Corso Brio – Barangaroo, NSW
Showcasing the best of Italy’s wine regions and modern cuisine, Corso Brio is the latest addition to Barangaroo’s precinct with its new 120-seat restaurant. High ornate ceilings, grand chandeliers and rich timber finishes allude to European grandeur. Head chef Alessandro Morabito and executive chef Massimo de Michele celebrate their Italian heritage through dishes such as risottos and handmade pastas. Wine expert Jon Osbeiston has curated a 400-strong wine list to complement the menu, focused on Barolo, Barbaresco, Brunello di Montalcino and Chianti, as well as lesser-known indigenous varieties. The venue also features an extensive wine wall with offerings from around the world. Corso Brio may be as close as we can get to a true Italian dining experience for now. (pictured 1/5)
Executive chef Massimo de Michele says: “Alessandro and I are passionate about our Italian heritage and what we grew up eating around the table. The menu is a journey through regional Italian cuisine and we look forward to showcasing the dishes alongside one of the best wine lists in Sydney.”
NOMAD – Melbourne, VIC
Sydney-based NOMAD Group is bringing their Mediterranean flair to Melbourne with a new Flinders Lane venue. After a tumultuous year impacted by the pandemic and a fire at NOMAD Sydney, owners Rebecca and Al Yazbek will open their 100-seat restaurant on the ground floor of the Adelphi Hotel. Head chef Brenden Katich has designed a locally focused menu with the group’s executive chef Jacqui Challinor that includes stretched-to-order woodfired flatbread, housemade charcuterie and cheese, and other dishes made in their signature woodfired oven. The bedrock of the wine list, created by beverage director Ged Bellis, are standouts from Victorian regions, with small local producers offered alongside some of the best wines from around the world. The team is working directly with local wineries wherever possible, particularly with their Australian-only by-the-glass list. (pictured 2/5)
Executive chef Jacqui Challinor says: “I'm really excited to explore what Victoria has to offer in regards to produce and hopefully, with that, create something really special that is unmistakably NOMAD."
187 Flinders Lane, Melbourne VIC
The Lodge Bar – Melbourne, VIC
Welcoming the world’s first experiential retail concession, The Lodge Bar has opened alongside Rodd & Gunn at Myer Chadstone, bringing together fashion, food and wine. Globally renowned chef Matt Lambert showcases local suppliers in simple dishes, paired with a wine offering curated by Master Sommelier Cameron Douglas. He highlights New Zealand’s finest drops, as well as those from Australia and abroad. If you’re feeling peckish as you shop, enjoy some of Australia’s best cheese by Calendar Cheese Co, complemented by breads, pastries and other baked goods from Dench Bakery and Mabels. Make the most of The Lodge Bar’s setting beneath the Myer glass roof in the terrazzo bar fitted with wood flooring, wool rugs and leather – the epitome of Rodd & Gunn’s rich heritage. (pictured 3/5)
One of Three: This is the Australian debut of The Lodge Bar trifecta for Rodd & Gunn following two successful launches in Queenstown and Auckland, New Zealand.
Myer Chadstone, 1341 Dandenong Road, Chadstone, VIC
Embers – South Brisbane, QLD
A short stroll from Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Embers at The Charming Squire has opened, adding to Mantle Group Hospitality’s 15 venues across Queensland and New South Wales. Delivered through the restaurant’s custom-made, woodfired grill and rotisserie, Head chef German Gonzalez’s menu spans from ocean to paddock, fusing local produce and a refined touch. On Sunday, mosey your way down for a plate of slow-cooked, wood-roasted lamb, and perhaps pair with one of the many full-bodied Australian reds that are heavily featured in the restaurant’s 100-plus bottle wine list. Also on offer is a balance of Old and New World wines, with almost 20 available by the glass. Take your pick between a booth, low table or al fresco seating in the 177-seat space and ponder the sage leather-bound menus. (pictured 4/5)
Food and beverage manager Darren Khan says: “German has developed a menu that demonstrates subtlety, pays homage to the quality of produce yet still allows space for contemporary touches.”
3/133 Grey Street, South Brisbane, QLD
The Still – Hobart, TAS
Celebrating Tasmania’s world-class whisky industry, The Still by Lark Distilling Co. is serving and selling more than 150 of the best local whiskies. The new venue includes the Tasmanian whisky hall of fame that celebrates distilleries that launched, championed and inspired the local industry. Choose between exploring The Still’s retail and tasting offering up the front or the intimate whisky lounge at the back, which includes the work of a Melbourne-based perfumier to emulate olfactory wonder. To break up your palate, The Still also offers a wine list, beer selection and cocktails by two of Hobart’s best bartenders Niall Maurici and Campbell Nicol. Immerse yourself in the long-standing history of Lark and the Tasmanian whisky industry here, housed in the old Mercury Print Room. (pictured 5/5)
Lark Distillery Co. head of hospitality Dan Knight says: “Whether you are newly curious or extremely passionate about the Tasmanian spirits community, this space will be the perfect jumping-off point for your exploration into world-class local whisky.”
30 Argyle Street Hobart, TAS
