Jocelyn’s Provisions, Albion, Camp Hill and James St: In celebration of the Ekka, the creative crew at Jocelyn’s Provisions have curated a Jocelyn’s Showbag packed full of nostalgic flavours! Each goodie bag contains a strawberry-sundae marshmallow, toffee-crunch milk-chocolate bark, strawberries-and-cream bark and house-made caramel popcorn. Plus, five lucky bags will contain an extra special treat – a voucher for a Jocelyn’s specialty cake. The best part? A portion of each bag’s sale will be donated to The Common Good, in support of The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation. There are limited bags available, so pre-order yours now to avoid missing out. You can pick them up from Jocelyn’s Albion, Camp Hill and James St locations from Thursday August 6 to Saturday August 15. If cake is your confection of choice, Jocelyn’s is also baking a batch of strawberry-sundae cakes that will be available by the slice at all three locations this weekend. This scrumptious vanilla-cream cake is topped with house-made jam and strawberries-and-cream buttercream – the perfect tribute to an Ekka classic.
Pie Town, West End: Adored for its delicious pastry goods, Pie Town in West End will be cooking up a host of Ekka specials this show day. There will be a sausage-filled dagwood dog pie (topped with tomato sauce, of course), as well as a decadent Bertie Beetle pie. Plus, the team will be hawking Pie Town showbags that are full of goodies! Pie Town will be open this show day from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm for dine-in and takeaway.
Stone & Wood Brisbane, Fortitude Valley: In response to the cancellation of this years Ekka, Brisbane brewery Stone & Wood has decided to help fundraise for The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation by concocting a strawberries-and-cream-flavoured beer inspired by the Ekka’s iconic strawberry sundae. Dropping on Wednesday August 12 at Stone & Wood’s Fortitude Valley brewery, the Strawberry Sundae Kisses beer is brewed with 60 kg of Queensland strawberries, with lactose and vanilla added during fermentation to create a creamy flavour that closely resembles the taste of Ekka’s much-loved treat. All of the proceeds from the strawberry-sundae beers and beer ice-cream floats (yep, you can get your hands on these too) sold at Stone & Wood’s Brisbane brewery between August 12–16 will be donated to The Common Good to help fund health research with The Prince Charles Hospital.
Ekka pop-ups and roving outlets, various locations: So you can treat yourself to a scoop of the icy indulgence that is the iconic strawberry sundae, Ekka is running a pop-up drive-through outlet at Sideshow Alley as well as a stall on King Street from August 7–16, serving up your favourite Ekka treats from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm every day. The carnival snacks don’t stop at just sundaes – both pop-up stalls will also be selling dagwood dogs and one-litre strawberry sundae packs, plus the King Street pop-up will be serving up Royal 100 Ekka tasting plates. Pop-up outlets at Skygate, Morayfield Shopping Centre, King George Square, Orion Springfield, Logan Hyperdome and The Boundary have also been announced, so peep the Ekka website for further information.
Superthing, West End: Pink-hued West End pastry paradise Superthing is serving up Ekka treats so good that they will have you ordering seconds. If you’ve been craving flaky, buttery, golden croissants, then you’ll be pleased to hear that Superthing’s dough punchers have created a very special strawberries-and-cream croissant made with fresh dollops of cream and strawberries. If that’s not enough, the team are also slinging a strawberry-sundae French toast served a la mode, so be sure to wear your stretchy pants.
Little Loco, New Farm: Want to experience all of the traditional fair flavours in one creative combo? Head to Little Loco in New Farm and order its Ekka Nutella French toast special – a house-made cinnamon French toast stack topped with Nutella, Persian strawberry fairy floss, fresh berries, vanilla ice-cream and a sweet sugary dust. Drooling yet? Little Loco will be open from 7:00 am to 1:00 pm on the Ekka public holiday.
Emporium Hotel, South Bank: To get the long weekend fun started, Emporium Hotel South Bank have some fun strawberry-sundae-inspired cocktails and sweet treats to try. Eager sippers can head to Piano Bar, which will be serving up The Sideshow Alley Cocktail made with Beefeater Pink Gin, strawberry liquor, coconut cream, pineapple juice and lime topped with strawberry fairy floss and a house-made doughnut (yum!). If you’re craving a decadent dessert, Emporium’s signature patisserie Belle Epoque will be dishing up strawberry-sundae cakes and strawberry-sundae domes made from a delectable mixture of strawberry compote mousse, vanilla creme brulee and waffle feuilletine. All items are available to snag now until Monday August 17.
Banter Coffee, Manly West: Normally, when you say something resembles a dog’s breakfast, it isn’t meant as a compliment. However, Banter Coffee’s flavourful take on the iconic dagwood dog is just that. This Korean fare-inspired brunch dish (called, you guessed it, The Dog’s Breakfast) includes a smoked cheese kransky in corn batter topped with okonomi ketchup and yellow mustard served with kimchi-loaded fries, liquid cheese and furikake. Make haste, this dog has plans to run away after the long weekend!
Vintaged Bar + Grill, Brisbane City: Inspired by the famous Ekka ice-cream, mixologists at Vintaged Bar + Grill in Hilton Brisbane have cleverly created a strawberry-sundae cocktail. Available throughout the month of August, this boozy concoction is made from a mix of Strawberry Baileys, Liquor 43, strawberry puree, sugar syrup, whipped cream and ice. It tastes just like the iconic frozen show-day dessert – with the added cheeky chance of getting you tipsy.
Kingsleys, Brisbane City: Calling all carnivores! Kingsleys at Eagle Street Pier is this year’s lucky buyer of the RNA’s overall champion pen from their annual Paddock to Palate competition – making the restaurant the one and only place you can score Queensland’s best beef this long weekend! This year’s prize winners came from rural town Wallumbilla (40 km east of Roma), with Yarrawonga’s Santa Gertrudis cattle awarded across three categories, crowning them top dog (or should we say cow). If you want to get a taste of this award-winning beef, Kingsleys is offering a mouth-watering selection of premium cuts including eye fillet, scotch fillet, rump and striploin, while stocks last. Now, all you have to do is make a booking here.
Sea Legs Brewing Co., Kangaroo Point: Make haste to Sea Legs Brewing Co. this long weekend to experience its ‘EKKA-ish’ festivities! Get your hands on the limited release Ekka-inspired specialty beer, a dry-hopped imperial strawberry sour aptly named ‘Sideshow Alley’ that tastes of stone-fruit, melon, coconut and oak. For the ultimate EKKA-ish experience, pair your icy-cold tropical-tasting brew with a feast of dagwood dogs, burgers, wings and fries that the Sea Leg crew will be dishing up from Friday to Sunday. Feeling thirsty? Sea Legs Brewing Co. will be open this weekend from 12:00 pm.
Paddington Social, Paddington: Another pastry must-try to tick off your Ekka eats bucket list can be found at Paddington Social on Given Terrace. The much-adored cafe is cranking the ovens to bake batches upon batches of its newest creation – a strawberries-and-cream croissant. The tastebud-tempting invention is topped with fresh strawberries and a melt-in-you-mouth strawberry-cream frosting. We’ll have several, thanks.
IGA, various locations: For a limited time only, Bensons Showbags will be stocked on the shelves of over 200 selected IGA stores across Queensland as part of the Showbags Bonanza Sale. Sweet tooths can shop a massive range of confectionary heroes including the likes of Dairy Milk, Caramello Koala, Curly Wurly, Chupa Chups, Zappo and much more. There are also showbags featuring Harry Potter, Hot Wheels, Bluey, Pokémon and many more Ekka favourites available to purchase. The jam-packed catalogue includes a total of 20 themed showbags priced at $5, $10 or $30 – now that’s what you call a bargain! To find your nearest IGA store, visit the IGA website or to peep the full Bensons Showbags range, head here.
