For a lot of punters, Bloodhound Bar was an oasis – a welcoming refuge slightly removed from the hectic energy of Fortitude Valley’s buzzing epicentre. When the long-running pint pourer closed late last year, locals were gutted, including Asa Simard.

“I loved the space – it was always a great spot for a beer,” Asa recalls. “I feel like everyone has a story [about Bloodhound]. Everyone that’s been here over the last 10 years has got something to say about it.”

When the craft-beer bar shuttered, Asa didn’t think he’d be the one stepping up to take over the storied corner site. But when the hospitality veteran – one of the brains behind Common Vice in New Farm – visited to potentially purchase and repurpose some of Bloodhound’s kitchen gear, the building’s owner presented him with an unexpected offer.

“He said ‘I really don’t want to sell you equipment – I’d rather just give you the lease’,” recalls Asa. “I couldn’t commit to it initially, but within two weeks of chatting to other people that I do business with, everyone was like, ‘Let’s do it’. It happened that quickly.”

The opportunity has allowed Asa to bring to life one of his most cherished ideas – one that would give the former Bloodhound space a new identity, but retain the warm appeal that made it a cherished watering hole for many.

“For years, I wanted to do a spot called Bonnie Doon – because I grew up on The Castle,” says Asa. “And in The Castle, Bonnie Doon was a little shed by the lake, but it was [the Kerrigan’s] form of paradise.

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“That’s sort of what we’re going for here. The way I pitched it to the guys was that it’s a humble Aussie paradise. It’s everything Australian – stuff that’s familiar, stuff that you’d have at a birthday party growing up, or stuff you’d have at a barbecue.”

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Bonnie Doon Public House opened in late June, with the crew unveiling a cosmetic makeover (including a new lick of canary yellow paint on the facade) that highlights the building’s history-laden bones. The goal was to conjure a homey aesthetic that not only matched the two-level venue’s heritage charm, but created a sense of comfort one would expect from a little piece of nostalgia-inducing heaven.

“Because it’s such an old building, it feels like an old family home, in a way,” explains Asa. “The place had been run down a little bit – it’s been around since the 1800s, so it’s got a lot of history to it.

“I think the place already has such good bones that you don’t want to mess with it too much. But giving each room its own personality was really important.”

Entering Bonnie Doon from Brunswick Street, guests will find themselves first in what Asa describes as the sunroom – a front bar ensconced in exposed brick, furnished with timber tables and curved-back chairs upholstered in green leather.

Follow the hallway past the kitchen and you’ll find the back deck, with kaleidoscopic hues filtering through newly installed stained-glass windows. Upstairs is the pool room – a versatile space that will eventually be used for vinyl nights, gigs and private events (there’ll even be a pool table, once the team figures out how to fit one in through the doors).

When it comes to the tucker, head chef Dylan Swepson has assembled a menu that Asa describes as a mix “between pub food and mum’s cooking.” The fare drips with Australiana-inspired charm, but stops just short of becoming excessive.

“It’s meant to offer a homey feeling. It’s a tough line to figure out where it becomes too kitschy, but nothing’s off the table either – the chef can have fun with it,” says Asa.

“You look at the menu and you don’t see anything you’re not familiar with. Maybe the way it’s presented might be a bit different – but you see fairy bread, you see cob loaf, you see rissoles and jaffles, you know what it is.”

The offering starts with appetite whetters including house-baked damper with Vegemite honey butter and deviled eggs with curry and mountain-pepper mayo, before segueing into snacks like mini dagwood dogs, fried croc-and-pork dimmies, and lamb and rosemary sausage rolls.

From there, the nosh expands to include bug rolls, jaffles with potato gems, braised-kangaroo meat pies, and bangers and mash, with desserts like fairy bread milk buns and a Tim Tam Slam tiramisu ending things on a sweet note. A streamlined version of the menu will be available until late, giving sustenance seekers an alternative to the pre-cab kebab.

The all-Australian theme extends to Bonnie Doon’s beverage program, which includes brews from independent craft-beer makers (including Brisbane brands Soapbox, Slipstream and Range Brewing) and natural wines from the likes of Ministry of Clouds, Koerner, Sigurd and Momento Mori.

“We’re pretty close with a lot of the breweries within this area, but we’ve got stuff on tap that’s from New South Wales, Victoria, the Byron Bay area – all around,” says Asa. “But the main thing is that it’s Australian. We don’t have any tap deals and we don’t lock in with anyone – we’re making sure that it always stays independent and those breweries get the support they need.”

Like the food menu, Bonnie Doon’s cocktail list is laced with Australian riffs. The Fashionably Figged is a rich and boozy number boasting rye whisky, fig liqueur and vanilla bitters, while the Whaddya Call That is a fruity Weis Bar-inspired sip blending white rum and coconut liqueur with mango puree, pineapple and macadamia ice-cream.

Keen to pop in and soak up the serenity? Head to The Directory for operating hours, menu details and other info.