One of the biggest success stories of 2024 is penning a second chapter. Snug, the cosy Coorparoo cafe famed for its egg drop sandwiches and hojicha lattes, is opening on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings as a wine bar. Expect a menu of Korean-inspired small plates like yukhoe-style beef tartare with gochujang, clams with doenjang butter and enoki, and abalone dup-bap with salmon roe and burdock root, as well as a punchy wine list populated by top Australian vino.
When Jianne Jeoung and Leaham Claydon first envisioned Snug, they originally pictured opening it as a wine bar – a neighbourhood oasis that plied locals with small plates and fine wines. Despite this, the couple opted to launch their cosy Coorparoo venue as a cafe to start, in order to softly introduce their style of hospitality (and Korean-inspired fare) to the community. Well, as you’ve probably already heard through the grapevine, Snug’s arrival was far from mellow.
For the past six months, the cafe has been regularly inundated with crowds – some travelling from across town in the hopes of scoring a perch at Snug’s timber coffee bar to enjoy Leaham and Jianne’s one-of-a-kind menu. Snug’s egg drop sandwiches, soft house-baked pretzels and bowls of glistening omurice crowned with prawns and lemon tsuyu have quickly become the stuff of legend but, all the while, Jianne and Leaham have kept one eye towards their original goal – opening Snug in the evenings for snacks and vino.
In news that will delight many, Snug will officially commence nighttime trade this Friday. While Leaham and Jianne have been champing at the bit to kick off after-dark trade, the duo believe that the stress test of Snug’s debut has better prepared them for the move – allowing them to refine their operations and also build a bit of trust with the community.
“Brunch was good to find our style,” says Leaham. “It was better to build the public’s confidence in our food, rather than going straight to the wine bar.”
“It was definitely a good chance for us to show people what we’re going to do and what we’re aiming for,” adds Jianne. “We’re pretty lucky to have been constantly busy for the last six months and have this crowd that really appreciates what we do. That definitely has given us a bit of confidence in ourselves.”
Snug put its evening offering through its paces last Sunday night, with a small crowd of friends and family filling the slender space, which took on a different atmosphere as the sun set. During the day, light streams through Snug’s street-facing window, bouncing off the venue’s wraparound benches and coffee counter. At night, the inside feels much more intimate – the kitchen is brightly illuminated, casting the rest of the venue in moody shadow, while a recently installed timber slat ceiling helps conjure a more pronounced sense of cosiness. That said, the vibe remained jovial, animated and, most importantly, approachable.
“We tried hard to make sure that it doesn’t look too formal,” says Jianne. “It’s super casual in the way I talk to guests and the way I greet them. I try my best to give everyone a casual experience, but there is a hint of Korean culture, for sure. The menu might look funky, but it’s not that spicy and it’s not that scary. Come on in and don’t be afraid – we’re not going to eat you.”
Much like Snug’s brunch offering, the wine bar menu boasts numerous Korean-inspired inflections. Factoring in the limitations of Snug’s 1-sqm kitchen (both spatial and equipment related), Leaham and Jianne have pared back their initial vision slightly – a move that, as it turns out, more accurately reflects Korean cuisine’s unique quirks.
“Everything is typically enjoyed either completely raw or is cooked on a barbecue,” explains Jianne. “It’s more pleasant for us to cook – we don’t have to be soaked in sweat during summer services. It works out for our sustainability, as well.”
“The menu will probably always be 50-percent raw or cold dishes and 50-percent cooked dishes,” adds Leaham. “There’ll always be a few meat options, but we are very seafood-focused and friendly for pescatarians.”
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The fun starts with Appellation oysters (either served natural or with apple and smoked-tuna mignonette) and salted honey butter bread, before segueing into a tight list of raw and cold dishes – think soy-marinated raw prawns with scallops and gim, raw kingfish with mandarin honey dashima and cucumber, yukhoe-style beef tartare with gochujang, yolk and sesame, and whipped ricotta with spring vegetables and doenjang (a fermented soybean paste). From there, the portions increase slightly with the likes of sweet potato and corn mandu with shiitake broth, clams with doenjang butter and enoki, abalone dup-bap (or rice bowl) with salmon roe and burdock root, and pork jowl with red-pepper relish and cherry blossom.
“If you like the brunch style, I think you’ll like this,” says Leaham of the evening offering. “The flavours are a bit more amped up.”
“I think there’s definitely lots of experimenting going on,” Jianne agrees. “There are more intense flavours compared to the brunch menu.”
On the drinks front, Snug’s by-the-glass wine list is tight but caters to most tastes, with the team careful to make sure that everything showcased pairs well with the kitchen fare. The menu features the likes of a picpoul from Ministry of Clouds, gamay from Sentio and La Violetta’s Spunk pet nat, to name a few. You’ll also spy Kloud (a popular Korean beer famous for its foamy texture) alongside a clutch of local brews.
“Because the menu is Asian food – it could sometimes get spicy or have a really intense fattiness – we started with that,” says Jianne of the beverage program’s framework. “There’s a simple structure to it – if we have three white wine options by the glass, they will obviously be light, medium and heavyweight. And it’s the same with the reds.”
“We’ll always have a decent-sized glass list,” adds Leaham. “Our aim is, leading up to Christmas, to have about 40 or 50 bottles.”
That cache of vino will soon be drawn from in Snug’s external garage, which is being converted into a wine store and function space. While Snug’s inside will be dedicated to guests looking to dine, the wine store space (and a scattering of tables out front) will double as casual seating for those just popping in for a drink.
“We know people travel from The City or other suburbs to try us, so there’s that element of wanting to be a special trip out,” says Leaham. “Also, we have to be casual enough that the locals don’t need to stress about coming in and getting a glass of wine.”
To hear the duo tell it, the growth of Korea’s wine bar scene is matched only by its diversity. Uniqueness is cherished, with each operator looking to put their own spin on the wine bar format. It’s clear that Snug is looking to forge a similar path, adding an unexpected, yet exciting, element to Brisbane’s waxing number of neighbourhood haunts. That said, Leaham and Jianne stress that Snug at night will be just as welcoming as its daytime persona.
“This place is for everyone, just like the cafe,” says Jianne. “People who’ve come in since the start, they already know that the wine bar’s going to be the same.”
Snug will open from 4:00 pm for walk-in custom only on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Head to the Stumble Guide for more info.