Yebisu Izakaya

Regent Place, 501 George St Sydney 2000
www.regentplace.com.au

Yebisu has opened in Regent Place, George Street, just opposite Sydney Town Hall. Dubbed Sydney’s ‘J-Village’, the revitalised Regent Place and surrounding neighbourhood is home to a number of Japanese food and drink destinations.

Yebisu’s extensive menu covers yakitori and other grill items as well as classic hits such as sushi, sashimi, hot pots, noodles and fried dishes.  Specialised chefs are assigned to each style of cooking with Yebisu’s yakitori master sending out signature dishes.

Yebisu also offers diners a fully integrated iPad ordering system with each table featuring its own iPad menu for customers to browse and order from – one of the first in Sydney. It allows diners to see which stage their order is up to, from ‘order placed’ to ‘cooking currently’ to ‘on its way to the table’. A bespoke sake trolley also circulates the room with a specialist on hand to help navigate the extensive list. Once ordered, the sake is poured ceremoniously at the table with much fanfare, in true izakaya style.

Yebisu’s fit-out is boldly ‘east meets west’, reflecting the old and the new face of Japan. Traditional and obviously Japanese in its detail, the modern street art, courtesy of Coffs Harbour-based graffiti artist Ash Johnston, adds a modern touch. The exterior of the restaurant features brightly-lit neon signage running alongside glowing paper lanterns traditionally found outside izakaya bars in Japan. Sydney-based Giant Design are responsible for Yebisu’s interiors as well as the fit out of its J-Village neighbours, Chanoma Cafe and Tenkomori.

Photos by Andrew Worssam 

The Walrus Club

543 Coronation St, Toowong 4066

The Walrus Club can be found – with some difficulty – in the depths of the Regatta Hotel, offering a sensuous experience around rum.

The venue is a rabbit warren of intimate, interconnecting spaces, each with its own subtle identity based on rum and the 1920/30’s Temperance Movement (Prohibition). Comfortable leather lounge chairs, rough-sawn timber crates and cast iron-framed stools furnish the rooms accompanied by Art Nouveau lamps and candles. The bars themselves feature copper sheet with solid timber tops.

Designers Brand + Slater Architects worked closely with owner Spirit Hotels to create a speakeasy-inspired venue that acquaints its patrons not only with the many varieties of rum and rum-based cocktails but also its history and associations. The realisation of a venue that specialises in one beverage type is something fairly new in Brisbane.

PJ’s Irish Pub

73 Church St, Parramatta 2150
(02) 9635 8811 or www.pjsparramatta.com.au

PJ’s has maintained tradition by keeping its Irish-style pub interior but has stayed contemporary through a multimillion-dollar refurbishment in mid-2012.Xcite Audio Visual were bought on board to supply a comprehensive and quality audio system, and turned to Jands. Xcite AV have installed a completely integrated system from the PA through to digital signage and DJ / performance rigs.

Brendon Fava, director of Xcite Audio Visual, explains that many of the venue’s key areas are serviced magnificently by JBL speakers. JBL Control Contractor Series of installation loudspeakers includes a complete range of surface-mount, in-ceiling and subwoofer models, providing a wide variety of choices to meet any architectural, aesthetic, and system performance requirements.

The outdoor courtyard features ten JBL Control 28 wall mount speakers whilst the first floor outdoor terrace has eight JBL Control 25 wall mount speakers. The restaurant has eight Control 24CT compact in-ceiling speakers which offer premium performance in background, foreground and music-plus paging sound systems. A BSS BLU-8 programmable zone controller in the restaurant offers simple control for the staff. JBL Control 28 wall mount speakers also service the function rooms with JBL Control 25 wall mount speakers for the private function. The toilets all feature JBL 8124 in-ceiling speakers which offer high-fidelity performance in an easy to install package.

“A JBL solution is fairly standard for us these days,” commented Brendon. “The JBL Control 28 speakers are great for outdoors and their wall mount bracket makes installation a breeze. For a smaller, box-type speaker, the JBL 25 fits things perfectly and I really like the sound quality for the size.”

A couple of BSS BLU-100 digital signal processors and a BSS BLU-BOB2 DSP Output Expander. The Soundweb London BLU-100 represents a premium, open-architecture solution in the form of a highly flexible, cost-effective and scalable package.

Mercure Sydney

818/820 George St, Haymarket 2000
(02) 9217 6666 or www.mercuresydney.com.au

Sydney’s Central Station/Broadway area’ urban renewal program now includes the Mercure Sydney, which is about to unveil a multi-million dollar revamp. The four-star, George Street-located hotel is completing the final stages of a major renovation, with each of the hotel’s 517 rooms set to reveal a contemporary new look by Spring 2013.

Accommodation rooms feature a warm colour palette of purple and grey interiors with dark marble bench tops. The new rooms also feature new-look bathroom suites.

“The transformation of the hotel comes at a time when the Central Station area of Sydney is undergoing a remarkable renaissance,” says Hotel General Manager Greg Brady. “There is a remarkable energy in the area with new constructions such as the Frank Gehry building leading the way. There are new offices, restaurants and retail outlets opening all the time, and in the longer term, Central will once again become Sydney’s hub for a city tram service. The extensive refurbishment of the hotel is very well-timed.”

Guests can now try out the new rooms while also making great savings in the Accor ‘Stay 3 Pay 2’ promotion. Travellers simply need to book three consecutive nights before 25 June 2013 and stay before 30 June 2013 to enjoy the bonus night FOC.

Rozzi’s Italian Canteen

Highpoint Shopping Centre, 200 Rosamond Rd, Maribyrnong 3032
www.rozzis.com.au

Mim Design’s brief from Rozzi’s was to create an interior that reflected the menu and the modern authentic product used throughout. It was also important that Rozzi’s customers “lived” in the space and took ownership, making it their own kitchen. Timber floors combined with custom detailed concrete tiles work to anchor the venue. The bar, central to the interior, is clad in Atlantic blue granite which offsets the surrounding white glazed bricks and soft black joinery. A series of custom designed pendants, shaped from original Italian wine carafes and oil bottles, line the opening aperture of the venue creating a soft, glowing look. Rozzi’s is a clean and fresh approach to Nonna’s traditional kitchen.

Paustian Spinal 44 Swivel Chair from Pago Designs

www.pagodesigns.com.au

Paustian Spinal 44 Swivel Chair with castors is related to the Paustian Spinal Table series and is designed by the Danish designer and architect Paul Leroy.

The Spinal 44 Swivel is available with or without arm and in both leather or fabric upholstery with plain or channel stitching, providing an excellent solution for a meeting, conference or dining room chair.

The Spinal 44 Swivel chair is also available with sled base, swivel base with or without castors, or as bar stool.

Features
· Dimensions: (W) 440/600mm x (D) 530mm x Height 800mm
· Seat height: 460mm
· Upholstery: Available in Fabric or Leather
· Optional Arm Rest
· Warranty: 5 years

Helm Bar Surfers

30-34 Ferny Ave, Surfers Paradise 4217
(07) 5538 9677 or www.helmbarsurfers.com.au

Take a look at Helm Bar Surfers. The interiors, inspired by Helm’s sister venue in Sydney, are from Peckvonhartel.

The Town Mouse

312 Drummond St, Carlton 3053
(03) 9347 3312 or thetownmouse.com.au

The Town Mouse offers food and drink in an historically prosperous restaurant location.

Chef Dave Verheul has hatched a menu that focusses on balance and texture. Owner Christian McCabe says the menu showcases an array of original and award-winning techniques. “The key aspect of the food is that it is gastronomic, yet humble enough to be eaten everyday which allows the venue to function equally as a local as well as a dining destination for special occasions or date night”.

McCabe, owner of the 2008 Cuisine NZ Restaurant of the Year, Matterhorn, has teamed up with sister Amber McCabe (previously Longrain) and Jay Comeskey (previously St Ali). The interiors by Allistar Cox were created for glamour and old-school charm and feature natural and hand-crafted materials.

“The design of The Town Mouse is an idealised portrayal of how we believe the everyday should be lived – just because something is nice doesn’t mean it should be saved for a special occasion. Being with friends and family is special enough,” says Christian McCabe.

The Discgo Charger

http://www.facebook.com/discgocharger

The Discgo is a charging system that is designed for cafes, restaurants, venues and bars that allows patrons to move within the venue while giving your phone a much-needed charge.

Discgo chargers can be placed in any environment, with a small rental fee from the venue on a monthly basis. The venue utilizes the DISCGO Charger as an add-on service to their customers to attract and retain their business.

“Competition is stiff and any opportunity we can give to differentiate ourselves from our competitors we’ll take,” says Paul Schulte of the Keystone Group. “We give them to our clientele because we know that while they’re recharging their phones with a Discgo charger they will be comfortable in our environment, and won’t look to move on to another one of twenty-odd bars and restaurants within the precincts we are situated.”

The Discgo can charge any phone at 1% per minute (the same as plugging a phone into a wall socket) and can charge up to six phones from zero to full battery before the charger unit must be recharged. Packages are customisable to suit individual outlets and each charging unit comes with a variety of different cables to suit smart phones and the old-school legacy phones, as well as an inbuilt security system to prevent theft. Soon a Discgo app will even provide users with locations that carry the chargers.

The Discgo Charger is a wholly owned and operated Australian product that is developed in Sydney and currently rolling out across Australia. The Discgo charger is available at many pubs around Sydney and is expanding to the rest of the country.

RBA’s Wall-Mounted Self-Closing Tap with Isolation Valve

www.rba.com.au/tapware/wall-mounted

There’s no longer a need to turn off those pesky bathroom taps with paper towels with RBA’s wall-mounted self-closing tapware range.

Listening to what the consumer wants is what RBA does best, and that is why they have made hygiene and water conservation their two top priorities throughout their wall-mounted tap range.

One push of a button is all that is required to operate the RBA1053-Series, as the automatic shut-off feature takes care of the rest.

RBA’s wall mounted taps also give the customer options of two flow rates to choose from. This includes the standard 6-Star five-litres-per-minute flow rate for water saving efficiency purposes, while if reducing dead leg is what you would prefer there is also the 4 Star option which flows at 8 litres per minute.

The aerator is recessed in selected models which provides cleaner lines for a minimalist look, but also makes it more difficult to steal.

These easy-to-activate wall-mounted taps are not only vandal-resistant but also aesthetically pleasing and designed in stainless steel with a clean design appeal.

Maintenance on the push-button taps is made easy with the integrated isolation valve, which allows the water supply to be cut off at the tap so there is no need to close the entire washroom for maintenance.

The integrated isolation valve not only will save time in maintenance but also avoid OH&S issues as it is conveniently located on the underside of the tap.

RBA’s timed-flow taps are particularly popular in public restrooms, public wash areas, schools and childcare facilities as there is no chance of the water being left running.

RBA looks after their customers and always puts their needs first and that is why they offer a two-year warranty on their wall-mounted tapware. This is double the industry standard and gives RBA customers greater peace of mind.