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Fine-casual restaurant JuJu Bar & Dining adds a dash of sophistication to Sunnybank Hills Fine-casual restaurant JuJu Bar & Dining adds a dash of sophistication to Sunnybank Hills Fine-casual restaurant JuJu Bar & Dining adds a dash of sophistication to Sunnybank Hills Fine-casual restaurant JuJu Bar & Dining adds a dash of sophistication to Sunnybank Hills Fine-casual restaurant JuJu Bar & Dining adds a dash of sophistication to Sunnybank Hills Fine-casual restaurant JuJu Bar & Dining adds a dash of sophistication to Sunnybank Hills Fine-casual restaurant JuJu Bar & Dining adds a dash of sophistication to Sunnybank Hills Fine-casual restaurant JuJu Bar & Dining adds a dash of sophistication to Sunnybank Hills Fine-casual restaurant JuJu Bar & Dining adds a dash of sophistication to Sunnybank Hills Fine-casual restaurant JuJu Bar & Dining adds a dash of sophistication to Sunnybank Hills Fine-casual restaurant JuJu Bar & Dining adds a dash of sophistication to Sunnybank Hills Fine-casual restaurant JuJu Bar & Dining adds a dash of sophistication to Sunnybank Hills Fine-casual restaurant JuJu Bar & Dining adds a dash of sophistication to Sunnybank Hills Fine-casual restaurant JuJu Bar & Dining adds a dash of sophistication to Sunnybank Hills Fine-casual restaurant JuJu Bar & Dining adds a dash of sophistication to Sunnybank Hills Fine-casual restaurant JuJu Bar & Dining adds a dash of sophistication to Sunnybank Hills Fine-casual restaurant JuJu Bar & Dining adds a dash of sophistication to Sunnybank Hills Fine-casual restaurant JuJu Bar & Dining adds a dash of sophistication to Sunnybank Hills

Fine-casual restaurant JuJu Bar & Dining adds a dash of sophistication to Sunnybank Hills

Brisbane is spreading outward and, as a result, the demand for more suburban restaurants is spiking. JuJu Bar & Dining is a newly open restaurant that looks to bring a slice of the inner city to Sunnybank Hills in the form of a fine-casual eatery offering elevated eats without the high-end price tag (and the associated costs of heading into town). Expect a menu shaped by a cross-pollination of Asian influences and eye-catching (and tongue-tantalising) cocktails served in a chic and sophisticated setting. If that sounds like your idea of a great time, then read on to find out more ...


Outside of Brisbane’s inner suburbs, Sunnybank and Sunnybank Hills are some of the city’s most diverse food districts. Known as reliable hubs for a diverse selection of Asian cuisines, from yum cha institutions and hot-pot buffets to Korean barbecue spots and Japanese ramen joints, the two southside neighbourhoods aren’t lacking in variety. Ask resident Jacky Cao, though, and the long-time local will tell you that Sunnybank and Sunnybank Hills are in need of more fine-casual restaurants – upscale-yet-accessible dining options similar to the headline-making venues found closer to the centre of town in The City, Newstead and South Brisbane. Instead of waiting for Brisbane’s current restaurant explosion to ripple out to his neck of the woods, Jacky has opened an eatery of his own. JuJu Bar & Dining is a relaxed but sophisticated nosh spot that Jacky hopes will fill the glaring gap in Sunnybank’s otherwise sterling food scene and, when we caught up with him on the eve of JuJu’s opening, he is quietly confident he’s not alone in wanting more polished options locally. “A lot of people just can’t wait until we open, to be honest,” confides Jacky. “[JuJu is] something you don’t have to drive to, it’s something a bit more service focused.” When describing JuJu’s style of operation, Jacky name checks restaurants like sAme sAme as the kind of more casual venues he gravitates towards these days – that is, epicurean outposts that deliver an elevated offering but side step the formal trappings of fine dining.

The restaurant, which sits on Calam Road in the space previously home to Haoke Seafood Chinese Restaurant, is bold and modern in look. Design studio pdmg and ENP Fitouts collaborated on the venue’s external and internal refurbishment – a process that has resulted in a crisp, new aesthetic with neither hide nor hair of Haoke’s crowded dining hall. A moody entrance hall with charred-timber walls and strip lighting by CNC Electrical lead guests into the light-filled 25-seat bar and lounge space, which boasts a marble-topped bar, sheer white curtains and rendered concrete walls. JuJu’s 70-seat main room is comparatively darker, with oak and walnut tones, polished concrete, hanging pendant lights and suede-coated banquettes helping create an elegant vibe and a refreshing roominess. The tables in here are larger, too, so as to alleviate the issues associated with accommodating many plates on one table. “I had a very clear idea of how I wanted the venue to be designed,” says Jacky of JuJu’s look and feel. “We were looking for something that was super minimalistic and simple in terms of design. I’ve very much designed the space for the customer, for the diner. We’ve got a great chef and we’ve got a great team in the bar, but I’m focusing on giving them the whole package.” Those looking for an intimate experience can book the private-dining room at the rear, which is shielded from the main room by an ornate barrier and features its own green-marble table.

JuJu Bar & Dining’s kitchen is helmed by Andrew Birse, a seasoned chef fresh from a tenure as head chef of The Long Apron in Montville (his resume also features stints working with Alanna Sapwell at ARC Dining and as sous chef at e’cco Bistro). The culinary direction, described by Jacky as modern food with a hint of Asian flavours, borrows heavily from Korean, Japanese and Chinese cuisine and makes great use of Australian ingredients. These influences manifest across JuJu’s share-style menu in dishes like shaved venison with kanzuri (fermented chilli) and onion broth, abalone and mushroom skewersdrunken quail with pear and ginger, salt-baked suckling pig with mustard greens and miso mustard, barbecue Murray cod with sesame, ginger and shallots, and steamed lobster with pickled seaweed, just to name a few. A bar snack menu features lamb ribs, brisket fried rice, pork croquettes and a miniature barbecue seat with a 100-g MB9 wagyu steak and assorted condiments. A pan-Asian-inspired breakfast menu is also on the cards for the coming months. The venue’s beverage list is headlined by an inventive cocktail selection (including a tea-pot concoction called Momo the Geisha) 40-odd whiskies, and a decently sized wine list, the latter featuring everything from Architects of Wine pinot grigio and Kaesler Old Bastard shiraz to French rosé and high-end champagnes.

JuJu Bar & Dining is softly open now for bar seating and snacks only (you can book here), with the full menu and restaurant dining to launch in the coming weeks. Head to the Stumble Guide for contact info, reservation details and more.

The Stumble Guide is our comprehensive Brisbane dining guide with more than 2400 places to eat, drink, shop and play.



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