I’ve walked through Green Square in Kingston the last couple of months wondering what would open up in the building being renovated there. I think quite a bit of work went into the building’s facade. After reading Canberra Time article, I was excited to read that Little Brooklyn would be a New York inspired bar with lane way dining in the form of a beer garden. The upstairs part with a tiled balcony is meant to be a more high end restaurant but won’t open until next year.
Little Brooklyn officially opened its doors last week. I walked past on Friday afternoon, on my way to dinner at Penny University, and saw that it was packed with people out the front and I could hear the music playing from a distance. My partner and I headed there for lunch on Saturday. The outdoor dining area is appealing with wooden benches, high tables and chairs. Some solid looking outdoor umbrellas provide shade and also have heaters installed for winter.
Combined with an exposed brick wall, wooden paneling and coloured checkered carpet, Little Brooklyn has an eclectic mix of decor. There is an industrial feel to it with exposed metal ducting and metal mesh barriers. The ceiling has the initials LB painted across it. A small stage and microphone is also set up at the front for live music.
The beer garden is really more of a back deck – long and narrow with the prominent use of timber and green plants. It’s not exactly laneway dining but they tried to make use of the space available.
First glance at the menu and items look a bit expensive.
I decided on the Brooklyn Burger ($20) that comes with a side of chips. The first thing I noticed was the dead insect in my mayo. I told the waitress and asked for another pot. The burger came with bacon, cheddar, onion, pickles and BBQ sauce. I was satisfied with the burger, however the bun was sweet – very American. The chips were nice and really crunchy.
My partner ordered the ‘hot and numbing lamb ribs’ ($18). You get a bit of spiciness in your mouth but they were definitely not numbing and there was hardly any meat on them.
The atmosphere here on a Saturday was relaxed and very casual. There is low key music playing in the background, a huge contrast to the pumping loud music being played on Friday night. Watching the wait staff bring out other diners’ food, I noticed the burger was the most popular dish. Although the burger wasn’t bad, you could just as easily head to Brodburger for something cheaper and bigger. I’d still prefer Grill’d or Brodburger over the burger here. The Durham next door also do cheap $10 lunch specials.
In terms of food, I’m not sure if I’ll head back anytime soon. It was nice to check out but it’s a pub, nothing on the menu really caught my fancy and it’s fairly expensive. In saying that, it’s probably still a good place to have a beer. I do like the wait staff’s uniform – white shirts with black pants and suspenders – cute! Let’s hope the upstairs restaurant offers something better.
Foodgasm 5.5/10
