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An insiders' guide: Good Food Month Brisbane 2014

Family friendly: Deer Duck Bistro are hosting a series of high-chair high teas.
Family friendly: Deer Duck Bistro are hosting a series of high-chair high teas.Harrison Saragossi

Brisbane foodies, it's time to get out your diaries.

The Brisbane Times Good Food Month, presented by Citi, kicked off on Tuesday, with more than 150 events over the 31 days of July.

To help make your foodie fun easier, the Good Food Month team has divided all the events into sections so you can pick and choose those that best suit your interests. So loosen your belts, take a seat and get ready to indulge.

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For families

  • The South Bank Cultural Forecourt will be alight with lanterns for the Night Noodle Markets, July 17-27. The hawker-style markets will feature 26 of Brisbane's favourite eateries serving street-style food under the stars.
  • Kids can get into the kitchen with OzHarvest Kiducation, a hands-on cooking class for children (July 1 and 3).
  • Gather the family for Sunday lunch at some of Brisbane's top restaurants. The likes of Pony, Winter Harvest, L'angolo Bistro and Aquitaine Brasserie are offering Sunday lunch deals throughout the festival. At Gordita, it's a roast that will change each week to explore a different region of Spain.
  • You can bring your little one along to a high-chair high tea at Deer Duck Bistro in Auchenflower with canapés, finger sandwiches, sweet treats and a glass of sparkling wine for the grown-ups. The high tea runs every Sunday throughout July.
  • Celebrate the Italian family dinner with La Famiglia Percuoco, with a leisurely dinner of Neapolitan favourites cooked by three generations of the Percuoco family at Ristorante Tartufo (July 13).

For gourmet shoppers

Brisbane chef Ryan Squires will be hosting a masterclass alongside visiting chefs Peter Gilmore and Andrew McConnell.
Brisbane chef Ryan Squires will be hosting a masterclass alongside visiting chefs Peter Gilmore and Andrew McConnell.Harrison Saragossi
  • Sample and buy artisan goods at the Wandering Cooks Small Food Producers Trade Show (July 7) showcasing 32 of Queensland's newest and most creative food producers. The show is Brisbane's incubator for new food entrepreneurs.
  • Many of Brisbane's bustling markets are also getting involved too, from Jan Power's Farmers Markets to the Cannon Hill markets.
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For the fine diners

  • Dine with the editor of The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide Joanna Savill and Brisbane Times Good Food Guide editor Natascha Mirosch, at the inaugural editors' dinner on July 16. Hosted by Brisbane's acclaimed Gerard's Bistro, chef Ben Williamson will be serving up a five-course dinner matched with wines, while Savill and Mirosch share tales of food and writing.
  • Some of the region's most renowned restaurants will throw out their normal menus for a series of Hats Off Dinners, including Aria's Matt Moran showcasing nose-to-tail cooking (July 16), paleo (July 16) and Restaurant Two busting out the balloons in celebration of its 15th birthday (July 15).
  • For something more intimate, head along to one of the Private Dining events. Join chef Richard Ousby at Stokehouse for lunch (July 16) and learn about sustainable seafood, vegetables, pork and honey. Discover the elements at Alchemy (July 10), eat dishes from a decade of Azafran (July 12) or try a paddock-to-plate degustation at The Foraging Quail (July 9).

For those that love to cook

Don't just eat other people's food this Good Food Month – learn how to make your own.

  • An Afternoon with the Stars on July 13 will feature a three-hour masterclass with Peter Gilmore of Sydney's three-hat fine diner Quay, Ryan Squires of Brisbane's only three-hatted restaurant Esquire, and Andrew McConnell of Melbourne's two-hatted Cutler & Co.
  • A range of Instant Expert classes teach everything from the art of sake making at Wasabi (July 12, 19) to the ins and outs of raw food cookery with Laneway Learning (July 3, 8, 15, 29).
  • The Talk and Taste events include a ginger appreciation class at James Street Cooking School (July 26) and tours of the vibrant Asian markets of Sunnybank Plaza (July 11, 12, 20).
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For nature lovers

Sustainability, paddock-to-plate and organic are the new food catchwords. But how does one eat green?

  • Down to Earth is a series of environmentally conscious events promoting recognition of where food comes from and how it is produced. It includes the Get Sticky degustation event with Neighbourhood Honey showcasing the burgeoning urban apiary movement (July 24).
  • Head further afield and see what some of the amazing producers and restaurants are creating as part of the Regional Table events. Beautiful dinners will be served at gorgeous venues across the state, from Tamborine Mountain to Bundaberg.

For art appreciators

Music, photography, film and performance add new dimensions to the dining experience at Good Food Month.

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  • Attend a Great Gatsby-themed champagne and truffle dinner party at Blackbird (July 31).
  • Catch a Friday night film plus food at GOMA (July 4, 11, 18, 25).
  • Enjoy a Venetian sensory degustation at Bacchus (July 30).
  • Check out an exhibition of food photography at Fish Lane Studios (July 4, 11, 18, 25).

For bar flies

  • The Bar Hop program has some of Brisbane's best bars shaking it up, offering a gin-inspired Tanqueray cocktail with a matched bar snack for $20 throughout July.
  • Matched food and drinks will also be showcased at the Drink and Dine events, including food and beer matching at Bittersuite (July 10) and pig and pinot at Lab Bar. Butcher, Baker & Winemaker at Wandering Cooks will see Yalumba winemaker Kevin Glastonbury take diners on a journey mixing wine, charcuterie, cheese and bread (July 15).

For early risers

  • Start the day well at one of The Breakfast Club venues including Paddington's Anouk, Au Cirque in New Farm and Pourboy Espresso in the CBD where big, delicious and creative brekkies will set you back just $20 including tea or coffee.
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For value hunters

  • As part of Let's do Lunch some Brisbane and regional Queensland's leading restaurants are offering a set lunch (one or two courses) with a matched drink for $38. It's a great chance to try out some top nosh without the hefty price tag at eateries including E'cco Bistro, Aria and Il Centro.
  • Or for dinner, try a two-course menu for just $30 per person, drinks not included. Participating venues include The Boathouse at Noosa, Chop Chop Chang's and The Kettle and Tin in Paddington.
  • You can even get a free feed, with OzHarvest's Think Eat Save event at St Stephan's Cathedral (July 21) where local chefs turn ingredients that would otherwise end up as landfill into a nutritious dinner, including soup, curries and sweet treats.

For travel lovers

  • Have you tried African food? Maybe Spanish fare is more your thing? World Dinners include a tapas feast at Peasant (July 8), and Mecca Bah's Middle Eastern and North African Food Odyssey series on Thursdays throughout the month.
  • Take a trip out of the city for one of the regional events: a duck lovers' dinner at Embassy XO on the Sunshine Coast (July 18) or discover the synergy of ceramics and Japanese food at the two-hatted Wasabi at Noosa (July 26).
  • Celebrate the bounty of winter in Aratula at the Winter Harvest Festival on July 5 or head to the Scenic Rim for a week of Eating Local (July 2-6).
  • Take in the sweeping views of The Great Dividing Range with a five-course degustation at Spicers Peak Lodge (July 6).

For sweet tooths

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  • Treat yourself to an indulgent afternoon tea with all the trimmings at the Ultimate High Tea. Customs House Restaurant, C'est Bon, Deer Duck Bistro and Dello Mano will be serving up a delicate assortment of sweet and savoury treats.
  • Or for a dessert and wine paring, the Let's Do Dessert events will see Deer Duck Bistro, Four Points by Sheraton: The Eatery, Chester Street and Bacchus serving specially devised decadent desserts, all paired with a glass of dessert wine, for $20.

For night owls

  • Looking for somewhere to dine after hours? The Supper Club events have you covered. Try ginger tiger prawns with green rice flakes and nahm jim at hot new opening Kwan Brothers, for $16.90 between 9pm and 11pm. Or wood-fired pizza from Alfredo's, plus Malaysian, Vietnamese or Thai at Fat Noodle.

Good Food Month Brisbane runs from July 1-31. Browse or download the full program at goodfoodmonth.com. Good Food Month is a Fairfax Media event.

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