If you had to distil the Melbourne food scene down to one man, it’d be Andrew McConnell. Cumulus Inc., Cutler & Co, Supernormal, Meatsmith, Marion Wine Bar, Gimlet , Apollo Inn. McConnell has Melbourne covered.
When McConnell and his Trader House group announced they were expanding outside of Victoria, foodies lost their collective minds. The fact that he was coming to Brisbane before setting foot in Sydney left Queenslanders feeling rightly smug. And the announcement that by mid-2024 McConnell will have not one but two venues in Brisbane – Supernormal based on the Melbourne venue of the same name, which was announced mid-2023 and wine-focused, European-inspired Bar Miette, which was announced just this morning – is sweeter than any State of Origin victory.
And by and large it’s happening because McConnell fell in love with a building. Bar Miette and Supernormal will share a space in the 443 Queen Street development from WOHA architects.
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SUBSCRIBE NOW“I’ve always loved Brisbane and what’s happening in Brisbane with the food scene. A few years ago, I was shown the site and… I was so taken by the building and the location to the river and the CBD,” McConnell tells Broadsheet. “And I’ve always thought that Supernormal would work so beautifully in Queensland, [that] that style of food and relaxed approach would work really well, and I hadn’t really explored the opportunity further until I [saw] this building.”
Supernormal is sitting riverside with Bar Miette on street level with an elevated outlook towards the river and Story Bridge. Both interiors have been designed by Vince Alafaci and Caroline Choker of Acme, in close collaboration with the Trader House team. McConnell shares that the Supernormal space goes in a “complete different direction” to its Melbourne counterpart. Bar Miette will have an airy indoor-outdoor feel, a cosy curved bar and a terrace. The spaces will create “a fitting juxtaposition to one another”.
Tapped to run both venues are executive chef Jason Barratt (Paper Daisy at Halcyon House, Rae’s at Wategos, Attica, Stokehouse) and venue manager Alex Tuckett (Frida’s Field at Nashua, Harvest at Newrybar , Pilu at Freshwater).
In terms of the Supernormal menu, McConnell says: “I don’t want to completely carbon copy what we’re doing in Melbourne and drop it in Brisbane. It’s a great opportunity for us to evolve and improve what we do and the great produce in Brisbane will help us do that.”
Barratt is drawing on the connections he made during his time in the Northern Rivers to build a list of local producers that’ll give the new venues a uniquely tropical taste. Speaking to Broadsheet, Barratt rattles off an exhaustive list of local suppliers he’s keen to bring on board – from oyster farmers on Stradbroke Island and fisherman Chris Bolton, to produce from Falls Farm in Mapleton and sub-tropical fruit from John Picone from Mullumbimby.
Fans of the Melbourne Supernormal can rest assured that the venue’s cult classic lobster brioche bun will be making the trip north. “I don’t think we could get away without bringing that lobster up, but we might make a few tweaks to it,” says Barratt.
Meanwhile Bar Miette – which will open daily from early to late – will serve coffee and breakfast in the morning; small plates, fresh seafood, salads, cheese and charcuterie at lunch; and cocktails and wine at night.
Supernormal and Bar Miette will open at 443 Queen Street, Brisbane mid-2024.
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