Bar Miette
Andrew McConnell's hospitality empire has arrived in Brisbane with this Euro-leaning terrace cafe and wine bar.
Overview
When a culinary figure branches out to a new city, one of two things tend to happen. They might take a concept and a name that's worked for them elsewhere, then expand it to another location. Or, they could conjure up something that's completely fresh that they haven't done before. If Andrew McConnell and Jo McGann pondered which path to take in Brisbane, "why not do both?" must've been the answer. Ahead of well-established Melbourne favourite Supernormal opening in the Queensland capital, newcomer Bar Miette has arrived first.
An 86-seater terrace cafe and a wine bar all in one, catering to 16 at the curved bar and 70 on its terrace, this addition to Queen Street is perched between the Queen Street Mall and Howard Smith Wharves. A brand-new commodity, Bar Miette is a as-you-wish type of venue, whether you're keen on "coffee and breakfast, lunch (early or late), snacks and dinner, a cocktail or a glass of wine", McConnell explains.
Letting customers enter via the riverside boardwalk as well as Queen Street, the location itself is a drawcard, hence the hospitality figure making the most of it by operating not one but two venues. Folks stopping by can enjoy views of the Brisbane River and the Story Bridge, with Bar Miette taking them in from street level.
On the menu seven days a week, from a range of dishes designed to hero local produce, are breakfast options such as tahini and cinnamon toasted granola, house-made spelt crumpets, croque monsieurs, a crispy bacon bap with gentleman's relish, and house-cured and -smoked trout to start off the morning. To wash all of the above down with, you can sip coffees, teas, tisanes, juices and sodas.
Come lunch and dinner, anchovy gildas, raw Hervey Bay scallops, oysters and three types of caviar will start tempting your tastebuds. Or, dig into the marinated octopus with potato and aioli, wagyu bresaola, duck liver parfait, a mortadella stack on a milk bun, the charcuterie selection and crab mayonnaise on toast. And for dessert, créme caramel, affogatos, gelato and the cake of the day sit alongside four cheeses.
If it's a cocktail that you're after, they join the lineup from 10am, starting with a bloody mary and milano fizz. The full range includes a signature martini, margarita frappé and tropical old fashioned among the highlights, as well as a number of aperitif picks, non-boozy concoctions, and five pages of wines from around Europe and Australia.
Images: Josh Robenstone.
