Owners Prince Khamkaew and Pratana “Gifty” Langkapinth lost their cafe, Vega, on Chalk St, Lutwyche due to fire. It was a devastating loss for the young couple who had just opened the venue last year and even had their home put on the market to help fund its expansion.
With the help of the locals who are quick to rush in and provide their support through a fundraiser organised by Scott McDonald and Casey Earley, the pair is now starting over and will soon be reopening their cafe at its new location at 91 Jane Street in West End.
Photo Credit: Vega Cafe / Facebook
The 150sqm cottage that will be the new home Vega Cafe is currently undergoing renovation which once completed will feature two covered decks for its alfresco dining. The owners are hoping to reopen Vega later this year and serve customers their plant-based favourites including their Weef Burger which is grilled tofu patty with green oak, tomato, cucumber and cheese.
Vega’s coffee options will be supplied by Fonzie Abbott plus a range of other beverages will be on offer including smoothies, milkshakes, fruit soda and iced tea. Meanwhile, their vegan cabinet will feature gluten-free vegan pastries and cakes.
Butterfly pea ice latte / Black cold brew by Fonzie Abbot | Photo Credit: Vega Cafe / Facebook
Late last year, they decided to return to their vegan roots, much like what they did when they were still operating Little Digs in Fortitude Valley. They removed all of Vega’s vegetarian options from the menu and made it a full-fledged plant-based eatery.
Here are some fresh and delicious ideas for the Easter weekend! Harris Farm Markets West End shares six new recipes for Easter, using seafood and some of the best produce in season.
Whilst the kids prepare for Easter hunts at home, keep an eye on Pink Lady Apples, avocados, pears, and red grapefruit, as well as raspberries, broccolini, white grapes, lemons, limes, chestnuts, carrots, red capsicum, plums, sweet potatoes, blackberries, zucchini, bananas, passionfruit, celery and truss cherry tomatoes at the fruits and vegetable section of Harris Farm Markets.
Swing by the seafood aisle as well and check out the ingredients and supplies you can use to prepare these meals below:
Easter Tom Yum Gravalax
A simple and quick dish to make, this cured salmon recipe incorporates tastes of Thai soup with coriander, lemongrass, galangal, and kaffir lime leaves. For that little bit of extra preparation time, place the gravalax on fried rice paper crisps with pickled radish, fresh truss cherry tomatoes, and crème fraiche.
The best thing about a platter is that it caters to every palette, even the pickiest of people. This recipe couples the most mouth-watering lamb cutlets and vegan sausages with eggplant, capsicum, broccolini, and truss cherry tomatoes, seasoned with rosemary and a touch of garlic.
For the love of all seafood, you can’t give this one a miss at Easter. A dish of art with octopus and marinade, black mussels, king prawns, and scallops. The platter is placed with final touches of freshly made saltbush butter, capers, and lemon wedges.
This recipe is one not spoiled by the overindulgence of Easter chocolate, with all ingredients carefully selected to harmonise perfectly with eggs in this Easter dish. A traditionally Turkish take with emphasis on spices, sided with Macadamia Flatbread to dip into the delights.
Hot Cross Bun Ice Cream Sandwiches with Chocolate Sauce
You can’t go wrong with a classic hot cross bun recipe, but maybe you can do a little better. This possibly controversial take on Hot Cross Buns provides an option for the warmer days of Autumn. We’ll leave you to decide if it’s worthy.
Adding in-season Pink Lady Apples, or any red and green apple of your choice – this recipe allows you to pick the apple from whichever tree you prefer. Still focusing on a classic cinnamon flavour with a dash of lemon juice, you can share this dish with all your guests – vegan or not.
A three-stage plan for the return of Brisbane’s ferry services is now in place, beginning with the resumption of Bulimba-Teneriffe cross-river services followed by a temporary West End to Guyatt Park cross-river route by mid-April2022.
According to the return plan, ferry services for Bulimba to Teneriffe cross-river route will be the first to get back online on 4 April 2022 then a new temporary West End-Guyatt Park route gets activated a week later.
The plan to put cross-river services gradually back into action involves some $20 million worth of repair work to the city’s ferry network.
Each of the 25 terminals across Brisbane has sustained some form of damage due to the recent flooding but some services will already be back online a month after the catastrophic event.
“As the clean-up continues and surveying work is undertaken to search for hidden debris and obstacles, we are prioritising the repair jobs for our ferry terminal network based on those which were least affected by the floods and are safe to work on,” Civic Cabinet Chair for Transport Councillor Ryan Murphy said.
“We are prioritising these two cross river routes based on the need to service these communities with public transport and the speed and ease at which we can make these terminals safe.”
“Cross river services like these usually use small monohull or KittyCat ferries but for the time being a larger CityCat will ferry more passengers back and forth.”
Whilst the restoration of the rest of the ferry network gets underway, an additional temporary ferry replacement bus will service the areas between Apollo Road and the City. The P233 Bus Service will operate from 6.30 am to 8 am and then again from 4 pm to 5.30 pm.
A temporary personalised public transport (PPT) service from Hamilton to Fortitude Valley will also be introduced. The free hail-and-ride service will be provided by Maxi-taxis “which will pick up and drop residents on a loop from Northshore Hamilton to Teneriffe via Bretts Wharf.”
The Hamilton to Fortitude Valley PPT timetable is as follows:
Monday to Thursday from 5 pm to 10 pm hourly
Friday from 5 pm to 11 pm every 20 minutes
Saturday from 6 am to 2 pm hourly
Saturday evening from 3 pm to 11 pm every 20 minutes
Sunday from 6 am to 2 pm hourly
Sunday evening from 3 pm to 10 pm every 20 minutes
Then, services covering the rest of the New Farm and Bulimba peninsulas will also return under stage two of the plan.
Lastly, Stage 3 will bring back the connecting services to the city at Riverside or Howard Smith Wharves; Southbank and Mowbray Park; and Bretts Wharf, Apollo Road and Northshore Hamilton.
“While this work and the repairs at other terminals will take some time, we are in a far better position than we were following the 2011 floods in which seven terminals were completely destroyed and took years to replace,” Cr Murphy said.
“These new terminals worked the way they were designed, which was to deflect heavy impacts from debris and have their gangways swing open when the water reaches significant speed.”
Dancers from Queensland Ballet in West End will have special appearances in the Humphrey B. Bear’s series of free educational videos and resources created by Monash University’s AllPlay team.
Queensland Ballet is among AllPlay’s ambassadors who will be featured in the series, along with AllPlay Dancers and AFL Disability League.
This series, which stars the iconic Humphrey B. Bear was launched with an aim to help educators and parents support children of all ages and abilities to regulate their emotions through movement and better settle back into school life.
It includes a music and dance collaboration of original songs and music videos for children with disabilities to be released in AllPlay and AllPlay Learn.
The series kicks off with three songs and videos: ‘Angry Pixie Stomp’, ‘Shake My Blues Away’ and ‘So Calm’ feature original music compositions by Corinne Gibbons, lyrics by Julie Greene, production by FIKA Entertainment.
Professor Nicole Rinehart, Director of Research at Monash University’s Krongold Clinic and founder of the AllPlay program, highlights how research shows that emotion regulation through movement and labelling is a simple but effective way of helping kids build resilience and coping skills.
According to Monash University, 1 in 6 children in Australia experiences developmental challenges or disabilities which can impact how they participate in school.
Printable movement card (Photo credit: AllPlay)
“Humphrey B. Bear has always been a leader when it comes to inclusion. He loves exploring, creating, playing, learning and giving anything a go. Humphrey was the perfect choice to be the face of music videos that can help children understand their emotions and recognise them in themselves and others,” says Professor Rinehart.
AllPlay Learn takes a strengths-based approach to disability and turns this into tools and strategies that everyone can access.
“Ten years ago, we set out to change the status quo for children with disabilities. Thanks to our great partnerships and research funding partners, we have made significant progress towards our goal to make the world fit for all kids,” says Professor Rinehart.
West End’s Harris Farm Markets have shared what’s in season throughout autumn along with six awesome recipes that will fill your tummy and your soul with goodness.
For this season, expect an abundance of raspberries, Pink Lady apples, broccolini, white grapes, pears, figs, avocados, mandarins, red grapefruit, truss tomatoes, citrus, and of course, loads of veggies, perfect for building your immunity up for winter.
Here are some autumn recipes to make use of the ingredients currently in season:
Baked Spiced Plums with Cinnamon Quinoa Porridge
Spice up breakfasts with a spoonful of baked sweet plums and the flavours of cinnamon and star anise in the morning. Or spoon them over yogurt for a quick and simple dessert. These versatile baked plums are a saviour to have in the fridge.
The perfect Autumn flavour combination and great with a cuppa. This recipe was created by Georgia aka Koori Kitchen for Harris Farm Markets. Georgia is a proud Gamilaroi woman born in small-town NSW, who has a passion for health and food, coinciding to create healthy, wholesome recipes for everyone to enjoy.
This slow-cook flavour pot is perfect for cooler nights, is great with a red wine, and seems even better the next day. It’s best served with crusty bread or garlic bread.
Harris Farm Markets is a family owned and operated business with over 500 lines of fruit and veg, a gourmet grocery section of boutique local products, an extensive deli, more than 400 cheeses, a butcher and fish market and bakery.
The stores ‘pour your own milk’ from Queensland’s multi-award-winning Maleny Dairy or Barambah Organics milk, BioSota Honey on tap and make-your-own Nut Butters among a myriad of flavour-filled treats. For 50 years they have delivering goodness to Australian families.
Always check harrisfarm.com.au every Wednesday for seasonal specifics.
Simple and easy to prepare, these rice balls make a great alternative to a sandwich. To make this a healthier option for your kids, you can add grated carrots into the mixture.
Photo Credit: supplied
Preparation and cooking time for this recipe takes about 10 minutes and yields about 6 to 8 balls.
What you need: 1 cup cooked sushi rice (cooled), 1/2 cup edamame beans and 1 tbsp nori flakes.
First, you need to blanch the edamame beans in boiling water for a couple of minutes, then drain them. In a mixing bowl, put the pre-cooked sushi rice, edamame beans and half of the nori flakes before gently mixing the ingredients using wet hands.
Wet your hands again and roll out small balls. Sprinkle the rolled out balls with the remaining nori flakes. You can prepare this recipe the night before and store it in an airtight container in the fridge.
Mason Jar Salads
Zucchini zoodles with Kale pesto and roasted cherry tomatoes
This healthy recipe serves 2-3 people. Preparation and cooking time is between 30 and 35 minutes.
Photo Credit: supplied
What you need: 1 punnet cherry tomatoes, 1 tsp olive oil, 2 -3 zucchinis, boiling water and sea salt.
For the Kale Pesto, you need: 2 cups kale washed & roughly chopped (stems removed), 1 cup basil leaves, 1/2 cup raw cashews (pine nuts or almonds can also be used), 1 garlic clove, 2 tbsp parmesan cheese, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp olive oil, and sea salt to taste.
Preheat the oven to 180°. Next, bake the cherry tomatoes on a small baking tray for 20- 25 minutes at 180° until the skins start to split.
In the meantime, you can start preparing the pesto. Using a food processor, blitz all of the ingredients until you come up with a smooth creamy paste. This recipe makes extra pesto that can be stored in the fridge for 4-5 days or frozen for a later meal.
Note: If you find the paste too thick, you can start adding extra olive oil.
Now for the zoodles. Using a zoodle maker, spiralize the zucchinis, then blanch them in boiling water for a couple of minutes until they just start to soften. Drain the zucchini zoodles into a colander and rinse under cold water. You can skip this step if you prefer them raw.
In a mixing bowl, combine the drained zucchini zoodles and 2-3 tbsp of the pesto then gently toss the mixture to coat before adding the baked tomatoes.
Crunchy spiced chickpea, pumpkin, and kale salad
This recipe serves 4 -5 people. Preparation and cooking time takes about 40 minutes.
What you need: 1/2 butternut pumpkin, ½ bunch kale rinsed, ½ bunch parsley leaves only, 1 tbsp olive oil and a good pinch of sea salt.
For the Spiced chickpeas, you need a 400g can of rinsed Chickpeas,1 tsp sweet paprika powder, 1 tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp coriander powder, 1-2 garlic clove minced, a good pinch of sea salt, 1 ½ tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp maple syrup.
For the dressing, you need ¼ cup coconut or dairy yogurt, juice of ½ lemon, a pinch of cumin powder and a pinch of paprika powder.
Preheat the oven to 180° and line a medium baking tray with baking paper. Then, slice the pumpkin into 1.5 cm wide slices and arrange them on the baking tray. Drizzle the pumpkin slices over with olive oil before baking them for 30 -35 mins or until they are cooked through.
Meanwhile, you can toss together the rinsed chickpeas along with all the rest of the spiced chickpea ingredients in a small bowl. Spread the chickpeas out onto a small baking tray lined with baking paper and place them in the oven. This should take about 20-25 minutes or until they are crunchy; toss the tray a couple of times throughout the baking process.
In a large salad bowl rip up the kale with your hands before drizzling it over with a tbsp of olive oil and a good pinch of sea salt. Massage the kale until it softens.
Next, dice the cooked pumpkin up into small cubes then add them to the kale salad along with the crunchy spiced chickpeas and the parsley leaves.
To make the dressing, you need to combine the¼ cup coconut or dairy yogurt, juice of ½ lemon, a pinch of cumin powder and a pinch of paprika powder into a jar or small bowl. Stir the ingredients well. Fill a mason jar or lunch box with the salad and a separate small jar for the dressing to be drizzled over at lunchtime.
Colourful raw vegetable salad
This recipe combines fresh and colourful vegetables and herbs which makes it not only healthy but very appealing for kids to eat. This recipe serves 4 people with preparation and cooking time taking 35 -40 minutes.
What you need: 1 bunch broccolini finely chopped, 1/8th red cabbage finely sliced, 1 carrot, 1 avocado diced into cubes, ½ bunch mint leaves roughly chopped, ½ bunch coriander leaves, 1 tbsp pepita seeds, 1 tbsp sunflower seeds, 1 cup quinoa, 2 cups water and a pinch of sea salt.
For the avocado dressing, you need these: ½ ripe medium avocado, ½ bunch of coriander stems, a small handful of mint leaves, 1 ½ tbsp lime juice, 1 tbsp olive oil, and a pinch of sea salt.
First, you need to mix the quinoa, water and a good pinch of sea salt into a medium saucepan. Cover it with a lid but keep it slightly open. Bring it to a boil before turning down the heat to a low simmer.
Let it cook for 15-20 minutes, allowing the quinoa to absorb all the water. Once cooked, remove from the heat and allow to steam with the lid on for a few minutes. Let it cool completely before adding to the salad.
Then, slice up the carrot using a mandolin into thin matchsticks. Combine all the salad ingredients onto a large salad bowl along with the cooled quinoa and gently toss.
For the avocado dressing, simply combine all the ingredients into a food processor and pulse until a smooth consistency. If the mixture is too thick, try adding a little more lime juice to it.
Dinosaur Sandwiches, Rice Paper Rolls and Apple Stars
This recipe serves 1 medium round pizza with a cook. Preparation time will take about 35 minutes which you can have more fun doing by gathering the kids around and letting them take part in preparing this colourful and tasty recipe.
Photo Credit: supplied
Note: You can make it even healthier by using a cauliflower pizza base.
What you need: ¼ red onion diced, ½ punnet of red snacking tomatoes, ¼ orange capsicum, Corn kernels of ½ cob, ¼ cup broccoli cut into little trees, ¼ green capsicum,1 gluten-free pizza base and ½ cheddar cheese grated.
Start by preheating the oven to 200°. Then, place the pizza base on a round baking tray lined with baking paper. Sprinkle the pizza base with grated cheese.
To create the outer board, sprinkle the finely diced red onion, starting around the outside. After that, add in a row of snacking tomatoes cut in half, a row of orange capsicum, a row of yellow corn kernels, a row of broccoli and finish it with diced green capsicum in the centre.
Bake it in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until you see that the cheese has melted and the vegetables have started turning brown. Then, let it cool down before storing it in an airtight Tupperware in your fridge.
For the colourful rice rolls: You can use whatever veggies you have in the fridge. Cut them into thin slices before wrapping them up in rice paper.
Note: This version didn’t use rice or rice noodles.
For the Pin Wheel sandwiches: Fill your wrap base with whatever filling your child enjoys most (This recipe used turkey, lettuce, thinly sliced cucumber and cheese). Then roll it and cut it into bite-sized chunks.
For the Vegetable bugs: Fill the celery sticks with hummus for a savoy option; alternatively, you can use peanut butter.
For the Apple star sandwiches: Cut the apple into even rounds. Make it more attractive by using a star cookie cutter to remove the centre pip area and to create star-shaped patterns. Then, fill with peanut butter (if the school allows), otherwise, you can use sunflower seed butter and another slice of apple to secure as a sandwich.
Want to create your own Sunflower Seed butter? Then check this link for the recipe.
For the Dinosaur and Frog sandwiches: Cut out bread shapes using cookie cutters to make a fun turkey and cheese sandwich. Use scattered toms as a dinosaur egg base.
Harris Farm Markets is a family-owned and operated business that has more than 500 lines of fruit and vegetable along with a gourmet grocery section of boutique local products, an extensive deli and more than 400 cheeses
Here, you can also find a butcher and fish market and bakery, pour your own milk from Queensland’s multi-award-winning Maleny Dairy or Barambah Organics milk, BioSota Honey on tap and make-your-own Nut Butters among a myriad of flavour-filled treats.
Locations
Harris Farm Markets – WEST END | West Village, 97 Boundary St
Inner-south locals affected by what is turning out to be the worst Brisbane flooding in a decade can seek refuge and assistance at the AHEPA Hall evacuation and support centre in West End.
AHEPA HALL, located 128 Boundary St, West End has been established as the flood evacuation and support centre for the inner-south side.
Volunteers from Micah Projects, a community based not for profit organisation, will be there to provide flood support for individuals and families in the local area. Aside from accommodation, Micah Projects also assist those who need storage for belongings.
As of 27 February 2022, floodwaters have affecred parts of West End have been, following more heavy rain overnight.
Micah Projects’ office will be open for phone calls 24/7. For further assistance, residents may phone the team on 3029 7000 and 3036 4444.
Emergency Kit Checklist
Evacuees are advised to bring the following items to the temporary shelter:
Mobile phone and charger
Spare clothing
Toiletries
Important documents (e.g. insurance papers, passports, birth certificates, backup of computer files)
Necessary medication and prescriptions
Needs for infants such as formula or nappies
Bedding, pillow, and blankets
Brisbane City Council has a range of free tools and information to help residents understand how to receive free alert notices of severe thunderstorms, their property’s potential flood likelihood and how to prepare for destructive winds and potential flooding.
This includes the Flood Awareness Map which provides general awareness about the possibility of flooding in your local area. It also gives historic flooding information and information on different sources of flooding. Residents can also check the updated Flood Forecast Map to see if their property is at risk of flooding.
Council has advised residents, especially those who live in low-lying areas to stock up on sandbags and ensure their household has essentials and know when it’s time to leave.
Families With Pets
Anyone who has a pet or small animal and who is in need of evacuation should check for space and reach out to the evacuation centre at the Chandler Arena of the Sleeman Sports Complex, located on the corner of Old Cleveland Road and Tilley Road, Chandler.
For further assistance, residents may phone the evacuation team via 07 3403 8888.
Did you know that recycled concrete from Mater Hospital, the Bulimba Barracks, and stands from Ballymoreformed the base of the Cedar Road and Macarthur Avenue at the Northshore upgrade project?
The $12.35-million road upgrade at the eastern end of Northshore used concrete recycled from Mater Hospital, the stands from Ballymore, and the Bulimba Barracks with the Eagle Farm-based Rino Recycling supplying most of the recycled materials. The company provided about 96 per cent, or the lion’s share of 23,000 tonnes out of a total 23,800 tonnes, of the required recycled materials using its state-of-the-art recycling technology.
There were also additional concrete, brick and concrete washouts that came from the BP Refinery, Cross River Rail and Windsor Holden. On the other hand, recycled material from the Port of Brisbane, Brisbane City Council buildings and other smaller buildings across Brisbane provided the fill material.
Rino Recycling’s General Manager Daniel Blaser described the upgrade project as an “excellent example” of how the city’s demolition waste that would otherwise end in landfills can be recycled and used for such major construction projects.
Rino is already looking at establishing a state-of-the-art recycling and resource recovery facility as part of its five-year plan involving investments in people, technology and plants. The company also wants to improve its recovery rate from 80 per cent to 99 per cent or higher.
Rino Recycling has been granted by the Department of Main Roads approval to supply recycled materials for the department’s future road construction projects. And with $65 billion worth of infrastructure development projects over 25 years already planned for Brisbane, Rino expects the demand for recycled construction and demolition materials to further rise.
Queensland currently lags behind in recycling recovery rates compared to other Australian states and the cost of collecting and recycling is higher than sending waste to landfills.
However, Queensland’s Waste Management and Resource Recovery Strategy aims to change that. The Queensland waste strategy is underpinned by a waste disposal levy which was introduced in 2019 with the aim of encouraging Queenslanders to reduce, reuse and recycle waste and make landfills a less attractive option.
Now on its fifth year, Brisbane Ice Cream Festival, the sweetest and coolest event of the summer, is all set to give everyone a scoop of the action with a three-weekend treat!
Kicking things off is the Chef’s Playground, a ticketed event featuring the culinary skill and style of Brisbane’s best chefs — Phillip Johnson (E’cco Bistro and Philip Johnson Catering), William Wallace (Executive Chef at William Wallace Group), and Matt Golinski (Ready Steady Cook and Peppers Noosa Resort). This talented group will indulge guests in a degustation of sensational sweet and savoury desserts.
The Chef’s Playground will be at The Common in West Village and will run at 6:00 p.m. on 18 and 19 March 2022.
On 26 and 27 March 2022, Brisbane Ice Cream Festival will launch the Sundae Funday event for the kids and kids at heart. Anita Gelato will provide delicious treats whilst the kids play, engage, enjoy the entertainment, and develop their crafty skills.
Sundae Funday will take place at Peters Ice Cream Factory on various time slots (1.5 hours per slot). Adults won’t have to pay for the entry and tickets for groups will be reserved for a maximum of four kids per schedule.
Whilst restaurants in the West Village will participate and offer a variety of special desserts in the Ice Cream All Day and All Night during the duration of the festival, the Ice Cream All Weekend event will cap off the celebrations on 2 to 3 April 2022.
Some of your favourite ice cream vendors, like Ungermann Brothers and Roll It Ice Cream Co, will be churning their specialities and delectable ice cream creations, including treats for specific dietary requirements.
Please note that slots for ticketed events at the Brisbane Ice Cream Festival will be strictly limited. Once tickets are sold out, no more will be released and no walk-ins will be entertained.
However, nothing ought to stop you from enjoying your favourite frosty treat with West Village’s all-day and all-night specials. Who knows, you might even be the one to win FREE ice cream for a year! Now that would really be cool.
If you’re wondering where the name came from, it’s from kürtőskalács, a Hungarian tube-shaped pastry popularly known as chimney cake.
At Kurtosh, the kürtőskalács are baked to sweet golden perfection and rolled in chopped nuts, chocolate or spices for added texture and flavour. They are a result of owner Ben Haikin’s travels to Europe, with an aim of mastering the 70-year-old recipe.
Burekas, a popular baked pastry in Sephardic Jewish cuisine and Israeli cuisine, are also served here. They come in a range of flavours — ricotta and feta, potato and mushroom, and sweet potato, rosemary and thyme.
They have chocolate brandy balls and biscotti, which make perfect accompaniment to your favourite cup of coffee or tea whilst babka loaves (sweet braided bread or cake hailing from Eastern Europe) are great as morning and afternoon tea treats. Most of their pastries are made on-site, to guarantee their freshness.
Another interesting find here is their slab cake, which you can buy by weight to satisfy your cake cravings because you can grab them in a variety of choices and serving sizes.
Besides a packed cabinet full of baked goods, they feature an impressive drinks menu which includes coffees, teas, chocolates and mochas, and juices. There are plenty of seats inside though there are also outdoor seating where an Instagram wall awaits for the perfect photo stop for your images.
It marks the brand’s first location in Brisbane, as it already have seven across NSW and Victoria. Two more will open soon, one at Elsternwick in Victoria and another one at South Eveleigh in NSW.
Kurtosh is now open at the Boundary Street precinct at West Village seven days a week, from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
