Shopping, Fashion and Wining and Dining in Brisbane

SHOPPING & FASHION in Brisbane

Brisbane's Queen Street Mall has long been considered the centre of fashion and retail in Queensland. This vibrant shopping and lifestyle precinct lies at the heart of Brisbane City and is arguably Australia's most successful pedestrian mall, playing host to over 26 million visitors a year.

Some of the best shopping can be found here with more than 700 retail options available in the Mall and its many arcades and street-front shopping precincts including Brisbane Arcade, Broadway on the Mall, MacArthur Central (nearby on Edward Street), QueensPlaza, The Myer Centre, Wintergarden, Queen Adelaide Building, Albert Street & Albert Laneway and Tattersall's Arcade.

It's here find luxury fashion labels Polo Ralph Lauren, Hermes, Hugo Boss, Oroton, Tiffany & Co, Louis Vuitton, Alannah Hill, Georg Jensen, Lisa Ho, Wayne Cooper plus Australian department stores David Jones and Myer.

The inner-city suburb of New Farm is also a hot spot for fashionistas with the latest Australian and international designers found on James Street and James Lane including Sass & Bide, Scanlan &Theodore, Mimco, Frock Shop, Easton Pearson, Chelsea de Luca, Paul Hunt, Gary Castles, Francis Leon and Bettina Liano. Don't forget to head down Ann Street in Fortitude Valley to stock up on Akira Isogawa and international labels at Brisbane boutique Blonde Venus.

If high fashion is not your style, stroll down the inner city suburb of Paddington for a range of vintage collectables and absolutely fabulous garments you didn't even know you needed or head east to the contemporary hub of Woolloongabba to scour through antiques and homewares not available anywhere else.

WINING & DINING in Brisbane

With an innovative array of fine dining, hip contemporary restaurants, exotic international cuisine and laid back cafes, pubs and bars, foodies should salute the masterful dining scene kicking into overdrive across Brisbane.

Local residents have always loved dining out whether it's for breakfast, lunch or dinner, but now everyone is spoilt for choice as Chefs from around the world arrive to open restaurants and take advantage of Queensland's fresh seasonal produce, world-class seafood and buzzing urban villages filled with discerning taste buds.

Now Brisbane's thriving dining scene is capturing Australia's attention with the country's New Restaurant of the Year, Maitre D' of the Year and Wine List of the Year according to the Australian Gourmet Traveller 2011 Restaurant Awards. Ortiga, which opened its doors early in 2010, was named New Restaurant of the Year and received a two star rating while in Woolloongabba, 1889 Enoteca was awarded Wine List of the Year and Peter Sullivan of Aria Restaurant was acknowledged as Maitre D' of the Year.

Other dining options that should not go overlooked are The Buffalo Club, The Crosstown Eating House, Libertine Restaurant & Bar, Urbane, The Euro, The Chelsea, 5th Element Bar & Cellar, Tartufo Ristorante & Bar, South Bank Surf Club and Sardine Tin.

The city's iconic Chinatown Mall has reopened after an extensive $8 million redevelopment. Now designed according to Feng Shui principles, Chinatown Mall is the perfect place to find authentic Asian cuisine in Brisbane and celebrate Chinese events in traditional style.

For farm fresh and fabulous food visit one of the many local produce markets setting up stalls across the city each week. Jan Power's Farmers Markets has more than 100 stalls to create a cultural and community experience. You can find a Jan Power's market either each week or fortnight in four locations across Brisbane including Mitchelton, Brisbane Powerhouse, Manly and Queen Street Mall.
Northey Street Markets, South Bank Markets, Rosalie Gourmet Markets and Green Flea Community Market all provide high quality products, flowers and foods from both around the world and local farms.

If treating your taste buds to liquid gold is preferred, look no further than the wine being made in south-east Queensland. Local favourite Sirromet Winery continues to produce award-winning table, sparkling and fortified wines in Mt Cotton. Regional vineyards turning heads include Warrego Wines, Normanby Wines and Iron Bark Ridge estates - each located 60 minutes drive west from down-town Brisbane making it a leisurely day trip from the city.

Liquid gold also comes in the form of Queensland's iconic XXXX Ale House and Brewery, established in 1878. Fast forward 130 years or so and this distillery is still producing amber ale on the original site at Milton and attracting thousands of visitors through its doors for a guided tour each year. Discover the proud legend of this Queensland beer for yourself during a dedicated Brewery, Beer and BBQ Tour.

Beer lovers can now taste more than 80 Australian craft beers without leaving the city thanks to the arrival of Archive Beer Boutique Bistro. Show casing the talents of many boutique breweries from Byron Bay to the Blue Mountains, Archive promises there is a beer for everyone and offers a tasting menu to compliment the ales, lagers and stouts. The Brewhouse is another great option close by and well worth a visit for a beer and steak for a lazy Sunday.

(Source: Travmedia.com 2nd April 2011)