Brisbane brewery transforms Manly Wharf Bar, reveals dishes from former Rockpool chef
Former Rockpool chef Corey Costelloe’s dishes include a 600g dry-aged rib-eye, Clarence River baby octopus and whole butterflied whiting from Coffs Harbour, plus pizza dough with a surprise ingredient.
A craft brewery-restaurant named after a group of escaped convicts will open at Manly Wharf on Friday, October 18, as part of a revitalisation of the precinct from the wharf’s new Brisbane-based owners.
The Artemus Group splashed $110 million earlier this year on the wharf and publican Ben May’s Manly Wharf Bar. The group will transform it into Felons, a Manly offshoot of Brisbane’s Felons Brewing Co.
Felons is named after a group of four convicts who fled Sydney Cove in a small boat and washed up on Moreton Island, before crossing the Brisbane River. “We feel we’ve retraced their footsteps back to Sydney,” says Adam Flaskas, co-founder of the Artemus Group.
Flaskas says Felons is family-friendly, with music and yoga sessions, and that its Brisbane venue is as popular with women as men. Artemus took over Brisbane’s Howard Street Wharves 11 years ago, recrafting it as a serious food destination, with a combination of its own venues and others including Greca restaurant, which is owned by Jonathan Barthelmess, the chef and co-owner at Apollo in Potts Point.
Former Rockpool chef Corey Costelloe has designed the opening menu at Felons Manly. Dishes will include a 600g CopperTree Farms 45-day dry-aged rib-eye, Clarence River baby octopus with lemon, chilli and oregano and whole butterflied whiting from Coffs Harbour. Pizza dough is fermented with a splash of Felons Australian Pale Ale, too.
Felons beers will include a Crisp Lager, Galaxy Haze and Australian Pale Ale alongside barrel-aged beer, plus limited-edition brews including a Japanese Rice Lager specifically brewed for Manly.
Flaskas relocated to Manly to get a feel for the local market before making any changes at the wharf. His business partner, Paul Henry, is Sydney-raised. “It’s important to immerse yourself in the community,” Flaskas says.
Will Artemus make other changes at the wharf? “We’re working on a longer-term master plan,” Flaskas says. “The [wharf itself] needs a little passionate love put into it ... and we’ve got lots of experience in that area.”
Scott Bolles writes the weekly Short Black column in Good Food.