Issue #22: A not so blank Canvas
A big bar birthday, a Korean omakase counter, East Brisbane's restaurant boom and more
End of financial year turned out to be a busy period here at BBB Towers (who knew?) and it’s also, less surprisingly, a time when money gets moved into new projects, be they corporate or hospo. So, after an unscheduled break, BBB is back with a frankly insane amount of new stuff to cover. We’re going to try a rapid-fire format for the new and coming soon sections, just to help get through it all.
What’s new?
So What Stereo, Fortitude Valley. A Thai record cafe inspired by the offbeat atmosphere and menu of the highly underrated West End Coffee House. It’s in what was the original Mr Fitz location and has about the right amount of Simpsons stuff for a venue furnished entirely through Marketplace.
Fatty Patty, Underwood. A halal burger and sandwich shop inside a pizza shop. Far from being a total gimmick, this place has consistently sold out of its reubens since it opened in mid-June. The steak sandwich got a glowing write-up in Brisbane Times, too, so they’re clearly doing something right.
Wellington Road Bistro, East Brisbane. This slick little neighbourhood restaurant quietly opened on the corner of Wellington Road and Mowbray Terrace back in June. It describes itself as Euro-inspired, but there’s a clear preference for classic French food on the menu: steak frites, confit duck, cheese souffle – although there’s also an excellent-looking chicken schnitzel.
Bonnie Doon Public House, Fortitude Valley. Great to see the old Bloodhound Bar space being put to use again. Bonnie Doon is a pub and the latest entry in the nostalgic venue trend – although aren’t all pubs inherently nostalgic to some extent? – serving food like dim sims, dagwood dogs, rissoles, and fairy bread. There’s also craft beer, wine and cocktails that are on the sweeter, fruitier side.
My work
Readers who’ve been with us since Issue 20 will remember Kiku, the new Japanese restaurant that opened in East Brisbane in May. I covered Kiku for Broadsheet in June and let me tell you: words like izakaya get bandied around in this town by any venue with teriyaki sauce, but this is the closest experience I’ve had in Brisbane to eating in a real Japanese neighbourhood restaurant. By that I mean it’s not just one thing – a sushi counter, a yakitori bar – instead, it’s a showcase of really well-made mainstream and regional dishes. Plus, the owners are total sweethearts and they change the menu regularly. I’m keeping an eye out for a purple sweet potato dessert.
I wrote my second piece for the Domain magazine in the Financial Review, this time covering Central, which scored three wins at the Australian Interior Design Awards – and deservedly so. There’s way more history to the space and thought behind the design choices that I didn’t have room for in the article, but there’s a whole collection on the Primitif Coffee Lounge (previous occupant of Central’s basement space from 1957-74) at the State Library of Queensland that’s worth scrolling through for the photos alone.
And finally, part of the reason there was no time for BBB in early July, my piece on the 15-year history of Canvas came out this week! It’s one of the most influential Brisbane cocktail bars of the 2000s and now one of the longest-lived, still-open ones, too. There’s no space, even in this newsletter, to list all the people from Canvas who’ve gone on to do great things, so here’s a random sample: former managers Dan Gregory and Brennen Eaton opened Barry Parade Public House nearly a year ago (the most Canvas-like of Canvas alumni bars). Early Canvas recruit Eddie Brook went on start Brookie’s Gin in 2016. Bartender Cal Moore, who joined The Gresham’s first bar team, has flipped his career around, becoming a lawyer-in-training who bartends on the side – the secret goal of all lawyers, no doubt.
Coming soon
Suum, CBD. Andy Choi, a Korean chef with a Heston Blumenthal pedigree, plans to open this 16-seat, high-end Korean omakase restaurant sometime between mid-August and early September. There’s been less buzz around Suum than all that might suggest, but expect to hear more about it soon. Interesting to note: 119 Charlotte Street is quietly becoming a rival to the Elizabeth Arcade for interesting Asian food.
Marlowe, South Brisbane. Almost impossible to avoid news of this one. Fanda Group (Southside Rick Shores, Central et al) is opening an restaurant based around Australiana at 105 Melbourne Street in late September. It’s in a heritage-listed 1938 apartment block, and each unit forms a separate dining room. Ollie Hansford (ex-head chef at Stokehouse Q) is using local produce to make modernised versions of staples from the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s. Nostalgic food and fit-outs are having a big moment, so expect to see more Australiana on the way.
Wendy’s Brisbane, CBD. The mid-tier US burger chain is aiming to turn 91, 95 and 101 Adelaide Street into its Brisbane flagship. That’s the two-storey blue building (formerly a Bupa office) on the corner of Adelaide and Albert, just at the edge of the mall. According to the development application, the plan is to operate 24/7. American fast food chains have a patchy history in the mall – will this be another flash in the pan, like Krispy Kreme, or surprisingly successful, like the oddly fancy Queen Street KFC?
Alby’s, Wavell Heights. A new breakfast and brunch spot from the team behind Butter Cafe at Gaythorne (and Sister at Hawthorne) on the corner of Billson Road and Goss Road. The 30-seat spot will have Butter’s sausage-and-egg English muffin and a suite of toasties including a beef rendang flavour. The fit-out is a DIY affair, so no definitive word on the opening date yet.
The Alligator Club, Fortitude Valley. A basement cocktail bar and live music venue opening on Warner Lane on August 9. It’s got a 3am licence, which manager Justinn De Beer (ex-Larouche, Brooklyn Standard) plans to use to its full extent seven days a week. The musical focus is funk and soul and the cocktail focus is forgotten classics. Design detail: the room is so narrow, there’s no room for fridges behind the bar – interesting to see how that affects the menu.
Good reads
Nigeria’s favourite drink. The Chapman is a mix of orange juice, grenadine, lemonade (or Sprite), Fanta, and bitters that’s the unofficial drink of Nigeria. I first came across the Chapman when researching a piece on the history of the lemon, lime and bitters. It seems to play a similar role there to the lemon, lime and bitters here – anyone can make one and you can serve it to kids, but it’s easy to add alcohol if you want to give it kick. Punch has a great exploration of the cultural significance (and the many different faces) of the Chapman.
Why don’t Brisbanites want to cross the river? This piece from Matt Shea in Brisbane Times doesn’t really answer that question, but at least he’s asking it. Shea contrasts Brisbane with Melbourne, where the north-south divide maps more neatly onto a geographic split between hipsters and the very rich in a way Brisbane’s doesn’t. Someone needs to dig into this question using proper survey data and route maps – yes, Brisbane’s a sprawl, but people are willing to drive vast distances on their own side of town. It’s only when you cross the river that things seem too far away. Side note: Shea opposes the semi-serious proposal to make an ibis the mascot of the Brisbane Olympics on the grounds that “bin chickens are widespread across Australia.” I didn’t realise koalas, echidnas, platypuses and frill-necked lizards were unique to Sydney.
The man behind Brisbane’s Japanese-style cocktail bar. Aizome Bar in West End is unquestionably one of the most significant venue openings of the past 12 months. From its tiny size and impeccable bar food to the highly technical cocktails, it’s completely different from anywhere else in Brisbane. And yet it’s remained under the radar and laregly unremarked on, even in industry publications. Boothby has an excellent interview with Tony Huang, Aizome’s head bartender and major creative force.
One more thing before we go: Santé, Toowoomba’s award-winning French (and only) cocktail bar has been running for almost six years. A month ago, the team launched the Santé cocktail app, featuring classics, recipes from bars around Australia, and a steady drip of new concoctions – for a subscription fee.
Bar apps are almost as common as those scammy speed-reading ones that promise to help you read Shakespeare “more efficiently” but the difference with Santé is there are plenty of free recipes and you can buy individual ones for a one-off payment instead of subscribing. There are recipes for syrups and other homemade ingredients, too. The Australian bar scene often misses opportunities to document itself, so the app is worth a look.
Until next time, may all your drinks be good ones.