Step inside Never Enough, Fortitude Valley’s new home for after-dark indulgence
From the team behind Crowbar, Never Enough is a new two-level bar and restaurant opening tonight in Fortitude Valley. Built around the idea of generosity – of food, drink and time – the venue blends late-night dining with an easy sense of indulgence. It’s a space built for long meals, loose rules and even longer nights. We got the first look inside – come and take a gander …
How much of a good thing is too much? You don’t have to ask Trad Nathan and Tyla Dombroski – their new venue, Never Enough, offers as concrete an answer as you can get.
For the couple, best known to some as the brains behind live-music institution Crowbar, the notion of funnelling their shared palate into a drinking and dining destination of their own design has long been a dream. Now, as head honchos of the newly minted Long Lunch Group, the duo is finally giving it a crack.
Their two-level bar and restaurant, opening tonight in the heritage-listed Apothecaries Hall on Ann Street in The Valley, is a tight distillation of their tastes. The concept draws on years of travel – the meals, the drinks and the moments around them.
“We’ve had a huge love for food and wine for years, and it’s always been a dream, but it was a matter of waiting for the right place and the right time,” says Tyla. “We loved to come here when it was The Apo back in the day, so getting the opportunity to bring the space back into its beauty … we couldn’t say no.”
“We spent so many years going to all these amazing restaurants and bars that we just picked up little bits of inspiration from,” adds Trad. “We thought, ‘Where could we find one place where all of our favourite things exist?’ Never Enough really just encompasses what we love.”
It’s one thing to dedicate a venue to all of the things you love. Bringing it all together in a way that makes sense for The Valley is another task entirely. Never Enough looks to fill a gap in the precinct’s late-night dining scene – an all-are-welcome haunt where you can settle in well past dinner hours, whether post-gig or mid-bar-hop.
“It’s designed for people to be able to use it how they want to, whenever they want to,” Tyla tells us. “Many restaurants are closing earlier – 10:00 pm or 11:00 pm if you’re lucky. It can be hard to get something – a good meal, a good steak or a late-night oyster.”
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Tyla has worked with Kit Bettison from Alida & Miller on Never Enough’s interior styling, which sees the team leaning into the pre-existing heritage elements of the space, adding tasteful aesthetic touches (think chic maroon tiling) that serve to enhance the raw beauty of the building itself.
“I looked at the brickwork and straight away I wanted to use existing colours from the building, because I think that makes the most sense,” says Tyla. “You put other layers and things in here that are jarring, and it’s not going to work. Palette-wise, a lot came from the existing brickwork and the timber.”
The result is effectively two venues in one. Downstairs is the main dining room and kitchen. Upstairs, a looser bar setting with two balconies and an eight-seat private-dining space.
Helming the kitchen is executive chef Trent Lymn, who joins following a heralded stint as head chef at The 203. At Never Enough, Trent is overseeing a menu focused on seasonality and dry-ageing, showcased across a range of small plates and mains.
“We were very blessed to have Trent come across from The 203 – we were on the same page from the get-go,” says Trad.
“We’ve eaten in so many different restaurants in so many different places and picked things that we like and talked to Trent about that,” Tyla adds. “And he listens to our thoughts, but we’ve given him full freedom to make it work in a culinary way.”
Downstairs, things start with snacks like oysters and gildas before rolling into a procession of small plates – Hiramasa kingfish, fried artichokes, tempura zucchini flowers, beef tartare and fried-chicken tenders with caviar and creme fraiche.
From there, larger plates land. We’re talking Moreton Bay bug casarecce, Murray cod with pil pil, a 21-day dry-aged cheeseburger and slow-cooked Margra lamb. The approach is deliberately flexible – no rules, no prescribed structure.
“Sometimes you go to a restaurant and you just order all of the starters,” Tyla tells us. “We wanted it to be accessible to people, to be able to come in and have a couple of small plates if that’s all they wanted or to come in and have a big meal that they’re sharing with friends. But it was always just about delicious, really good produce.”
Upstairs, guests will be able to select from a tighter menu of cold seafood dishes and charcuterie, but those after a steak will still be allowed to chow down upstairs, if that’s the vibe.
“While we’ll respect tradition, always, there’s no right or wrong answer when it comes to how you want to eat,” adds Trad. “If you want to have red wine with your oysters, we don’t give a shit. It’s about what you want.”
On the drinks front, general manager Mikey Pattison is overseeing a beverage program that encompasses a curated wine list, fortified wines, aperitifs, amaros and a selection of premium spirits. The offering is designed to complement the food and match the rhythm of the venue, with versatility once again the underlying theme.
“The wine list features Australian producers that we work with and are friends with, but then also some crazy bottles of burgundy that you won’t probably see in many places,” says Trad.
Though described as a food-forward venue, Trad and Tyla will leverage their connections in Brisbane’s creative scene to deliver a holistic experience at Never Enough – think vinyl tunes, exhibitions, creative residencies and industry gatherings. All of it speaks to a broader ethos – a rejection of rigid dining in favour of something looser, more personal. The lines between bar and restaurant blur and the experience is yours to shape.
Never Enough isn’t just a reflection of their tastes, but an extension of how they like to host – generous, flexible and a little indulgent.
“We’re growing up a bit, stepping into this world from Crowbar,” says Tyla. “But we want everyone to be able to come in and enjoy themselves. We want this to feel like a home away from home for our customers as it is for us and our staff.”
That instinct comes from years spent in crowded band rooms, where the pair built Crowbar into a venue defined by energy and connection – somewhere people arrived as they were and stayed longer than planned. That same spirit carries through here, albeit refined – mosh pits traded for martinis, but the openness intact.
“Crowbar is 14 years old, so for us, we’ve been through the muddy waters – this is us growing up with a view to relax,” says Trad.
“Why not have something that’s a bit elevated amongst the chaos?” adds Tyla.
Never Enough officially opens tonight, Friday April 10. Head to The Directory for more information.
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