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Darling & Co Paddington Lets You Feast on Bottomless Dumplings Every Wednesday Night

Ricotta dumplings with Jap pumpkin, hazelnuts, and brown butter (Photo Credit: Darling & Co/Facebook)

How many dumplings do you think you can consume in one sitting? You can put yourself to the test at Darling & Co in Paddington with their Bottomless Dumpling Wednesdays!

Located at a busy corner in Given Terrace, the restaurant has been transformed into a beautiful and colourful destination in time for the arrival of spring season. You can feast on Japanese-inspired dumplings whilst enjoying the view of the Instagrammable cherry blossoms.

You can choose to have them in mixed flavours: pork and chive, pork and Chinese cabbage, chicken and mushroom, vegetable, and pork and prawn. All these are served in bamboo steamers with an accompanying glass of Rose or Kirin.

For just $30 per person you can fill up on as many dumplings as you can manage in a span of an hour and a half. There are two sessions taking place each Wednesday. The first is from 6:00 pm until 7:30 pm; the second is from 8:00 pm until 9::30 pm.

This non-stop dumpling deliciousness will be available until January 2020 only so go ahead and call your dumpling-loving friends for a session. For more information on how to book, visit Darling & Co’s website.

“Paradise Palette” | Papua New Guinea Street Artists Feature at Petrie Terrace Gallery

A collection of contemporary artwork featuring a wide selection of art media from over 45 Port Moresby street artists is currently on display at Petrie Terrace Gallery.

Thanks to a $3,000 grant from the Brisbane City Council, “Paradise Palette” exhibition is now showing at the Royal Queensland Art Society (RQAS) showcasing various artworks by Papua New Guinea street artists, many of whom are self-taught.

The art exhibition provides an opportunity for both established and upcoming PNG artists to showcase their creative talents to a wider audience as well as connect with fellow artists here in Australia.

On display are various artworks from Elisabet Kauage, Winnie Veova, Jane Wena, Ambane Siune, Harry Manavi, Nombri Temine, John Bom, Gigs Wena, Peter Wena, Michael Kauage, Clement Koys, Bruce Gei, Kenya Siune and James Kel, among others.

Particularly on display at the exhibit are decorative tapa cloth originating from Oro Province. Catch Rodrick Vana as he present demonstrations of tapa cloth making, as well as share the cultural importance and significance of the cloth’s tribal design.

Not to miss as well are Bagam Isai and Nancy Qwarame who will demonstrate the techniques for knotting bilums — Papua New Guinea’s traditional handmade string bags. Also on hand to personally greet visitors and share their culture are professional artists including Albert Ipu, Gima Segore, and Laben John Sakale.

The art exhibit curated by Don Wotton opened on 27 August and will run for three weeks. If you haven’t seen it yet, you still have until 15 September to catch this contemporary art exhibition. The exhibit is open from 6.30 p.m. until 9:00 p.m.

Neuron Mobility e-Scooter Riding High Since Launching in July

The latest e-scooter to offer an alternative to getting around Paddington and the rest of Brisbane, Neuron Mobility, has proven to be a hit among residents and tourists, with over 10,000 people signing up since it was launched in July 2019.

It’s been just a little over a month since Singapore-based Neuron Mobility joined Lime as Brisbane City Council’s official e-scooter operators and its seems that people are loving the idea of having another green transport option.

The Neuron supplies 600 orange-hued e-scooters of the total 1,000 provided for the city with Lime has cut down its fleet size to 400. Neuron was given the green light to roll out its first 200 scooters last 22 July and went full swing in mid-August with 400 scooters added to its contingent.

Brisbane gets to try Neuron Mobility’s latest N3 scooter — the company’s second generation of scooters — which features a 21-centimetre-wide floorboard and 12-inch tyres which offer safer, more comfortable, and more stable ride.

As requested by the Council, the Neuron scooter’s engine will cut off once it is ridden outside the “geofence” and will automatically reduce in speed once it enters a “low speed zone.”

The N3 scooters come equipped with GPS-enables parking indicator located on the handlebar display to help riders find their designated parking zones. Riders will not be allowed to end trip or be on temp lock if they are within a “no parking zone.”

*Photo Credit: NeuronMobility / neuron.sg*

The Council chose Neuron Mobility out of the nine tenderers, which offered a very strong tender package. The Council also extended Lime’s tender to create a competitive tension and better experience for Brisbane customers.

For those who have used the light green Lime scooter before will find that the Neuron Mobility service works much like its counterpart. To start using Neuron, customer needs to download the app and scan the QR code which will unlock the chosen scooter. Upon finding a parking spot, the rider will need to snap a photo of the parked scooter to end the trip in-app.

Riding in to Brissie this July! #NeuronMobility
Posted by Neuron Australia on Wednesday, July 3, 2019

Video Credit: Neuron Australia / Facebook

To ensure consistent supply and responsible parking, there will be designated operations team on-ground to handle daily maintenance, hourly demand rebalancing, and battery swapping.

The cost per ride on a Neuron Mobility e-scooter is $1 to unlock plus 38 cents per minute.

Kookaburra Café on Baroona Rd, Rosalie For Sale

After 36 years, Brisbane’s landmark Kookaburra Café in Baroona Rd, Rosalie is now looking for a new owner.

After it closed in June 2019, Kookaburra Café was put on the market as its current owner, Debbie Seipel, will be relocating interstate. She said she hopes that whoever is going to take over the iconic pizza place will keep it going as long as possible.

Along with the store’s 36 years of goodwill, the furniture, equipment, fit-out and fixtures in the commercial kitchen, restaurant, and bar; and the lease will be included in the sale.

Kookaburra Cafe has been known for its large party pizzas and had served the likes of Katharine Hepburn, Nirvana, Tony Greig, and Wally Lewis. Taylor Swift, Beyonce, and Jay-Z also got to try out the well-loved pizza.

Founding owner Steve Hall sold the business back in 2017 when it was still sitting on a former boot-making factory that was built in 1880. It was moved across the road on the corner of Latrobe and Given Terrace, after being bought by Patrick Vines and Debbie Seipel and merging it with Club Sosay.

The merged businesses meant a perfect offering of well-loved pizzas and drinks along with engaging board games plus live acoustic music on Friday and Saturday nights.

The iconic pizza restaurant is currently perched on Baroona Road in Rosalie. Raine and Horne Commercial will be handling all matters pertaining to the sale.

Paddington: Among the Most in-Demand Suburbs in Brisbane

A recent property report indicates a surge in Brisbane property listing views coming from Indian-born and NSW investors, as Paddington emerged as one of the most in-demand suburbs.

The Australian Property Market July 2019 Report by realestate.com.au revealed that Brisbane leads the national property market recovery even as its median price for all dwelling fell by 0.9 percent in the past 12 months. Brisbane, however, managed to rise by 0.1 percent quarter-on-quarter, making it the first capital city to see price growth in the June quarter.

The ten most in-demand suburbs for houses in Brisbane are Toowong, Windsor, Paddington, Greenslopes, New Farm, Wilston, Holland Park, Ashgrove, Camp Hill, and Newmarket.

The latest data from realestate.com.au shows the median house price in Paddington at $1,050,000, based on house sales from 1 July 2018 – 29 July 2019. In terms of demand, visits per property is also high with 1,010, as compared to the state average of 374.

Compared to Brisbane, over the same quarter, Sydney and Melbourne dwelling prices fell by 0.4 per cent and to date, the median prices already fell by 7.2 per cent and 5.8 per cent, respectively.

Experts believe that the recovering mining sector and infrastructure spending coupled with continued interstate migration, notably from NSW, contributed to Brisbane’s property market recovery.

The price growth, however, came from mostly from the apartment market which rose 0.7 percent quarter-on-quarter for a median price of $387,000 whilst house prices dropped a little bit by 0.1 percent to $530,000.

Another noteworthy factor is the rising offshore buyers interest particularly with the number of property seekers from India, doubling over the past 12 months. Experts say that like in Sydney and Melbourne, Indian buyers may also start having a big influence on property sales in Brisbane.

Looking at the dwelling market performance across Brisbane metro area, only the North region recorded a slight drop over the quarter with -.01 percent with median price of $535,000 and views per listing of 1,102. The West region ranks first with 1.3 percent price growth over the quarter for a median price of $642,000 with views per listing of 1,346. South, East, and Inner City follow with quarter-on-quarter percent change of 0.6, 0.5, and 0.4, respectively.

Spring Comes Early at the Excess Baggage: Paddington Secondhand Market

Have you been waiting for the next Excess Baggage: Paddington Secondhand Market at The BrisWest Centre? It might excite you to know that it’s almost time to dust off your cupboard, clear your closet, and do some spring cleaning.

If you’re planning to declutter, recycle and make money all at the same time, then round up your stuff and head to the The BrisWest Centre at LaTrobe Terrace on Saturday, the 24th of Aug 2019 for the Excess Baggage Spring Market.

Once there, grab a table and set up the things you want to unload at this community event. Table rates go from $20 to $50 and you can choose from the following set up:

1800mm table inside the hall	$43.29
900 mm table inside the hall	$22.19 (soldout)
1800 mm table outside with shade	$53.84
1800 mm table outside without shade	$43.29

Rates are inclusive of booking fees. Take note that The BrisWest Centre won’t collect any percentage from your profits.

This is a very fun, laidback and informal market but if you have heaps of things to sell, you’ll be allowed to bring one rack. You can also bring your own gazebo if you’ve booked an outside table without shade.

Set up is at 7:00 a.m. while the parking area for unloading your stuff will be open to sellers until 8:30 a.m. The BrisWest Centre will strictly implement a 3:00 p.m. pack up and clean up time.

If you’re coming to the Spring Market just to shop and score second-hand treasures or mingle with the community, you can also order food from the centre’s cafe or order a plate of yummy sausage sizzle. A live band will be playing music to entertain shoppers.

Since 2014, The BrisWestCentre’s Excess Baggage: Paddington Secondhand Market has been a regular activity in this precinct. The initiative is organized and managed by the Brisbane West Senior Citizens Association.

Paddington to Receive Council Tree Planting Project Fund

Council will allocate $2 million to go towards tree planting projects to help improve amenity and beautify local shopping areas and busy traffic corridors in Paddington, Zillmere, Greenslopes, and Murarrie.

“Team Schrinner is not only committed to expanding our local parks but we’re greening Brisbane’s suburbs by increasing tree planting in suburban parks and creating tree-lined boulevards,” Lord Mayor Schrinner said in his Budget speech.

“Residents love Brisbane for its open green spaces and shady boulevards, and in the coming financial year we have allocated $22.8 million towards planting and maintaining trees across the suburbs, which is an increase of $4.4 million or about 25 per cent,” Cr Schrinner said.

The Budget also includes a jacaranda planting program with a $107,000 boost, focusing on local parks in Bulimba, St Lucia, and New Farm.

“Like most people in Brisbane, I love our iconic jacarandas and one of my favourite times of the year is when they are flowering,” Cr Schrinner said.

“Once these new jacarandas are planted and start to grow, jacaranda season will become even more colourful.

“Our team has also created new greenspace to make our city liveable and sustainable for our children. We delivered the Two Million Trees program and created large new community parks in suburbs like Tennyson and Coorparoo and Toowong.

The Lord Mayor also announced that future dividends from the City of Brisbane Investment Corporation (CBIC) would be directed towards an accelerated five-year program that will involve the acquisition and creation of parks, sports fields, and green spaces.

Funding for the first year of the Green Future Fund, under the Council’s 2019-20 budget, will come from a $20-million dividend from CBIC.

“Brisbane residents have told us they want more greenspace with new places to relax and this five-year program will deliver more land for community sport and recreation.”

Paddington Homeowners Face One of the Highest Rates Rise in Brisbane

Paddington homeowners have been hit with one of the highest rates increase in Brisbane or an additional $101.23 to their annual bill, as the average increase for owner-occupied properties increased by 2.5 percent.

Paddington will cop a 4.7 percent rates increase in the 2018-19 financial year which amounts to an annual increase of $101.23 or $1.95 per week.

Seven Hills and Wakerley will have the highest rates increase in Brisbane, both at 5.80 percent or an extra $115.23 and $87.08 to the annual bill, respectively. Following Seven Hills and Wakerley are Robertson, Mansfield, Kenmore, and Auchenflower, which will face 5.4 percent increase.

Chapel Hill, Upper Mount Gravatt, and Wishart will find their rates bill rise by 5.2%, 5%, and 4.9% respectively.

Paddington homeowners hit by council rates rise — *Latrobe Tce, Paddington | Photo Credit: Orderinchaos [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)] / Wikimedia Commons*

With the exception of nine, Brisbane suburbs will see an overall average rates increase of 2.5 percent, the same as last year and almost twice the current annual inflation rate of 1.5 percent.

“We’ve kept the budget strong and balanced despite the impact of droughts and floods, through the Global Financial Crisis and through multiple property market cycles,” Lord Mayor Schrinner said in his budget speech.

“…today I confirm that in 2019-20 the average increase in rates for owner occupied residential properties will once again be 2.5 per cent.”

“For owner occupiers, this average rates increase equates to $10 per quarterly rates notice or $0.77 per week. The average increase to Council fees and charges will also be 2.5 per cent,” Cr Schrinner said.

Among the nine lucky suburbs to see rates decrease, Kangaroo Point homeowners will get the biggest drop with a 5.1 percent rate decrease or an annual savings of $86.38.

Ratepayers in these eight other suburbs will also expect to see drop in rates: Ransome and Willawong (-2.0%); Cowan Cowan (-1.7%); Bridgeman Downs, Bulwer, and Candler (-1.0%); Murarrie (-0.7%), and Westlake (-0.4%)

Chocolate in Steak? This Paddington Restaurant’s Concoction Will Blow You Away

Have you ever tasted chocolate in steak? It might sound like a crazy food concept but you could be blown away by its taste and flavour.

To sample this delectable dish, visit Chapter IV at Latrobe Terrace in Paddington. Chef Micheal Robinson concocted the chocolate steak to celebrate World Chocolate Day last Sunday, the 7th of July. However, you may still order this dish for a limited time at the restaurant this month.

Chapter IV’s chocolate steak features sirloin rubbed with cocoa, tangy slaw, parmigiana Reggiano with rosemary potato wedges, chimichurri, bacon with dark chocolate sauce. This meal is best paired with a bottle of whiskey to further tickle your tastebuds.

Chef Robinson uses Ruby Chocolates with its distinct pink colour for this creation. The latest chocolate brand to hit the Australian market, Ruby chocolates come from pink cocoa beans.

“We are well known by our regulars for our deserts, particularly when we get creative and extreme for special occasions like this, so the pressure was definitely on to think outside the box,” Chef Robinson said.

“I was a little concerned when the chef first described the chocolate steak, but when we tasted it, our mind was blown,” Jessica Ndenda of Chapter IV said. “Who would have thought chocolate on steak would be so amazing!”

Chef Robinson also got creative with a special dessert featuring Ruby Chocolates. Diners of Chapter IV may also order the Ruby Chocolate Cupcake, a fluffy pink and white dessert with frosting, cookie crumbs, milk chocolate ganache and mini marshmallows.

“I have watched Ruby chocolate become more prominent in the market over the past months and knew it was time to introduce it to our community. I know they will be surprised and delighted by it,” Chef Robinson said, adding, “Make no mistake, it is not pink chocolate, it is a completely different type of chocolate.”

Chapter IV, which opened in 2015, opens daily from 7:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. For reservations phone 0733671285 or message the restaurant on its Facebook page.

New York Deli Inspired Restaurant Opens in Paddington

Photo Credit: Reuben's Deli & Bar/Facebook

If pastrami is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word “deli,” you’ve got to visit Reuben’s Deli & Bar, the freshly opened New York deli restaurant in Paddington.

The menu covers the requisite Jewish soul food standards such as house-smoked pastrami on rye bread and bagel with a schmear of cream cheese, but owners Manny and Peggy Rosenberg added some twist by throwing in some German, Italian and Latino cuisines into the mix.

A short stroll from the Suncorp Stadium, Reuben’s Deli & Bar now occupies the space once occupied by Little Social, which was known for its comfortable, no-fancy, and relaxed vibe.

Photo Credit: Reuben’s Deli & Bar/Facebook

Around 70 percent of the menu consists of the classic NY deli dishes, whilst the rest include fettuccine and meatballs, lamb shank, and jambalaya, a classic Louisiana rice dish.

The husband and wife tandem grew up with sandwiches, subs, and hoagies and wanted to bring these New York favourites to Brisbane.

But if sandwiches, subs and hoagies aren’t your thing, you can order burgers served on toasted potato buns and with a zesty dill pickle spear. They have vegetarian burgers and gluten-free burger buns you can have on request.

This restaurant is not just serving mouthwatering dishes. Reuben’s casual bistro atmosphere is also the perfect spot for a happy hour gathering with friends and work colleagues.

They have eight craft beers on tap: Bacchus, Green Beacon, Ballistic, Balter, Mountain Goat and Brick Lane.

Can’t wait to have your serving of classic deli sandwiches? Visit Reuben’s Deli & Bar at 208 Given Terrace, Paddington. They are open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. For further information, check out their website or follow them on Facebook.