Second Yard Bird Ale House to open in Paddington

For a kid who was kicked out of high school, Luke Purnell is not doing too badly. The 34-year-old is just about to open his second Yard Bird Ale House, in the upmarket Brisbane suburb of Paddington.

"I was pretty much thrown into hospitality. When I was expelled, my parents, who owned a restaurant in Townsville, said that I wasn't allowed to sit around so they put me to work," Purnell says.

He learnt a chef's trade, including stints at Brisbane's Au Cirque, Alibi Room and Rush in the CBD, before deciding to leave hospitality for his second love, tattooing.

"At 24, I started my tattoo shop at Norman Park, then became a qualified tattooist."

"But I missed hospitality and as I couldn't get into a lot of places in the Valley because they don't like arm tattoos, I thought, bugger it, I'll open my own - a place where no one discriminates against you because of how you look."

Three years ago, Purnell did just that, launching Yard Bird Ale House in Fortitude Valley with a focus on less mainstream beers and bar food.

His second Yard Bird is taking over the space vacated by Eurovida Cafe in Given Terrace after the cafe shut up shop earlier this year.

Purnell is doing a lot of the refurb himself. He has ripped out all the faux marble and put in a curved, wide wooden bar with handmade Spanish tiles and copper light fittings, relocated the kitchen, and given the decor a general spit and polish. His other love, tattooing (he still owns the shop and practises the craft), is represented on the slate blue walls that feature tattoo-inspired artwork by Dean Sacred and other artists.

Out the front, a courtyard seats about 50 and there are extra stools to pull up at a bar below bi-fold windows.

There are eight beer taps, including 4 Pines, Coopers, Little Creatures and Stone and Wood, as well as a Monteith's ale and cider, and about 30 bottled beers.

Purnell says food offerings will be in a similar vein to the original Yard Bird Ale House.

"It'll be hands-on share plates, with pizza, burgers and chicken wings, which have always been hugely popular."

Yard Bird will open for breakfast from 7am, as well as lunch and dinner seven days. Purnell aims to open the doors to the Paddington crowd in the week of December 15.

Yard Bird Ale House, 1/208 Given Terrace, Paddington, yardbirdalehouse.com.au