Tilley & Wills, Australian Venue Co., Odd Culture Group, Zenith Hotels, O’Hara Group, 4 Pines, Philter and Pirate Life are among those to unveil brand new or revamped venues and spaces as lockdowns ease and the festive season approaches. We take a tour through some of the latest launches.
The Richmond Inn from Tilley & Wills
Tilley & Wills have reopened The Richmond Inn after a significant renovation featuring an eclectic mix of indoor and outdoor spaces including the biggest beer garden in Richmond, which is dog-friendly and features an outdoor bar, cacti and rustic brickwork.
The renovation also includes an array of new entertainment areas including a glass-atrium space, a public bar, bistro, intimate “naughty-corner”, and family-friendly spaces including a ball pit and a petting zoo (coming soon).
Tilley & Wills executive chef Brad Sloane has curated an affordable pub menu, with interactive cooking experiences in the venue’s many outdoor spaces to be expected in the future, including spit roasts and live smoked meat displays.
Originally planned as a small upgrade, Tilley & Wills CEO Nick Wills said he saw the potential to create an experiential pub offering that is unique yet approachable for the area’s diverse local community.
“I love the Hawkesbury area and have been keeping an eye out for the perfect opportunity to create something special in Richmond,” Wills said.
“I wanted to create a welcoming place that has its own and unique style, somewhere for everyone to enjoy – whether that is for a family-day trip, visiting for a quiet meal, or with your crew for a bit of cheeky fun.”
Odd Culture Newtown
A new hybrid bar/restaurant/cafe/bottle shop space with a cool and casual all-day vibe in Newtown, Sydney, is the biggest project yet for Odd Culture Group and has been in the works since late 2020.
It’s also the first new development on King Street allowed to trade all night until 2am, with its doors opening again from 7am.
“I’m so incredibly proud of what our team has accomplished. It’s such a unique concept born out of a management trip to Europe pre-COVID,” Odd Culture Group GM James Thorpe said.
“Not really a bar, not really a fine dining restaurant, not really a craft beer venue, not really a cocktail bar, not really a natural wine bar… we don’t really know how to categorise it, but there is really nothing like it anywhere else in the world.”
Head chef Jesse Warkentin (ex-Continental Deli) and sous chef Caleb Venner (ex-Continental Deli) will both work alongside Odd Culture Group’s Executive Chef James MacDonald (ex-Hubert head chef). The food menu is an amalgamation of MacDonald’s and Warkentin’s backgrounds working to an overarching fermentation theme.
The drink offering also has a strong focus on wild fermentation and will include an extensive range of organic and biodynamic wine, wild ales and lambic, natural cider and sake, alongside a rotating taplist of 12 in the bar, leaning heavily on sours, farmhouse and lambic.
Located just a few doors up, the Odd Culture Newtown bottle shop will be an extension of the main bar, offering a range of fermented goods and condiments including pickles, vinegars, shrubs and hot sauces from local producers including Condimental, Ziggy’s and Angie’s Food.
An online delivery service will also be on offer, with delivery in 30 minutes for the local area.
Teller in Brunswick East
This new local for Brunswick East has breathed life into a heritage site that started out as State Savings Bank of Victoria.
Located in the Lygon Street North precinct, Teller made her debut only a couple of weeks before Melbourne’s latest lockdown. The now re-imagined Teller is an all-day bar and dining spot and new local for Brunswick-Easterners.
Teller’s owners Melanie Aldred (previously Metropolitan on William for 15 years) and her business partner, Gavin van Staden say the new venue is all about bringing community together and creating a truly local experience, whether it’s for a quick or intimate dinner in the front bar, a beer with friends and fur-babies in the open-air laneway, or a cocktail or three in the light filled Pavilion.
The aim was to create a venue that felt like it had always been there, according to Aldred.
Teller also features an upstairs fully private function room and a private dining annex adjacent to the Pavilion.
Chef, Sam Wilson (ex-Rupert on Rupert), has created a contemporary menu with leanings toward Mediterranean flavours. The beverage offering has been carefully curated with a line-up that features 11 independent craft beers on tap, with the iconic Carlton getting a tap also.
Camellia Hotel from O’Hara Group
A new pub, The Camellia Hotel, has opened up opposite Sydney’s Rosehill Racecourse in Sydney’s western suburbs featuring a family-friendly bistro, a lounge area with booth-style seating, a Sports Bar, and an outside area featuring cabanas.
The venue was once a Sizzlers and then a Hooters restaurant on James Ruse Drive and has now been converted into a new hotel by the O’Hara family.
Andrew Do, a former licensee at The Central Hotel Blacktown and The Fairfield Hotel in Fairfield, will be running the hotel. Do, who has worked for the owners, the O’Hara family, for eight years, now shares ownership in a hotel for the first time.
Dan O’Hara said, “We aim to run great community hotels and the Camellia will be no exception. We have created different spaces for different customers, whether it is a meal in Camellia Bistro with the kids, a drink in one of the booth seats in the lounge area, a beer and a punt with friends in the state of the art Sports Bar, or sitting outside in one of the new cabanas.
“Andrew has always gone above and beyond for his team and his customers so we have no doubt he will be great in the role of managing the hotel and all that it has to offer.”
Do said, “It is an exciting location across the road from Rosehill Racecourse, and diagonally across the road from Camellia train station, as well as the proposed Camellia town centre redevelopment.
“The feedback so far has been amazing and we thank all of our customers who have supported us already. Everyone seems really excited to have a new pub in the Rosehill area and they have been impressed with the fit out of the hotel. The outdoor cabanas have been really popular.”
Crown Hotel from Australian Venue Co.
The heritage pub The Crown Hotel in Lutwyche, Brisbane has reopened after a $2.4m renovation by Australian Venue Co. (AVC).
The 140 year old venue has been completely transformed, according to AVC, with a new bistro, sports bar and beer garden, to create a local hub and social destination in the inner north.
The entirely refurbished bistro has an open-air area that opens onto the new beer garden and heritage pavilion with seating for 140 patrons for casual drinking & dining. The sports bar has also had a major renovation.
“Lutwyche needed something a bit special, and we’re happy to create that for locals,” AVC COO Craig Ellison said. “It brings the drinking and dining experience you’d expect at a trendy pub in the city, but without losing the casual charm of a neighbourhood hangout.”
The new food menu by Executive Chef Dylan Kemp and Head Chef Jamie Blake offers a balance of pub classics as well as on-trend casual dining options.
Atmos from Zenith Hotels
Zenith Hotels has rolled out a new Greek restaurant called Atmos at its Shoal Bay Country Club venue at Port Stephens overlooking the beach in the Hunter Region of NSW.
Atmos, a new 170-capacity restaurant, is the newest addition to Zenith’s Shoal Bay Country Club precinct which includes 3 restaurants, 5 kitchens, dedicated events and conferencing facilities, boutique accommodation, and employs over 150 staff.
Atmos aims to deliver an authentic Greek experience and was designed in Greece by Athenian architects Karagianni Karamali, with many aspects of the fit-out, including traditional render, furniture and joinery, being manufactured in Greece.
Shoal Bay Country Club’s Interior Stylist, Hannah Brady, travelled to Greece in 2020 to source traditional Greek styling elements, adding to the authenticity of the build.
“We want our customers to feel like they have been transported to Greece through the Atmos experience; the interiors, tastes, smells, sounds and ambience will all evoke the experience of being in the Greek Islands,” Paul Shaw, general manager of Shoal Bay Country Club said.
“This project has been three years in the making and is the final piece of the puzzle to four years of renovations to the Shoal Bay Country Club precinct.”
The Atmos menu, which offers a social experience centered on shared meals and a relaxing, vibrant atmosphere, has been curated by Shoal Bay Country Club Executive Chef Leonard Faust and Celebrity Chef Phil Davenport.
The drinks list from Group Beverage Manager, Brent Tozer includes a Greek inspired cocktail list, including a Baklava cocktail and an innovative, Greek twist on the classic Espresso Martini. There will also be an extensive wine list including a vast selection of imported Greek and European wines, plus many local Hunter Valley varietals.
4 Pines heads to the Hunter
Timed to coincide with the date that NSW regional travel recommenced, 4 Pines Brewing Company will be putting down new roots in the Hunter Valley with the opening of a new taproom.
4 Pines Brewing Company together with the Hele family have created 4 Pines at The Farm on Hermitage Road Pokolbin.
With a capacity of 300 over vast indoor and outdoor spaces, 4 Pines at the Farm has the aesthetic and feel of other 4 Pines hospitality venues, with the use of recycled timber and a weathered façade, plus a bespoke mural painted alongside the bar.
The taproom and bistro has views across the vines and valley, wide breezy verandas, and twelve 4 Pines beers on tap, alongside local Hunter Valley wine of course and a handful of cocktails.
4 Pines at the Farm’s chef and team have created a menu to match the brews and the views. Adam Dearing, hospitality manager at 4 Pines Brewing Company – whose role it is to seek out and secure exciting locations – said, “the Hunter Valley is the perfect place for 4 Pines to open their second venue in the region, with the Charlestown location having developed a strong local following in the past 2 years.
“The Hunter has been crying out for something other than a wine and food offering, and with the Hele’s rich hospitality history and strong local connection, we’ve created a new offering for both the local community and thriving tourism market which will uniquely operate 7 days a week.”
Philter’s new rooftop
Craft brewer Philter has unveiled a new rooftop bar at its brewery in the Sydney inner-west suburb of Marrickville. Called Marrickville Springs, the new bar is a completely different offering to its brewery bar and restaurant downstairs.
The new rooftop has a retractable roof and will be serving up a little Palm Springs with its white breeze blocks and pastel tiles and is aiming for an “80’s resort garden bar vibe”, according to its creators.
It also features some local touches – a mural by local artist Mielo, and a custom neon behind the bar featuring bin chickens and palm trees.
“We wanted Marrickville Springs to have a totally different feel to our bar and restaurant downstairs, but it’s still very Philter – it’s all in the retro touches,” MD Mick Neil said.
The bar will feature frozen cocktails, Philter beers on tap and in tinnies, and wine, and the menu style will be “fresh and easy”.
Pirate Life Perth
Pirate Life Perth, a multi-venue brewpub created in collaboration between Pirate Life and Sneakers & Jeans, has opened its doors in recent weeks.
Spread over multiple levels at the old Sony Centre building on Murray Street, the sprawling venue has a number of new spaces in addition to the brewery, including casual fine-dining restaurant TOMA, two private dining rooms The Mezz and TANK, and merchandise rooms.
A beer garden deck called The Yard is part of the next phase of the rollout and will be located at the rear of the brewery. Palm Springs-inspired, The Yard will be fashioned around an Island bar. Also coming soon is honey, a broody, intimate rum bar located underneath The Yard featuring a 10m cocktail bar featuring darker spirits.
The venue is Sneakers & Jeans’ largest investment to date, according to its CEO Andy Freeman.
“Pirate Life Perth has been three years in the making, and having sidestepped a pandemic, we’re stoked we can finally deliver the CBD’s biggest brewery – and then some.
“I’ve always wanted to own a brewery, but Pirate Life Perth is so much more than that. It was never going to be just a brewpub. That’s not the S&J or Pirate Life way. We’ve created a hospitality precinct of unique spaces – a labyrinth of scenes, moments and experiences.”
Pirate Life co-founder Michael Cameron said, “There’s no doubt Pirate Life Perth will be one of the most diverse hospitality precincts this wonderful state has ever seen.”