Thanks to the success of their Sydney restaurant and bar, Mjølner, the Speakeasy Group will be opening a Melbourne out-post of the Viking-inspired eatery this year, on Hardware Street where Nieuw Amsterdam once operated.
We asked Speakeasy’s Sven Almenning what to expect when it opens, and what else they have in store for the year.
Why are you taking Mjølner to Melbourne?
To be honest, we never planned for Mjølner to ever “go interstate” or international, but in 2018 we may try to do both. The feedback we have received for the restaurant has been unparalleled to anything else we have done and when the opportunity came up to take the concept to Melbourne we decided to jump on it. Both Greg and I enjoy creating and working on brands and the Mjølner brand has been particularly rewarding and fun.
How will the Melbourne outpost of Mjolner differ from the Sydney offering?
The main differences between the venues are mostly dictated by the space itself, but we also plan to take advantage of Melbourne’s friendlier licensing laws. In Melbourne we enjoy a higher licensed capacity with approval for 200 guests across the bar and restaurant, whereas in Sydney we are limited to 120. The majority of this will be benefiting the bar as our Melbourne venue will be split over two levels with about the same amount of space being dedicated to the bar as to the restaurant. We’re also blessed with a 24 hour license in Melbourne, so expect to feast on great Viking inspired fare and cocktails till 3:00am (or later) on the weekends.
What else does Speakeasy have in store for 2018?
There are a few things on the go my friend. Our Parramatta venue, Nick & Nora, is planned for opening mid 2018. We are still working on the design etc, but expect a 300 capacity rooftop bar with a strong focus on champagne and cocktails.
