Crackerjack: The Bowl breathes new life into a Boonah community hub
Though it’s short and simple, few other names could have suited Boonah’s newest culinary destination better than its current moniker, The Bowl. Why? Well, firstly, it’s housed inside Boonah’s old bowls club, which has been a long-standing fixture of the town since it was first built in 1948. Second, its menu is constructed using produce sourced from around the Scenic Rim, which is undoubtedly one of the state’s most diverse food bowls. Like we said, short, simple and perfectly suited.
The site, which previously operated as the Fassifern Sports Club until the widespread belt tightening of the pandemic forced it to shutter in 2020, had been in sore need of a glow-up for some time. When events maestro Emily Lochran (a Scenic Rim local responsible for orchestrating gatherings like the Kalbar Sunflower Festival) and heralded chef Jack Stuart of acclaimed local restaurant Blume approached the club’s new owners Richard and Alice Gorman and gamely stepped up to oversee the venue’s resurrection, they did so with the goal of transforming it into a multifaceted space that would appeal to both Boonah residents and blow-ins from the big smoke, visiting to soak up some of the Scenic Rim’s splendour.
“It’s a balance of having something that is for the locals versus the day trippers and the people that are wanting to come out and experience the region,” says Emily of The Bowl’s broad-reaching community appeal. “Having something for everybody and being that [meeting place] … I want to put on a party and I want everybody there.”
During the months leading up to The Bowl’s March 17 reopening, Emily, Jack and the team spent months revitalising the old bowls club’s internals, giving the site a restorative update that’s tasteful and timeless. The process included unearthing old boarded up VJ walls, removing carpet to reveal original timber floorboards, installing a new bar and removing the pokies room, which is now an event space shielded by a pair of sliding barn doors.
The biggest change, however, is The Bowl’s mouth-watering menu, which has been crafted by Jack with an eye towards heroing as much local produce as possible. “It’s good, honest food that’s done well – it’s fresh, not frozen and everything is made in house,” says Emily. “We’re just so passionate about our local farmers. Why go elsewhere when we can have [produce] from the paddocks that we can see from here?” The team describes The Bowl’s fare as classic food with a slight Italian twist, with suppliers such as Tommerup’s Dairy Farm, The Butcher Co., Oppies Fruit & Veg and Harrisville Mushrooms (to name a few) contributing goods and sundry to The Bowl’s larder.
Though familiar in many respects, the fare being dispensed from The Bowl’s kitchen is of a quality closer to restaurant fare, but without the corresponding price tag. Small plates like house-made garlic bread with confit-garlic compound butter, gorgonzola and oregano arancini, and fritto misto (feautring barramundi, scallops and calamari) are sensational starters. Meanwhile, the main affair is loaded with tempting belly fillers like free-range pork cotoletta with polenta, olives, capers, sage and brown butter, fettuccine ragu with slow-cooked Tommerup pork, and what the team has dubbed Scenic Rim’s best lasagne. A short and sweet dessert menu features tiramisu made using espresso coffee and Tommerup jersey cream, and a New York-style baked cheesecake with dark-chocolate glaze. Locals can also swing by The Bowl during most mornings to grab fresh toasties, frittatas, wraps and sweet treats, as well as coffee supplied by Hendra’s Wolff Coffee Roasters.
Attention has also been paid to The Bowl’s drinks program, with a range of no- and low-alcohol beverages headlining the offering. Stiffer sips include a seasonal gin and tonic made using gin from Kalbar’s own Brasshound Distillery, a clutch of classic and shared cocktails, and a range of craft beers from Aether, Black Hops and Scenic Rim Brewery.
A sommelier has assisted with the curation of The Bowl’s wine list, which showcases producers that you wouldn’t typically find on the shelves at large bottle shops, such as Rieslingfreak, Smallfry, Delinquente and Giant Steps. The Bowl’s green is once again operating for social and barefoot bowling and croquet, while Emily will be looking to use the space in creative ways, hosting events and parties of all kinds.
The Bowl is now open to the public Wednesday and Thursday from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm, Friday and Saturday from 9:00 am to late and on Sunday from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm.
This article was written by James Frostick from The Weekend Edition.
