By Sacha Delfosse
The team behind Brisbane’s Limes Hotel and Rooftop Bar will be launching a new venture, Alfred & Constance, which will offer patrons a range of different hospitality experiences under two roofs.
The innovative venue, which is due to open its doors in October, will feature a gastro-pub, beer garden, laneway café and four themed bars situated within, and around, two old timber houses that have been transformed into a multi-space venue.
"There’s a holistic overarching concept that trickles through everything centring around warmth and authenticity. But at its heart we’re creating a series of small bars, not a big venue where you become a number," owner Damian Griffiths said.
"Coming from a boutique hospitality background with Limes we’re always looking at 24-hour, very personalised service and we’ll be bringing that level of service to the new venue. We really wanted it to be the antithesis of what’s been happening with a lot [of] pub refurbishments. You know, gut it, render it, and fill it with chrome."
There will be a strong focus on food, with a menu offering an array of hearty dishes and delicious snacks, while all the bars will be serving up a strong selection of boutique beers, quality wines and crafty cocktails.
"I think globally there is a real movement against that kind of [mainstream] approach. It’s really coming full circle, where people want what’s real, what’s authentic," Griffiths says.
"This translates perfectly to the food, where it’s all about honesty and integrity of ingredients. It’s not meals with 15 ingredients, deconstructed to within an inch of their lives and you look at the menu not even recognising half of what’s on there."