Already credited with putting the ‘OO’ in Boonah with his acclaimed 20-seater fine diner BLUME, Chef Jack Stuart has decided to go bowling; and he’s taking his mate Emily Lochran, local Kalbar dynamo and events, markets and agritourism advocate with him.
The two are behind THE BOWL, the new dining experience at the Boonah Bowls Club/Fassifern Sports Club, which closed its doors during Covid.
A tasteful makeover is currently underway with a Summer 2023 opening planned. The result will be a family friendly dining experience, which features a spot for cocktails with your crew at the bar, barefoot bowling or a social game of croquet on the green, all overlooking spectacular mountain views, and menus created by one of the country’s best chefs, using food from paddocks you can literally see! The Bowl kitchen will feature affordable inside dining and outside lawn dining.
Emily said, “We live in an incredible Food Bowl – there’s no need for long food miles when everything surrounds us here in the Scenic Rim. And the fact we are also at the Bowls Club, makes the reincarnation perfect for the local community, the region and for visitors.”
“The Scenic Rim was named by The Lonely Planet as one of the Hottest 10 Regions in the World to visit this year, and now Boonah is set to get a culinary hit that’s aimed at all ages. With his ties to Boonah, and his love of local produce, Jack’s BLUME Restaurant has flown, and now The Bowl will champion locally sourced produce across menus designed by Jack; and it’s just under an hour from Brisbane.”
Emily said there’ll be no frozen schnittys to be seen. “Instead, think handmade pasta with in-season flavoursome local produce, like ricotta gnocchi, broad bean & walnut pesto, pecorino or a risotto of Harrisville mushrooms with truffle pecorino, or lasagne of rabbit, duck and wild boar. We’ll shine the light on our wonderful producers with dishes like Tommerup veal cotoletta, anchovy butter, and Coochin Fullblood wagyu T-bone with Boonah butter.”
The ’Outside Menu’ features the best in snacks, shared plates and taste-bangers starring, Scenic Rim olives and cheeses, free range chicken liver parfait, zucchini pickles, toasted focaccias Harrisville mushrooms, Beaudesert Crayfish & potato brioche rolls, hand cut russet fries with smoked garlic mayo,
Troy’s tomatoes from Peak Crossing, Mt Tamborine mozzarella, with The Bowl Cheeseburger set to be a standout!
The list of Scenic Rim suppliers already on board include Towri Sheep Cheeses, Tommerup Dairy, Summer Land Camels, Mt Tamborine Cheese, Oppies Fruit & Veg at Boonah, Scenic Rim Farm Box,
Harrisville Mushrooms, Fifth Acre, The Butcher Co at Boonah & Kalbar, Rob Joyce Heritage Poultry,
Kalbar Lamb, Australian Sweetwater Crayfish Traders at Beaudesert, Witches Fall Winery, Scenic Rim Flower Farm and the Scenic Rim Brewery.
Jack Stuart said he didn’t expect BLUME to be so supported as it has been. “When I opened Blume here in Boonah, I had two staff members. I never expected the success that followed, which was almost instantaneous. We have had one customer who dined nine times just for the Rainbow Trout signature dish!”
“There is incredible local produce in the Scenic Rim. If you want the best cream and milk, then call Tommerup Farm; great sheep’s milk and cheese, then Towri is not too far from Blume. Live Crayfish can be purchased at Beaudesert from Alex at Australian Freshwater Traders. It’s pretty simple isn’t it!”
He said building personal relationships had unlocked produce that is unique to Blume only. “My aunt Jenny grows rare herbs for Blume, picked every service including Apple Marigold, an extremely pungent and aromatic variety we use on our desserts.”
“One day I was talking about potatoes to a customer who has a farm five minutes away, and he started growing baby Heritage Andean Sunrise potatoes the size of your thumb – just for Blume!”
“Back to Tommerup Farm… I was looking for a pig to be grown to a size of around 120kg, specifically for Chacuterie. They obliged and the result was pork with a high fat content, perfect for curing cuts in different ways for Blume.”
Plans are already in the works for a stage two wood fired pizza oven.
The venue is spoilt for choice with meeting and event spaces. A private dining or conference room for 14, inside dining for up to 100 or a green for your barefoot bowls events. This new community hub has something for everyone.
“The drinks menu will feature options for everyone. From your classic fave cold beers on taps to a variety of local Scenic Rim and Australian wines. Craft beers and cocktails and a red cordial that the children can run off on the greens, plus there’s a shared “punch bowl” on the cocktail menu and Jack is working on The Bowl Beer on tap,” said Emily.
A major part of the community, Lochran and Stuart plan to link with hospitality training for school age children in Boonah as well as host a twice monthly Friday twilight producer market on the green, and of course, a calendar of activity for the region’s famous eat Local celebration in June.
They are currently recruiting all passionate Scenic Rim foodies for FOH and Kitchen.
The Club has been 73 years in community hands, and was formed in 1947 according to The Fassifern Guardian. Dwindling bowls club membership led to the amalgamation into the newly-formed Fassifern Sports Club in mid-2018. Sadly COVID meant the venture became unviable and the doors closed. The property has been bought by locals, and has now been leased by Emily and Jack who will take the venue on its new journey as a community hub with superb food and beverages: eat, drink, celebrate!!
