When Yoko Dining opened five years ago, it was celebrated for its bento-box-inspired fit-out and focus on fresh, Japanese-pub-style food. It came off the back of restaurateur Jonathan Barthelmess’s popular Greca, and marked the Apollo Group’s second Brisbane restaurant in under two years. Now, five years on, the team is celebrating the success of the Japanese eatery with a new record bar on the second level of Yoko.
Named after Yoko Dining’s guest chef series, the new opening joins Stan’s and Ruby, My Dear in bringing Japanese-style listening bars to Brisbane. Sometimes they’ll be spinning Barthelmess’s personal collection, and other times DJs will be on deck.
“We did a few B-Side pop-ups with different chefs over the last few years, and they were really successful,” Barthelmess tells Broadsheet. “People were having a great time, and we’ve got the record bar up there and everything, so to celebrate five years of Yoko we wanted to make that a permanent thing.”
Never miss a Brisbane moment. Make sure you're subscribed to our newsletter today.
SUBSCRIBE NOWDimly lit with a large disco ball bouncing light onto a patchwork of black and white posters, B-Side feels more youthful and playful than Yoko. The bar is intimate, like the Tokyo back-alley bars that inspired it, seating only 40 people.
Chef Antonio Vacca (ex-Nobu) has created a menu of izakaya-style small plates. The idea is to order up a bunch of bites to share, but if you’re set on something more substantial you can order from the Yoko menu downstairs. Smaller dishes include kizami wasabi octopus, topped with pickled daikon and chives, or miso-glazed eggplant sticks for a smoky, umami flavour. For something larger try the chirashi don – warm rice topped with fresh trout, kingfish, egg, salmon roe and ponzu – each bite simultaneously warm and cold, salty and tangy. And, if you are looking for something heartier, try the Wagyu slider with yuzu mayo or the chicken miso ramen. To wrap up the night grab a swirl of miso caramel soft serve.
For the drinks program, they’ve tapped Matt Whiley. The king of the sustainable drinks movement, Whiley has shown he’s not afraid to chuck foraged food and scraps of potato peels into a drink. As well as being behind the menu at The Living Room bar at The W Brisbane, he’s consulted with the Apollo Group since his renowned Sydney bar Re shut earlier this year.
“We’re working with Matt across all of our venues because we wanted to make a cocktail program stronger,” Barthelmess says. “We love his philosophy and I think the way he’s reimagined all the highballs for B-Side is really exciting.”
Those highballs include Japanese whisky with vanilla, shio koji and soda; and shiso and grape with Flor de Cana, red shiso and grape Fanta. There is also an alcoholic take on the matcha latte.
B-Side
Howard Smith Wharves, 2/5 Boundary Street, Brisbane
(07) 3236 6582
Hours:
Daily 5pm–late
Cafes
Restaurants
Bars
Accommodation
Shop
Broadsheet Pick
Recently Opened