foodwtogninis: September 2008

We’ve been around the world with our menus but it’s time to come home to our favourite place, Italy! We’re also keen to get back to the source of cooking and we are moving towards slow food – think delicious slowly braised beef cheek in red wine with carrot and turnip mash or twice baked pork belly with fennel, shallots and apple compote.

Breakfast is available until 11.30am weekdays and 2.30pm on Saturdays for those of you who are late risers. New additions include spicy shredded wagyu beef with poached eggs on crusty ciabatta and home made baked beans with ham hock and poached eggs. If you like your breakfast on the sweet side, French toast with caramelised banana and cinnamon mascarpone is for you.

The lunch menu at Spring Hill is filled with dishes that you won’t be able to resist. How about grilled sardine fillets w squid ink spaghetti, chilli + fresh herbs or grilled Atlantic salmon on potato rosti w herb + coddled egg dressing. Other meals to try include house made crab and courgette ravioli with champagne foam and chervil and wild porcini mushroom risotto with porcini cream using snap frozen mushrooms from Italy – delish. Hope this list has made your mouth water! Come in and try it all soon.

Pictured – Top: Twice baked pork belly w fennel, shallot + apple compote; Middle: Slow cooked beef cheek in red wine w carrot + turnip mash; Bottom: Clams + black mussels w orange, chilli + saffron broth.

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One of the best things about visiting Sydney and Melbourne is the chance to try out a whole new bunch of restaurants every time. Here’s the news from our recent Melbourne trip:

Best breakfast: The European, 161 Spring Street, CBD. It’s classy, classic, always good with an Italian feel and the coffee is great. Despite the fact that it’s always crowded the service is great. Best dish - smoked trout frittata with avocado salsa.

Best new place: Cumulus Inc, 45 Flinders Lane, CBD [opened 2

months ago] Has an open kitchen with a huge bar and offers share plates. There’s a huge selection of oysters. We ate lunch at 4pm and the staff were very accommodating. It’s open from 7am - 11pm, Monday to Friday. We finished off our meal with freshly baked madeleines that were filled with lemon curd that were still warm - was so yummy! Best dish: braised wagyu, artichokes, green olive and nettle or baked gnocchi with taleggio and truffle vinaigrette.

Best asian: Gingerboy, Crossley Lane, CBD. Best dish: deep fried whole snapper.

Photos – Top: Cumulus Inc; Middle: Baked gnocchi with taleggio and truffle vinaigrette; Right: Freshly baked madelines oozing lemon curd.

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Life is too short to eat bad food!

For the past 15 years we have lived our dream of offering fine food to the people of Brisbane through Tognini’s Deli at Milton, Tognini’s BistroCafeDeli at Spring Hill and Tognini’s CaféWineBar at the State Library of Queensland.

So how did a builder and a nurse end up running three of Brisbane’s finest delis? We used to throw the best dinner parties our friends had ever seen. All too soon we exhausted their palates and expanded their waistlines so much we had to find a new group of passionate foodies. We began with Togninis Milton Deli Café and kept growing with the ideal of offering great food, a great experience and the opportunity to learn.

Mark says: The cheese connection started with a childhood passion for big Italian cheeses such as gorgonzola, taleggio and parmesan. I’m happiest surrounded by giant wheels of parmesan, blocks of cheddar and logs of brie, drinking in the distinctive aromas in Tognini’s cheese room.

Narelle says: While Mark grew up with pastas and ravioli making, in my home the emphasis was on traditional baking and preserving. Every weekend Mum would bake and preserve. She was a ‘Vacola’ expert. It was honest cooking where the most extravagant thing would have been spaghetti bolognaise, but I learnt the skills of cooking amongst the smell of freshly cooked scones.

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Viva Italia! New menus

Eating out in Melbourne

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Life is too short to eat bad food!

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