Interview by Elijah Attard. Chef and host of the Roots Hospitality podcast. @roots_hospitality
Pictures by Millie Tang
Burrow Bar has held its personal for a very long time now. Not solely fashionable with the locals however business individuals too, together with myself. Throughout COVID, they needed to transfer out of their unique location to new digs within the basement at 96 Clarence Road. Whereas not what they deliberate, it additionally gave them the chance to open a restaurant upstairs – Money Solely Diner – which showcases the normal Vietnamese meals from Chau’s household kitchen.
Chau and Bryce are business leaders who push to create a collective group, however have your again in the course of the course of. I’d simply vouch to say they’ve grow to be an necessary staple to assist get bars the place they’re immediately.
Your current seventh birthday at Burrow Bar was quite a lot of enjoyable. I’m curious, did you ever anticipate you’d be the place you might be immediately internet hosting a birthday bash along with your group of associates?
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B: We began Burrow along with a easy mindset of desirous to create a enjoyable place for individuals to have an excellent time. We’ve solely ever centered on giving every visitor the identical superb feeling you get while you exit. However with that stated, we by no means deliberate on transferring up and out of our outdated venue, however it turned out for the higher as a result of now now we have two superb venues that work seamlessly to create an expertise we by no means even thought attainable.
C: You would possibly assume this was deliberate all alongside, however it was a sequence of coincidences that led to this unimaginable area. As soon as we opened Money Solely Diner above Burrow Bar within the new location, all of it simply made quite a lot of sense. And celebrating at Burrow that night time was so enjoyable.
Since opening, you’ve each positively impacted the group round you. A lot in order that after I was just lately in Krakow, Poland, I visited a speakeasy bar referred to as William Rabbit & Co. Once I obtained chatting with the proprietor/operator Andrzej Rachwalski, and advised him I used to be from Sydney, he laughed. He checked out me and stated ‘You understand Burrow Bar?’ I stated ‘Yeah in fact!’ He nodded and stated ‘It was this bar that impressed me to do one thing comparable right here in Poland. I took that concept of an thrilling journey and made it my very own by sharing Polish historical past via cocktails.’ How does that really feel to know you’re inspiring individuals on the opposite facet of the world?
C: Oh my god! Actually, I’ve by no means had that earlier than. That’s actually stunning to listen to. When Bryce and I opened Burrow Bar, we did it very independently. Virtually to our detriment. So to listen to that via this up-and-down course of, individuals have left our venue and been impressed sufficient to recreate it in their very own means, is admittedly cool.
B: Once we regarded up Andrzej on social media, we had been amazed to see what a bit little bit of inspiration from us can do on the opposite facet of the world. Within the hustle and bustle on a regular basis work, we overlook the impacts we are able to have on others. You make me wish to go to Poland actually badly now!
“We began Burrow along with a easy mindset of desirous to create a enjoyable place for individuals to have an excellent time. We’ve solely ever centered on giving every visitor the identical superb feeling you get while you exit.” – Bryce
I’d love to speak about your involvement with YCK Laneways. That is an unimaginable initiative to advertise extra group occasions that get individuals out to assist their native companies. Chau, you’re on the board for that proper? How have you ever integrated Burrow Bar to assist in giving again?
C: Being on the board has put me in a spot the place I generally is a mentor for anybody beginning out on this space. With that, we’ve used Burrow Bar because the framework from which different companies can mannequin their very own venues. If they’ve questions or queries about any step of the method, then we’re joyful to assist. From there, YCK Laneways have grow to be the promotional instrument to spotlight all of those companies, each small and well-established, to assist appeal to any consideration they want.
B: Plus any cause for extra individuals to have enjoyable within the space, is an efficient cause to us proper!?
Coming into the brand new season, how do you draw inspiration for growing new cocktails?
B: If I’m being sincere, I’m actually happy with our cocktail program. We modify it seasonally like most cocktail bars, however what we do to maintain it enjoyable, is within the course of. Each bartender will get the prospect to submit three cocktails, one is a fortunate draw out of a bowl wherein random items of paper have a base spirit and glassware they wouldn’t consider, the second cocktail is a free-for-all to let their creativity spark, and the third cocktail is a traditional (which needs to be 21 years or older to be included) that they’d like on the menu.
C: Not each cocktail they submit goes on, however it presents the prospect for even the younger and inexperienced bartenders to have a go and get some tutelage as they get higher. It’s necessary to present everybody a voice as a result of all of them have their very own experiences and concepts that you could be not have even thought-about earlier than.
It’s a brand new 12 months with thrilling tasks, what have you ever each obtained in retailer both for Burrow Bar or yourselves?
C: August is an enormous one for us. We’ve partnered with Trailer Happiness who’re celebrating their twentieth anniversary, which might be superb. And off the again of my final South East Asian tour, I feel Bryce and I might like to get on the market and share extra of our ardour for what we do via seminars or workshops.
B: We de?nitely have a kitchen takeover at Money Solely arising, in addition to just a few different pop-ups deliberate, however nothing set in stone! The thought of travelling to impart our information would even be superb. If Andrzej from Poland obtained impressed, then who is aware of who else may very well be subsequent!
