Hot new Brisbane bar and restaurant an architectural marvel
Entering this new eatery inside two adjoining WWII hangars feels like stepping inside an industrial rib cage, with arched stainless steel rafters forming the bones of two dark and moody tunnels. The food is pretty good too.
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An upbeat Maroon 5 song pumps through the speakers as a full-house of diners in their Friday evening finery sip cocktails and glasses of champagne under a cavernous cambered roof.
Welcome to Stratton Bar & Kitchen and what is arguably Newstead’s hottest new addition. Slotting in alongside popular live music venue The Triffid, Stratton is somewhat of an architectural marvel.
Taking over adjoining World War II hangars known as Quonset huts, which once housed war supplies and ammunition, the commodious venue feels like stepping inside an industrial rib cage, with arched stainless steel rafters forming the bones of two parallel dark and moody tunnels. One houses the restaurant, an approximate 150-seater with a sea green banquette running along one edge opposite a glamorous backlit bar with a scatter of bar tables and stools in one corner and an impressive 8m x 1.4m communal table stretching down the centre. The other bowed burrow boasts a relaxed bar and seating area and separate function space for up to 150. With a fit-out this unique, the ambience creates itself. Add in a few hundred guests and you’re in a venue that pulses with energy and electricity.
Enhancing that energy is the drinks list with boutique spirits, wines from across the world in 150ml or 250ml pours or by the bottle, local and imported beers, and pages of cocktails grouped by style from “fruity and punchy” to “oaked and smoked”. The signature Stratton sour combines gin, Aperol, prosecco, lemon and orange and awakens the palate for the quirky, fusion-style food offering, blending influences from Asia and Italy across a range of dishes designed to share.
Owners Ben and Tarryn Brown have witnessed the cuisine crossover approach work at their popular nearby eatery Mrs Brown’s Bar & Kitchen, and are taking the same tack here with charcuterie and cheese boards leading to a collection of small plates with dietaries kept in mind like spice salted squid with yuzu and garlic aioli, and spring rolls with various fillings including beef rendang and duck. Then there are large plates such as beef short ribs in black bean sauce, tofu and sweet potato massaman curry, noodles, and pizza with conventional and unconventional toppings. Exemplifying the love for the out-of-the-ordinary are the cheeseburger dumplings ($13). The East-West conflation has the potential to be a disaster, but this version is surprisingly good. The beef-filled morsels are like Italian tortellini with a meat centre enveloped by al dente pasta with the cheese element a lush, fondue-like sauce.
Just as good is the Korean pork pull-apart milk bun ($11 each). Inspired by Chinese-style pork buns popular at yum cha, this version features a soft sesame seed-laced dough enclosing a gochujang-spiced mince and kimchi mix, with a bowl of kaffir lime-spiked butter sauce ready to be dipped into.
Pushing the fusion element a little harder is the cacio e pepe udon noodle dish ($22). Based on the traditional Italian pasta combining cheese and pepper, spaghetti has been substituted for Japanese udon noodles, with a little miso, chilli oil and furikake added to the usual ingredient duo. Our noodles have spent about a minute too long in the water, rendering them more soft and slippery than al dente, but the unconventional flavour combination is an unexpected winner.
Less successful in the collection of kooky fare is the “broc and beets” pizza ($23), with a drizzle of far too sweet fermented honey turning the vegetarian number into almost a dessert or cheese platter. There are more classic options though, such as a prosciutto, rocket and parmesan version and a straight-up margherita.
Stratton Bar & Kitchen is a boldly designed venue with an even bolder menu, and with a terrific vibe, great drinks and friendly service, fortune is certainly favouring the bold here.
STRATTON BAR & KITCHEN
3-5 Stratton St, Newstead
3187 4578
Open Wed-Sun 11am-late
Verdict – Scores out of 5
Food 3.5
Service 3.5
Ambience 4.5
Value 4
Overall 3.5
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