New Brisbane

By some strange coincidence, the first time I went to Sunbar in Fortitude Valley was also the last night that Sunbar was open. Because he was losing his job the next day and because I had two cute backpackers on my arm, we were plied with shots and a good time was had by all. Liking the layout of the club, I couldn’t wait to see what it would look like after renovations, and when Zuri Lounge was the result, I was far from disappointed.

Zuri Lounge
1-367 Brunswick Street
Fortitude Valley
P: 07 3257 4999
F: 07 3257 4919
E: info@zuri.com.au
W: www.zuri.com.au

Relaunched as an upmarket cocktail lounge aimed at the 25+ market, Zuri is decked out in a Renaissance theme, with lots of ornate woodwork, soft lounges and service staff clad in revealing, victorian-era outfits. After a few warm-up drinks at home, our tour of Zuri begins on a Friday night, which is traditionally a quieter night in the valley, but as the hostess shows us into the club we see that the inside of Zuri is bustling with lively activity. This is a pretty impressive demonstration of customer loyalty, as one has to imagine that some of its potential clientele are in the massive line for Cloudland that we passed on the way through the Valley.

Continuing our tour through the club, our hostess ushers us into the VIP and private function area, which is closed this Friday night, but we wanted to have a quick look anyway. Available for mid-week bookings, this luxurious lounge is normally taken over on the weekend by Zuri Lounge members wishing to rub elbows in more select company. And, with its red leather couches, rich furnishings, private wait staff and superb mixologists, this is definitely a place where the very important feel at home. Even better, if you’re keen to experience this sort of treatment yourself, the great news is that private booths in this lounge are available for hire Thursday-Saturday and come with premium bottle service, mixers and a barman all of your own.

If you’re looking for something a little higher up on the social scale, you might also be interested in hiring out the Salon. This completely private room has a maximum capacity of 24 people and is intended for more private affairs. With a long wooden dining table and lush furnishings, every inch of this room speaks elegance. And for the more voyeuristic amongst us, the Salon features one-way windows overlooking the stage, as well as a wall-mounted plasma TV which enables you to see what’s going on in other parts of the club, even the kitchen. And all it takes to get you this room for the night is a tidy $5000.

After being dosed with luxury, we moved back into the main bar, where all the people were, to immerse ourselves in the night’s going-ons. Though busy, I was pretty impressed at how quickly we were able to find some chairs to lounge in and was even more impressed when I found that Belvedere vodka is the base vodka that you get served at the bar. I’m quite sick of getting served Smirnoff Red everywhere else I go in Brisbane.

As it’s aimed at the 25+ market, the crowd at Zuri is generally older than what you’d find in other Fortitude Valley clubs - in some cases we saw a few older men with younger women that we took to be either escorts or gold diggers. On Friday night, there was a lively jazz band playing in the corner of the room and couples were up dancing, however I found it at odds with the seductive cocktail lounge that I expected - I found it very hard to have a conversation with all the racket in the background. Fortunately, when we were back on Saturday, there was more appropriate lounge music playing in the background and the overall environment was more conducive to friendly chatter. The VIP lounge also seemed to be serving its purpose, with lots of very important-looking people lounging around and enjoying the elegance.

Food is also available at Zuri, with its renowned Japanese Master Chef Taichi Ito serving up modern Japanese cuisine. Unfortunately, we didn’t get a chance to try it out this time, but there’s a good chance we’ll pop back around for one of their Sushi Sundays, where half-price sushi is dished out in a more casual Sunday afternoon environment.

Overall, I was rather pleased with Zuri. The crowd was definitely a bit older than what I look for in a club, but that’s what Zuri was aiming for and they seem to have hit their target market perfectly. And if the lines on a Saturday night are anything to go by, Zuri has done a great job of establishing itself as a place to be and to be seen. If you’re looking for a place that takes pride in the quality of its drinks, food and environment, then Zuri is definitely a place you need to check out.

– Ross