve become a little bit obsessed with finding kid-friendly restaurants so that my mini-me and I can both enjoy an (early) night out.

Luckily for us, Italian Street Kitchen has migrated from Sydney to Brisbane, bringing with it ridiculously tasty food, an affordable menu, and a fun family-friendly atmosphere.

Does it really feel like a little slice of Italy in the inner-city burbs?

Let’s find out. 

The Brisbane ‘burbs is an unlikely place to find a celebrity chef restaurant, but it’s here you’ll find Billykart Kitchen, founded by Ben O’Donoghue of Surfing the Menu fame. 

​Restaurants owned by celeb chefs have a lot to live up to. We’ve seen their insanely drool-worthy foodie creations on TV, and we expect something similar on our plates in real life.

As taste-ovision is yet to be invented, we decided to head out west to try out some famed dishes for ourselves.  

Was the meal primetime quality?

Let’s find out. 

​The cornerstone of Christmas celebrations is food and bad cracker jokes about deer. Festive feasting though is what mainly brings together friends, families and even foes (I acknowledge that those labels can be interchangeable with the same person).

However, not everyone is lucky enough to know when their next meal will be, with a staggering 3.6 million Australians experiencing food insecurity in 2017. This is a 10 per cent increase from the previous year, meaning that the need for food relief is escalating*. 

I’ve been incredibly lucky to eat some fantastic local food throughout the year, and now is a chance to give back. If you feel in any way similar, pledging a packet of food is a great way to provide.

What are the best items to add to your trolley? 

Let’s take a look at the most needed foods that charities are asking our help for this Christmas.
*Source: Foodbank Hunger Report 2017

​Style. Design. Functionality. <insert dramatic pause> Integrity.

These key tenets of architecture are difficult to read in anything other than the voice of Kevin McCloud.  

It’s no surprise then that Brisbane’s Base Architecture has embodied these principles in a new basement cafe/bar under their offices in inner-north Grange.

Quincy’s is a café by day and a bar by night, and boasts an array of cocktails made entirely with Australian spirits. Integrity indeed.

Let’s find out  what else is so bespoke about this place, and if the owners are in by Christmas.