Breakfast Series - Il Locale - my (not quite) local Italian

http://www.illocaleitalian.com.au/

For a long long time, one of my favourite breakfast spots in Brisbane was just around the corner from my apartment in the CBD.  Bordering on the City / Valley fringe is a little shopping complex that amongst other things houses the Valley Woolworths as well as a little breakfast spot called Tognini's Trattoria (see post here).  Unfortunately, as was the case once I started blogging about food, I stopped going to my regular spots so often, mainly so I could get out and experience as many restaurants and cafes as possible.

I was petty excited to learn that another restaurant owned by the Togninis had started a breakfast service, so excited that I decided that I had to get across and check it out.  I'd been to Il Locale once before, and that was for the opening launch party (see post here) which had been pretty good, but I'd not been back since.  Located in my old stomping ground in the Rosalie Village (I used to live just around the corner), Il Locale took over from my all time favourite pizza spot - Tomato Brothers, which unfortunately doesn't exist any more.

We'd decided that a breakfast with our very good buddies, Thommo and DruBoy was well overdue and that catching up over a nice breakfast in Rosalie would be a fantastic idea.  Our breakfasts with Thommo and DruBoy have become more frequent in the last twelve months and DruBoy and I have been branching out without the girls lately too, so breakfast is our new thing!  It was a beautiful sunny Sunday morning when we made our way across to Rosalie and surprisingly found that the whole area was pretty much dead!  It was puzzling to us as we remember the area as being a bustling hive of activity on a Sunday morning.

Il Locale - Our Italian Table

http://www.illocaleitalian.com.au

Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, a new Italian dining option has risen from the site formerly owned by Tomato Brothers in Nash Street Rosalie.  Husband and wife team Mark and Narelle Tognini have finally put a long held dream into reality with the opening of Il Locale (the Local).  

Rosalie is one of the dining hotspots around Brisbane and is resplendent with cafes and restaurants but nothing quite like Il Locale.  The site has been transformed from the bright reds of the former Tomato Brothers site to sexy black, and a much more stylish fit-out.  The site has been designed by the team from DNA and care has been made to create a space that is at once welcoming and relaxing.  The style and design of the restaurant has centred around the antique front doors that were sourced from Lebanon and help transform the location.  A purpose built open fridge gives a hint of the delectable food on offer once you walk through the stunning wooden doors.

I was lucky enough to be invited along to the launch party during the week to celebrate the pending opening and mix with a couple of hundred of Mark and Narelle's loyal friends and some other local food bloggers to test out the menu.  The menu is influenced by the traditional dishes of northern Italy, with an emphasis placed on dishes that have been cooked utilizing the wood fired oven.  There will be meats slowly cooked and traditional style pizzas with only the freshest and refined ingredients sitting atop thin crisp bases.