Dolly and Oats is the first tapas and cocktail bar in Gympie

Country hospitality meets rockabilly western and the elegance of a Manhattan cocktail bar in the heart of the gorgeous town that saved Queensland.

Christine Schindler

2 min read

January 21, 2023 - 5:00AM

Kikki Watt and Mick Nicholls, owners of Dolly and Oats.

Gympie

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Kikki Watt and Mick Nicholls are the proud owners of Dolly and Oats, the first cocktail and tapas bar to come to Mary Street in Gympie.

Dolly and Oats’ dining room is a deep blue, yellow and green with gold trim lounge that boasts of treasures found, sourced and bought from Gympie and surrounds.

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Plush couches, timber floors, gold trimmed peacock feathers and old photos and paintings adorn the walls. Dolly and Oats is where country hospitality meets rockabilly western garnished with the elegance found in a Manhattan cocktail bar.

“Gympie needed something like this, because there was nowhere to go, other than pubs and clubs for the mature clientele, where they could go and get an experience,” Ms Watt said.

A mojito served at Dolly and Oats, the first tapas and cocktail bar in Gympie.

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To Ms Watt, “mature” does not mean a certain age, but someone who is looking for a more relaxed atmosphere where you can enjoy the warmth and hospitality, and easily strike up a conversation with the person on the couch beside you.

Gympie has only a few dining options, and Dolly and Oats hopes to bring more people back into the historic centre of the city, which has lost much of its foot traffic to shopping centres and online shopping.

The region’s local history, produce, buildings and character is something both Mr Nicholls and Ms Watt are fiercely proud of.

They’ve brought all of that into this unique space: pre-loved cups and plates, antique chairs and vintage lounges bought second-hand from local stores.

Plush couches and low coffee tables are a key feature of the dining room at Dolly and Oats.

Ms Watt’s son, Zac, is the head chef, and his menu boasts an array of tapas, from Asian inspired pork bao (buns) to the traditional Mediterranean platters of olives, cheeses and cold meats.

The ingredients for these, like the furniture and decorations, are all sourced locally.

“We’re in a small town, so many businesses are trying to keep themselves afloat; it’s good for us to support them,” Ms Watt said.

“We know it’s fresh too, and good quality.”

Mojitos and and espresso martinis have been the most popular cocktails so far, with another of Ms Watt’s sons, Jake, behind the bar refining the cocktails to the local taste.

“He’s Brian Flanagan,” she said, referring to Tom Cruise’s character in the 1988 film Cocktail.

Cocktail connoisseur Jake Thomas works the bar and has been nicknamed Brian Flanagan, after Tom Cruise's role in the 1988 film Cocktail.

In terms of price, tapas start at $13 and climbs to around $28 and the portions are snack and appetiser, “tapas” sized.

Ms Watt moved to Gympie 17 years ago and was previously a beauty therapist.

She met Mr Nicholls, then a Gympie cab driver and also a Gympie local, on a night out with her girlfriends. After grabbing his beard and asking him a provocative question, she left in a huff and told him, “I’m never going to get in your cab again”.

Mr Nicholls said they had an “instant connection,” and when he found out she was in hospital a few months later, sent her flowers on Valentine’s Day.

After a date and a picnic in the park, it was game on.

“It is so cliche, I never loved someone like this,” Ms Watt said.

“When this place came up for sale I just said to Mick, ‘let‘s do that’. But we’re going to change it to have our flair.”