When you talk about the finer details, they don’t come much finer than ice. Fragile and fleeting but ultimately essential, ice is often overlooked, though not at West End’s +81 Aizome Bar. Here, it comes as perfect blocks sourced from Kanazawa in Japan, prized for their clarity, purity and slow melt. Each one is hand-shaved and fanned moments before it hits the glass.
That attention to detail extends to the glassware: delicate Kimura pieces from Tokyo with stems so fine, you wonder how many have snapped since the bar opened last December.
And then there’s the room. Brisbane designer Alexander Lotersztain drew inspiration from the tiny bars of Ginza. Just 10 seats line a dark timber counter, the space enveloped in a jaw-dropping deep indigo – a nod to the bar’s name (aizome is Japanese for indigo dyeing). Every element, from materials and delivery to mood, is intentional.
Owner Hisatake Kamori is president of Japanese tourism company Kamori Kanko, which also owns Brisbane’s Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. Along with a neighbouring gin distillery, +81 Aizome Bar marks Kamori’s first foray into Brisbane hospitality. Later this year, he will open the adjoining 12-seat restaurant, +81 Kappo (you can glimpse its sleek counter en route to the bathroom). But for now, +81 Aizome Bar is an exciting preview of what’s to come.
Mixologist Tony Huang is a calm and composed presence behind the bar. Huang is known for co-creating neo cocktails (at Melbourne’s now-closed Par) that take three to five days to make and are served in wine glasses. At +81 Aizome Bar, that includes a Tomato Rosé with savoury depth from the use of green tea, strawberry, tomato and chilli skin, and an aromatic, textural Rind Gewürztraminer made with watermelon rind and black tea.
The best way to experience Huang’s creations is via a flight of six. This can be matched with a six-course tasting menu by chef Aidan Whittle, which includes a nori tartlet filled with smoked eggplant and whipped miso tofu, and raw Hokkaido scallops (frozen at -80°C to break down the muscle fibres) with aged ponzu and grapefruit kosho. There’s also a beef katsu sando, using MB9+ Stockyard Kiwami wagyu, which pairs brilliantly with the Tomato Rosé.
There are also several fresh cocktails showcasing Japanese tea, including the Dirty Plum Martini, made with rice vodka from the neighbouring distillery, sake, sencha tea, pickled ume and plum.
Beyond cocktails, sommelier Misa Ohshige has compiled a 170-bottle wine list, around 80 sakes and a collection of rare spirits, including Japanese whiskies available only at the distillery. Don’t miss the special bottles displayed in the listening room, inspired by Japan’s jazz kissatens, complete with a 1970s Sanyo turntable and vintage Japanese records.
Find all finalists for the Gourmet Traveller Bar of the Year Award here. To see the full list of winners in this year’s Gourmet Traveller Annual Restaurant Awards, head over here.
Past winners of the Bar of the Year Award
WINE BAR OF THE YEAR
From 2021 to 2024, we changed the Bar of the Year Award to Wine Bar of the Year. In 2025, we have reverted to Bar of the Year to include a broader scope of bars.
- 2024: South West Wine Shop, Busselton WA
- 2023: Good Gilbert, Adelaide SA
- 2022: Paloma, Burleigh Heads QLD
- 2021: Monopole, Sydney NSW
BAR OF THE YEAR
- 2020: Due to COVID-19, a Hospitality Honours List was introduced in lieu of the Restaurant Awards
- 2019: Wines of While, Perth WA
- 2018: Liberté, Albany WA
- 2017: Bar Rochford, Canberra ACT
- 2016: Pink Moon Saloon, Adelaide SA
- 2015: The Gresham, Brisbane QLD
- 2014: Lefty’s Old Time Music Hall, Brisbane QLD
- 2013: Bar Di Stasio, Melbourne VIC
- 2012: The Everleigh, Melbourne VIC
- 2011: Shady Pines Saloon, Sydney NSW
- 2010: Eau-de-Vie, Sydney NSW
- 2009: Gerald’s Bar, Melbourne VIC
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
