Bar Cooper’s, Snug’s fire-fuelled sibling, is elevating bistro classics in Coorparoo
Schnitzels, sirloins and cheeseburgers touched by fire are at the heart of Bar Cooper’s – the latest venture from the team behind Snug. Officially opening tonight, the brand-new woodfired bistro marks a stylistic shift for Leaham Claydon and Jianne Jeoung, who first made their mark with Korean-leaning flavours. This time, restraint and classic technique take centre stage.
Leaham Claydon and Jianne Jeoung just wanted to open a wine bar.
After stepping away from the high-energy restaurant kitchens in which they cut their teeth, the duo wanted something a bit more low-key – somewhere they could operate on their own, outside the framework of a hospitality group. In doing so, they’ve ended up creating a mini empire of their own.
“I think we’d been sold on the wine bar side of things – keeping it small, just the two of us,” says Leaham. “But as we all know, it grew out of hand.”
It started with Snug, the Korean-inspired haunt, which opened in 2024. Originally intended to be Leaham and Jianne’s wine bar, a delay in liquor licensing forced the duo to open Snug as a cafe first, serving ST ALi coffee, egg drop sandwiches and prawn omurice. The cafe was, and continues to be, a smash hit, buoying the business until it could extend its hours into the nighttime that October.
Last year, to everyone’s surprise, Leaham and Jianne announced an expansion. The crew took over the neighbouring site (previously home to California Native), subdivided it and turned it into not one, but two new venues. Jane’s Deli, which opened before Christmas last year, saw the duo apply their talents to sandwiches, smoothies and smallgoods. This week, the team unveils its third venue – Bar Cooper’s, a bistro that sees Leaham and Jianne tackling modern Australian fare in a casual, community-forward setting.
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An ode to simple pleasures, Bar Cooper’s draws inspiration from Australia’s new wave of elevated pub fare, pitched as an approachable neighbourhood eatery offering familiar fare locals can enjoy on a whim.
“I think we’re attracting the right crowd that we want to Snug, but sometimes people just stumble upon it,” admits Leaham. “They’ve heard about it, but they might not know fully what we’re doing. I think it is a bit more challenging for some people, with some of the heavier Korean flavours.
“You can see some people want a bit more of a casual time – something a bit more classic.”
Sharing a wall with Snug, Bar Cooper’s continues Snug’s timber-heavy aesthetic theme, with 45 seats spread across an intimate interior space (banquettes and counter seating) and a breezy rear courtyard. Much of the activity pivots around an L-shaped counter, which serves as a prep area, kitchen pass and cocktail station, but the venue’s true anchor point is the pre-existing woodfire oven, which Leaham tells us provided the initial spark of inspiration behind the team’s bistro play.
“The oven lent itself to a bistro,” explains Leaham. “We didn’t want to do pizza because Ash [Kent at Ramona Trattoria on Leicester Street] already does a really fantastic job at that.”
Having made his bones at venues like Yoko, Leaham is using the Bar Cooper’s project to reacquaint himself with European-style cooking techniques, resulting in timeless fare he describes as confidently pared back, but rich in comfort and flavour.
Subscribe for updates“I’ve only cooked with Asian backgrounds,” says Leaham with a chuckle. “I’m really holding back from using Asian ingredients – Asian sauces can be 40 ingredients long, and they’re all powerhouse flavours. It’s been a practice in restraint, but I’m really excited to make the gravies and jus that I was trained to make 14 years ago.”
Bar Cooper’s menu features the likes of cold-poached king prawns with tomato-caper mayonnaise, garlic-butter pipis with kombu and fermented chilli, chicken schnitzels with brown butter, anchovy and fried egg, dry-aged wagyu cheeseburgers, and Angus sirloins with mushroom gravy.
The oven handles a lot of prep – cooking everything from flatbreads (topped with green butter, garlic and parmesan) to wood-roasted fish with jalapenos and coriander – while the grill is where much of the menu is finished. Leaham estimates 80 percent of Bar Cooper’s fare is touched by fire.
It’s the kind of gear that you could envision eating once or twice a week, and while there’s some culinary pedigree in the engine room, Bar Cooper’s is designed to cater to both informal weeknight visits and more intimate weekend date nights.
“I think what we want is for that courtyard to be that watering hole, where you can crack into the schnitzel or the cheeseburger and pump a few tins of XXXX,” says Leaham. “Inside, I don’t want to say it’s fancy, but you can have a proper dinner if you want to.”
As for drinks, venue manager Samantha Pritchard has devised an eight-strong cocktail list that leans classic, but also features some fun seasonal specialties. There’s a handful of beers to choose from, as well as a sturdy wine list weighing in at approximately 50 bottles sourced from domestic and international producers.
“The wine list is currently looking a little more like a 50-50 split,” says Leaham. “Everyone’s releases are kind of coming out now and over the next couple of months, so the Euro side is going to grow a lot.”
Though Leaham and Jianne didn’t plan on running three distinct venues, the duo credits community support for instilling the confidence to extend themselves.
“It’s a very curious neighbourhood,” says Leaham of the suburb. “I’d always loved to [open a restaurant], it’s just quite an intimidating thing – especially if you haven’t got investment behind you. I think that [Snug’s success] gave us the confidence to be able to do this.”
While the growth may have been accidental, the intention is clear – growth, when anchored in neighbourhood trust, doesn’t have to come at the expense of identity.
Bar Cooper’s officially opens to the public tonight, Thursday February 26. Head to The Directory for booking details and other important info.
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