Coming Soon: Venner, a West End Restaurant With Serious Cred Behind It

Milquetoast has cemented itself as a triple threat: great food, excellent cocktails and an exciting, ever-changing wine list. Meanwhile, Boonah’s Blume has spent years setting the benchmark for regional dining in Queensland.

Now, Milquetoast’s owners George Curtis and James Horsfall are teaming up with Blume’s Jack Stuart to launch the aptly named Venner, which means “friends” in Danish.

“James and I have been keen to open [another venue] for a while,” says Curtis, who also owns Before & After. “It made sense to bring Jack on. He was ready to open something closer to Brisbane as well.”

Slated to open in late February, Venner will be an elegant 60-seat restaurant in the former Gum Bistro space. While Gum’s run was short, the trio are confident about the site.

“[The tenancy] came around at the right time and it made sense – the kitchen is already fitted out and it’s in a really good location,” Curtis says. “It has a lot of potential.”

When Broadsheet visits, the walls are mid-repaint and the tables are being sanded. A new bar is taking shape at the back of the room, while the kitchen is set to be extended towards the front. A wine shelf will run the length of the space. “We don’t want people to walk in and say it looks like Gum,” Curtis says.

Curtis and Horsfall are drawing inspiration from their time at Wilston’s now-closed Elska, which championed fine-dining Nordic cuisine. The trio also list Copenhagen standouts like Relae, Amass and Silberbauers Bistro as inspirations.

The menu will spotlight neo-Nordic cuisine, featuring dishes like kangaroo tail aebleskiver (Danish pancakes), venison tartare with rugbrød (rye bread), hay-baked celeriac with koji and cardamom sauce, and squab with pickled rosehip, alongside a set menu option.

“All the by-products will be utilised in creative ways, and that will be a big point of difference,” Stuart says. “There will be clean plating, plenty of game meat and lots of technique.”

On the drinks front, Horsfall is curating a tight but thoughtful 60-bottle wine list, with a focus on organic and biodynamic producers. Curtis says aquavit – a Scandinavian spirit similar to gin – will be central to the cocktail offering, which will include a signature Martini poured straight from the freezer and served with a sidecar of seasonal pickles.

Venner will open at 137 Boundary Street, West End in late February.  

@restaurantvenner