Sofia, a neighbourhood restaurant from a pair of hospo pros, is opening soon in Red Hill
What do you get when a MasterChef favourite and one of Queensland’s top chefs pool their talents on a new concept? In the case of Alana Lowes and Jack Stuart, you get Sofia – a neighbourhood restaurant that will put food, wine and hospitality first when it opens on Enoggera Terrace later this year. Specialising in Euro-tinged fare and relaxed nights, the newcomer is shaping up to be just the thing that Red Hill has been missing. Here’s what we know …
While some parents make small talk about weekend plans and television shows during school pick-up, MasterChef alum and presenter Alana Lowes and chef Jack Stuart (of Blume and Venner fame) discuss opening wine bars.
“Our kids are in the same class and have been for the last couple of years,” says Alana. “[Jack and I] would throw ideas around, randomly talking about things and thinking we could do something that our neighbourhood was missing.”
Pretty soon, those discussions snowballed into scouting missions and tenancy inspections, with momentum gradually building until one perfect and undeniable site presented itself – a charming location on the corner of Enoggera Terrace and Waterworks Road, opposite Red Hill Cinema.
Over the years, the site has been home to La Coin Bistro, Plum Tucker and Olivetto’s – the latter of which, as it turns out, was the restaurant where Jack’s culinary career began.
“I said to Jack, ‘Hey, what do you think about this spot at 1 Enoggera Terrace?’” recalls Alana. “He replied, ‘I did my apprenticeship there 15 years ago.’ From that moment on, we knew this was going to be the place.”
This spring, the site will officially be reborn as Sofia, a restaurant and wine bar that Alana and Jack hope will fill a gap in the local dining scene with a considered and elevated offering delivered in a warm, approachable format.
“You go down to Melbourne and in every neighbourhood there’s a restaurant that’s casual and approachable, but has food that is very high level. And this area doesn’t have that,” says Jack.
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“We’re in a position where we can service a lot of the locals’ needs, whether they want to come in for a glass of wine and a bowl of pasta before the movies, or whether they want to have a serious meal.”
According to the duo, Sofia will focus on hospitality in its purest form. Everything, from the atmosphere to the service style, will be infused with a vivacious and generous spirit. Think of it like having dinner at the home of your friend that knows everything about good food, good wine and good living.
“Sofia is this person that we all know already, that taught us to gather around and enjoy each other’s company over food, wine and gossip,” says Alana. “We want people to walk away knowing that they’ve had a really amazing meal and drunk some amazing wines to go with it.”
“We want it to be timeless and focused on hospitality – a place that under-promises and over-delivers,” adds Jack.
Jack and Alana will collaborate on the menu alongside Sofia’s head chef, who is yet to be announced. Drawing on broad modern European influences, the team will deliver an offering couched in a sense of simplicity, eschewing trends in favour of fare that is evergreen in appeal.
“It will be an ambitious food and wine offering, but still in a very relaxed setting,” says Jack. “The food is going to be timeless, instead of just what’s cool and what’s in the moment – no gimmicks, no foams and no gels. Produce-driven and all made in-house, with the main focus being for it to be delicious.”
Though the menu is still under construction, Jack reveals he is eager to dip into his past work and revive some dishes that he still holds dear.
Subscribe for updates“One is definitely the pig’s head sanga – I think it deserves to come back into the light,” says Jack, referring to the standout dish that had mouths drooling during his time at Congress Wine in Melbourne. “And as I’ve cut off seafood from Blume, I really miss my trout and pearls dish that was heavily featured. I think I’ll open with those two, just from me.”
“We talk about modern European, but we also want to do some riffs on some really great Australian classics, so that people can have these nostalgic memories and moments,” adds Alana, hinting at iconic desserts like ice-cream sandwiches, Bombe Alaska and a Sofia take on a choc-top.
As for drinks, Sofia’s beverage program will be wine-driven, with the venue’s list expected to feature a lot of female winemakers.
“That’s going to be one of the core philosophies,” says Jack. “It’ll be an extensive list, there will be a lot by the glass with a mix of Australian and international.”
Sofia’s cocktail range will be composed primarily of stirred concoctions to start, with classic renditions of negronis, martinis and old fashioneds given slight twists. There will also be a sharp focus on non-alcoholic beverages, many of which will reflect the season and kitchen output.
“The bar will work with the kitchen team, using things that might otherwise be thrown out to create interesting sodas,” adds Alana.
Right now, Jack and Alana are in the midst of a strip-out process, before work begins on transforming the interior to match their vision. The space will be divided into bar and dining spaces, with the goal of instilling an aesthetic that is sophisticated and warm.
“When you walk in there’s going to be that wine bar feel – there will be banquette seating and a beautiful fully tiled bar is going in as well. It will have a tactile feel about it,” says Alana.
“There’ll also be lots of deep burgundies and terracottas. It really is our vision for a modern European restaurant, but one that sits very comfortably in a Brisbane neighbourhood.”
Though framed as a restaurant first, Jack and Alana stress that Sofia is intended to be a versatile destination capable of catering to the whims of its community.
“We don’t want Sofia to just be a box that people tick to say they’ve been,” adds Alana. “We want them to come over and over again – we want them to bring their family, friends and their interstate visitors.”
All going to plan, Sofia is expected to open in mid-to-late October. Keep your eyes peeled for more over the coming months.
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