This is a very personal wine bar, the platonic ideal of one for owners Paul McGivern and Bailee Dewes, where on-trend wines share space with established classics and guests can snack while they order by the glass, or settle in for a degustation menu and a bottle or three.
McGivern’s training naturally puts him in the back of the house, but a break from chef’s whites prior to The Wolfe saw him honing his front of house skills. And this understanding of the dynamics of human movement and interaction underpins his approach to the warm and inclusive atmosphere of La Lune. Plus, McGivern has a bit of wine cred, with a vintage in Geelong with old friend Nick Farr under his belt, as well as a stint in Burgundy in 2010. It was that Burgundian jaunt that planted the seed for La Lune, with a well-frequented Dijon wine bar capturing his imagination. So, this is McGivern’s take on his idea of a perfect wine bar.
Curated by co-owner and sommelier Bailee Dewes, the wine list runs to about 200 listings, with about 30 available by the glass. There are additional wines inked on the subway tiles flanking the bar, with those more rarefied bottlings dispensed courtesy of a Coravin. For those more inclined to order the house wine are in for a treat, too, with Paul’s long-time pal Nick Farr (of By Farr, Farr Rising and Irrewarra fame) making a pinot noir and chardonnay just for La Lune (La Lune from ‘A Farr’ – get it…) – though understandably not quite at house prices. There’s a strong appreciation for pinot noir and chardonnay on the list, but then there’s more than a decent nod to most everything else, too, with classic and more zeitgeisty bottlings rubbing shoulders quite comfortably.
Unsurprisingly, you can eat pretty seriously at La Lune, but you don’t have to either, with classic wine bar snacks and cheese plates staple offerings. There’s also a five-course tasting menu option, which can be served with or without the ever-thoughtful wine matches. With, we say!
Snack Man is Cameron and Jordan Votan’s moody adjunct to their well-lit, minimalist canteen, Happy Boy. While the latter focuses on dishes from the barbecue and blisteringly hot woks, with craft beer and local small-producer wines, the latter is all, unsurprisingly enough, about snacks, or small plates, with inspiration coming from regional Chinese cuisine, and…
Alba is built on three pillars – Hip-Hop, Jamon and Jerez. A hidden gem tucked down Burnett Lane in the heart of Brisbane CBD, Alba aims to mix international bar culture in a relaxed environment – as much Barcelona and Brooklyn as laid-back Brisbane. Comfortably seating 45 comfortably with a mixture of high dining and low seats at the bar, which is the best place to hang out and feel close to the action. “We don’t like pretence,” says General Manager Cecile Schoen. “We are here to make you as excited as we are about delicious food and drinks.”
Nestled in Brisbane’s affluent suburb of Tennerife, causal hole-in-the-wall bar and eatery Zero Fox is far from bourgeois. Designed by owners Lea Angeles and Shaun Fugill as a relaxed every-day watering hole with affordable options for locals, seating is spread along the long deck shaded by the adjacent London Woolstore. When they opened in 2016, they had very little experience in in bars, having previously worked at the café next door, but they knew what they liked. “Our goal was to create a casual venue for the locals – and it quickly became a well-oiled machine of non-stop smash hits,” says Lea.
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