So this year I spent Christmas with family in the tropical state’s capital of Brisbane where unfortunately ‘the sunshine state’ slogan is not happening! We feel for plenty of people who are homeless through the floods and hope the rain stops soon.
Alas, it is nice to watch Brisbane grow from a backward country town where I grew up hanging out at Club LQ in the Queens Street Mall and drinking beer upstairs at Jo-Jo’s to an up and coming city which I love to visit. There has also been an emerging trend of my Sydney friends visiting Brisbane for a visit and ringing me to rave about their experiences.
So upon my explorations, here are a couple of places I have come across. I have an older brother who resides in Brisbane and has finally found a love of fine wine and foods so he introduced me to the Black Pearl Epicure, a wholesale and retail fine foods business also runs great cooking school classes www.blackpearl.com.au was the perfect spot to grab some last minute Christmas treats. What are delicious cheeses without some real French bread? Afterwards, head into boulangerie and patisserie, Chouquette www.chouquette.com.au in the heart of New Farm, you will not be sorry!
For lunch or dinner I highly recommend stoping in at Tartufo, restaurant & bar, Tony Percuoco’s (ex Fellini, Gold Coast) new spot in the Emporium hotel for some classic Italian food www.tartufo.com.au
Now if you have some cash and feel like splurging on designer shoes or accessories, Jean Brown next door to Tartufo has an exquisite selection of designer gear for Women, www.jeanbrown.com.au and there are plenty of other stores in the same complex. If you want something a bit more affordable, head to James Street where one will find Sass and Bide etc.. and the most gorgeous classic parfumerie I have ever seen in Australia, Libertine www.libertineparfumerie.com.au alongside the Palace Cinemas if one fancy’s a foreign flick.
Enjoy Bris-vegas, till next time! Kim xx
