Courier-Mail Queensland Food and Wine Guide 2011
Reviews of 538 Queensland venues
Laura Cullen
Courier Mail Queensland Food and Wine Guide 2011 [©Courier Mail]
As a Melbournian I have been known to think all things good in food and wine come from down south, the latest Courier-Mail Queensland Food and Wine Guide lays waste to that notion.
The Courier-Mail Queensland Food and Wine Guide reviews 538 venues including restaurants, bistros, cafes, bars, cheap eats, delis, organics, provedores and markets.
All of the reviews are conducted anonymously, with no notice given to the venue, and all meals paid for. The reviewers believe that if it is not a place they would recommend to their friends then it would not appear in the guide.
Restaurants are given a score out of 20 and the best are awarded stars – from one to three. There are also a series of awards celebrating the best of the industry. In particular the Fortitude Valley Tapas Bar Ortiga fared well winning Restaurant of the Year, Wine List of the Year and their chef Pablo Tordesillas winning Chef of the Year. Best Regional Restaurant of the Year was awarded to Nu Nu, Palm Cove.
Reviews are grouped by region into the six categories below:
Gastronomics – Everything from fine diners to great restaurants where the food, service and ambience (and sometimes the prices) are a notch above.
Bistronomics – These venues offer keen value for money as well as great food. Ambience is usually more relaxed and bistronomic venues can offer any type/nationality of cuisine. They can be BYO or licensed.
Economics – The bulk of a venue’s main courses should be priced under $20 to feature here. Surroundings are usually quite basic.
Cafes – Casual places to eat great casual food plus interesting places to have coffee and other refreshments.
Bars – The low down on the most interesting spots statewide to enjoy a glass or two.
Provedores and Organics – The good oil on where to find the best ingredients – from wine to coffee roasteries, butcheries. markets and more.
And while many of these categories may seem overwhelming the layout of the book makes it easy to navigate. You can look up the region you are visiting or flip to the back of the book to use the alphabetical venue list or a list of the venues in each region without the categories.
When I next travel up north it will be with this guide in hand as it doesn’t just answer the question of what restaurant to eat at but the best places to shop to stock my picnic basket.
The Courier-Mail Queensland Food and Wine Guide 2011 by Lizzie Loel and Fiona Donnelly is published by The Queensland Food and Wine Guide (2010; pb 234 pp).
Details of the next edition of the Courier-Mail Queensland Food and Wine Guide will be published here when available.
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