A heritage-listed church is reborn as August, West End’s wonderful new Euro-tinged restaurant
What do you get when a chef known for making some of Brisbane’s most creative fare and a sip-savvy front-of-house star open a restaurant inside a one-of-a-kind character-filled building? You get August – one of most exciting additions to Brisbane’s dining scene this year. Offering a quirky, fun-driven take on Euro-inspired fare and a similarly considered drinks list, August is cementing West End’s status as the place to find some of the city’s most exciting eats.
Last Friday night, Brad Cooper and Matilda Riek opened the doors to August – their highly anticipated West End restaurant housed within the old Hill End Methodist Church on Dornoch Terrace. The opening marked the end of a tricky fit-out process for the pair – one that saw them deftly navigating the hurdles associated with converting a heritage-listing building from one function to another.
Even as the first guests – a mix of friends, family and eager foodies – filtered through, neither operator allowed themselves a moment to take it all in. It wasn’t until Sunday afternoon, when Brad and Matilda sat down with us for a quick debrief before August’s lunch service, that they had an opportunity to take stock.
“It’s weird to say that we’re open, actually,” says Brad with a chuckle. “I didn’t really think about it and then it was all happening. It still hasn’t sunk in.”
Though the weekend was a blur, early reports from the first wave of guests – this writer included – suggest that August made an incredibly successful debut.
Making a good first impression is easier said than done, but August has put its best foot forward with its interiors. The ecclesiastical character of the restaurant’s Federation-era home lends the setting a graceful air, courtesy of its exposed rafters, polished timber floorboards and leadlight lancet windows. Matilda and Brad use words like ‘gentle’ and ‘humble’ to describe the allure of the space itself, with those qualities key contributors to them taking on the building in the first place.
“We wanted somewhere open and light – not dark and dingy, like a little tiny place where they cram you in,” says Matilda. “[We want August] to be somewhere where people actually want to sit for a while and keep eating and keep drinking wine, and not be pushed out the door.”
When it came to the fit-out, Brad and Matilda have deftly navigated the requirements inherent in working with history-laden buildings. Newly constructed elements include the kitchen, located underneath a circular window at the rear of the building, and a small timber bar near the entry. While no doubt a stressful exercise, Matilda admits working within the confines of the building’s heritage helped streamline the process, somewhat.
“When we initially got approved there were so many applications we had to get through, and that was a bit overwhelming,” admits Matilda. “But there was nothing that we wanted that we couldn’t do. The constraints were good in a way – it made us keep it quite simple.”
Matilda took a less-is-more approach to August’s aesthetic, letting the building’s existing character elements do the heavy lifting, accentuating the classical nature of the room with artworks from Matilda’s sister and pieces on consignment from local artists like Skye Jamieson and Lucy Anderson. Though the 60-seat restaurant’s tables are covered in crisp white tablecloths, the duo has been cautious not to cast August as overly upmarket.
“I think elegant is a nice word [to describe August], but without being fussy or making guests feel a bit uncomfortable,” says Matilda. “And that goes for both fit-out and service style.”
In the kitchen, Brad is employing his vast skill set – well-honed from stints working at the likes of Bar Francine, Florence and Gauge – to fashion a menu that, while informed by classic European gastronomy, is distinct and singular. As anyone that has tried Brad’s food before will attest, there is an idiosyncratic quality that makes the chef’s fare stand out. At August, this manifests itself in a number of ways, from the butter moulds and excellent use of vegetables (sourced primarily from Mt Cotton Organic Farm) to Brad’s affinity for esoteric European recipies.
“It’s always changing – it’s changed from Florence and Bar Francine,” says Brad of his cooking style. “It’s heavily European and quite classic. It’s thought out, but simple at the same time. I want to make it fun but I also want to keep it light.”
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August’s opening-weekend menu included the likes of snacks like oyster alla Marco with scallop mousseline and champagne, ox tongue and green tomato fritters with sauce bois boudran, and pickled fennel fritti and skordalia. These are followed by larger entree-style dishes like mud crab omelette Arnold Bennett, confit trout with Dutch cream potatoes, watercress and sauce caviar, and conchiglie with chickpeas and rosemary.
A trio of mains include early stand-outs like foie gras-stuffed chicken crown with peas a la Francaise, Barnsley lamb chop with caponata, and grilled flounder with vongole, butter beans and saffron butter. Desserts are given fun-infused flourishes, too – the blue cheese cheesecake with Pedro Ximinez jelly and fruit toast is a delightfully jiggly number with a slightly savoury punch.
On Sundays, August offers a set-menu lunch with the likes of stuffed chicken leg with braised almonds and sherry, raw beef Neapolitan, and radicchio with roasted artichoke and anchovy dressing. Guests are also able to BYO wine during the Sunday lunch service, to enjoy alongside the fare.
Speaking of wine, Matilda has shaped the beverage offering with assistance from Logan Moore, with the duo crafting a tight list of drinks. The wine list mixes unheralded Australian makers with French and Italian options, while the concise cocktail menu features Forêt Pastis and soda and Rinomato Aperitivo and soda, alongside negronis, martinis, old fashioneds and spritzes.
“I think it’s similar to the food in that it’s very considered and not overwhelming,” says Matilda of August’s drinks program. “It’s quite short, but I like that in a wine menu – I don’t like wine lists that are long and you have no idea what’s going on.”
August is the latest in a string of culinary concepts that have helped redefine West End’s dining scene in recent years, joining venues like Gum Bistro, The Twin, Bar Hugo, Flying Colours, Cordeaux Social Club and soon-to-open Cafe Disco as part of an exciting new wave of hospitality. But Matilda and Brad are humble when it comes to August’s intentions, positioning it more as an evergreen bastion of fun food and service – a place that’s a bit quirky, to be sure, but still warm and familiar.
“I think it’s a really nice space to be looked after – it’s somewhere a little bit unique,” says Matilda. “You can spend a bit of time, there’s no urgency.”
August is now open for dinner Wednesday to Saturday and lunch on Sunday. More info can be found in The Directory.