Shaman bar opens in Brisbane CBD
From the minds behind Frog’s Hollow and Alice comes another CBD drink with a twist.
Rituals and performance. Peter Hollands will explain this topic in detail.
“Rituals that people can participate in,” he says. “So things like beer cases: When one runs out and we fill up with a new one, we’ll move it around the room and serve people more beer. Or a citrus press to make our own citrus juice.”
These are the rituals at Shaman, Hollands’ long-awaited bar located beneath the former Metro Arts building at 109 Edward Street. But these don’t have to create a burden, he says.
Hollands already has a knack for this, along with other pubs he owns. It’s all fun at Frog’s Hollow Saloon on Charlotte Street. Alice, just outside Elizabeth, has ’80s rock and pop culture. Queensland’s cultural throwbacks play out at the Alliance in Spring Hill. However, it is never oppressive or restrictive in any of these.
“There is nothing that will make your experience more troublesome,” he says. “Themes don’t just get in the way of coming in and having a drink. If you want to participate, you can. And the theme can be really unique because it doesn’t put anyone in a corner.”
Shaman’s theme is rum and tequila – there are about 150 of them combined in the back bar – with a little Carlos Santana thrown in for good measure.
Hollands had planned to open the pub in late July but approvals delayed the process and meant he did most of the construction himself.
“I exhausted myself, but I got the result I wanted,” he says. “It was exactly what I dreamed of.”
The bar is located in the basement below the heritage-listed building. You enter the old main road on the left of the building, then go downstairs and enter through a heavy wooden door.
Inside, the building’s heavy original timber beams frame an intimate space paired with a semi-octagonal bar on one side of the space and low octagonal tables on the other. Covered original arches hold a variety of framed photographs, and the space is illuminated with vintage petal lights (there’s also a framed, signed copy of Santana’s album). abraxaswhich started the original idea for the bar).
It takes a while to realize that this is a deceptively simple arrangement, the detail in the finely tuned lighting and the Santana-like (in the broadest possible sense) music selection.
Your eyes are drawn to the bar, where veteran vets Tim Pope (former Par Bar in Melbourne) and Ed Quatermass (Maker, Death & Taxes and others) are responsible for a tight drinks list that includes three of the staples: a daiquiri, a margarita brewed with house-made triple sec and an old fashioned; a rotating list of old-school, more obscure classics; and a third section designed to celebrate forgotten retro gems (currently featuring a refreshing pina colada).
There’s a short list of mostly South American wines, and there’s a beer called Estrella, whose bottles sit on ice in the aforementioned crates behind the bar.
Drinks are served at the bar or at the table; The choice is yours.
“There is no structure that forces anyone to do something they don’t want to do,” Hollands says. “No [venue] The police tell you to sit down. We have table service, but if you haven’t approached the bar yet, we’ll be right back.
“We need to maintain the vibe, the vision – the look, the feel. That’s the brand. But our offering can be dynamic. We’re always ready to be flexible and give people what they want.”
Open every day between 15.00-12.00
109 Edward Street, Brisbane
Restaurant reviews, news, and the latest openings delivered to your inbox.
become a member
Matt Shea is Food and Culture Editor at the Brisbane Times. He is a former editor and editor-in-chief at Broadsheet Brisbane and has written for Escape, Qantas Magazine, Guardian, Jetstar Magazine and SilverKris, among others.
