NO ATTITUDE, JUST SWEET VIBES AT THE HOOD
TWO fledgling restaurateurs have opened a hot new bar in the heart of Palm Beach on the Gold Coast.
If laid-back vibes, a couple of cheeky bevvies and a slick selection of classic hip-hop beats are your thing, owners Carly Electric, 37, and Channey Fell, 35, say The Hood is your new hangout.
The bar, which opened last Saturday, is housed in the former site of a decades-old kebab shop on Palm Beach Ave.
Ms Electric promises a “nonpretentious vibe where locals can take it easy and catch up with mates.”
The Hood site borders The Collective in Palm Beach, and has a demolition clause on it to make way for a controversial 21-storey luxury tower.
But Ms Electric said: “with the delays over light rail, I’m just hoping we can stay here as long as possible. We only intended for it to be a pop-up, but the reception we received on opening weekend was phenomenal – the place was packed.”
Ms Electric says she and Ms Fell had signed a three-year lease.
She described the fit-out as a “bit of a New York underground vibe”, with neon signage and graffiti art by local Palm Beach artist Timmi Fresh.
Ms Electric, who is entering the hospitality game for the first time, said she “stumbled on the site by accident.”
“Channey and I were having coffee at Highline a few doors down and saw a for lease sign on the kebab shop. We just looked at one another and said ‘should we open a bar?’”
The move was fortuitous for the pair who are now planning to open a second venue in Tweed at the end of the year, Nacho Baby, a tequila bar and eatery.
The pair recruited head chefs Rob Rivers and Kereru Wilson, the duo behind the menu at Palm Beach’s Burgster.
“Everything is simple on the menu but made really well and absolutely mouth-watering,” Ms Electric said.
“There’s amazing share plates like arancini balls and margarita wings, which are cooked through with tequila.”
“We have an incredible drinks selection and Channey is a certified sommelier so there’s a great range of natural wines on offer.”