As the bar scene continues to up its food game and straddle the line between drinks destination and restaurant, the Jennie crew is going back to basics with a bar in the truest sense of the word.
Named Bar Bar, the petite project will open next month in the slender CBD site formerly occupied by Chicken & Pig. “I’ve been working in bars for a few years now and I love the idea of a small bar with a real set purpose,” says managing partner Matt Harrison, who’s teamed up again with brother Lachlan Harrison, Scott Taddeo and Scott Quick. “It’s all about the drinks and the hospitality.”
They’ve got form in tiny, purposeful bars. Jennie is a pint-sized wine bar that feels like you’re drinking in a friend’s cellar. Malt & Juniper specialises in exactly that. And neighbouring Alfred’s, the team’s first venue, is a classic pub front bar in small bar clothes.
“I think less is more in regard to the capacity of the venue; we’re able to provide a more dedicated customer experience,” says Matt. “Having to work around the physical limitations of the space is a fun challenge. Not having a prep kitchen, coolroom or cellar means we have to get pretty creative with the offering, which usually means a sharp, considered drinks list.”
At Bar Bar the focus is cocktails, in particular agave spirits. “I feel in Adelaide there aren’t many places you can go and drink a good selection of tequila, mezcal and raicilla.” But he’s not calling it a tequila bar.
“You think tequila bar, you think neon signs, shots and sombreros,” says Matt. “As a spirit, it’s loved by a lot of people and it’s super popular at the moment, but it’s not something that’s readily available. Tequila and mezcal are pretty complex … I want somewhere people can drink it and talk about it.”
With its tight agave focus and tight space – only 15 seats inside, along the horseshoe-shaped bar – there are shades of Sydney’s self-proclaimed “micro mezcal mecca” Cantina OK.
“I love that place, if I could completely steal it I would,” Matt laughs. “Their spicy Margarita is an inspiration. I remember having their spicy Marg for the first time on a 35-degree humid-arse day in Sydney. I could see the vapour coming off it, it was beautiful.”
The cocktails at Bar Bar will be pre-batched and include their own “banging” spicy Marg, a two-sip Freezer Door Martini, an Oaxaca Old Fashioned (made with tequila and mezcal instead of whisky) and a boozy riff on an old-school spider.
Taddeo will draw up the wine list, while food will stick to complimentary snacks that come out with the drinks. “We’re next to amazing restaurants like Osteria Oggi … the brief is pre- and post-dinner spot,” says Matt.
However long you intend to stay, he is keenly aware of how important it is to make guests comfortable in such an intimate space. “With these small venues you have to put your heart and soul into them,” he says. “I recently travelled to Europe – I did Barcelona, Amsterdam and Paris with a friend – and we went to a bunch of small bars. What I noticed in all of them was the host – how accommodating, the steps of service, how well they explain the menu, their chat. I want to replicate that and make it a real homely kind of place.”
Bar Bar is expected to open in May at 78a Pirie Street, Adelaide.
