Farm House, Kedron

Most Brisbanites, particularly those familiar with the Northside, will remember Farmer Joes produce store, which sadly closed its doors in 2009, to make way for the new road associated with the Airport Link Tunnel. Farm House is a tribute to Farmer Joes, using farm fresh, quality foods for their busy venue.

Have a bubbly brunch if you like, there’s alcoholic drinks, as well as coffees on the menu.

Like the majority of venues at the moment, you need to book in advance and you may be time limited. Weekends are exceptionally busy, so plan well ahead to ensure you secure a spot.

Order and pay with your phone

Farm House gives you a couple of ordering options. There’s the traditional method of presenting at the counter, or, order and pay from your phone whilst seated, if you do not wish to mingle.

We trialled the phone ordering system, which in itself is a great concept, but, unfortunately the internet is a bit slow in the area. If you’re patient you will be fine, if not, suggest you order the traditional way to save any frustration.

Freshness simply oozes from the plate

Meals were delivered quickly, much quicker than we anticipated. All were fresh as promised, nicely presented and perfectly tasty.

Fruit and flowers present beautifully

The staff definitely deserve a mention, if not more. All were friendly, helpful and more than willing to do their best to accommodate. At no point did you feel like you were in their way. They welcomed all patrons with open arms.

Now that’s a brunch!

This is a busy corner of the world, but most definitely still worth a visit. Next time, we might try a weekday to avoid the crowds of people. Be sure to give them a try, the rustic surroundings are appealing and relaxing. Couple this with the delightfully fresh food and service, you now have a winning combination!

More photos are posted on Instagram and Facebook. Be sure to follow Dine Live Travel on all platforms, as you never know where we will be next. Stay safe everyone!

Pullman King George Square – Brisbane

We live in a different world now, with 2020 delivering a sharp reminder to us all, that at the end of the day, we are human, we are vulnerable.

A time for reflection

Lockdowns completed, with restrictions on everyone’s lifestyle, beginning to ease in Queensland, it was time to start venturing out and try to make sense of our new world. After weeks at home, we treated ourselves to a night for an anniversary celebration.

Having never stayed at the Pullman King George Square, we decided to give it a test run, and we were not disappointed. Staff here were fantastic, friendly and very helpful. Hospitality staff have not had it easy over the past few months and it was great to see them smiling and carrying on their work professionally.

Fresh, clean and relaxing at Goldfinch Restaurant

After being treated to an early check in, we headed downstairs to the Goldfinch restaurant for an enjoyable lunch. Spacious, airy vibes greeted us, along with the wonderful staff, as we were seated next to an huge windows. Our view was of King George Square, with a constant moving canvas outside as everyone went about their business.

Little Gem Salad
Antipasti

Remember, anywhere you wish to dine now, you should book in advance and don’t be surprised if you are time limited. We were lucky here as the expansive area easily catered to the number of diners at that particular time. You still need to sign in, so that your party can be traced should there be any outbreaks of Covid.

View from Sixteen Antlers

After a break in between venues, we headed up to our booking at the rooftop bar, Sixteen Antlers. The Mercure and Pullman share all of these areas, which includes the pool, gym, Goldfinch and Sixteen Antlers. The rooftop bar is a very popular area so you will be time limited to 2 hours during current climate.

One night off a full moon rising

As the sun set in the West, we were treated to the rising of an almost full moon to the East. The corner table we had been allocated was perfect for viewing. Enjoying cocktails, and an evening beverage, this was a fantastic space to sit and wile away some time.

Sixteen Antlers Rooftop Bar

As the evening progressed, more patrons began to enter the popular venue. This was also at a time where you could not approach the bar, so friendly staff will seat you in one place, ensuring they are then attentive to your needs.

Reflections on the moon rising

This venue really is worth a visit, remember to book well in advance, as it is very popular.

Thank you to all the staff, we very much enjoyed our stay and the special gift in our room as well as the upgrade, was very much appreciated for our celebration night away.

Executive Room at Pullman King George Square

We look forward to seeing you all again soon!

Further photos are available on Dine Live Travel Instagram and Facebook. Thank you for your interest, it’s been fantastic to start moving around again, as our restrictions ease!

Cafe Wisteria – Ascot

Happy to have started our regular brunch, random choice sessions again for this year. This choice was picked simply by going for a drive and choosing what looked like a nice venue.

Located on the edge of the Coles Complex, the cafe is split easily across the footpath. With partial walls, giving open an airy open space feeling, decorated with hanging wisteria and herbs, the dining area next to the road edge, is definitely a relaxing place to sit and enjoy your meal.

Menu choice was enough to cover for all tastes, so we were interested as to what ordered meals would be like.

Staff here, were not only exceptionally friendly and helpful, they were very accommodating, giving only their best attitude to visiting customers.

Presentation of the tea was intriguing. So often tea is overlooked as everyone scrambles for coffee. Luckily, I’m not a coffee drinker, hence tea presentation is what I notice. And yes, i liked this simple eye catching assortment for the tea ordered,

Meals arrived in a timely fashion, nicely presented, with a complete order looking very tasty.

My choice on this occasion was the Salmon on corn fritters with a side of mushrooms.

Yes, it did taste even better than what it looks. Fresh, light and very enjoyable, this was quite a filling meal.

An interesting choice was the bacon pancakes with maple syrup and ice cream. Pancakes were light and airy, topped with tasty bacon rashers and a side of maple.

They have a pretty awesome selection of juices and other drinks here. You can choose your own ingredients to try something a little different. Worth a try, you. Never know what you might end up with!

Further photos are available on instagram, Pinterest and facebook. Follow Dine Live travel on al mediums to enjoy our latest experiences!

Alex Perry Hotel & Apartments

Located in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley area, Alex Perry Hotel & Apartments provides an ideal venue option on the outskirts of the inner city.Here you have the option of a studio room, one or two bedroom apartments. Rooms are spacious, with plenty of comfort on offer. If you’re planning a longer stay, the full sized fridge, spacious kitchen with plenty of storage and utensils supplied, will be perfect for your own in house catering.Storage has been well thought out here, with plenty in the bedroom plus a full laundry stored behind a large folding door, in the bathroom.Muted decor is accentuated with splashes of rich gold and black creating an opulent feel without being over the top.A private balcony off the lounge, gives you a choice of indoor or outdoor space to relax in. The gold and black theme is continued throughout.Even the carpet in the lift continues the colour theme!

A bonus here too, is the onsite, undercover parking, a very reasonable $12 per night.

But, the jewel on the crown, is the well thought out rooftop area. Complete with pool, barbeues and shaded or open seating, its a fabulous place to chill out or catchup with family and friends also staying at the complex.

Across the road from the complex, is an array of shops and food options. The menu displayed in the room, is for Buzz Bistro Emporium. We chose this venue for an early breakfast. Quality meals and service, definitely worth a visit.

The savoury mince above very tasty, not spicy and easy to consume.

Keep the apartment complex in mind should you need some accommodation options in this part of the city. Sometimes its nice to be just out of the city itself. The rooms all presented well, being clean and tidy. For a shorter or longer stay, youre sure to find Alex Perry’s will meet your needs. Remember to follow Dine Live Travel on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter, for further photos and information.

Royal Rajputana – Fitzgibbon Chase

Royal Rajputana has just turned one year old. Part of the Fitzgibbon Chase community shops, this is an innovative venue, bringing city style to the suburbs.

Rajputana means “Land of Rajputs”. This was an area in India which included some of the modern day Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Rajasthan as well as parts of Sindh in southern Pakistan, covering a total of around 343 thousand square kilometres.

The Rajput race is considered the proudest and most noble race in India. Hence the inclusion of Royal in the name.

If you are seeking a good Indian curry, spiced to your taste, then you’ve come to right place.From butter chicken through to vegetarian or meat, the extensive menu is catering for a majority of tastes. Saffron rice was light, fluffy and very aromatic, making for an awesome accompaniment to your choice of curry.

All food was well presented, fresh, tasty and definitely a winner for our group. Prices are not expensive for the meal quality delivered. Those Naan breads too, very tasty!

The atmosphere is casual relaxed, with a good sprinkle of quality. Service is attentive, friendly as well as being focused on making sure you are comfortable, relaxed and enjoying your experience.

Water is plentiful, refilled regularly, whilst the well stocked bar provides for your wine or non/alcoholic preference.Take some time to stop by. Have a chat, watch the world go by and enjoy some good quality Indian cuisine.

Maybe we will see you there? Remember to follow Dine Live Travel on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and snapchat to stay updated. You never know where we will be!

Spicers Balfour Hotel – New Farm, Brisbane

Brisbane never ceases to surprise. Just when you think you are getting to know this city, you stumble across another hidden gem. Today, this was to be the intriguing Spicers Balfour Hotel.

The close proximity to the iconic Story Bridge, has the hotel within easy walking distance to Howard Street Wharves complex.From the moment you enter the property, you’re engulfed in a homely, friendly atmosphere. Staff here cannot do enough for you. To them you are an individual, not just another tenant.

We were onsite today for a meeting, with an impressive array of platters served in the courtyard area. Surrounded by greenery, trees decorated with lights, and glimpses of heritage listed buildings, you have a lovely, private space for entertaining.

We were given a tour through the buildings, with remnants of bygone eras everywhere. The finishing touches here have been very well thought out and implemented.

Yes, I did say buildings, as there are two. One houses rooms, boardroom as well as restaurant, bar and a cute little rooftop bar with views overlooking the iconic Story Bridge. The other, houses another boardroom, as well as apartment style rooms.Can you see what I mean about finishing touches? Very well done. This cosy area is part of one of the apartments, with a separate bedroom and ensuite included.These apartments make for an awesome place a couples retreat away from day to day life or stress.

Solo business women prefer the studio rooms here to large hotel complexes, as they feel safe, welcomed and unbothered. I can see why it would appeal to the solo female traveller, as this venue definitely ticks all of those boxes.

Spend some time over a leisurely breakfast, lunch or dinner in the top Vietnamese Restaurant, not only in Queensland, but Australia. That’s a massive achievement for this boutique hotel.

And dont forget to check out that rooftop bar! Such a gorgeous intimate area, with a bonus stunning vista.

Urge you all to check out this superb multi award winning venue. Definitely on my list to return!

Thank you to Travel Massive and Spicers Balfour for hosting at this truely superb venue.

Stellarossa – Aspley

A relative newbie to the Robinson Road complex, Stellarossa is a surprisingly large cafe, with an equally surprising, menu.

Prices are reasonable and the food, is nicely presented, in generous portions.

Savoury mince can even be added as a side, and trust me, it is worth it.

The cafe is clean tidy and expansive, with a number of table choices. Staff always appear friendly, helpful, aiming to make your experience a pleasant one.

This is another cafe born from a passion for good coffee, flavours and service. From what we have experienced so far, they do seem to have incorporated all of those into this venue.

Ok I’m not a coffee drinker, but Hubby was more than happy with his coffee choice. There is a small tea selection and a number of other drink choices for the non-coffee drinkers amongst us.A great way to kickstart your day with one of the all day breakfast choices, or choose from burgers, sandwiches or general cafe food.

These guys support a great cause too, assisting in raising funds for the PA Research Foundation. This foundation helps to bring research projects to the lab, and on to becoming patient trials for those in need.

The Robinson Road complex is a great little shopping area, housing a few of the essential shops, without having to go to a bigger centre.

Stop in when you’re shopping and give this cafe a try. It certainly is worth it.

French & Mor, Albany Creek

Tucked at the end of a group of shops, in a quiet area of surburbia, is a surprisingly cool French inspired cafe.Book high tea in advance, take your own bubbles, for a mere $2 cover charge, then relax whilst the wonderful friendly staff cater to your every need.Crockery was embossed with an interesting design, complementing the chunky wooden table. Even sugar had transformed as cute cubes with silver tongs. The little details do make a difference, with effort made here to include attention to detail.At $41 per head, this high tea was definitely very good value. Great idea for a birthday gift too!

Once seated, peruse the drinks menu to decide on your beverage choice. The coffee drinker can choose two coffees, not delivered at the same time, whilst tea lovers have an interesting selection of teas to choose from.Should you require an additional coffee or tea, this is only an extra $2. Very reasonable.

French flavour oozes from the menu, from baguette to delightfully intricate petite fours and sweets.For those who have allergies, which may be affected by the ingredients, French & Mor makes sure you do not feel left out. Indulge in your very own two tiered high tea, designed to ensure you are served only what is safe for you to eat.

The selection is quite impressive, and this is the two tier designed just for one person!

First up, some beautifully fresh bread chicken, tomato and cucumber sandwiches, which literally melted in the mouth. Pausing to savour the mini sandwiches, it was then time to indulge in the beef baguette, again wonderfully fresh, pairing well with the horseradish creme, which had a hint of mustard seeping through. Nothing overpowering, but some fantastic separate flavours there to enjoy.

Grissini and charcoal wafer thin crackers followed, dipped in tasty beetroot hummus.

Already you discover you’ve beaten the hunger pains. These tasty morsels are actually a lot more filling than they appear!

Those petit fours were to follow, with the selection of desserts the last remaining items to be consumed.Dainty French macaron which literally dissolved perfectly in your mouth was the first dessert on the plate. A myriad of flavours followed with raspberry purée and peppermint pana cotta. Both strong dominating flavours, bringing an end to this most enjoyable high tea.

Keep this one up your sleeve for somewhere as a surprise gift or just to be that little bit special. There is a normal cafe menu to if you would like to check it out first. Just remember to contact the friendly, helpful staff and organise your high tea in advance.

Dine Live Travel now provides a service to organise many types of functions, surprises or anything you require assistance to plan. Our network is vast and we are not affiliated to any other business. All your quotes will be fair and equitable. Contact via email dinelivetravel@yahoo.com.au or message our our many platforms including Instagram, Pinterest and facebook. Looking forward to assisting you!

Ladies Day Out – Brisbane Australia

Dine Live Travel is launching an new exciting service! Surprise!!! We will research, co-ordinate and book anything you require. This might be a for a marriage proposal, Ladies day out, Big Boys Play date, a birthday surprise, work function, weekend away, Baby Moon, anything. We are not affiliated to any one company and will provide you with the option range from which you choose, all within your allocated budget.

Just think how difficult it can be to organise a surprise for your partner and keep it a surprise. We will do all the hard work for you, negotiate pricing, present the quoted options. You make your final choices, so we can then book everything for you, including those small details which will make all the difference!

We recently organised a Ladies Day Out as a birthday present for a couple of young ladies, in this case family. This was all organised through some companies we have utilised in the past, to incorporate a private driver, photography, food, and of course wine!!.Richard from Strong Limousines was booked to be our driver for the day. We have used this company in the past for airport transfers and have always found both Richard & Jessica to be highly professional, very easy to deal with, using only very tidy, clean vehicles. As usual Richard arrived on time and greeted our party of four, opening doors for all in the comfortable Chrysler Sedan.

The first stop organised was at Mercure Clear Mountain Lodge. Here we sat out on the expansive balcony, admiring the view of Brisbane, over a bottle of bubbles. We had considered the high tea here but it didn’t quite fit into our schedule for that day, especially with lunch planned at the next stop. Next time we will stop by for high tea.

How incredible is the view out to the horizon! We stay here at least once a year, as being so close to Brisbane, yet feeling like a whole world away, this venue is our go to for unwinding and relaxing, with some wonderful staff another bonus.

After some catch up chit chat, obligatory photos, all of which were matched with some soothing bubbles, we met Richard out the front at the agreed time. From here, Richard drove us seamlessly through some stunning bush areas, stopping on the side of the road partway up the hill on the Mt Mee drive, so we could admire the incredible view laid out before us.

We had intended to stop at some of the markets on the way, but decided to miss this today as we headed to our wine tasting and lunch at Ocean View Estate Winery. Richard dropped us off, agreed the time we would be back in the carpark for pickup and left us to indulge.There is plenty to choose from as you can see above! A family run business established by Kate & Thomas, who have worked hard to bring the winery and restaurant up to an extremely high standard. Within around 45 minutes from Brisbane city too, so quite close. (Photo credit @amberadventuring)

Their daughter Hannah, came on board as the brewer and creates some interesting beers.First stop, the winery shop for wine and beer tasting. Friendly staff ran us through a wine tasting with all of us choosing wines of our preference to trial, prior to tasting some beers. There really are some interesting combinations which are well worth trying.

Even though the skies were clear, it was little cooler up here on this gorgeous Queensland Winter day. Lovely to see the fire stoked, with flames softly dancing. There is something about flames which creates a relaxed atmosphere.Seated out on the covered verandah, we watched a helicopter deliver some patrons, as part of a package offered by Ocean View Estate Winery & Restaurant. Landing on the neatly mown lawn with tidy roses and hedges in the foreground, the passengers disembarked for their special experience. Bubbles arrived, meals were ordered and our lovely double birthday luncheon began.(Photo credit @amberadventuring)

Our selection of entrees arrived which we were all sharing from the interesting A La carte menu. There are also options for degustation menus, including matching wines. All menus are created by the talented Head Chef, Tony Tierney.

We shared some delious pork belly with a side of crispy greens. Perfect amount for 4 ladies after those delicious entrees!

As the lunch came to an end, it was time to order some tantalising dessertsOh yes, dessert and dessert cocktails, simply stunning.Staff in the restaurant were also friendly, helpful and professional. Always nice to go somewhere and be treated so well.

Should you be interested in attending any of these venues or require the use of our new booking service, please feel free to message or contact via email dinelivetravel@yahoo.com.au. Further photos are posted on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.

Thank you to all the following companies we utilised for this day out. None were aware at the time of booking or payment, of our intentions.

– Strong Limousines

– Mercure Clear Mountain Resort

-Lakeview Restaurant

-Ocean View Estate Winery & Restaurant

-Amber Adventuring (Photography)

-Dine Live Travel (Co-ordination, photography, promotion)

Sunday’s Cafe Rocklea

Directly across the road from the Rocklea train Station, you will find Sunday’s Cafe. Clean, sharp and fresh looking, the cafe sports a large covered area outside, on two sides of the building. Heavy wooden tables and long wooden seats, invite you to stay a while. Bring your furry friend too, they are most welcome.Inside, a couple of small tables sit in front of a cleverly painted mural, framing the kitchen area, yet giving you a peaceful desert feel.

Quite a popular cafe, on this particular day, and I was informed it usually is busy on weekends, most trade coming from the local markets, yet surprisingly, not really anything from the train station.

Sorry commuters but you are seriously missing out here. Perhaps we should all take sometime to actually see what surrounds us.

Menu covers pretty much any taste. Short, simple and catering to your required choice.

Smoothies, coffees, plenty to choose from here.

Staff were friendly, helpful. Could not do enough in that regard, including asking if the dog needed a water bowl. Nice touch.

Service of food was quite adequate, we were there to chill and catch up so enjoyed the no rush, jam it down approach. If you’re expecting something nice you cannot expect that to arrive instantaneously.

Totally recommending this dish. Vege salad can be hard to balance and still be appetising, especially when its cold, but this dish, was seriously delicious. The turmeric paste mixed so well with the Vegetables. Not hot or over the top, just a really nice mix.

Add to your big breakfast with this seriously incredible pulled lamb. Tasted totally devine. I was lucky to try a small morsel.

Or, check out the mushrooms.

Topped with a poached egg, again lovely presentation, another delightful dish. Also, Im told, somewhat tasty.

This cafe has a few siblings. Check them out if they are in your area. Definitely worth a look,

And to those train commuters, stop and look around, you really are missing out.

Check Dine Live Travel on Faceboo, instagram, Pinterest, and twitter for more on this venue.