We’re excited to be introducing wine flights to our zinc bar at The Euro. Commencing Monday 30 January, come in and enjoy two exciting wine flights on offer for the month of February.

The first is a selection of two great Austrian Gruner Veltliner’s and one Riesling, from Ludwig Hiedler, Weingut Hirsch and the legendary Rudi Pichler.  After the 1985 glycerol scandal that rocked the Austrian wine industry, Austria has had a movement back to its organic roots producing some of the best white wines in Europe. This wine flight is a real treat!

The second is a tasting through one of the less recognised, but certainly just as thrilling, regions of Sicily.  We will be featuring three natural wine producers: Cottanera Barbazzle, Occhipinti, and Cos.  All of these red wines are made with native varietals including Frappato, Nerello Mascalese and Nero D’Avola. Be sure to try this wine flight while it’s on offer – your palate will thank you later!

So why not grab a friend, (or if it’s been a tough day, hey, just yourself!), enjoy some great wine and friendly conversation as you take this journey with one our friendly staff members!

Austrian wine flight 225ml*  $30
Sicilian wine flight   225ml*  $32

* Standard wine pours are 150ml, so each flight consists of three by 75ml pours, for a total of 1.5 standard glasses of wine.

Photos sourced from the Shobbrook Wines website

In October last year an energetic, charming and scruffy young Tom Shobbrook arrived at Urbane with a mixed bag of naturally made wines from the Barossa & Adelaide Hills, some homemade traditional Italian sausage that had been curing in his winery, a sharp knife and a piece of floorboard to slice the meat on while we tasted his wines. By the end of the tasting we had planned this dinner.

At 30 Shobbrook is already a household name, his humble winery on his estate is a key destination for many Australian & international wine journalists and his hospitality to the trade is well known. His wines are not only superbly crafted but are also made without the use of any artificial additives at all (with the exception of a touch up of sulphur at bottling for transport!).

The question of authenticity in wine is in the international spotlight right now.  The debate rolls beyond organics and biodynamics challenging chemical-assisted viticulture, into questions of how much intervention is necessary in the winery before the authenticity is obscured or lost. And Tom has accidentally landed right in the middle of the discourse. Not because he is carrying a flag for what he loves, but because the proof is in his puddings, so to speak.

Tom Shobbrook has leapt into the international spotlight within a year of his first Australian release. Winning the prestigious Australian Wine Medal from Gourmet Traveller in 2010 brought attention not only to Tom’s label, but to the movement towards more authentic wine.

Shobbrook learned how to make wine in Italy, making wine for six vintages at biodynamic Chianti Classico producer Riecine. Upon returning to his home at the Barossa a very different man than he was when he left, Shobbrook converted his family estate to biodynamic farming, built a small winery in a shed on the property and started making wine the way he loved: as naturally as possible.

Within two years of his first release of his Barossa Valley wine label, Shobbrook Wines, Tom Shobbrook has become a household name among Australian wine aficionados and international press alike. Unfortunately he makes so little of it that it is soon sold out after release, only adding to the mystery of his artisanal vino (which he bottles, labels and seals by hand).

Shobbrook makes wine like no-one else in Australia: stunning, textural Sauvignon Blanc that looks and tastes like anything but; long skin-contact Riesling that has seen partial barrel ferment; Pinot Noir/Nebbiolo blends and Barossa Valley Syrah that seems closer to Cornas than to the South Australian standard for the variety.

According to Tom, these wines are made to be drunk young with good company, lots of laughter and great food.

Join us on Thursday 16th February at 7pm for a very special wine dinner with Tom. Matched with a sublime five course menu by Kym Machin, you are assured all the ingredients for a memorable night. Tickets are $155 and seats are limited – book now to avoid disappointment! Ph 3229 2271.

Whether you are after relaxed dining at the uber-chic The Euro, or looking for a high quality fine dining experience at Urbane, celebrate Valentine’s Day with us on Tuesday 14th February.

Please see below for dinner times and prices for Urbane and The Euro or click here to download our Valentine’s Day brochure.

URBANE

5.30pm sitting (out by 8pm)
Five course degustation menu with complimentary canapé, tea or coffee, petits fours, plus gift bag $110

8.30pm sitting
Ten course degustation menu with complimentary canapé, tea or coffee, petits fours, plus gift bag $150

The Euro

5.30pm sitting (out by 8pm)
Four course set menu including shared tasting plate & set entrée, main, dessert, plus petits fours & gift bag $100

8.30pm sitting
Four course set menu including shared tasting plate & a choice of entrée, main & dessert, plus petits fours & gift bag $120

Not into Valentine’s Day but still want to spoil your loved one? A special pre-Valentine’s Day menu will be available at Urbane on Saturday 11th February. Contact us to find out more by emailing reservations@urbanerestaurant.com or phoning 07 3229 2271.

Urbane senior chef, Mike Kirwin, took his cooking skills to St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School recently, where Year 12 Economic students were treated to a hands on demonstration. We are told the girls watched in awe as Mike prepared a mouth-watering lamb rack with reverse beetroot ravioli, pistachio malto, nitrogen yoghurt and pickled heirloom beetroot – using modern treatments and techniques worthy of any reality television show!

Mike tells us he enjoyed talking with the students and teaching them about the scientific components of food preparation and cooking, providing the students’ the opportunity to see the practical aspects of the current food trends of molecular gastronomy (especially in the demonstration of freezing the Buffalo yoghurt through the use of liquid nitrogen).

Similarly, we were also told girls studying biology were able to make connections between their scientific studies and Mike’s explanation of his state of the art food preparation techniques!

Thank you Mike from all of us here at The Urbane Group for donating your time on the day to share your expertise with the class – we are very proud to have a such a valued staff member so keen to give back to his community!

Above photos from the day have been sourced from the St Aidans eNews Room.

The Urbane Group is proud to announcement its involvement in the StreetSmart initiative this year.

StreetSmart is a charitable foundation that raises funds to assist people who are suffering from homelessness or people who are in danger of becoming homeless.

For the 6 week period leading up to Christmas, a $2 donation is added to every tables bill of which 100% of that donation goes to support the homeless in your local community. Of course you do have the right to request this is not added to your bill!

However by choosing to dine at a participating DineSmart Restaurant between the 14th of November and 24th of December you can make a huge difference to those less fortunate in your local community this Christmas Season.

Last Thursday 13 October was a big night for Champagne lovers celebrating Champagne Month, as Urbane played host to the The Champagne Bureau and Vogue Living Queensland celebration event!

Queen of all things Champagne and one of its biggest ambassadors, Bernadette O’Shea shared some brilliant stories, as guests sampled a vast array of Champagnes whilst enjoying a wonderful four course menu by Kym.

The feedback we received from the night was the real winner of the night was the pairing of the free range duck breast, cherry and clove chutney, with smoked wing and pistachio Boudin, foie ravioli and truffle jus, with the two Champagne’s of N/V Krug Grand Cuvee and the N/V Paul Dethune Blanc de Noirs.

Above and below are some of the pictures from the night – view our Facebook page for more!

Click here to view the latest edition of Urbane News – October 2011 edition. This edition features:

• Details on our next chocolate appreciation dinner with head pastry chef, Aaron Surman;
• News of The Euro opening for breakfast next week along with its fixed price lunch specials for October;
• Details on the new burger menu at The Laneway now available for take-away, along with its new ‘themed nights’;
• General news;
• A spring recipe from Kym; and
• The winner of our latest giveaway!

Subscribe now to our newsletter to be the first in the know for upcoming news, specials and events.

The Euro and The Laneway have both joined the Twittersphere and you can now follow their tweets by searching @TheLanewayBris and @TheEuroBrisbane.

The Euro also has its own Facebook page so ‘like us’ to keep up to date with all the happenings @ The Euro.

As usual, you can still follow Urbane’s tweets and keep up to date on everything Urbane on its Facebook page or for The Laneway on its own Facebook page.

Stay tuned for exclusive events for our Facebook fans, and current promotions and specials posted on Twitter!

Upcoming Chocolate Appreciation Class

Running on from the success of the first sold out chocolate class, our head pastry chef, Aaron Surman, will be hosting a second class on Monday 14 November.

Sit down with Aaron and discover the ins and outs of chocolate and and its working with desserts.

Aaron recently completed a week long chocolatiere class in Japan with the Valhrona Chocolate Company – an honour amongst pastry chefs due to the class only being open by exclusive invitation.

Aaron will talk about the differences between the fat and cocoa percentages in different chocolates and what applications they’re best suited for. There will also be a demonstration with chocolate petit fours, including hand rolling and moulding, fillings, enrobing and decorating. Aaron will also show you how to make a simple dessert that you can easily reproduce at home that will amaze friends and family!

At a cost of $100 per person (additional $20 with tasting wines) guests will also enjoy a fabulous dessert degustation.

Seats will be limited to 20, so be sure to book early to avoid disappointment. Ph (07) 3229 2271.

Join us in celebrating the Melbourne Cup in true style and luxury this year at The Euro. On November 1st, we will be getting set to sparkle with a fully-themed Melbourne Cup extravaganza, including five star food, wine and entertainment across the restaurant.

Take the afternoon off and enjoy a four and a half hour premium drinks package boasting Moet & Chandon champagne, Cloudy Bay and Cape Mentelle wines, along with beers and basic spirits. Kym Machin and his kitchen team will also be serving up their signature canapes and substantial gourmet delights throughout the day.

Of course there will also be the usual sweepstakes and ‘Fashions on the Field’ in conjunction with Calexico and The Cloakroom fashion houses.

Hosted by an MC and boasting thousands of dollars in giveaways and door prizes, this event is sure to impress friends, colleagues and clients alike!

In addition to the large laneway projector screen, there will be six plasma TVs with surround sound to ensure you don’t miss a minute of racing action, and all guests will receive gift bags on departure.

Contact us now to ensure you don’t miss out on this fantastic Melbourne Cup event of the year!
The cost is $180 for bookings taken by 24 October ($210 after).