‘Cheap wine, huge portions’: Renovated James St favourite reopens

For more than 20 years, Cru Bar has been a Brisbane go-to. But after an extensive makeover and expansion, how does the new-look venue stack up? Our reviewer delivers the verdict.

The bar and dining room at the new-look Cru Bar in Fortitude Valley.

Cheap wine? Huge portions? Am I actually in James Street?

Well, why yes I am. I’m at Cru Bar – for more than 20 years one of the leading lights in the red-hot Fortitude Valley retail and restaurant precinct, now back open after months of being shuttered for a serious makeover.

The venue’s magnificent original 18th-century French Baccarat crystal chandelier has been spruced up and is back dangling over the central marble bar.

New booths at Cru Bar in Fortitude Valley.

Walls have been removed to open through to the excellent bottleshop, there are brass fittings and herringbone brick floors, buttery soft caramel banquettes, a line of new green velvet booths and more open-window dining.

The terrace maintains its spacious feel, along with a new plant-backed lounge area and pulled-back, double-height curtains.

A tasting room has also been added and a corner of the bar now showcases fresh oysters and seafood.

Cru feels a little more restaurant than a bar these days with the interior refresh adding kitchen capability that allows for a larger, more complex menu to go with the venue’s extraordinary drinks list, which has been refined and expanded further to include more regions, even after winning various awards including the 2022 Australia wine list of the year.

The private dining room at Cru Bar in Fortitude Valley.

A sommelier pops by and says he’s on hand as our “liquid support person”.

And he is, he’s very helpful, knowledgeable and unpretentious and he’s got a massive cellar to work with, more than 2000 bottles and 35 by-the-glass offerings backed by an even longer Coravin list.

Pricing seems reasonable, with bottles from about $60 through to an outstanding choice at the top end.

It’s unusual these days to see a glass of sparkling for $11 and four wines for $14 on a list, let alone in this area.

A large choice of beers, spirits and cocktails is also at hand.

A duck salad at Cru Bar.

Oysters and Oscietra black caviar kick off the snacks, which also include the likes of duck liver pate with brioche, a tuna tartlet or sourdough crostini topped with marinated sardines, beef tartare or our choice of Moreton Bay bug, ($22).

The crostini presents as four crunchy, fairly skinny, canoe-shaped pieces of bread topped with a generous amount of seafood chunks, with a little marie rose sauce and a fine shred of iceberg lettuce thrown in for good measure, and they’re a delight.

Oysters at Cru Bar, Fortitude Valley.

Even better though are sausage-shaped pork rillettes croquettes ($26) topped with a line of sand crab gribiche and chives, from the 10-strong share/entree list, which also runs to smoked duck salad, fried artichokes with ricotta and lemon and Mooloolaba prawns in lobster bisque.

Main courses include seafood pasta, roasted onion risotto with parsley cream and two steaks.

The steak frites ($56) comprises a well-cooked grain-fed sirloin MB4, with a pot of bearnaise sauce and crunchy chips, and the braised lamb shoulder rack ($54) with carrot and smoked chevre is two huge dukka-enhanced chops, the tender meat needing little encouragement to fall off the bone.

It’s the sort of hearty portion the bloke at the bar in a 10-gallon hat (Ekka visitor maybe?) might be keen to tuck into after a hard day’s mustering.

Crostini, a tuna tartlet and chips at Cru Bar.

We’d also ordered fried brussels sprouts ($16), which as it turns out we absolutely don’t need, but they are as good a version of the vegetable as I have had anywhere, charry, doused in vincotto and lolling on a bed of sour cream.

Dessert is simply petit fours, rosemary and milk chocolate creme brulee or strawberry shortbread ($17), which is a pleasing mix of fresh crumbs, macerated strawberries, creme fraiche, condensed milk ice cream and meringue shards. Five cheeses are on offer too.

Cru feels surprising, a new twist on a not-so-old tale that’s ready to settle in as a reliable,
go-to destination all over again.

Fried fish and peas at Cru Bar.

Cru Bar and Cellar

1/22 James St, Fortitude Valley

crubar.com

Open

Kitchen open 11.30am-10.30pm

Must try

Pork rillettes croquettes

Verdict - Scores out of 5

Food 4

Ambience 4.5

Service 4

Value 3.5

Overall 4