Recruitment under way for new Mitchell Street venue

Recruitment for a head chef is underway at a new Mitchell Street bar. Read what it is.

Proposed renovations at the old Ducks Nuts site in Mitchell Street Darwin

With the old Ducks Nuts bar under renovation and set for change, a new bird is preparing for touchdown on Darwin’s Mitchell Street.

Recruitment has begun for the head-chef job at The Loose Goose Bar, currently under construction in the Darwin Transit Centre.

The NT Liquor Commission issued a small bar license for the Venturin-led project in August, and recruitment is expected to begin soon in time for a late April opening.

Nominee Rhys Venturin said work at the site began in earnest on Monday after poor weather over the past week had delayed construction.

Work is underway at the site of the proposed Loose Goose.

“We’ve begun the hunt for a head chef at the moment,” Mr Venturin said.

“We’re still a couple of months from opening and we’ve already had close to 30 odd applications come in.

“In coming weeks we’ll set up a few interviews and we’re getting resumes from people locally and interstate and we’ll hopefully find a head chef that’s a mutual fit.”

The new bar will be built in the transit centre where the old bakery and cafe was.

As well as a small internal bar there will be a semi-enclosed al fresco area that will be separated from the rear laneway with perforated laser cut screens.

Mr Venturin said The Loose Goose would be licensed until midnight, but his vision was to incorporate a breakfast bar with a 7am opening before the liquor license activates at 10am.

Work is underway at the cinema and old Ducks Nuts site.

“We’re looking to recruit about 100 people to work over the various shifts and as opening gets closer we’ll look to get baristas, breakfast chefs but we figured we’d get the most important position out of the way, and lock in the head chef.

“It took eight months to get the liquor license and you wonder if it will ever happen, but we’re pretty excited as work begins. We’ve been talking about doing it for a while and now it’s happening.”

The liquor license application described the proposed bar as “small, intimate and hidden gem in Darwin City offering a relaxing atmosphere in a central location”.

There were no objections to the liquor license.

The Mitchell Street hospitality strip is currently a construction site, with renovations under way at Monsoons and Wisdoms as well as the extensive renovations at the old Ducks Nuts and old Darwin Cinema complex.

The cinema upgrade is expected to be completed over a number of years in up to four stages, with part of the new precinct hoped to be open later this year.