Black Bird Bar & Grill opens in Brisbane City
When your setting is the glittering Story Bridge and a 1920s-inspired fit-out, the only suitable accompaniment is a Prohibition-era cocktail and a sumptuous seafood feast.
The family of restaurateurs behind South Bank’s 5th Element Bar and Dining, Hamilton’s Byblos and Eagle Street neighbour Baba Ganouj have pulled back the curtains to their latest riverside venture, Black Bird Bar & Grill. Opening last week amidst a flurry of DJs and liquor, the new venue inhabits the former Queensland Rugby Club and comprises one restaurant and two bars across 1,000 sqm. Cast a wandering eye over the vintage crystal scotch-decanter chandelier and the striking rug that made a cameo in the 2013 film The Great Gatsby, settle into a booth and face the tough decisions when perusing the drinks list. Split into Bootleggers, The Roaring 20s and Escaping This Dry Land, the cocktail menu will treat tipplers to medicinal tincture bottles filled with alcohol, Moonshine infused with vanilla, and champagne served in coupettes. A light bar menu offers dishes like crispy pork kromeskies with citrus and herb mayonnaise, shellfish platters and Moreton Bay Bug club sandwiches stuffed with bisque aioli, gem lettuce and jamon bacon.
If the appetite is calling for a more substantial feast, executive chef Jake Nicolson (formerly of elBulli in Spain and The Ledbury in London) and head chef Anthony Donaldson will provide. Moonlight Flat oysters hit your plate just six hours after being pulled from the water at Batemans Bay, while waygu sirloin and black angus scotch fillets strike the Argentinian-designed Infierno 96 wood grill in a spot of restaurant theatre.
Black Bird Bar & Grill
Riverside Centre, 123 Eagle Street, Brisbane City
Ph: 07 3229 1200
Open: Restaurant Monday to Saturday 11:30 am to late, Bar Monday to Sunday 11:30 am to late
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