Mr. Mista has taken over the space previously occupied by Nickel Kitchen & Bar in Fortitude Valley, and the team has truly brought the venue back to life – in every sense of the word. The bar and eatery comes from a group of seasoned hospitality veterans, who have experience opening and operating venues such as Eleven Rooftop Bar, Cloudland, Jellyfish, The Jetty and e’cco bistro – and Mr. Mista is the culmination of everything they have learnt and loved over the years. The venue draws its inspiration from the cocktail bars of Los Angeles, such as Hyde Sunset, offering patrons a tantalising dining experience by day and a Hollywood-style party scene by night. Visit Mr. Mista during the week and you’ll find a moody neon-lit cavern filled with velvet booth seating, dark timber finishes and tropical Southeast Asian touches – but come 9:30 pm on Friday and Saturday nights, Mr. Mista is ready to party. Diners are given fair warning and transferred to the cushy lounge area as the down lights turn off, disco lights come on, the DJ turns up the funk and the staff seamlessly transforms the main dining area into a dance floor. That means no more aimlessly wandering through The Valley post-dinner looking for a place to dance off your feast – you can stay right where you are.
Primarily, Mr. Mista operates as a restaurant, so a great deal of emphasis has been placed on the food. Chef Emerson Tauro has created a shareable menu of Southeast Asian-inspired eats, broken into bar snacks, vegetables, salads and raw dishes, meat, curries and rice, sides, and sweets. Since opening last week, the adobo ‘dynamite’ spring rolls with pork, green finger chilli and pickled green papaya, and the tropical bao sliders with chicken karaage, caramelised pineapple and sriracha mayo have already proven to be crowd favourites to start. Betel leaves wrapped around grilled wagyu mince on a bed of rice-noodle salad and nuoc cham will continue your feast, followed by mains of smoked massaman beef curry and billionaire fried rice with dried scallops, crab-claw meat, egg whites and scallions. To finish, look to the pandan cheesecake with candied jackfruit, young coconut and purple-yam ice-cream or Chinese doughnuts with salted-soy caramel – or, just go straight to the extensive cocktail list and get ready for those disco lights to come on. Mr. Mista also offers banquets for two or more people for lunch and dinner, taking you on a journey through chef Emerson’s favourite dishes.
Ready to party? Mr. Mista is open now. Head to our Stumble Guide for opening hours and contact details.
