An old dog is learning new tricks as the Queen Street bar formerly known as The Flour Factory bursts into Spring, thanks to a collaboration between Sneakers and Jeans hospitality group and the team behind the Seasons festival pop-ups.
“The Flour Factory was a little tired and with the university coming to Yagan Square. The opportunity to pivot to a youth-focused venue [in collaboration] with Seasons presented itself,” Sneakers and Jeans general manager Lachlan Howarth tells Broadsheet.
The venue has undergone a massive transformation. Out are The Flour Factory’s dark wood panels and sherry bar; in are neon light installations, botanical wallpaper, DJ booths and a six-metre-tall artificial wisteria tree that sprouts up from the ground-floor restaurant.
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SUBSCRIBE NOWA perfect night at Spring kicks off with dinner downstairs in the 120-seat restaurant, Howarth says. The menu is by executive chef Charlie Vargas, and everything on it – including Emu Point oysters, lobster rolls, zucchini flowers with labneh and burnt honey, rigatoni alla vodka, and Wagyu sirloin – is designed to be shared by groups of revellers.
With a venue of 450 people, Howarth says there isn’t time for cocktails to be too “bartendery”. Instead, the focus is on creating fun, high-quality drinks at speed. The Mango Margarita with Rooster Rojo Blanco tequila, house-made mango syrup and a cumin salt rim is an easy choice on a hot summer’s night. The upstairs bar serves boozy slushies to cool you down after a stint on the 250-person dance floor. And glass teapots dispensing colourful drinks like pink strawberry gin and tropical spiced rum shareable cocktails are set to become a signature of the bar.
While Spring caters to those who want to party until the wee hours, Seasons’ mission statement is “day parties for day drinkers”. There are plans for a Sunday afternoon high tea that makes full use of the bar’s cocktail teapots to serve bottomless booze.
If you’re a fan of The Flour Factory’s iconic gin wheel, don’t panic – it’s safe in storage, and Howarth hasn’t ruled out a return. “Everything that’s old is new again, and when the time is right, the wheel will be back.”
Spring
16 Queen Street, Perth
Hours:
Weds & Thurs 4pm–late
Fri midday–late
Sat 4pm–late
Sun midday–10pm
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