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!

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)

Novotel Brisbane South Bank

Spaciousness combined with modern, inviting surrounds, greet you in the bar/restaurant area of Novotel Brisbane South Bank.

Refreshing to see such a large area devoted to comfortable lounge style seating in front of the bar. Add to this the bar stools, and you know you’ve found the ideal space to enjoy a coffee, pre dinner drinks or just wile away some time.

Friendly staff help to make this home away from home experience even more enjoyable.Unfortunately on this occasion, we did not have the luxury of staying, this was merely a visit for a business function. Very lucky though to be given a tour of this fabulously fresh and new hotel.

Given the standard of the food we did try, combined with the atmosphere, delightful staff and overall feel of this venue, Dine Live Travel will be back.

A lot of thought went into the design and decoration of this new hotel. Only opened in May of this year, this particular Novotel has been based on a European design which embraces the local area. Here, the outside comes in.Given the handy location to South Bank and all amenities in this area, how cool to see rooms with the bed head area dominated by these incredibly real depictions of the local area!

Immerse yourself in the city of Brisbane, drifting off to sleep under the very real feeling, canopy of the South Bank Arbour. Or, perhaps your room will feature the Channel 7 Wheel of Brisbane.

What a nice surprise when you open the room door to see what delightful artwork is waiting to make you feel a part of this vibrant city. Looking forward to hearing what you think!

From standard hotel rooms to suites with their own lounge, there is plenty on offer for you to to overnight or take a well needed staycation. Some rooms face over the spacious greenery that is Musgrave Park, others towards Southbank and the city. Maybe you will be able to clearly see the real Wheel of Brisbane from your room.

Suites feature an inviting deep bath. Immerse yourself here, with bubbles and champers. Oh yes, can you feel it??

The on site restaurant Spice Central, gives you some pleasant dining options. Here you can choose table dining, or, perhaps you would like to interact with kitchen staff. In this case, choose the bar stools located around the open air kitchen. What a great way to become a part of your meal production process, without the work or the dishes!Highly suggest you pay this venue a visit. It really does tick those boxes. And for those looking to enjoy the many events on offer either at South Bank or in the city, then this location, will definitely suit your needs. Give it a test run, we are going back. Might see you there!

Check this link for more Brisbane information https://snaptravelblog.com/best-place-photograph-story-bridge/

Blockhouse Coffee & Eats

Tucked away in the Northside suburb of Nundah is a really cool collection of specialty shops, which include the sleek, clean, Blockhouse Bar.Seating is a mix of tables, bar stools, indoor & outdoor settings, there’s plenty to choose from here. We dropped by early in the week for a brunch and were not disappointed.

If you’re seated inside, the big floor to ceilings windows add a feeling of spaciousness, beautifully blending the line between indoors and out.

The menu choice on this particular day was the Mothers Day brunch menu, which boasted some very interesting, mouthwatering meals.

We took our time to choose, after all, it’s not easy when the selection is so inviting, and different to the normal brekky / brunch choices.

Eventually though, after careful consideration, whilst sipping on refreshing wine and mimosa, the choice was made. I chose the gnocchi.

Certainly not disappointing, in any way, shape or form. This dish was simply delicious. Soft, melt in the mouth gnocchi, blended fabulously with the goat cheese, pumpkin and all ingredients. Not only a filling dish, this one was very tasty. Overall, very happy with my choice!

The other dish chosen today was an interesting chilli scrambled egg. The chilli was not overpowering, and the maple bacon, simply delicious! Oh yes I did have just a little taste, luckily!

As I mentioned there’s plenty of seating choices and we enjoyed the outdoor view, wiling away some time, watching the world pass by.

Stop by, spend some time and browse the interesting specialty shops, before you indulge in a bite to eat or refreshing beverage.

Keep this one in mind, it’s certainly worth a visit!

FV By Peppers – Fortitude Valley Brisbane

Thank you to Travel Massive and FV By Peppers for an interesting, informative evening last week. To attend a meeting at this newly opened complex was a privilege to say the least.The view from the restaurant and bar located on level 6, was certainly stunning as the sun set. Huge, inviting lounges, invite you to rest your feet and enjoy the location. The bar and restaurant area has massive doors opening to this secluded location.

To give some background FV by Peppers is still under construction. In saying that, its only the third accomodation tower which is yet to be finished. Tower One & Two are open for business. Offering both hotel and apartment accommodation, FV by Peppers gives you plenty of choice. Oh yes and you can live here too! Short stay, long stay, corporate, everything is on offer.

Based on skyscraper architecture, New York style, the building is impressive, including the u shaped swimming pool which offers a breathtaking area to both swim and chill- and includes a swim up bar, looking towards Brisbane city.

We were incredibly lucky to be treated to a private tour. So many hidden surprises here, and I would have to say, we were impressed. In fact so much so, that already we have a few groups of people we know making plans to stay. Word of mouth is a powerful marketing tool.

Hotel rooms, one bedroom and two bedroom apartments, there’s plenty of choice. And when I say apartments, I’m talking full kitchens. These apartments are built to live in, not just stay.

The two bedroomed apartment we viewed, had a gorgeous view of the story bridge at night, as you entered the second bedroom. Muted colours throughout enhanced the beautiful lights outside.

Comfortable lounge setting, leads onto the enclosed glass balcony. Everything you need for a chilled out stay has been included.

There are some impressive extras here you can enjoy with a group of friends or family. For a mere $30, hire one of the four large, beautifully appointed spa rooms and enjoy 4 hours of fun and relaxation.

Relax in the bubbling spa, letting your stress disappear and muscles relax, whilst you either enjoy the city view or watch the TV. There’s plenty of comfortable seating and even your own private bar where staff will provide you with food and drinks (not included in the hire fee), during the course of your four hours.

Should you maybe wish to continue your fun, there is also the moonlight theatre for hire. Again you and your friends relax, enjoy, whilst staff tend to your tends using the private bar (not included in hire fee), contained within the theatre. Bean bags or comfortable lounges make for a sprawling good time!

Even the gym is impressive, roomy plenty of new equipment to keep everyone happy, a wonderful city view, and the cherry on top, will be a new yoga area due to open soon.

Mantra Group have done well to ensure not only do you have the comforts of home, but that extra added luxury at a very reasonable price. For those of us who are Accor Plus members, be sure to keep on checking on how the Mantra Group bid is progressing. To have the Peppers and Mantra complex’s added to Accor portfolio options will be quite the feather in their cap!

And, should you be looking for something special, keep these hire rooms in mind. They aren’t available unless you are staying on site, but what a wonderful treat this could be!

Finally, as with most venues, weekends are busier and it might be that bit harder to secure a private spa or the theatre, so if you are able to stay during the week, chances are you will have most opportunities open to you. Enjoy, we are looking forward to visiting again, perhaps we will even see you there!

Childers – Queensland

With a history dating back to the 1850’s, Childers wears a shroud of mystery. Partly due to the origin of the name, was it after an English town or a particular gentleman of that era? No one is sure and the answer can be of your own decision.

As we travelled from Brisbane to Childers, the change from dark soil to red soil is noticeable over the landscape. Childers is reknown for its sugar cane and fruit trees. .

Take the time to have a stroll through Childers as you pass by or stop for awhile. This town is interesting,even the footpaths tell a tale.Clever artwork abounds in this town. Historic buildings and peaceful surrounds are captivating, but remember to look down. There’s a lot of history here. So much to see, packed into a small area with less than around 1500 residents. Ok maybe the elephant is a little random, but I’m told this is a special place here who can produce animals of all dimensions.

We missed a lot that Childers offers, only due to the very short time we had. However take the time and check it out, there’s some wineries, a reptile park and do not forget the memorial at the Palace Hotel. Again we missed the opening hours, but if you have time, check out the memorial mural. Or, walk the Main Street, there’s a lot to offer. We strolled down the Main Street, it’s interesting and well worth a look. Between the footpaths and historic buildings seeping in days gone by you cannot just past by. This town is really worth a look..When you’re hungry there’s a lot to choose from. Maybe the bakery, hubby loved his apple turnover, fresh delicious!

Take the time to stop. It is worth it and if you need to stay, we tried the Gateway Motor Inn just as you enter Childers from the South. Geoff and Nicole are wonderful hosts. Relaxed, easy going and willing. Here it’s clean comfortable as well as meals available should you meet the meal deadlines.Childers is worth a look. Take the time, you won’t regret it.

Remember to look at the gateway menus, keep them in mind 👍 Say hi to Geoff and Nicole, they will look after you.

Mecure Clear Mountain Resort

Imagine if you may, waking up to the rolling vistas from you your own room at the Mecure Clear Mountain Resort. With a location so close to Brisbane’s northside, yet you feel a complete world away, this really is a wonderful place to escape to.

We first visited last year and could not wait to book another weekend escape. When the opportunity arose, we booked in that precious two night escape and looked forward to February when it would finally arrive. Which before long, it did. Time to chillout and relax.

So close to Brisbane, its an easy drive up the mountain to our weekend break.Excitingly enough we were lucky to be staying in one of the Lodge Suites, this is where being an accor plus member and booking those special member only deals, is handy as well as fulfilling . Check out the size of the beautiful twin head rain shower. Matching this was a roomy bathroom with twin handbasins and a free standing bath.Light brightens the room through the skylights, everything in here was beautifully clean with plenty of amenities available.

Space and roominess give you a wonderful relaxed feeling. Nothing to do here, just breathe, chill and relax.

There are a number of things to do on site. Stephanie’s provide an array of spa treatment, or enjoy the pool,tennis court and gym provided. Add to this the wonderful on site main restaurant, Lakeview. You can wile a day away here if you like, partake of the extensive buffet breakfast, whilst drinking in the view and enjoying the company of the local wildlife, then stay on for lunch, nibbles or drinks.Rain or shine, the locals will show up hoping for some soft tasty meat morsels. How heartwarming as well as a wonderful down to earth experience to interact with wildlife. Popping up anywhere, so dont be surprised if you pass a kookaburra sitting quietly on the railing. They wont move, just sit quietly and observe as you go past,or make their day and stop for a quick chat. Even better, offer some of their favourite soft meat to become their friend. Don’t worry they wont bite, just take the offerings from your fingers.

When you’re weary and hungry, enjoy a bite,there so much choice at the Lakeview or at the adult only restaurant Mandys on the Mountain.

If you cant stay, just drop by for a drink or meal. The staff here are simply awesome. No matter what area they work in, everyone we interacted with was friendly, helpful and best of all, some of the staff remembered us from our last visit. Now thats personal service! Highly recommend visiting this venue,no matter what the weather or reason. .

Blenheim / Picton

Finally finishing the New Zealand story with our end destination, Blenheim.

Sprawling over a flat area, Blenheim’s best viewing point is from the Wither Hills walkway looking towards the Richmond Ranges. This popular area hosts a number of tracks through a local farm. Some steep gradients will have you at a good vantage point with 15 minutes.

Wineries, the Marlborough Sounds, mussels, where do I stop. . Marlborough is synonymous with all of these and more. Cafes, restaurants, if you’re looking for food you won’t go hungry. We were on a very limited time span, however did manage to fit in a couple of places.

A quick catch up, called for breakfast at Speights Ale House Springlands.

Service was nice and adequate with interesting surroundings, plus we had a room to ourselves. Nice when you want to have a catch up. Food was definitely good quality and generous serves. We never had the opportunity to return for other meals but can definitely recommend breakfast.

Take a drive to Picton, either directly from Blenheim or via the Queen Charlotte drive and Havelock. With limited time, we did manage a quick trip to Picton for lunch. Cafe Cortado was the recommended choice for another enjoyable catch up. Located on the waterfront with a South American infused menu, lunch was enjoyable. Choosing an outside table with a view across to the Waterfront, we settled in for a nice lunch . Plenty to see here, with the daily life of locals and tourists alike unfolding before your eyes, with a pleasant sea breeze keeping the suns rays at bay.

Loved the fresh herbs in pots!

Service was adequate and meals arrived in good time. Pizza was popular today, plus I chose a very appetising salad. Well to be fair the trip is coming to end, you start to feel like it’s time to pull back.

As I said, time was limited on this trip. However when you visit take the time to visit the many places this region has to offer. No wineries in this trip, but if you have the opportunity to take in a winetasting or lingering lunch there’s many to choose from. Or take a boat trip down the sounds. Take your time and relax, there’s a lot to see!

Aarth Cafe, Taigum – New Menu Reviewed

This week we were privileged to attend Aarth Cafe for an early introduction to some of the new menu changes. Starting with entree, choices on tonight’s test menu were a couple of new bread, calamari, Haloumi, soft shell crab and pork belly.

Lets fade into these entrees as we begin our food journey ….

My choices this evening I decided, needed to be foods which can be overcooked easily. Tonight I chose to start with the Grilled Haloumi Salad which sat atop a delightful mixed salad accompanied by an interesting mix of pomegranate & date jam. This jam lifted the Haloumi with a flavour burst which brought the taste buds to life. The thinner slices of haloumi were that little bit crisper compared to larger pieces and were for me, my preferred choice of size. Interestingly the cold carrots on the salad provided a good partner for the jam and haloumi. Will also add here the Endless Pinot Grigio paired beautifully with this dish.

Hubbys choice was the Soft Shell crab with mascarpone and a green apple verjuice salad. We were both tasting the dishes and I did try this soft shell crab was beautifully crispy and again married well with the salad. In fact the selling point here is Hubby ate all his salad, nothing left on the plate. Now as someone who avoids salad whenever he can, that has to be a good advertising point!

Onto the mains. Tonight’s choice included a burger, chicken schnitzel, salmon, duck, steak, lamb, pork belly and pork ribs. Plenty of choice here. For me, it was to be the confit duck leg and candied orange salad. For hubby, grilled lamb with garlic reduction and a poppadum topped with sumac yoghurt salad.

Presentation of the dishes was certainly eyecatching. The poppadum filled with salad not only looked good, it gave the lamb a boost. As Hubby pointed out, the lamb itself was plain, very tender, and paired exceptionally well with the salad. Again, this salad plate was cleared by Hubby. That’s saying something! I did try this dish and in my opinion, felt the lamb should be plain and not flavoured as the yoghurt salad definitely added the flavour, whilst the poppadum gave you your crunch. Here’s a closer look below at the two dishes.

The duck where do I start. These were very large duck legs, and knowing how duck can be easily dried out during cooking, it was with some trepidation, I sliced into the leg. Juices flowed and the meat simply fell off the boat. Never, have I enjoyed such a beautifully tender duck with the slight crispness around the edges making this a superb dish. The salad also held its own surprise with small candied orange pieces popping up at random. These crunchy citrus delights added to this gastronomical delight, were a fantastic additional choice. I paired this one with a French FB Pinot Noir. Not too bad a match for this dish either.

All credit to Sunny and his team, they did do a fantastic job not only with the running the evening, but also with designing this new menu. I did talk to Robin the chef at the end and he told me the duck is slow cooked, well however its done, keep it up as it most certainly works.

To finish tonight was one dessert, a Belgian Chocolate Brownie with Vanilla Bean Icecream, chocolate fudge and whipped cream.

The brownie simply melted in the mouth, a soft chocolate delight. Icecream, big tick, loved it!

Talking with Sunny, his intention was for everyone to give an honest opinion or suggest any changes on the dishes. My husband suggested perhaps a jus or sauce drizzled over the lamb, again this I think depends on your taste.

Sunny and his staff are interesting to talk to and happy to explain or answer questions. The reason behind using the pomegranate was nice to hear, especially how common it was for Sunny growing up to have this fruit which is now not as accessible.

We agree that this menu has upped the ante. These are dishes which need to be going out to the table as soon as they are prepared. The pressure is going to be on the kitchen to uphold the standards and front of house to ensure everything is delivered to diners as soon as it is ready.

Drop in and try for yourself. New menu launches fully on December 6. Check it out and remember Choose YOUR Mood!