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| Executive Chef Richard Ousby, Bar Manager Becki Parker, and Operations Manager Peter McMahon |
Brisbane’s beautiful Stoke Bar, beside iconic Stokehouse restaurant and looking out across the river to the city, has closed – but only briefly. It will be back, bigger and better than ever, from September 3, 2018 with a new look and a new name – Q.
A multi-million-dollar transformation will be taking place – Q will be larger than its predecessor, taking more advantage of the river’s edge and with increased seating, booths, intimate spaces, and a private lounge. Q will also extend the boardwalk experience with wrap-around lounge seating in a canvas of their new colours – grey, blue, pastel green, and orange – and will feature a mix of DJs every Friday and Sunday, with live music sessions once a month.
Executive Chef Richard Ousby has developed a new menu “more aligned to a party atmosphere” including plenty of relaxed Hand food and some more traditional dining items, or Fork food. The menu ranges from oysters and assorted cheeses to a mozzarella and Bolognese jaffle (oh, yes), buttermilk fried chicken bites, and minute steak with grilled lemon and chimmi churi. Something for every occasion, whether relaxed afternoon drinks or a quick dinner.
I had the opportunity to sample a few of the cocktails from the new menu, and they were something very different in the best way. The Goodwill Rising – a nod to the bar’s bridge neighbour – is made with tequila, fig jam, ginger, pineapple shrub, vanilla syrup, lemon juice, and a lemon and vanilla sugar crisp. The crunch of the sugar crisp is very satisfying, and the tartness of the pineapple balances perfectly with the bite of the tequila. Dangerously drinkable!
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| The Goodwill Rising cocktail |
The Diamantina – a tribute to the wife of the first Governor of Queensland, Lady Diamantina Bowen – also has a crisp but unusual finish, made with sherry, vodka, thyme, lemon oil, cucumber, and soda water. It is served with nori and citrus caviar (not caviar with lime, but actually ‘caviar’ made from lime – I asked so you don’t have to, fellow vegetarians!) which is, in itself, an unusual combination. Between the dryness of the sherry, like the aftertaste of sake, and the crunch of nori and lime, the cocktail felt quite Japanese to me. Delicious, and very fresh!
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| Bar Manager Becki Parker with the Diamantina, which will be available on the new Q cocktail menu |
Between an inventive menu, creative cocktails, and the gorgeous river and city views that made Stoke Bar a favourite, Q will no doubt quickly carve a niche in the Brisbane bar scene when it opens next month. See you there!
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