Expect stacks of DJ-spun vinyl, Japanese snacks and drinks designed by one of Australia’s best bartenders.
Howard Smith Wharves has welcomed two new bars in as many weeks.
Last week it was Stan’s Lounge, above Stanley. Now it’s B-SIDE, a formalisation of two-storey izakaya Yoko’s semiregular upstairs beats, eats and drinks parties.
“We’ve been working on it for about six months,” says Jonathan Barthelmess, director of The Apollo Group, which operates Yoko, neighbouring Greca, along with Cho Cho San and The Apollo in Sydney, and The Apollo in Tokyo. “We just wanted to push it into full-time. The restaurant just turned five, so we thought it was a good moment.”
Much of Yoko’s initial inspiration was Barthelmess’ experiences sifting around Japanese vinyl bars when opening The Apollo in Tokyo in 2016. Music has always had a presence upstairs at the restaurant but, with the recent proliferation of vinyl bars throughout Brisbane, Barthelmess says it’s time to lean into the format.
“I felt like when we first did it, it didn’t get the attention it needed because I guess people weren’t aware of it. But there’s so much more awareness and demand for that kind of experience now.”
B-SIDE will harness a format Yoko has used for previous one-off guest events, which has featured chefs such as Mitch Orr and Christine Mansfield, where a chef works behind the bar alongside a bartender and a DJ.
Food is a selection of small plates such as sliced-to-order sashimi, kizami wasabi octopus, tuna tataki, Wagyu katsu sliders, and prawn buns. Larger plates include a take on a classic Japanese potato salad, and two different ramen bowls.
For drinks, gun Sydney-based bartender Matt Whiley has crafted a short menu of highballs, a B-SIDE slushy, and a selection of matcha lattes, with drinks from the Yoko menu also available.
The music component has also been beefed up, with the restaurant adding to its vinyl collection and DJs spinning seven nights a week, with a retro vinyl night on Mondays.
“We’ve invested more in the vinyl,” Barthelmess says, “and of course the DJs will bring their own. And we’ve tweaked the interior and layout.”
Alongside Stan’s next door, which also features a heavy vinyl component, B-SIDE adds a welcome new drinking component to Howard Smith Wharves.
“It feels like part of this next evolution of the Wharves,” Barthelmess says. “Like Stan’s, it’s this secret little spot that adds another element to the precinct, and a new way to engage with it.”
B-SIDE opens this Monday, October 14.
Open daily 5pm-late
Howard Smith Wharves, 2-5 Boundary Street, Brisbane, (07) 3236 6582
Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox.
Matt Shea is Food and Culture Editor at Brisbane Times. He is a former editor and editor-at-large at Broadsheet Brisbane, and has written for Escape, Qantas Magazine, the Guardian, Jetstar Magazine and SilverKris, among many others.
