Just Open: Betti Bravo's, Kingston Foreshore
Betti Bravo's is the new watering hole with a Caribbean flavour that's opened on the Kingston Foreshore.
The vibe is light, bright and colourful - with rattan chairs, cushions covered in tropical flower print, and lazily turning overhead fans. A wall of pink flamingos adorns the rear, and outside is filled with high tables, little sofa corners for groups, and tables in the sun.
Betti Bravo's replaces the Rum Bar, which closed in December.
It's owned by the same group that owns Walt & Burley, just a few doors up on the foreshore, and managed by Thomas Weis, previously seen welcoming diners at trendy Akiba on Bunda Street.
"We wanted to give Kingston and the foreshore here something that was appropriate for a waterside location, something that was casual and informal, that people can come back to a couple of times a week," he says.
The menu from chef Simon Prickett, formerly of OnRed, has plenty of Caribbean and Latin aspirations - jerk chicken, salt cod croquetas, jamon with crispy pigs ear, and chargrilled octopus and paprika.
These are divided into small and large plates, but there are also two shared menus - the "fiesta", which offers six dishes at $40 a head or the "Escobar" which includes seven dishes and a mini cocktail at $55.
"You can order a couple of small plates and a big plate, our dishes are really large, they're value for money," Weis says. "It's the way we want to eat - simple, easy, shared, conduicive to conviviality."
Desserts are kept to a minimum but feature a sweet pasta dish - gnocchi latte with Pedro Ximenez, white chocolate and macadamia.
Cocktails are colourful - mai tais, Pimm's, a yellow bird. The wine list is short and is a mix of local flavour and Spanish drops. And there are the four "Betti shorts" - mini cocktails to kickstart the night.
"We've gone pretty much all out on that - they're little flavour bombs, so there's a whole lot going on there," Weis says.
Betti Bravos, 6/2 Trevillian Quay, Kingston Foreshore, bettibravos.com.au
Do you have a new bar or restaurant opening? Let us know - food.wine@canberratimes.com.au