Scoring a walk-in table at Julius Pizzeria can sometimes be a roll of the dice. If you time it right, you can swoop in just as a group of diners polish off their final slice, but if you miss an opening you’ll have to wait. For most diners, this isn’t an issue. The woodfired pizzas, duck and tomato ragu, and bistecca di manzo found on the menu at this Fish Lane institution are well worth lingering for, and you never have to wait too long. That said, owners Cordell Khoury, Paolo Biscaro, Aleks Dzajkovski, Anthony Nicastro and Stefan Angelovski have taken great strides to alleviate wait times, opening spirited aperitivo joint Bar Brutus across the laneway in 2020 – in part as a handy waiting area for those waiting to snag a seat at Julius. Last year, Aria Property Group approached the team to see if it was keen expand its South Brisbane portfolio further. The offer? The vacant space formerly occupied by Gauge on Grey Street, a plum site conveniently situated a pizza toss from Julius’ front doors. Seeing a chance to scoop up more of the overflow from their Italian restaurant while also luring in theatre-goers looking for a pre- or post-show meal, the Julius crew decided to give it a shot. “We obviously wanted to stick with what we do, which is Italian,” says Cordell Khoury of the group’s ideation process. “We thought that we’d make it an Italian wine bar. We wanted to have a place with lots of snacky Italian food and a tight, interesting Italian-based wine list.” That line of brainstorming has resulted in Bar Rosa, a 35-seat bar and nosh spot specialising in two things – vini and piatti.
When plans for a cosmetic touch-up and quick reopening were scuttled by early 2022’s flood event, the Bar Rosa team engaged Clui Design to help actualise a more substantial refit. The old Gauge layout remains the same, though the original water-damaged bar has been rebuilt. Aesthetically, the venue leans into its cosy confines – a simple material palette of marble, wood panelling, fluted glass and concrete is chicly understated, conjuring an intimate atmosphere that is markedly different from Julius’ jovial atmosphere. As for seating arrangements, there are cushy banquettes in one corner, an alcove suitable for groups in another, bar seating and a strip along the street-facing frontage, while the footpath will be activated for outdoor dining in the near future.
Bar Rosa’s culinary offering has been built by Cordell and Anthony, with long-time Beccofino chef Enrique Rosa – the restaurant’s eponym and head chef – overseeing the day-to-day operations of the kitchen. Already boasting a firm grasp on Italian cuisine, the Bar Rosa team aren’t looking to reinvent the wheel with the menu. Instead, it’s honing in on classics and crowd favourites that are evergreen in the eyes of epicures. “It’s a lot of tried and trusted stuff that we’ve done at Becco and Julius,” says Cordell. “Not that we’ve just rehashed stuff – we just wanted to do classic Italian, what we know is going to work and dishes that people will be happy to eat.” Core to the Bar Rosa offering will be stuzzichini – an assortment of finger foods, snacks and nibbles that can prime the pump for a follow-up feast or satisfy a slightly peckish patron. “We’re going to be doing a lot of stuff by the piece,” Cordell reveals. “Veal and pork meatballs, stuffed zucchini flowers, anchovies, a little plate of prosciutto and buffalo mozarella, and veal salami – just little plates that are great to share and snack on with a glass of wine.” Guests can craft a constellation of bites including pizza fritta with burrata, tuna crudo with golden cherry tomatoes and grilled calamari with rocket and lemon before moving onto something larger, if they desire. Fleshing out the menu are a couple of rotating pasta options and two mains – think veal saltimbocca with gnocchi Romana and grilled fish of the day. The wine list is similarly slim, Italian-heavy and will frequently shift – expect reds like chianti, nebbiolo, barolo and barbaresco, whites like Campanian fiano and Ligurian vermentino, and some French fizz. On the cocktail front classics like negroni and Americano are available alongside signatures such as the Torta (vodka, limoncello, hazelnut, vanilla and lemon) and the Pesca (gin, Aperol, peach, lime and yuzu). All told, Bar Rosa is more than just a catchment for those hoping to get a table at Julius – it’s a spot well worth making your first choice when you next visit Fish Lane.
Bar Rosa is now open – head to the Stumble Guide for operating hours, booking details and menu info.
