The all-new menu at Gerard’s Bar will finally launch from Thursday, 22nd October. Originally slated for March 2020, Executive Chef Adam Wolfers is excited to now introduce his new menu after the restrictions and delays of the last few months. The menu will not just change in flavours but also format, fortifying the connection with Gerard’s Bistro across the lane. Adam’s dishes will be served alongside a revamped wine and cocktail list.
Gerard’s Bar will offer a selection of pared-back, Middle Eastern-style grazing dishes, designed for sharing. “It was a bit of a blow to have to shut down the bar just after we had announced the relaunch, but the time has finally come to unveil what we have been working on. The closure of the bar and halt of the menu launch also gave us the opportunity to refine our dishes. We are thrilled to now share it with our community who have supported us throughout these past few months. The menu will feel more aligned with the Bistro and will be constantly changing,” says Adam.
The menu is a journey of flavours influenced by Adam’s travels, his Jewish heritage and the various restaurants that he has worked in throughout his career. Traditional Middle Eastern dishes are accentuated by seasonal produce through a menu largely cooked in the custom-built wood-fired oven. This includes a selection of mezze such as white pea hummus, wagyu basturma, baba ganoush, biber salcasi walnut, smoked Kinkawooka mussels and Middle Eastern cheeses like camel dairy Persian feta and labne all served with freshly baked wood-fired laffa bread. Some of the more substantial offerings include freshly baked wood-fired lamb manoushe, spinach pide and short rib sfeeha with garlic yoghurt. There are also small plates such as Armenian cucumbers with labne and sesame, Sydney rock oysters, baked kibbeh with yoghurt and pine nuts, fattoush salad with sumac and onion and rice pilaf with baharat, raisins and smoked butter. All finished off with traditional desserts including pistachio baklava and burgul malabi with saffron caramel. See the full menu here.
Adam’s commitment to sustainability and his zero-waste approach to cooking means that with the additional new menu further use can be made of the whole ingredient. For example, potato offcuts are pureed and fermented to create manoushe and fresh milk is used up by making labne. Even Gerard’s signature za’atar spice mix, a seasoning in many dishes, is made with turnips tops and carrot greens.
Opened in 2014 and situated across the lane from Gerard’s Bistro, Gerard’s Bar stands alone as a destination in its own right. The new menu and updated interiors have evolved the bar into a more elegant and intimate destination. A sleek, polished concrete bar runs the entire length of the venue, while warm wooden and leather elements lend contrasting softness.
Guests can make the most of the warm climate on the spacious front deck and enjoy the curated beverage menu. The extensive cocktail and premium spirits list is accompanied by a focused wine and beer selection that champions Australian producers and brewers. For those wanting an extra special bottle, the full Gerard’s Bistro wine list is also available at Gerard’s Bar.
Gerard’s Bar
13A, 23 James Street, Fortitude Valley QLD 4006
07 3252 2606
Open 4 nights a week. Hours: Thursday & Friday, 4pm–late; Saturday & Sunday, 12pm–late
*Note: Full bar food menu available until 10pm with light snacks available after 10pm