Fergus Hurst
Vinyl. Late-night DJs. Salty snacks. A dry-aged meat cabinet. A devilishly good burger. If you were to design a blueprint for a modern inner-city hotspot, it would probably include some, if not all, of these things. In other words, it would look a lot like Never Enough.
This new Fortitude Valley venue isn’t simply chasing trends, though. Husband-and-wife duo Trad Nathan and Tyla Dombroski, who also own live-music venue Crowbar across the road, have built a spot that feels calibrated to how people want to eat and drink right now: a strong soundtrack, interesting drinks, plenty of snacks and a late-night atmosphere bordering on house-party territory, with DJs on Friday and Saturday nights.
The talented kitchen duo of Trent Lymn (formerly head chef at The 203) and his wife, Cecilia Teigeiro, are behind the pans. It’s clear Lymn is particularly passionate about meat, with a rotating special pulled from the dry-aged cabinet each day. There’s also a terrific 21-day dry-aged cheeseburger layered with tarragon mustard and champagne onions, which I’ll be coming back for alone.
Naturally, there’s ʼnduja – everyone’s favourite spicy, spreadable sausage. It appears twice on the menu: first, simply drizzled with truffle honey and served with toasted ciabatta; secondly, stuffed inside mashed potato, crumbed and fried into a Spanish bomba. Both are excellent uses of the fiery Calabrian salumi and feel emblematic of Never Enough as a whole – the sort of food that pairs with whatever you’re drinking. Take the Gildas, levelled up with LP’s smoked mortadella and giardiniera (if there’s a better Gilda in town, I haven’t found it). Or the crisp chicken tenders, served with crème fraîche and White Sturgeon caviar. Meanwhile, flatbread comes in the form of fainá, a popular Argentine pancake made with chickpea flour.
Deciding what to drink might be the hardest part. Luckily, sommelier Loren Mitchell-Moore (ex-Joy) is on hand to expertly guide diners through a wine list that ranges from splurge-worthy drops by cult producers like François Raveneau, Moreau-Naudet and Prieuré Roch to domestic favourites including BK Wines and Gentle Folk.
While the dark interior – all exposed brick, polished concrete and timber – feels better suited to an evening sitting than a Sunday lunch, a seat by the window or in the courtyard makes for a relaxing place to linger during the day.
Never Enough might trade in familiar tropes, but it executes them with enough confidence and knowhow that it never feels pre-conceived. Consider it a collection of everyone’s favourite things, assembled into one very fun package.Â
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
