Supernormal team announces surprise second Brisbane eatery

One of Australia’s top restaurateurs has revealed he’ll launch not just one but two venues in Brisbane this year, bringing joy to foodies’ ears.

Chef Jason Barratt and restaurateur Andrew McConnell will launch Supernormal and Bar Miette in Brisbane CBD.

Brisbane is set to welcome not just one but two restaurants this winter from one of the country’s most acclaimed hospitality figures, Andrew McConnell.

The restaurateur behind coveted Melbourne venues Gimlet, Cumulus Inc and Cutler & Co. has announced he will open a surprise casual, all-day European eatery called Bar Miette alongside his highly anticipated Queensland arm of Supernormal.

The two ventures will sit inside the new development at 443 Queen St in the CBD, with the 150-seat Supernormal sunken beneath the street fronting the Brisbane River, while the 80-seat Bar Miette will sit above with a terrace overlooking the water.

Andrew McConnell and Cbus Property’s CEO Adrian Pozzo.

Mr McConnell said gaining a second tenancy at the site was too good of an opportunity to pass up.

“What really struck me about this opportunity after spending a lot of time in Brisbane over the last few years and in this part of the city and on the river, having something that’s really relaxed and really casual and all-day where people can drop into at any time of the day was something that was missing,” he said.

The venue will operate from breakfast to dinner and everything in between, serving up the likes of, say, a bacon bap with gentleman’s relish in the morning, charcuterie or salad at lunch and then snacks and classic European fodder of an evening, complemented by a top-notch wine list.

Former Halcyon House chef Jason Barratt will lead the kitchen at both venues alongside McConnell and said it was a dream gig.

“For me, on a professional level, it’s the biggest job I’ve had to date so I’m excited to get in the kitchen and start cooking, but for Brisbane, it’s really exciting because there’s so many great restaurants and I can’t wait to be part of that,” he said.

Andrew McConnell at his Supernormal restaurant. Picture: Eugene Hyland

While Brisbane’s dining scene continues to evolve, cost-of-living pressures have hit eateries hard since Supernormal first announced it was opening in Brisbane almost two years ago.

Mr McConnell said the changed economic conditions were a major consideration of the new venues, with Bar Miette designed to be keenly priced.

“I don’t think it ever gets any easier or less stressful with the more experience you have because the climate changes so quickly,” he said.

“Only in the last 12 months you can see the economic burden for a lot of people.

“But I think our approach is to try to keep what we’re doing quite accessible and you can just come and have a snack and a glass of wine and have a great experience without having to commit to that whole dining experience of an entree, main and dessert and wine and before you know it you’re spending hundreds of dollars.”

Supernormal will also offer an accessibly priced menu, but don’t expect a carbon copy of the dishes you’ll find in Melbourne.

“I didn’t want to pick up a menu and just drop it in Brisbane because the climate and the produce is so different so we’ve taken it as an opportunity to evolve what we do and create a different direction,” McConnell said, insisting the DNA and flavour profiles will be the same but the dishes will be fresh and new.

Barratt revealed he would be working with many award-winning Queensland producers from Falls Farm in the Sunshine Coast to fisherman Chris Bolton in North Queensland, and Stradbroke Island oysters, as well as many fabulous growers from the NSW Northern Rivers area, which he worked with while at Halcyon House.

“We’re going to be using this produce not just because it’s local but because it’s really, really good,” Barratt said.

Both Supernormal and Bar Miette are aiming for a late June, early July opening.