Little Stanley Street Restaurants

We've had some real Winter weather here in Brisbane over the past few weeks, which is a bit of a novelty. What better way to enjoy it, than by spending some time out eating in some of the great restaurants the city has to offer. One precinct which has certainly expanded over the past 10 years is Little Stanley Street, adjacent to the South Bank Parklands. In this particular strip you will not only find boutique fashion shops, but a variety of restaurants as well. Most offer both indoor and al fresco dining, as well as take-away service.

The variety is excellent. Ahmets is a licensed Turkish restaurant. The Gandhi Curry House offers Indian. Ginga is Japanese. Toscanis is Mediterranean / Italian. In addition there are Chinese, Vietnamese, Australian and others offering meals ranging from simple fare through to gourmet. You can even have the Aussie staples of steak and seafood!

I've had the pleasure at eating at a number of these restaurants, and although I'm no culinary master, I'd recommend most of them. The food is usually great. I've also found that the service in Brisbane is generally quite good, and especially in Summer when there is a lot to smile about. That said, given a rainy day in Brisbane when things are a bit slower, the staff seem even more likely to smile to give you a bit more warmth. Its all part of the reason why I love living here.

Cheers, I Love Brisbane, Wes.

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The Shingle Inn

Today is my birthday, and what better way to celebrate it with a post on The Shingle Inn. Somewhat of an institution in Brisbane, The Shingle Inn has been creating superior quality cakes since 1936. There are a number of stores throughout Brisbane and the suburbs, however the one represented here is in the basement of the Macarthur Central. The store consists of display cabinets for cakes and pastries, with a cafe area with magnificent high backed chairs to sit, eat and enjoy purchased treats at your leisure.

The Shingle Inn has a long and distinguished history within Brisbane. The original Shingle Inn was unfortunately closed in August 2002. Located in Edward Street between Adelaide and Queen Streets, it resembled English Tudor architecture, and had a distinct feel both inside and out. It also was said to be a popular haunt of soldiers during the second world war, as detailed here. After its closure, the original was painstakingly dismantled due to its heritage listing, with the intent that it would be rebuilt at some future time.

I'm glad you can still savour the delicious cakes in the city even with the original closed. I must admit, however, that as much as I wanted to buy a birthday cake during the day, I knew my wife had made me scrumptious chocolate mousse to devour when I got home - so I had to knock it back for today. There have been very recent rumours that the original Inn will be rebuilt at City Hall, with specific budget put aside, but we shall see.

Cheers, I Love Brisbane, Wes.

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Jimmy's on The Mall

Jimmy's on the Mall is a restaurant and bar between Edward and Albert Streets in the Queen Street Mall. Effectively an Al Fresco cafe, they offer both a modern Australian (read beer, steaks and seafood!) and Asian influenced menu, and are open every day from breakfast until very late in the evening. There is seating for over 200 patrons, and they are licensed.

Meals range in price from around $10 for entrees, $25 for mains and $8 for desserts. Opened in 1984, Jimmy's has become one of the mainstays of central Brisbane. It is actually operated by the same crowd that runs the Pig 'N' Whistle pub restaurants within the city. There are both outside and inside seats, although the bulk of the seating still is undercover.

If you want a fairly laid back experience and want to watch the multitude of people who frequent the mall on a weekday or weekends, Jimmy's is a great place to go for lunch. Its also a great place for a late night snack or drink, and for a long time was a stop off point within the city for that last bite, due to it being one of the few places that was still open. There are now a number of cafes which do the same thing, but at least with Jimmy's you know you've got an original.

Cheers, I Love Brisbane, Wes.

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Elevat "at" 32

Hidden within every city, down a side street or lane, there will always be a local eatery, restaurant or take-away that doesn't seem to make it to any of the eating guides. One such place in Brisbane is Elevat@32. Located at 32 Burnett Lane, the restaurant serves simple Taiwanese food, but is always busy with mainly Asian clientele. They are open weekdays from 11:00am until 7:00pm, and later on Friday evenings.

The menu is distinctly Asian with a strong Thai influence. Most meals are served with either noodles or rice, and you can have chicken, pork, beef or vegetarian variations. Prices are excellent, ranging from a few dollars to generally no more than ten. They also have a variety of the pearl teas which are quite popular within the Asian communities here.

I was lucky enough to get introduced to this place by a colleague one lunchtime. Although the interior is nothing exotic, it is functional. The congestion at lunchtime to me is always a sign that they must be doing something right! I was glad I found it, however, I can't stress enough how little information there appears to be on the Internet about it. Perhaps if I could decipher the Asian characters I'd find more!

Cheers, I Love Brisbane, Wes.

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Belgian Beer Cafe Brussels

The Belgian Beer Cafe Brussels is a replica Belgian themed bistro and bar located at the corner of Mary and Edward Streets, at 169 Mary Street. The venue offers a restaurant with A La Carte menus and desserts, fine wines, cocktails, and of course Beer. There are function areas both within the restaurant on the ground floor, and an area on the upper terrace. The other outstanding feature is the outside open air beer garden. Opening hours are from 11am until late every day of the week.


The building itself is also known as the Coal Board Building, and has historical significance within Brisbane. Originally used as a warehouse, it was erected in 1887-88. It was used initially by importers of china and glass, and then subsequently used by boot manufacturers, and a variety of produce and leather merchants, engineers, hardware suppliers and saddlers' ironmongers. In the 1960's it was transferred back to government offices, before being converted to a bar/restaurant in the 2000's.

There are a number of other Belgian Beer Cafes throughout Australia. The aim of the cafes is to recreate the look and feel of 1920s bars of Belgium along with their art-nouveau design. Each bar also features famous beers of Belgium - including Hoegaarden, Leffe and Stella Artois - with the customary two fingers of foam at the top. If you want a great place to enjoy a foaming beer in lush surrounds with the chic crowd, then this is the place. The chocolate desserts are also excellent!

Cheers, I Love Brisbane, Wes.

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Jade Buddha

Jade Buddha is a bar and casual dining restaurant located at Eagle Street Pier. Open from 11:30am until late each day, it offers restaurant food with a pan-Asian flair, along with casual drinking in the Jade Lounge. Their menu offers a range of options. Outside views encompass the Brisbane River, whilst inside, the design and decoration features sculpture and decoration befitting Feng shui principles. There is even a large golden Buddha to greet you. Formerly City Rowers, the venue had a significant overhaul in 2005. They have a varied array of activities on each week, including Speed Dating, Buddha Night and themed menus.

Above Jade Buddha is the Shadow Lounge, which offers a unique, intimate, club-like venue with open views over the river. The main focus is cocktails and champagne, with a wide array of exotic concoctions available. The seating is definitely casual, and if you're lucky you can get into one of the deep sofa chairs which are just great to melt into. The venue is also available for corporate and private functions. Go to their web site if you want to see it in all its glory.

As part of one of the premier dining areas of Brisbane, Jade Buddha is perhaps better visited at lunch time rather than dinner, particularly on Friday or Saturdays. That's when the party crowd is out and about, so your more likely to experience surly bouncers and drunken party-goers. Depending on what scene your into, this can either be really cool, or a bit disappointing. As I'm getting older, I'm more accustomed to a relaxed drink rather than po-go slam dancing like I used to when I was young. The Shadow Lounge upstairs is particularly good for that relaxed drink!

Cheers, I Love Brisbane, Wes.

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Gardens on Buildings

One thing which has fascinated me about Brisbane is the number of buildings which are covered in plant greenery. Even in this age of drought and water restrictions, around the city there are a number of buildings where even palm trees are the norm. I've tried to capture this to some degree in this post, when as I was walking down Adelaide Street, I came across two such instances. This is by no means unique, and I must stress that for any visitor to Brisbane, if you look around, you will see greenery everywhere.


The first of these is what appears to be a small plantation of bamboo which masks the Zen Bar at Post Office Square. If you ever have the opportunity to eat here, and they do fantastic Asian food, you get a wonderful view of both the park and what appears to be an Asian garden outside the window, rather than your standard streetscape. This is at 215 Adelaide Street.

Further up the road towards Wharf Street, one of the office buildings is quite literally covered. The three tiered balcony at the base of the building is currently covered in overflowing garden beds, interspersed with large palms and other trees growing up through the concrete. On each of the central balconies all the way up the spine of the building it is like an urban oasis. Colourful flowering plants reach to the edge and beyond each balcony. This is so much better than a drab grey building or shiny steel modern monstrosity! With our sub-tropical climate, even in drought these areas seem to continue to flourish. I love it!

Cheers, I Love Brisbane, Wes.

Click Here for the Google Map Reference for this post. (The Zen Bar, for want of something different!)

Pancake Manor at St Luke's Church Hall

The Pancake Manor or Pancake Cafe is located at 18 Charlotte Street. The main item on their menu is obviously Pancakes! There are many variations, including crepes. The food and atmosphere is good, and the restaurant is open 24 hours. There are tables and booths with carved wooden seating. There's a bar in the middle of the main restaurant, as well as a pool table should you feel like playing. Downstairs, the Good Knight Bar is open in the evenings.

The building is part of Brisbane's Heritage Trail. It was originally selected as a site for a new Mission by the Anglican Church in 1903. It opened as St Luke's in 1904, designed with a Romanesque architecture by J.S. Murdoch. It was used as the main Brisbane church for the Anglican congregation until 1910, when St John's Cathedral was completed. From 1910 it acted as an Anglican Mission, and is also famous for housing the Newsboys' Club, amongst other youth groups. It remained associated with the Church until 1977. It opened as the Pancake Manor in 1979.

This is a great place to go with kids. Because of the booths you can squeeze them in so they can't escape, and the fare suits kids tastes for a quick meal out. Who doesn't love pancakes?! Being from Melbourne, there's an obvious association for me with the Pancake Parlour, although I imagine there may be some rivalry between the two. They have the same logo, although one says Perfect and the other says Lovely. Who cares? Both are right in my books!

Cheers, I Love Brisbane, Wes.

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