New Brisbane

Having received a mysterious SMS to my phone telling me of a ‘new’ RnB / Hip Hop club in the Valley, I decided I’d check it out. After the majesty that was Mystique @ The Arena, I was up for some more RnB and was quite looking forward to the promised ‘old school’ hip hop & RnB that Bar 388 in Fortitude Valley claimed to offer.

Bar 388
388 Brunswick St
Fortitude Valley

M: 0412 638 496
E: scott@profyle.com.au
W: www.bar388.com.au

Located just past the end of the Brunswick St mall, not far from Zuri, Bar 388 was relatively easy to find and we were soon at the door. A little surprised that the club was charging cover, given its size and the fact that it was a new club, there was still a decent crowd inside that was willing to pay for the privilege of being there and we soon joined them.

Entering the club, I was relatively pleased with the club setup. Comprised of a single room, with a nice, long bar spanning the entire back wall, a dance floor to the right and some seating along the near wall, Bar 388 had the fixings of an awesome RnB cocktail lounge. In fact, if they added a few more low-backed, U-shape couches, focused the music on the right side of the club and made the left side for lounging & conversation, that’s exactly what it would be.

Impressed by the reasonably priced cocktails, I was also glad to see a blisfully simple menu, filled with cocktails that people know and that people enjoy drinking, as well as a few tasteful originals. Having sampled them all, I felt that the menu had a distinctly summery feel to it, with lime present in all of the cocktails except for one. The result of this is that the drinks were very ’sippable’, but not ‘quickly drinkable’ - The Cosmopolitan being the exception to this, which the girls in my entourage fought over until one snatched it up and downed the remainder in a gulp. Still, everyone loves a cat fight and we were all quite satisfied with the cocktails on offer.

After wetting our palettes a bit, we decided it was time to dance and so got up to bust a move or two on the dancefloor. Though described as ‘old school RnB / Hip Hop’, I felt the music was more remixed classic chart hits than RnB / Hip Hop and I was a little disappointed. I was really looking forward to hearing some Naughty by Nature & Dr Dre, or even some more pop-esque old school artists/groups like Fresh Prince or House of Pain, but alas it was not to be. Nonetheless, the music was very danceable and we had a great time kicking up our heels.

The general crowd at Bar 388 was pretty mixed, although everyone there seemed really friendly and seemed to be having a great time, with most people setting themselves up on the dancefloor. The club was busy, but not packed, which gave a really laid-back vibe to the venue and, much to my pleasure, it was relatively easy (and quick) to get a drink. While downstairs in a smaller, Valley-sized room, the venue was nonetheless quite open and roomy, and didn’t invoke the same feelings of clausterphobia as venues like The Bowrey do.

Overall, I was rather pleased with what I saw at Bar 388 and definitely see a lot potential for them to become a niche Hip Hop Cocktail Lounge. I’ll be stopping in there every now and then to see how they’re going and I definitely recommend that you do the same. Brisbane needs more clubs like this, where you can go out to have a good time, with good drinks, good people and good music.

– Ross

For anyone into Brisbane’s R&B / Hip Hop scene, you’ll know the difference between “new Mystique” and “old Mystique”. For those of you who don’t, let me explain: old Mystique is the Mystique Nightclub, located on Warner St next to The Planet. New Mystique is the new home of the hip hop group that used to perform at that club, and is situated at The Arena on Brunswick St in Fortitude Valley. Having been out to old Mystique a few times recently, only to find it full of aggressive guys and large women, I was very keen to get a look at New Mystique and so that’s just what my entourage and I did this past Saturday, after a few drinks at the new Valley pad of course.

Mystique @ The Arena
Friday & Saturday from 9pm
Free entry before 10pm, $10 after on Fridays, $15 on Saturdays

210 Brunswick Street
Fortitude Valley
www.mystiquebrisbane.com

The one thing that has stood out about Mystique @ The Arena the last few times that I’ve walked past the club is the line - even well after the 10pm free entry cut off I’ve seen a long stream of people waiting for the opportunity to get inside. This is a place that is in high demand - people want to get in there and are willing to both pay and wait for the privilege. Now, while some places are worth waiting for, and despite a very reasonable cover charge policy, I don’t normally do lines - so I called ahead and had my name put on the door. After all, running this site does have its privileges.

Once inside, I had to stop and look around a bit just to soak it all in. For anyone who has been to The Arena prior to its transformation into an RnB superclub, you’ll know that this is a big, open venue - just the kind of place I love. Entering at the ground floor, there were two levels open while I was there. The ground floor features a massive dancefloor, with plenty of space off to either side to chat with friends, as well as a long bar with ample staff to hook you up with a reasonably-priced ($7 vodka orange), frosty beverage of your choice. Not to mention a pretty social outdoor smoking area where my cancer-pals can get their fix, while being open enough that I don’t choke on the fumes.

Upstairs gets even better, starting with a huge balcony that wraps around the entire length of the club, overlooking the dancefloor below. This balcony makes for a great place to dance without getting amongst the throngs of people below, a great place to step back and chat with friends while keeping an eye on the action, and a great place to chill in the ample couches strewn about the balcony. Also upstairs is another bar with really quick service, as well as an entire room given over to lounging - though I would have liked to have seen more U-Shape couch formations, rather than just couches against the wall.

But the real reason people come to The Arena on Friday & Saturday nights is to see Mystique. An original brand created in 2008 by Patrick Donohue and Andy Tuumaga (a.k.a DJ Maxwell), in one short year they have established themselves as the premiere source for RnB in Brisbane - and it’s no surprise that their massive fanbase has followed them to the new venue. In a town that’s club scene sometimes seems dominated by house and electro, it’s fantastic to see a group that are so dedicated to growing Brisbane’s R&B scene.

Overall, the vibe of the place was hot. The lighting was just right - seductive but not dark, with great dancefloor effects; the music was pumping, but there were still plenty of places where you could carry on a conversation; it was quick and easy to get a drink at the bar; the guys were all friendly and non-aggressive and the girls were absolutely stunning. And those last two are particularly important - first of all, because I’m a very social person and secondly, I want the girls I’m out with to feel comfortable in the environment they’re in. At “old Mystique”, the guys glared at me just for being there, let alone talking to anyone, and the large girls kept trying to pick fights with my female friends on the dancefloor for being good looking. It’s nice to see that sort of trouble has been left behind!

So after getting a bit bored of a lot of the clubs in my Fortitude Valley rotation, I’m definitely going to make Mystique @ The Arena one of my new Saturday spots. And with a venue of that size, of that quality, it won’t be long before they’re rivalling clubs like The Met and Family for Saturday night patronage. It’ll be good to see RnB taking a bigger handhold in Brisbane.

– Ross

For the last three years, the end of August has meant one thing for the fashion world in Queensland - the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Festival. Year after year, the festival has grown until it has become Queensland’s premier annual fashion event, also attracting attention at the national level for its Spring/Summer collection launches. And all the fun, glamour and style will culminate in the MBFF Wrap Party at Brisbane’s newest chic venue, Cloudland, on August 27.

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Festival Wrap Party @ Cloudland
641 Ann St, Fortitude Valley
Thursday, August 27 2009
9:30pm - late
Tickets $103 @ www.qtix.com.au

The exclusive event will give guests a chance to mingle with designers and models amongst some of their stunning creations, whilst highlights play on a giant screen to the sound of Cloudland’s own DJ. The $103 per ticket includes canapés and Rosemount beverages and the event kicks off at 9:30. Tickets are available from the link above. I’ll be there - if you want to say hi, look for the guy shovelling hors d’ouevres in his mouth, guzzling champagne and shamelessly hitting on models. It’s a hard life.

- Ross

Back when I first moved to Brisbane, just over a year ago now, I was staying in a backpacker hostel while waiting for my apartment to be ready, which meant eating out almost every night of the week. A couple of times, I tried out The Elephant & Wheelbarrow, but was never really impressed - I seem to recall getting a burnt chicken parma one time. However, with their recent make-over, including a brand new bottleshop and what they’re claiming to be the Valley’s biggest beer garden, I decided it was time to give it another chance. And I’m glad I did, or I never would’ve found the $3 Curry…

The Elephant & Wheelbarrow
230 Wickham st
Fortitude Valley, QLD 4000
P: +61 (0)7 3252 4136
W: brisbane.elephantandwheelbarrow.com.au

My first visit to the new Elephant & Wheelbarrow was with a couple of my old uni mates whoere were visiting from Perth - we were looking for a place to catch up over some food and a few drinks and they were keen to see how it compared to The Elephant & Wheelbarrow in Perth. Walking in, we were pretty impressed by what we found. Once you go through the classic dingy pub, you come out on a bright, open, well lit beer garden (not too bright, not too dark!), with tons of seating, friendly bar staff and easy acccess to alcohol.

Ordering our meals and grabbing some drinks, we found ourselves a table (bench seating = awesome!) and started catching up while waiting for our meals. After chatting for a while about who’d married who, who’s having kids and who doesn’t talk to who anymore, we eventually started to wonder where our meals were and after another little wait, the buzzer on our table merrily informed us that it was time to collect them from the counter.

Armed with food-ladden plates and our very own cutlery, we dug into what were some pretty decent meals. My Chicken Parma was nothing like the burnt husk I remembered, instead it was juicy and smothered with cheese, including an extra bonus of ham. My friend’s meals were reported to be similarly delicious, although the “medium rare” steak was completely overdone. Quite happy with the meal, I made a note of coming again sometime.

My next trip to the new Elephant & Wheelbarrow was on the following Tuesday to check out their $3 Curry. Yes, that’s right, $3 Curry. You see, since moving to the Valley, my flatmate and I have a plethora of chinese restaurants to choose from, a smattering of upmarket pubs and the more elegant and interesting cuisine offered by James St and upper Brunswick St. But when I saw the $3 Curry on Tuesdays at the E&W, we put all that aside and took advantage of some cheap pub grub.

With your choice of beef, chicken or vegetable curry, each meal is accompanied with rice and a pappadum. Having come in with pretty low expectations for a $3 Curry, we were pleasantly surprised by how good the food was. It certainly wasn’t a 5 star meal, but you get a lot of value for what you pay. And, although the portions aren’t huge, they are quite reasonable (especially for $3) and if you wanted another one, it’s only another $3 anyway.

Since going the first time, we’ve been back two more Tuesdays in a row to enjoy the consistently delicious curry and it looks set to becoming our regular Tuesday thing, with more and more of our friends meeting us down there each week. And while overall numbers in the beergarden seem to be getting larger as weeks go on (and word of cheap curry spreads), we’re still getting served minutes after ordering - sometimes we haven’t even finished paying for our food and drinks when the buzzer goes off!

But no Valley bar or beergarden would be complete without checking out the night life and so we’ve hopped down there a few times on some Friday and Saturday nights. For the most part, we’ve found the nightlife in E&W’s new beer garden to be very laid back and relaxed, a nice change from the normal hustle and bustle of the Valley. An older crowd also seems to be the go, which is great if you’re the type that gets annoyed by 18 year old clubkids, provided you don’t mind the odd cougar shamelessly hitting on you.

All up, I have to say that I am very impressed with the changes that have gone on at The Elephant & Wheelbarrow and, since I now live in Fortitude Valley, I am quite sure that I will find myself back there again and again in the near future when I’m looking for a good pub meal and a chill environment. And the $3 curry is definitely one of Brisbane’s best value meals.

- Ross

Having signed up as a member on the “Sneaky Peek” section of the Love and Rockets website, I was lucky enough to receive an invitation in my inbox to the Love and Rockets VIP Party this past week. This was doubly exciting for me, as I’ve just moved into the Valley and Love and Rockets is now right outside my back door. So, grabbing my partner-in-crime and new flatmate, Joel, we skipped down to enjoy yet another night of glamour, alcohol and debauchery.

Love and Rockets
693 Ann St, Fortitude Valley
phone: +61 7 3252 2608
fax: +61 7 3252 4348
e-mail: valley@loveandrockets.tv
web: www.loveandrockets.tv

Every time my friends and I go to Love and Rockets, we’re impressed by just how cool a venue they have. It’s got a look and feel that just doesn’t seem to be offered by any club in town. The main lighting is seductive but not dark, the feature lighting provides excellents highlights to the club decor, but doesn’t glare, and the seating is social yet isolated. Take away the poles and stage and you have the potential to make Brisbane’s best cocktail lounge - Cloudland definitely could have taken a page out of their book.

So the order of business for the night was to be spoilt rotten and this goal was certainly accomplished. The beer & wine provided was top notch (Heineken’s a pretty good choice for “house beer”, in my opinion) and so my flatmate and I availed ourselves of the open bar in a truly hedonistic fashion, reminiscent of Tucker Max. Like the last party, there were also ample hors d’ouvres on hand to balance things out and we availed ourselves quite freely of those too. No party pies and spring rolls here, I was once again impressed by the simple elegance of everything on offer.

The general outline for these parties is a 7pm kick off, with drinks and canapés while the girls mingle in their best evening wear, leading up to a show featuring special guest(s) at 9pm. In this case, the special show was two girls doing a very sexy dance together - and while there was no nudity, there was bar-top dancing, shared-pole dancing (2 girls, 1 pole) and enough sensuality and sexuality to go around. Afterwards, the regular girls appeared back on stage and the night continued as usual, with the expected nakedness.

All up, the night was an adventure of risque glamour and I find myself re-affirming Love and Rockets as Brisbane’s best strip club, and telling everyone I know to check it out. Open nightly from 7pm with a cover charge of $15, Love and Rockets (at either its Petrie Tce or Fortitude Valley locations) is a great night out, and if you’re keen to get invited to their next VIP party, make sure you check out their website at www.loveandrockets.tv, as there is bound to be another huge party when Level 2 of their Fortitdue Valley club opens up.

- Ross

Although it could be said that the Gold Coast is a little out of the jurisdiction for a Brisbane-based site, when I get invited to an event like the national finals for the ZOO Weekly Australian Swimsuit Calendar, I’m more than happy to let our jurisdictional boundaries expand for a night.

2009 ZOO Weekly Australian Swimsuit Calendar National Finals
Melbas on the Park
Friday, 19th June, 2009
www.swimsuitcalendar.com.au

The lead up to the 2009 National Finals begins in May with four weeks of intense regional competition, during which time an exhaustive search is carried out to find the most beautiful and, importantly, most photographic bikini models from all around Australia. At the end of these four weeks, 1500 entrants have been winnowed down to 20 of the hottest girls, one from each venue, who are shipped off to the sunny Gold Coast for a week of pampering, including trips to Dreamworld and other Gold Coast attractions. For those of us who live in Brisbane, hearing about these prizes reminds us of just how lucky we are to live next to a beachside paradise.

So, after three big nights in Surfer’s Paradise, Friday night was the main event, with things set to kick off at 9:30pm at Melbas on the Park, the official party headquarters for the competition. Showing up on the night with my photographer in tow, we were quite surprised by how quiet the venue was - it was like people didn’t even know that there were going to be some of Australia’s hottest bikini models strutting their stuff that night. But just when I thought I would have to go out to the street and stop passersby so that people didn’t miss out on this, the venue became packed - at least around the stage - and the show launched.

Set in a more intimate venue than the Miss Hawaiian Tropic finals, the Zoo Weekly event really gave you the chance to get up close and personal with the girls. Not only were they mingling before and after the event, but the stage was a LOT closer, which made it a lot easier to properly assess the girls. I think next time around I’m going to have to try for a high five - if I can get past the ring of photographers, that is.

The first round of this event featured the girls striding out on stage sporting their sexiest club wear and I was actually quite impressed. Zoo definitely seems to bring a higher level of competition to its events than some of the other modelling competitions I’ve attended and the girls on stage were absolutely glamorous. After each girl had her circuit around the stage, they all came out again and lined up buffet-style for one last look, before sweeping off stage.

The next round, and by far my favourite round, was the bikini round. This segment is pretty self-explanatory, but the gist of it is this: hot girls in bikinis and high heels. Again, all of the girls were stunning as they each owned the stage with the kind of confidence that is clearly the product of ample experience. I’m still waiting for the day when one of them will trip and fall off the stage, but this day did not seem to be it - oh well, I guess I’ll just have to keep attending these sort of events until it happens.

Now, normally I have a habit of pointing out my favourites at these events, but that keeps getting me in trouble with the girls I don’t mention. So all I will say is that I was happy to see a girl from my native Western Australia, Domenica Grasso take out third place (”second runner-up” in model-speak) and special congratulations to Rachael Gorry who took out the top spot as Zoo Weekly Australian Swimsuit Calendar Model for 2009, as well as Maddy Kelly who was first runner-up.

Needless to say, the after party, also at Melbas, was lots of fun and while the weather was rainy and stormy outside, there was plenty of champagne and giggles inside. If you have the chance to attend an event like this in the future, make sure you do. I certainly will.

Thanks again to Clint Ebbesen of Optical Note Photography for the photos.

- Ross

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

Following a wonderful meal at the Morrison Hotel’s Fiasco the other week, I was keen to try out some of the other restaurants my friends had mentioned were in the Woolloongabba area, particularly those of the steak-offering nature. And, when a friend from Perth was in town and wanted to catch up for a meal, I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to check out the Norman Hotel in Woolloongabba, reported to be another of Brisbane’s best steakhouses. Seeing “bacon sauce” when I looked at their menu, I knew there was no other option.

The Norman Hotel
102 Ipswich Rd
Woolloongabba, QLD 4102
P: (07) 3391 5022
W: www.normanhotel.com.au

Mon-Sat noon-2.30pm
Mon-Thu 5.30pm-9pm, Fri 5.30pm-9.30pm
Sun noon-3pm, 5pm-9pm

As myself, my friend from Perth and one of my partners in crime, Joel, met outside of The Norman’s grand rear entrance, I realised that both of them were avoiding red meat at the moment and so I would be the only one steaking it up. Fortunately, as well as a range of beautiful and glorious steaks to discover, and despite labelling itself as Brisbane’s worst vegetarian restaurant, The Norman does have a pretty reasonable selection of non-steak food for people that are wimps. For vegetarians, there’s even several fish options, as well as a spinach & ricotta ravioli, however the only salad on the menu does appear to have meat in it.

When I called ahead to book a table, I was told just to show up and a hostess would seat us, and as we walk into the restaurant we are immediately presented with a counter to order our meal. Deciding it’s counter-service and not noticing the little tiny sign that says “please get a table number before ordering”, we jump in line, where my friends are teased by some of the mouth-watering cuts in the display window. When we get to the front of the line, the girl at the counter sends a hostess off to prepare a table for us and takes our orders. Conveniently, this means we each pay for our meal as we order it and don’t have to worry about pesky bill-splitting later in the night - the math is always harder after a few drinks.

Meals ordered and wireless buzzer in hand, we are escorted to our pleasant outdoor table by the friendly hostess and moments later a drinks waiter appears to organise our refreshments. Quickly and efficiently our drinks are delivered to us and I was delighted that he re-appeared every time our drinks neared bottom, ensuring that we didn’t run the risk of getting parched. After all, it just wouldn’t do for a fine steak dinner to be ruined for lack of throat-wetting refreshment.

The buzzer buzzes and first up is our garlic pizza bread, a great appetiser to share amongst 3 hungry males and it’s soon polished off, with the empty plate being removed shortly after. After a reasonable wait, which gave us time to sip our drinks and chat while we devoured the garlic pizza, the buzzer announced that our mains were ready and I sent my two companions off to get my food. Yeah, I’m bossy like that.

A bit surprised at not seeing wagyu beef on the menu, I had asked the girl for the “best steak on offer” and so I wound up with an Angus Cross large eye fillet from somewhere in Victoria. The steak arrived, with a side of garden salad, an Idaho potato (with bacon sauce!!) and a hermetically sealed bread roll. Okay, so after the Caesar salad and garlic bread that arrived with Morrison’s steak, the garden salad and sealed bread roll weren’t quite as awesome, but they tasted fine and I had no real complaints. The Idaho potato was pretty cool, as you don’t see them in Australian too often, though I was a little bit disappointed with the bacon sauce - I don’t know what I was expecting, but definitely something more impressive.

As for the steak, well that was delicious. Thick and juicy and cooked to perfection, this was truly a great steak and I could quite easily see myself coming back to the Norman to try out some of the other cuts that were on offer. The side of mushroom sauce wasn’t all that great, but with the steak as delicious as it was, it really didn’t need any sauce - except for maybe the herb butter served at the Morrison.

Despite having a great meal, I was a bit surprised to see the limited range of locally sourced beef on offer, given that Queensland has some great beef producers, particulary of the wagyu persuasion. But, at the end of the day you can’t beat a high quality cut of beef cooked to perfection and that’s exactly what I got, leaving me completely satisfied by my dining experience. So if you haven’t yet eaten at The Norman Hotel, hop on down to Woolloongabba and check it out. We all left with full bellies and totally recommend it.

– Ross

Following our coverage of the Wild Card Heat at Kitty O’Shea’s, I was invited to attend the National Final week for the Miss Hawaiian Tropic as a member of the press. After four months searching for Australia’s hottest bikini models, the national finals were set to take place this April, on our very own Gold Coast. A much-coveted invitation, with exclusive opportunities to go and hang out with the national finalists, I was more than happy to accept.

Miss Hawaiian Tropic National Finals
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Billy’s Beach House
Surfer’s Paradise
www.missht.com

Given that there was a week of media events leading up to the national final, including a trip out to the Wet N Wild theme park for a day splashing around with the models and a night at Bedroom Nightclub on the Gold Coast for the swimwear pre-judging, imagine how disappointed I was (and close to quitting) when I found out that work commitments meant I’d be unable to attend anything except the final itself. Not to be put off, however, I organised some accomodation for myself down on the Gold Coast for the upcoming Saturday and prepared myself to have a great night.

Rocking up at Billy’s Beach House with a good friend of mine in the afternoon of April 4, we arrived just in time to witness two streakers run through the bar, jump in the pool, clamber onto stage and vault over a fence - all before anyone had a chance to bat an eyelid. Certainly not what I expected to witness when I came to a bikini modelling competition, but entertaining nonetheless. And after the organisers mopped the apparently very cold water off the stage (we can’t have the models slipping and falling in the pool, can we?), things got under way.

Supa Tony, the charismatic host of the previous wild card event, was back for the finals and this time was joined by gorgeous co-host, and Bartercard Miss Indy 2008, Kate Hockly. Their combined beauty and experience shone through and quickly pumped everyone up for what was set to be a fantastic day. The alcohol and the anticipation of bikini clad beauties also served in this regard.

As the girls took the stage for the first round of the competition, the fantasy wear, we got to see some stunningly sexy outfits. With a wide range of costumes, including a lycra clad diver, Dorothy (Wizard of Oz), a vampress and even a lumber jack, there was definitely something naughty for everyone’s tastes. My only disappointment was that the lumber jack (Chelsea Dunkley) didn’t have her chainsaw running, as if I couldn’t have a model slip and fall in the pool, I was at least hoping she would drop her chainsaw and cut the stage in half. It’s the little things that make events like this special.

The fantasy wear section was followed by the swimwear section, which is the cornerstone of the Miss Hawaiian Tropic competition. Once again, we were stunned by the beauty of the girls coming out on stage, and somehow managed to pay attention while Supa Tony and Kate had a quick chat with each of the models. Now, while both presenters did a great job here, I really have to hand it to Supa Tony - obviously an experienced veteran of competitions like this, he seemed to really connect with the girls and to get them more actively involved in the conversation than just answering the questions written on the clipboard. I found this really added to the show, as I was able to see each of the girls’ individual personalities shine through the model image they normally present, and I think it would be a great thing if more presenters at these sorts of competitions had this ability.

Anyway, despite how great Supa Tony was, the girls were better and it was with much delight that my friends and I saw some of our favourite bikini clad beauties take out top places in the competition. Oh, and on a complete side note, when you place first in a national modelling competition and you’re wearing a bikini, be careful just how excessive you get with your victory bouncing. Anyway, while all the girls did quite well, the star-studded judging panel did have to narrow down some winners, though I think the rest were all pretty happy to be ranked amongst the top 18 in Australia.

A few hours and a steak dinner later, we’re at Sin City in Surfer’s Paradise for the official after party. With a bevy of gorgeous models, great music and a fantastic atmosphere, I couldn’t think of a better place to be. I was a bit disappointed that my press invite didn’t get me into the roped off area that the models routinely disappeared into, but there was enough of them around to keep me entertained and as I sat on the beach reminiscing the next morning, I was once again quite glad that I’d been able to make it out for the event. Definitely can’t wait for next year.

Thanks again to Clint Ebbesen of Optical Note Photography for the photos.

– Ross

When I first moved to Brisbane, The Exchange, also known as “the stocky”, was one of the first places people told me to check out. Unfortunately they closed their doors for renovations a week before I arrived and it took over a year for them to re-open. But since they’re relaunched and with many of my Thursday and Friday nights spent out in the Brisbane CBD, I’ve often had a chance to swing by the new Exchange Hotel and this is a report of what I’ve discovered.

The Exchange Hotel
131 Edward St
Brisbane 4000
Ph: 07 3229 3522
F: 07 3221 1621
E: trav.white@thexchange.com.au
W: www.theexchange.com.au

When you walk towards the Exchange and peek in through its massive street-front windows, the first thing that comes to mind is elegance. While not lavishly decorated like Cloudland, there’s a certain austere charm that is evoked and which puts me in mind of the sort of New York cocktail bar you see in movies like Hitch. The downstairs lighting is seductive, without being overly dark or glaringly bright, and the feature lighting accents the bar perfectly, completing the dark, alluring feeling that envelopes you as you step through the door. Like a good cocktail bar, the downstairs area also features lots of comfortable seating to complement its standing space, although I think some U-shaped couches or some booths in the far corner, nearest the windows, would go down REALLY well - currently they’ve got some comfy stools you can pull up, but it makes you feel like your back is exposed to the entire club.

Also downstairs are some pokies and a brighter lounge area, but the real reason people go to The Exchange is upstairs. In what seems to be a growing trend amongst some of Brisbane’s hottest new venues, the primary feature of the renovated Exchange is its massive rooftop balcony. Perfect for mingling with friends or blowing off some workday steam in a hugely social environment, the volume of the music here is perfect for conversation and with plenty of standing and seating room, it’s no surprise that this has become a popular after work hang out, most nights of the week.

Weather has also been taken into account for the design of the upstairs balcony and there are plenty of places to go when the rain comes in. The smoking area, for example, is close enough to the rest of the bar to keep the smokers from feeling segregated and features numerous umbrellas to duck under on some of those stormier Brisbane nights. Behind the main bar is a small lounge, perfect for hiding from the rain or for sneaking in to get a drink when the main bar is busy - however, with the quick and friendly staff that work behind the counter, I’ve very rarely had to wait at any of the bars, even on their busiest nights. Off to the side is their covered function room, which is open to the public on the nights when it’s not booked out, and this has proven to be a popular place to hang out, even when it’s not raining.

Highly recommended, The Exchange is an excellent place to spend your night out, whether it’s to blow off some steam or for a fun night out with friends.

The upstairs balcony also features a massive 6m x 6m television, projected onto the wall, where you can find football games playing on Monday & Friday (and Saturday?) nights, Season 2 of Underbelly playing on Monday nights (including free popcorn and movie ticket give-aways), as well as the odd special cinematic event. And if you’re not there for that, it’s still a damned cool place to hang out.

My opinion is that the Exchange embodies two of the biggest trends that seem to be capturing Brisbane’s nightlife scene. The first of these is is the upstairs balcony bar, the second is the seductive lounge concept and they pull both off spectacularly. Unlike other balcony bars, like Fridays, the night isn’t over when the weather turns wet. And, unlike most lounges, which serve complicated cocktails that slow down bar service, or lack seating, there’s more than ample bar staff, serving up drinks quickly and efficiently (and at a reasonable price) with loads of places to sit with friends. And the proof of the popularity of these concepts is that they’ve been able to pull in a really broad demographic, ranging from the younger university crowd to the older after-work crowd, both of which have seemed more than capable of co-existing in the same space.

Highly recommended, The Exchange is an excellent place to spend your night out, whether it’s to blow off some steam or for a fun night out with friends. With reasonable entry lines, reasonable prices and a great atmosphere, there aren’t many other places in the downtown area that can match the experience you’ll have at the Exchange.

– Ross