The multi-million dollar overhaul of Brisbane's Centre for the Live Arts has extended beyond the bricks and mortar to make this bar an impressive act of its own.
Intermission drinks at the Powerhouse used to be a torturous affair - you'd mow a path through the Visy Theatre crowd, lose your friends in the 12-deep line, get to the front as the lights dimmed for the second half, only to be told that your choice of the two cocktails on offer was unavailable due to a temporary dearth of vodka.
Well, thank God for Bar Alto. Or rather, thank Simon Hill, owner of the much-lauded Isis Brasserie, who has unveiled an industrially hip watering hole that would be as much at home in New York's Soho as it is on the banks of our Brisbane River. While exposed pipes, bare concrete, naked light globes and black vinyl banquettes might remind you of more cosmopolitan shores, the thousand-decibel PA announcements, give a regular slap of reality.
The no-bookings arrangement at the adjoining restaurant means you might get through the best part of a bottle waiting for a table, but the drinks list is long and reasonably priced, and when the bar snacks are this good, you might find the five-metre journey superfluous. The list of bottled beers will appeal to aficionados (and their wallets), with none - including Peroni - priced at more than $6. A solid Italian vein runs through the predominantly Aussie/Kiwi wine list and there are plenty of options by the glass.
Vikki Moore
