Review: Hoo Ha Bar

Hoo Ha Bar has taken a while to get from conception to opening but open they did last week, and with it being 10 minutes from my work I was very keen to check out this new arrival in the somewhat staid South Bank area.

My friend Gabi and I met there for breakfast on Friday morning. Nestled almost underneath South Bank station it’s mightily convenient for both bus and train, and you can park your bike outside no problem. Inside is open with the wooden sparse slightly-hipster decoration that is becoming the norm of Brisbane cafes. No complaints, I like it, and I think Brisbane cafes are starting to look different to any other cities’.   

The menu is interesting and a little off-beat, all about flavours rather than traditional breakfast fare. The prices are exciting, though. Fruit toast is $3, and the rest of the menu is between $7 - $11. Cheap for Brisbane, where no one seems to bat an eye at paying $12 for avocado on toast.  Reading the menu, you know everything on it is going to be tasty.

Gabi had the Cannellini bean smash, rosemary, chilli, orange, lemon and Grana Padano served with garlic croute, though in her instance she requested gluten-free bread, which was no problem ($7).

I had grilled eggplant, peperonata, Haloumi, rocket and hummus on focaccia (replaced with Turkish bread) ($9).

The food come out quickly and was very tasty. It was also of just the right size for breakfast, filling but not so much that it is an effort to get up off your chair. The coffee came out within minutes and was strong and rich.

I really enjoyed our breakfast date and would heartily recommend Hoo Ha Bar to anyone. At the moment, Hoo Ha is more café than bar but apparently the liquor licence has been applied for so there will soon be options for lunchtime beer and cider and maybe after-work tipples as well. 

Hoo Ha Bar
41 Tribune Street, South Brisbane
Open: Tuesday to Saturday 7:00 am to 3:00 pm

Cobbler opened in West End this week

Cobbler, a 'brother' bar to Pony Cat in New Farm and Kettle and Tin in Paddington opened its doors on Wednesday afternoon. Seeing as I had a bit of time to kill between work and dinner at Lefkas, I stopped by for a look. 

The bar is nestled comfortably into a large space along the street front of Browning Street, West End. It's a welcoming space, all wood, bricks and high chairs. One of the two guys behind the bar was the owner as well as the creator of the impressive cocktail menu. The cocktails were mostly whiskey and rum based, ochre drinks that read very temptingly but I settled for a perfectly made g'n't.

 My perfectly mixed g'n't.

The well-stocked bar.

The bar is well-stocked with liquors, particularly of the amber variety. Brilliantly, each bottle has its' price on an easy-to-read label, so you can sit and pick which of the score of whiskeys is in your price range without having to ask. They are also, unlike most bars, reasonably priced. My Hendricks g'n't set me back only $10. The guys next to me were sampling whiskeys, of which there are dozens, served with single ice cubes that filled their tumblers.

If you're a wine drinker there is a limited selection, but this is a cocktail and whiskey bar and if that's the tipple you're after I say give this place a try. These guys seem to know what they're doing.

Cobbler is at 8 Browning Street, West End opposite the Melbourne Hotel.

Five for Friday

Well, this just seems wrong.

The suspended coffee movement in Brisbane.

A smartphone app for Melbourne bars and pubs. Because every person I know enjoys indulging in Melbourne's nightlife. 
 

The Vintage Dress Company. A New Zealand Company started by a former flight attendant with an eye for delightful vintage fabrics.  

Image courtesy of The Vintage Dress Company website.

Sedating children on long-haul flights; this will sound un-PC but I approve. Parenting blogs explode at 'near child-abuse' but parents who have ever taken a child on a long-haul flight think it's the ideal solution. Read one mother's account here.

I took a lot of long flights myself as a child and I think I was ok but with every landing, my ears would hurt so much from the pressure that I would scream at the top of my lungs. If I had been gently sedated, the whole experience would have been much less traumatic for myself, my parents and the rest of the plane.

On the flip side, I have been on flights with screaming, chair-kicking, running down the aisle, peek-a-boo playing children and I just want them to sit in their damn chairs and shut up.

Honestly, I'd sedate myself on long-haul flights if I knew which drugs to use. 

Five for Friday

This week Embassy Bar is re-opening as the CBD's first craft beer bar. Is this a little unbelievable to any other local Brisbane-ites? 

A cooking couple’s 100 rules of dinner. Some fun, some practical but worth a read for those of you who enjoying cooking. Also a great cooking blog, if you're in to that sort of thing. 

Some example 'rules': 

• 18. Kitchen chairs should be red. Or at least fun.
• 59. When cooking steak on the grill, get a nice char over hot coals and then move it to a less hot part of the grill — i.e. over indirect heat. Test for doneness by pressing down on the meat with your finger. When it’s ready, it will have the consistency of the flesh at the base of your thumb. Once it’s firm, you have overcooked it.
• 77. If you cook dinner for someone, and that person is not super forthcoming with his or her expressions of happiness or gratitude, you must (a) fight every urge to ask them if they like it, and (b) think twice about cooking for that person again. 

Courtesy of A Dinner Love Story. 

The home made gin kit. Otherwise known as the perfect gift for any of my friends. 

Reasons my son is crying. Incredibly un-PC perhaps but after a while also very funny!

World's most colourful cities. I want to visit them all.

  Júzcar, Spain (top) and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (bottom). Images courtesy of Travel and Leisure.

Five for Friday

Five life tips from a mother. Not tips about being a mother

20 bars and restaurants open in Brisbane over the Easter long weekend.

The world needs more love letters; a beautiful idea.

15 amazing words courtesy of the Swedish language.

The simple pleasures in  life: a Puppy pinwheel.

We all hope you have an enjoyable long weekend! Be sure to try a cocktail or two...

 

Because Easter is all about cute photos of rabbits and ducklings.

 

Alcoholic volcanos and layers of leis

A couple of weekends ago I threw a birthday party with two of my favourite people and fellow February-babies Caz and Kirst.

 Kirst in Gorman and me in Kitten d'Amour.

We’ve thrown joint birthday shindigs for a few years now. First at Alloneword, then at Limes and this year’s venue of choice: Alfred and Constance.  All three of us have had some good times there, so with the considerations of a Tiki bar, Queenslander decks, good food and a very helpful events coordinator, it was a pretty easy choice to make.

 

Bar drinks and decoration

 
Waking up on the day or your birthday party, if you’re looking forward to it, is a little like a second birthday. It felt like by special day all over again, but this time on a Saturday so I got to sleep in!

The party started early and our friends faithfully turned up right on the button to help us celebrate. There were beers, mojitos and bottles of wine to wash down platters of devils on horseback and bowls of thick salty chips.

Celebration time!

Over the night I got to catch up with so many old friends I now seem to see only at our annual bash. A triple birthday is one hell of an excuse to get people together. In amongst all the updates, we managed to down some Zombies (only one each), Jamaican Divorces and Kava Bowls.

 
Pina Coladas and Kava Bowls.

Cocktail appreciation time.

There were some great parts: everyone went nuts on the cocktails and the oddly 90s music. Being outdoors significantly lowered the temperature on what was one of Brisbane’s only clear Saturday nights this year. The bar staff were charming, the food as good as expected.

 

  

Downsides were that we had been lead to believe we’d have a small roped off area for a few hours which would then be opened up. But when we arrived, there was a rowdy blow-up doll-toting hen’s night in process on our little deck and they were not to be moved. Also, the place seemed to be much busier than any other time I’ve been to Alfred and Constance. Good for them, but it bums me out when I can’t reach a bar laden with pina coladas.

 

 

Nevertheless, a great time was had by all, and I would recommend Alfred and Constance for functions or for just a nice, relaxed evening out.  There’s something just so right about the combination of wooden deck, novelty cocktails  and fake turf carpet that really makes a night out. 

Thank you to all my wonderful friends who helped make my night!

 

The best of Brisbane?

At the end of this week, a British friend will be joining me in Brisbane for a couple of weeks, perhaps longer. As the local, I need to show of the best of this city. They've been to Brisbane before so I don't need to start at square one. I want to show the bars and restaurants that make it fun, the day trips that highlight a weekend, the cafes that jazz up your morning. 

All without breaking the bank - so 5-star restaurants are off the list. 

Some of places I'm thinking of showing off are:

Drinking

• Tipplers' Tap
• Scratch (already been and liked it)
• Canvas
• Green Beacon (depending on when it opens)
• Sixes and Sevens
• The R.E. - for sentimental University Days reasons.
• Lady Lammington
• SuperWhatnot
• Archive
• Black Star Coffee
• Saabi on Manson

Eats

• Kettle and Tin
• Bishamon
• Ole
• Harajuku Gyoza
• Pearl Cafe
• Soul Bistro

(why is this list so short? I must drink out and eat in all the time.)

Days out

• Mooloolaba
• Wynnum
• Maleny
• Gold Coast Hinterland

I need to flesh out my list. There are dozens of cafes, restaurants and bars opening in Brisbane that I haven't got around to visiting yet. This might be the time.

Any suggestions will be gratefully received!

Five for Friday no. 51

The Billionaire Shop. It exists.

An excellent reason to buy a cookbook. 

His house burnt down, and this is the comic he wrote about that.

Every so often, Ikea Hacker comes up with something you really, really want.  

11 new Brisbane bars to try. I've been to 3, a forth this weekend.

• Alfred and Constance - good food and oh-so-very hip Queensland.
• InCider Trading - my new favourite bottle shop, the bar is just a good bonus. 
• Tipplers Tap - get there asap. Great beer, cheap and tasty food. A good place to waste Hours!

Heading to Sixes and Sevens this Saturday and looking forward to it!

The upside of moving

You know who likes moving house? People who relish the opportunity to be Super Organised, that’s who. And those of us lucky to move into their newly bought / dream home. Those are the only people who like moving. For everyone else it would be a tough decision as to which is more unpleasant; moving or going to the dentist every morning for a week.

However, I have just discovered an upside to moving.

Having lived on the western side of my hometown Brisbane for my entire life, this week I moved to the northside. I have gone from knowing every street, the best delis and bottle shops and which supermarkets are open ‘til 10 to not even knowing where to find the nearest petrol station.

So – what is the benefit? I get to be an explorer! I get to find out all about this new part of the city that is apparently a bit hip and happening. I get to discover new favourite restaurants and cafes and bakeries. Once I have recovered from the pain of moving and can see my floor again, I get to discover! Hurrah!

If anyone has suggestions for northside dining locations or is keen to try some out with me, please let me know.

On my list so far:

• Simply Duo – French/Vietnamese fusion
• Dandelion and Driftwood
• Stockholm Syndrome
• Hosokawa
• Willow and Spoon
• Elixir Coffee
• Brewbakers
• The Junk Bar
• C Word Bagels and Coffee

Fellow explorers welcome!

The Pork Cork and Fork Festival

It was called the Pork, Cork and Fork festival. That was reason enough for me to go, and reason enough for a few of my friends to tag along with me. How could one resist such a title? Particularly when the words 'Tiki Bar' are thoughtfully broadcast across the publicity posters as well.

Over last Friday and Saturday 12/13 October, a restaurant bar called Alfred and Constance held a sort of warm-up pre-opening event; the Pork Cork and Fork festival. The restaurant is opening in late October, but they're warming up and educating their potential clientele with some tasters of what the joint will be like. The restaurant is being constructed in two old Queenslanders (on the corner of Alfred and Constance Streets in the Valley, go figure) and is promising to be a relaxed 'come with friends and stay a while' sort of place.

That was certainly the vibe of the 'Festival'. Held on a grass patch opposite the restaurant, next to a car park, it had a blissful  young-garden-party atmosphere with tents, benches, a Tiki bar and coloured lights. It was enchantingly kitsch and very laid back. People were just there to hang out and have a good time. Aside from a couple of drunken fools treating it like a dodgy beer garden, the atmosphere was convivial and low key. The drinks were tasty, the pork sandwiches cold but flavourful and the DJ played a great mix of mostly 80s tracks that had us gently swaying where we stood.

 The chef may be blurry but the pork is in focus.

Pork sandwich and jar formerly containing luscious passionfruit flavoured beverage. The desserts were all delicious too, but there are no photos of them because they got demolished too quickly. 

 
I did, as you see, take some photos. They aren't my best, I am quite prepared to admit, but I was there to enjoy an evening out with my friends. Plus, there seemed to be at least 4 pro-am photographers hanging around that evening, so if you wanted to see some good photos I am sure some will be popping up on newsletters coming to your inbox soon.

 

 I don't know how people got leis.

 

We appreciated the DJ, even if we didn't dance.

I really enjoyed the vibe of the evening, as did my fabulous friends. If Saturday night was anything to go by, I can't wait to give the proper Alfred and Constance a try when it opens. Good food, good drink and a nice place to chill out and spend some time sounds like my idea of a nice night out in the Valley.

Brisbane bars: The Retro Bar, Kenmore

Brisbane’s bar scene had undergone a metamorphosis over the last few years. Thanks to changes in  the liquor licencing laws and perhaps a slight a shift in the city’s personality, great small bars full of character are springing up left right and centre. Canvas, Scratch, SuperWhatnot and Archive spring to mind. If you haven’t been to any of those bars – go no, you’re missing out!

Now the next stage is to get the bars into the suburbs. I’ve heard of both The Junk Bar in Ashgrove and Stockholm Syndrome in Albion that I’m keen to go to. Any takers? But last night, a close friend and I headed out to Kenmore to try The Retro Bar.

Comfy seating and a bit of retro style in the heart of Kenmore.

Photo courtesy of The Retro Bar website.

The Retro Bar is a fully themed bar, with huge leather booths, beautiful retro loungers, eclectic 70s-ish décor and a playlist that included The Rolling Stones, The Who and ABBA.

Chatting to the owner, he told me that The Retro Bar has been open for a year, but I had no idea it existed until Monday. If I still lived in the area I would have been ridiculously excited to have a proper bar to go to rather than the Kenmore Tavern (don’t get me wrong, decent place, chips ok, but cocktail bar it is not).

The Retro Bar has a very extensive cocktail list and I came so close to ordering a martini or a mint slice. However, I was driving so I stuck to wine – a good drop of cabernet sauvignon for $10 a glass. There is only a bar menu on offer but the stuffed squid ($12) and quesadillas ($15) we shared were both very tasty and fresh.

Last night was quiet, just us and three other patrons. However, judging from the website, when they host special events the bar is packed! Movies nights twice a week, themed parties on special occasions. The Retro Bar is The place to be seen in Kenmore.

We can only hope that bars like The Retro Bar continue to pop up in Brisbane’s suburbs, so it will be longer be necessary to head to the CBD or the Valley for a night out. It bodes well for Brisbane as a new-world city to have a vibrant and sophisticated nightlife, even in the middle of suburban soccer fields and supermarkets. If I only have to drive 3 minutes down the road for a well-made fluffy duck, I am a happy and contented woman.