Levee Food Co: Alex Britton, Jordan Luck to open Bar Urbane cocktail bar at Seaport Launceston
Two childhood friends, one of them a Tasmanian councillor, are taking one of the biggest plunges of their hospitality careers, putting the final touches on an “intimate, exclusive, moody” cocktail bar.
Food and Wine
Don't miss out on the headlines from Food and Wine. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Two childhood friends are taking one of the biggest plunges of their hospitality careers, putting the final touches on an “intimate, exclusive, moody” cocktail bar.
Jordan Luck and Alex Britton, the co-owners of Seaport Launceston restaurant Levee Food Co, are set to open Bar Urbane in late October, a 45-seat cocktail bar making use of an “empty concrete room” that lay dormant beside their venue for at least a decade.
Mr Luck said the pair, who grew up on the same street and attended the same high school, had been planning Bar Urbane since pre-Covid.
Their “intimate, exclusive, moody” bar will have a focus on “classic cocktails,” pour drops from an exclusively Tasmanian wine and whisky list, and serve a “100 per cent Tassie sourced menu” with a main focus on cheese and oysters.
Other dishes expected to feature include Robbins Island beef tartare, sashimi plates and octopus, while the fit-out of the venue itself is anchored by a large wall mural by local artist Josh Foley.
Mr Luck said that when conceiving their new bar, they wanted to “add something that didn’t already exist” to the Seaport precinct, which already features top venues Rupert & Hound and Mudbar.
Mr Britton, who was elected a City of Launceston councillor at last year’s local government elections, agreed.
“It’s better for Seaport as a whole. Levee Food Co attracts a very broad market. We wanted to bring something very niche, rather than just exist in it,” he said.
The pair has owned Levee Food Co for approximately eight years. The Luck family has a stellar hospitality pedigree, with Kerry, Mr Luck’s father, the former owner of Levee before he passed the baton to his son.
He also owned Wellington Street’s Jailhouse Grill for two and a half decades.
Mr Luck’s mum, meanwhile, was a former owner of Swansea’s Saltshaker Restaurant.
Mr Britton was a former employee of Levee before taking up the mantle of ownership alongside his best friend.
He expressed optimism for Launceston’s burgeoning hospitality industry.
“It’s bustling, on the up,” Mr Britton said.
“Tassie is so well-known for its produce. We feel positive.”
Wharf eatery is perfect spot to lap up some Greek Isle vibes
After a balmy night at this Hobart eatery transported me to Greece – I was thrilled to hear that when new chef Paul Foreman originally worked here it was a Greek restaurant, says Alix Davis.
NoHo’s newest eatery will help you spice up your life
This latest addition to the North Hobart restaurant scene, a sibling to Sawak in the CBD, offers diners a taste of the magical fusion of flavours known as ‘Nyonya’ cuisine, writes Alix Davis