Melbourne's New Four-Level Hawker-Style Barbecue Bar and Karaoke Joint Is Opening in May
The latest venture from the Fancy Hanks team will boast a rooftop beer garden, Asian-style eats and private karaoke rooms.
Barbecue and smoked meat experts Fancy Hanks are at it again — after their highly successful pop-up, Majestic Hawker, where food was cooked over an open flame, they've decided to bring their stoveless concept back to Bourke Street.
The Fancy Hanks team (Kent Bell, Mike Patrick, Daragh Kan and Myles Munro) have named this huge new Chinatown establishment Heroes. Opening in late May, it's inspired by their travels around the Malay Peninsula, as well as their experiences dining in Singaporean and Malaysian eating houses and beer gardens.
The hawker-style food includes wings, skewers and barbecued meats, complete with a special Szechuan brisket that'll be smoked up the road at Fancy Hanks. Given that it's a barbecue bar, everything edible will come off the charcoal grill, accompanied by sides of steamed rice and pickles. Alicia Cheong, who grew up in the region's Singaporean and Malaysian food culture, will take on the role of chef and food advisor at the new venue — a throwback to her previous stints with Fancy Hanks and Majestic Hawker.
Between devouring Cheong's dishes, you'll be able to sit back with a drink in the brightly coloured, rooftop beer garden, which will boast views over Chinatown. Beverages will span six rotating taps of craft and international beer, including Asahi; a wine list paired with the Asian barbecue flavours; and cocktails such as Heroes' version of a Singapore Sling and Chai Masala, as curated by Oscar Eastman of Loretta's and Eau de Vie.
Plus, the venue will also fill its first two floors with private dining rooms and karaoke rooms, perfect for group hangouts. Yep, it looks like you'll be able to enjoy your entire night out here without leaving the building.
Meanwhile, the decor mirrors the high-energy design the crew fell in love with on their travels — very '80s, a little Blade Runner-esque, and old world-meets-new world, too. In fact, Munro, Bell and Cheong picked up many of the bar's interior elements in Kuala Lumpur, rummaging "through dodgy junkyards, thieves' markets, pawn brokers, basement vintage flea markets — all the way to an old lady's backyard toilet," says Bell.
Find Heroes at 188 Bourke Street, Melbourne from late May. Keep an eye on the venue's website and Facebook page for further details.
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