A Melbourne hospitality heavyweight is opening a fire-powered neighbourhood bistro in Brisbane
The team behind some of Melbourne’s most-loved cafes is turning its attention to the Sunshine State. High Road Bar & Grill is the new South Brisbane restaurant from The Mulberry Group, a produce-driven and flame-fuelled eatery that will be applying a well-honed approach to the neighbourhood-bistro playbook.
You might not be familiar with Melbourne-based collective The Mulberry Group by name, but there’s a high chance you’ve heard of its venues. Hazel, Dessous, Liminal and Lilac Wine, for example. Or, perhaps, Top Paddock, Kettle Black and Higher Ground – essential Melbourne cafes that The Mulberry Group founded before selling them.
It’s safe to say that the hospitality group knows a thing or two about running venues, which is great news for Brisbane, seeing as The Mulberry Group has just announced its first Queensland venue.
Next month, the group will cut the ribbon on High Road Bar & Grill – a new 100-seat bistro and 45-seat wine bar taking shape in South Brisbane.
Brisbane has long been a target market for the group, with founder Nathan Toleman revealing that he’s personally kept one eye on the city over the past few years.
“The real awakening was when I was here a few years ago, I was helping build the first Lune in Fish Lane and got to stay in Brisbane for a few months while I was doing that,” explains Nathan.
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“Seeing the evolution of the food scene up there really was something that I was really impressed with. Coming back to Melbourne, I thought if anything ever came up in Brisbane, it’d be a great opportunity.”
Located at the base of Novotel Brisbane South Bank on Cordelia Street, High Road Bar & Grill will see the group spotlighting produce and provenance, with woodfire cooking and elements of Australian nostalgia woven into the concept. Though slightly removed from the bustle of the Cultural Centre and Fish Lane, Nathan sees High Road as a local’s venue – the kind of community meeting point that caters to casual visits and occasion-worthy splurges.
“We wanted to make it feel more like a local neighbourhood bistro – a place that people can claim as their own – but then build it out,” explains Nathan. “The area has a great catchment of people living there, but also working – how do you find a way to appeal to both of those markets?
“It is kind of a destination venue, which I think means you have to try a little harder and makes you more determined to make it work, knowing that you’ve got to give people a reason to come there and then, and then to come back.”
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Overseeing the kitchen is head chef Gareth Woolcock, who has been tasked with creating a menu that elevates familiar fare through quality ingredients and culinary craft. The woodfire grill will be his prime utensil, with everything from snacks and sides to protein-centric mains orbiting the fire-powered centrepiece in some capacity.
“Much of what we’ve done in Melbourne in the past has been really around championing local produce, local farmers and local suppliers – and then just doing it all over flame,” says Nathan.
“[Gareth’s] doing a menu that has a lot of beautiful proteins – fish and steak, stuff that is unique to this region – that is all cooked over flames. But then also a great selection of snacks and some beautiful pastas with a bit of a traditional style.”
High Road’s beverage program will be anchored by a tidy wine list with a mix of Australian and European drops, available alongside local craft beer and a cocktail menu (designed by Kayla Saito, award-winning bartender and The Mulberry Group’s beverage manager) that offers bold reinterpretations of classics.
“Kayla has always had a really strong focus on using produce – essentially minimising waste and creating a lot of our own syrups and things,” says Nathan.
The venue’s design will draw inspiration from iconic Queenslanders, with a layered aesthetic of timber, tiles and carpet instilling a feeling of warmth that translates from day to night.
“We’ve got windows on two sides with Venetians where the light comes through, then there’s lots of beautiful dark timber and leather banquettes,” says Nathan. “There’s also some really beautiful powder-coated dark burgundy around the open kitchen, with the woodfired oven being the centre of the stage.”
Though The Mulberry Group is the latest in a string of interstate entities looking to plant a flag in Brisbane’s hospo scene, the group is making a concerted effort to be an additive force, helping build the city’s culinary culture and become a part of the community.
“We just want to be able to complement and add to the already great dining scene that’s in Brisbane,” says Nathan. “We’re really excited to contribute to that in a way that draws a spotlight to the region and makes people consider Brisbane as a dining destination.”
High Road Bar & Grill is expected to open in October. Keep your eyes peeled for more info in the coming weeks.
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