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Pavement Whispers: set a course for Soma – a neighbourhood bar opening in Hervey Bay this October

Pavement Whispers: set a course for Soma – a neighbourhood bar opening in Hervey Bay this October

Most of us have dreamed of instigating a sea change at different points in our lives, but few of us gather up the courage to ditch the big smoke in favour of a life of sun, sand and surf. Both Timo van Hest and Neil Yates relocated to Hervey Bay a couple of years back and haven't looked back since. In fact, the two hospitality veterans (boasting experience at venues like Cobbler, Maker, Longsong and Easy Tiger) are looking to plant more roots in the area with Soma, a soon-to-open bar and nosh spot serving an ever-evolving selection of natural wines, a similarly ephemeral range of cocktails and Euro-familiar eats with Southeast Asian twists (such as half lobster with curry butter and frites). It sounds like something worth trekking north for! Here's what we know ...


Before the pandemic struck, Timo van Hest had plans to move to Sicily. When borders shut and Timo’s plans for international relocation were dashed, he settled for a shorter move. The seasoned bartender, whose ten-year career saw him working at exception boozers like Blackbird, Cobbler, Savile Row and Maker, ditched the claustrophobic cosmopolitan lifestyle for Hervey Bay’s seaside splendour, where he met Neil Yates. Neil, an experienced chef whose resume includes head chef roles at Melbourne restaurants Longsong, Easy Tiger and Huxtable, had also recently executed a coastal move and was working at casual fine diner Odyssey Bistro. The two became fast friends and soon enough the they decided to team up and open Soma – a neighbourhood bar for Hervey Bay locals to love and road-tripping blow-ins to seek out. In Portuguese the word soma means ‘sum of’, and in that sense Soma the bar is the sum of Timo and Neil’s tastes and experiences. “We like good-quality food, drinks and service more than anything,” says Timo of his and Neil’s common ground. “Across the board it’s a little bit lacking up here – through no fault of anyone’s. Instead of moving and blaming Hervey Bay for not having that, we felt like we should contribute – because it is a beautiful place to live.”

Soma will be a small and intimate venue perched on Hervey Bay’s esplanade in Scarness, near local landmark The Beach House Hotel. The 70-sqm space will house 22 seats inside across bar stools and leather banquettes and another ten across low-set tables on the footpath, with a minimal and dark aesthetic (designed by Timo, who boasts a background in architecture) accented by mood lighting and quirky pops of colour. “Soma’s really going to be a neighbourhood bar,” say Timo of Soma’s atmosphere and style of service, which will be reminiscent of bistro-type wine bars in Sydney, Perth or Adelaide that eschew the typical entree, main and dessert menu format. “It’s simple, it’s small, it’s intimate – it’s the kind of place that you could drop into for a plate of something to eat and a simple drink without needing to overthink it. You don’t have to be celebrating something. It’s really shared food in an intimate and casual setting.”

In the kitchen, Neil will be interrogating the nature of contemporary modern-Australian fare, digging into the country’s cultural diversity to create a list of recognisable dishes with creative tweaks. “In terms of legibility, there’s some familiar European bistro-type foods like a tartare, but that might be done using some Southeast Asian ingredients or techniques,” Timo elaborates. Soma’s menu will change every six-to-eight weeks based on availability of produce, with possible menu items including the likes of cold grilled zucchini with nam jim and fresh herbs, whole baked snapper acqua pazza, half lobster with curry butter and frites, wallaby tartare with pepperberry and oyster mayo, and claypot-baked whole mud crab. Timo will be overseeing Soma’s beverage program, which will be kept similarly loose and dynamic. A five-strong selection of house cocktails will be mainstays, while 12-to-15 ephemeral concoctions (each with an intriguing mix of familiar and unfamiliar flavours) will constantly shift. Every major kind of beer will be represented alongside a wine list showcasing low-intervention drops from small producers (many of which will be grower-producers) and some big magnum bottles that will be popped on Friday evenings. “Its going to be a challenge getting them up here, but we really want it to be a focus of our product offering,” says Timo of Soma’s dream vino selection. “We want wines that people – especially in this area – haven’t heard of before and can really feel a connection to, because they are made by an individual.”

All going to plan, Soma will open to the public in October. If you’ve been meaning to plan a trip (or a sea change), best add Hervey Bay to your summer itinerary.

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