Meet Bar Lou Lou: Fortitude Valley’s warm new wine bar with a secondhand twist
Brisbane’s newest wine bar is bringing a little something different to Fortitude Valley. Bar Lou Lou on Barry Parade is pairing natural wine, Asian-inspired eats and secondhand finds with a cosy, lived-in atmosphere. Come for a drink, stay for dinner and browse the rails while you’re at it.
If you could change careers, what would your dream occupation be? Wildlife documentarian? Travel writer? Neurosurgeon?
Louise Marks has thought about this question before. She even had an answer ready, if you were to ask.
“Someone asked me a few years ago if you could do anything in the world, what would it be?” Louise recalls. “And I was like, ‘Oh, it would be to have a wine bar.’”
For most of us, dream jobs remain just that – a dream. Not for Louise, though. Last night, she quietly cut the ribbon on Bar Lou Lou, her own wine bar nestled on the outskirts of Fortitude Valley. The moment marked the culmination of a period of intense change, with Louise having recently exchanged an established career in media for one behind a bar.
“I just got so sick of corporate life,” reveals Louise. “I was very passionate about media, but I lost the love for it.”
Aside from a few stints in hospo in the past, Louise was a relative novice when it came to the ins and outs of the industry. In order to learn the ropes, she cut her teeth at hallowed Teneriffe hot spot Zero Fox, gleaning knowledge from the venue’s experienced operators Léa Angeles and Shaun Fugill.
“I’d never poured a beer in my life,” says Louise, with a chuckle. “I told them that I desperately wanted to open my own place at some stage, so I wanted to learn from them as much as possible.”
And learn she did, earning a WSET accreditation along the way. After a while, Shaun told Louise about a vacant space that she might be interested in. The site in particular was the former home of Barry Parade Public House – a striking cocktail bar perched on the edge of The Valley’s nightlife precinct.
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“I couldn’t sleep for three nights – I was just thinking about this space,” says Louise. “It was way bigger than I anticipated. I thought I would run more of a hole-in-the-wall wine shop by myself. I felt a bit out of my depth, but I really wanted to do this.”
Over the ensuing months, Louise poured every ounce of herself into the bar with the aim of transforming it into the kind of haunt she always envisioned opening.
The process started with a quick makeover of the interior. With a pristine fit-out already in place, Louise was free to focus on cosmetics rather than a build. The sturdy hardwood bar and timber panelling have been retained, alongside the terrazzo flooring and orb-shaped pendant lights.
“The timber is just so beautiful – the bones of it were all here, which was so good,” says Louise. “I’m immensely grateful to them.”
Barry Parade’s forest green scheme has been swapped for a splash of warm burgundy, while the banquette has been reupholstered. As for the furnishings, Bar Lou Lou merges Louise’s passion for wine with her love of upcycling and restoring pre-loved furniture.
“I always wanted to try and find a way to try and combine those two things,” says Louise. “This is the perfect place to bring it to life and even expand on that further as well. Though not everything has necessarily been upcycled or restored, it’s all second hand.”
An eclectic collection of tables, couches, chairs, stools and cushions now fill the interior space and the rear deck area, with Louise also sourcing a trove of mismatched tableware to give the bar a homely, lived-in feel.
“It’s basically the same as my home,” says Louise. “I’m basing it on that sort of aesthetic and appeal – I want this to be really warm and comfortable.”
A room out the back has been converted into a miniature op-shop, with a curated edit of pre-loved garments available to look through with a glass in hand.
“I think a lot of people don’t like op shopping or thrift shopping because you have to really wade through a lot of things,” says Louise. “I love the idea that they can come and have a glass of wine, go shopping, then have some food and hang out.”
Speaking of wine, Bar Lou Lou’s list is concise to start, with a 12-strong list of Australian wines available by the glass and bottle. For the initial period, Louise has drawn from her own tastes and observations, with an eye to expanding the range gradually over time.
“It’s basically all of my favorite things and all of my friends’ favorite things,” says Louise. “I already knew exactly which ones I wanted – working at Zero Fox, I learned a lot about what people ask for the most as well.”
Guests will be able to sip on chenin blanc from Sigurd in the Barossa, a cab sauv from Smallfry, a GSM from Adlib, chardonnay from the Hunter Valley’s M & J Becker Wines, and a skinsy number from Momento Mori in Gippsland. There’s even a couple of pet nats on deck – one from Konpira Maru and another from Dear Vincent in the Granite Belt.
Tap beers include a Japanese lager from Heads of Noosa, a pale ale from Soapbox around the corner and Guinness. Bar Lou Lou is only dispensing three cocktails for now – a classic trio of Aperol spritz, Tommy’s margarita and an espresso martini.
In the kitchen, Louise has worked with Shaun Fugill and French-born chef Adnane Khattabi on a menu that fuses a number of culinary inspirations to create what Louise described as an Asian-inspired menu with a pub-fare vibe.
The menu is divided into small and large plates. In the former, you’ll spy tuna tataki with hazelnut crisp, banh mi crostini, chunky lemongrass chicken skewers and street-style Thai loaded fries.
For the bigger portions, there’s kimchi roti toasties, Japanese curry pie, Thai Bunnings sausage (with a lemongrass pork mince sausage topped with caramelised onions), and glass noodle salads.
“I wanted it to be really affordable and really hearty,” Louise reveals. “I didn’t want to just do light snacks and then have people leave to go get a proper feed.”
When asked about the spirit of Bar Lou Lou – the vibe and atmosphere that Louise hopes the venue becomes known for – she nods to venues like Zero Fox and Dark Red (and the approachable vibe they have built their reputation on) as a key source of inspiration moving forward.
“Every time I would go to Zero Fox I’d see the same people and they’re always happy to have a chat – they’re very community focused. I want to instill that here as well.
All told, Bar Lou Lou feels like a deliberately unprecious neighbourhood bar – the kind of place you can roll in for one, or one too many. It’s an extension of Louise – her home, her tastes, her personality. You can envision it becoming the place you turn to when you want to see a familiar face, but Louise puts her aspirations for her dream bar more simply.
“I just want Bar Lou Lou to be a local – somewhere people want to come to hang out.”
Bar Lou Lou is now open to the public. Head to The Directory for operating hours and contact details.
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