Travel the World Without Leaving Brisneyland

What do you do when your annual leave balance is zero, the next public holiday is FOREVER away, and you’ve got a chronic case of wanderlust? Eat!

That’s right. If you can’t get yo’ self on a plane to somewhere far, far away then treat yo’ self to some international eats to satisfy your travel pangs. That look of sheer desperation and feeling of “meh” will clear up as soon as your taste buds get a hit of some foreign flavours.

Here’s where you can eat like you’re overseas… but in Brisbane.

Ole Spanish Restaurant, South Bank

(Spain) Flights | Hotels

Tapas and sangria – you can’t get more Spanish than that. From fresh squid stuffed with prawn and chorizo to empanadas and deep fried crumbed olives, you can easily picture yourself hanging out in one of the plazas of Valencia or Barcelona when you dine at Ole. Team your tapas or paella with the sangria of the day or a tall cerveza and experience a meal as the Spaniards do: sharing quality food with your amigos.

Blogger Boost: Keep on tripping with a visit to Ole’s Argentinian-inspired sister restaurant, Che Asado.

Southern Attitude, Bulimba

(USA) Flights | Hotels

Get the flavours of the Deep South deep down in your belly. Welcome an adults only Maple Bacon Bourbon Shake into your life, get messy with some Smoky BBQ Wings, then head on down to New Orleans with a hot bowl of Gumbo. Soul food faves like Mac & Cheese, Cornbread and Chicken Fried Chicken sit alongside Southern staples like ribs, Kentucky Pulled Pork Sliders and Texas Chilli, bringing the taste of ‘someplace else’ right to your table. An impressive list of whiskeys, beer, cocktails and Front Porch Iced Teas round out the mood of Southern Attitude.

My Thai Kitchen, Milton

(Thailand) Flights | Hotels

This blog is about using food as an escape and if you’re in full support of that mission – head to My Thai Kitchen. Their fresh, authentic, made-to-order meals are all that you need to transport you to the streets of Bangkok. Weekly lunch specials tempt you to stray from tasty traditional dishes like Som Tum (spicy green papaya salad) and Pad Thai (I’ll have mine with extra peanuts, please). If you’re more of a hands-on traveller, why not take one of M.T.K.’s cooking classes or check out Meat Pie to Pad Thai for some killer recipes from My Thai’s owner and head chef, Taya.

Montrachet, Paddington

(France) Flights | Hotels

Parlez-vous Francais? No? Oui? Whether you’ve always dreamed of strolling the romantic, cosmopolitan streets of Paris or you were simply sucked in by the quirky innocence of Amelie, you can discover the true essence of France right here in inner-city Brisbane. With an intimate atmosphere and a menu that takes you from Escargot to Crème Brûlée, Montrachet epitomises the French fine dining experience. Be prepared to book in advance and set aside some time on a school day/night; Montrachet offers lunch from 12pm Monday to Friday, dinner from 6pm Monday to Thursday, and a degustation ‘Supper Club’ from 7pm on Fridays.

Eat Street Markets, Hamilton

(All the corners of the globe) Flights

If you’re up for an all-in, get in my belly, died and gone to holiday food heaven feast – Eat Street is your destination. It’s seriously like going on a round-the-world trip and, not gonna lie, you’ll probably put on the same amount of KGs as you would eating your way across the globe. What can you expect? Curries from Malaysia, Italian calzones, German-style sausages, Japanese pizza (say what?!) and… I’ve got to stop… there’s just SO – MUCH – DELICIOUSNESS… I can’t even…

Honourable mentions

Hangi Stylz, Aspley

(New Zealand) Flights | Hotels

Mrs Luu’s, Milton

(Vietnam) Flights | Hotels

Villa Maria, Camp Hill

(Mexico & Latin America) Flights to Central America | Flights to South America

Brisbane German Club, Woolloongabba

(Germany) Flights | Hotels

Mu’ooz, West End

(North-East Africa) Flights to Africa

Where do you go to satisfy your travel hunger? Tell us in the comments.