A restaurant and bar built around a pair of 150kg studio speakers has opened at the end of Hobart’s Elizabeth Street Pier.
Pier Tasmania had its first day of service on Wednesday and is now open for breakfast seven days a week and lunch and dinner Wednesday-Sunday.
Co-owner and general manager Tim Hodgkinson said the idea started around 14 months ago during a late-night conversation in a bar about how much fun it would be to run a venue with a great sound system.
The first thing the owners bought was a set of JBL 4355 studio monitors weighing 150kg each and they built the restaurant around them.
Hodgkinson, a former professional musician, said high-quality listening was “kind of a lost art”.
“We’ve got a lot of people with little Bluetooth speakers and the younger generations that don’t know what it’s like to sit in front of a great stereo system,” he told Pulse.
“We’re vinyl led … it’s about sharing the beautiful thing that is music.”
The kitchen has launched with an Asian supper club theme focused on seafood.
Hodgkinson said the menu would change every six months, with Greek or Sardinian cuisine among the options for the next version.
Head chef Jacob McKenzie, who previously worked at Lost In Asia and in fine dining restaurants in Queensland, will lead a permanent kitchen team. The venue also plans to bring in guest chefs for pop-ups and weekend collaborations.
The wine list is Tasmanian, with what the venue describes as “a few blow ins from time to time”.
Tuesday nights will be set aside for listening sessions, where two albums from one artist are played front to back.
Hodgkinson said the venue sat at the end of Elizabeth Street Pier with “jaw-dropping breathtaking views of the Derwent”.
“The interior fit out … gives you a cuddle as you walk in through the door,” he said.
Pier Tasmania is now open at Elizabeth Street Pier.
