3 June 2010

All Bar Nun under threat????

| DNA
Join the conversation
42

[First filed: Jun 1, 2010 @ 15:39]

Hey peeps,

I’m posting this here in the hopes others can supply more information, and to increase general awareness that a Canberra icon may be under threat!

I just had lunch at All Bar, and they have a flyer saying (something along the lines of) the lease is running out and won’t be renewed, and the landowner is pushing to build a 2 story nightclub?????

I’d love to be living on the other side of the road if that happens!

Here is the link to the application that the flyer directed me to:

More info

development application number is: DA-201017482

Objections to be sent to: app-sec@act.gov.au or Application Secretariat PO Box 365 Mitchell ACT 2911

[ED – We’ve requested more information from All Bar Nun but are yet to hear back]

UPDATE: Here’s the flyer, click for a larger version:

All Bar flyer

Going to war with the landlord rarely ends well.

Further Update: The Canberra Times has had a dig around this story and not come up with very much more.

Join the conversation

42
All Comments
  • All Comments
  • Website Comments
LatestOldest
Clown Killer7:50 pm 18 May 11

The very early days (like the first six months) at ABN were great too … when it tried its hardest to really be a tapas bar. I liked the Friday night mix of afterwork suites mixing with uni students and tradies.

looking at some of the comments from previous posts i’m happy all bar has changed to what it is today, some would say its full of trendies but considering the clientelle the bar previously attracted i’m glad to see they lost them to places like suburban. When i first came to canberra abn had a terrible name for being a “uni pub” congrats to the owners whoever you are for aiming for a more peaceful atmosphere, not many people would try the same move especially in the hospitality industry.

re. Delicate Eating: you will find it was closed down for some time before the lease was taken by all bar nun so i find it hard to see how they “ate up” a good restaurant.

I might be a bit old fassioned but it used to be a sign of a good pub was the number of security or lack there of, abn used to have 3+ guards on a fri/sat night now theres 2 at best, next time your at suburban or moose scan for security it will show you the kind of clientelle they let through their doors.

Flatheads used to be awesome… I remember being so stoked when I came across it and realised they served handcut chips. Not long after they changed to the usual frozen-mass-production chips. Sigh…

Holden Caulfield2:51 pm 03 Jun 10

For all the alleged faults of Delicateating it was better (in my experience at least) than Filthy Gorgeous and The Habit.

Even Flatheads is not as good as it used to be.

O’Connor shops needs some new blood/development IMO. Not sure a two storEy club was what I had in mind, haha. And parking is definitely an issue, as anyone who wants to drop in to the shops on the way home from work will attest.

harryhaller said :

toriness said :

and debacle is NOT delicate eating by another name and location – maybe same owner but totally different venue. debacle is ABN’s little sister as far as i’m concerned.

Of course, it’s a different venue, it’s in Braddon now! What do you expect? They can’t shift the entire building…

But as you said, debacle was opened by the same people that ran Delicate Eating, whether or not they still do, I can’t say. On a personal side note, I think debacle is one of the nicest pubs in town.

it is nice, and it is clean, and has great pizzas. my ABN comparison was too harsh. but i still miss delicate eating.

troll-sniffer12:43 pm 03 Jun 10

Clown Killer said :

The demise of Delicateating was a bonus for Canberra.

There’s no justifiable reason to lament the demise of Delicateating (unless you enjoy over-priced crap food and poor service).

Agree entirely. Had a gf who wanted to bring over a nice pizza, rang in her order, bit put off by the $28.00 gouge quoted but thought “what the heck it’s a treat”, rolled in to collect the overpriced ‘gourmet’ smoked chicken extravaganza, and was told the price was $32.50, apparently the owner had forgotten to add on the 12 cent cost of the garnish plus markup.

After several unpleasant minutes trying to advise the owner as to the business sense of honouring the quote, she reluctantly handed over the ransom and succeeded in purchasing a nice but not outstanding smoked chicken pizza.

Delicateating came out $4.50 ahead on that one. However, when gf’s friend heard of the ‘pizza debacle’ (sorry about that) the said friend cancelled a function for 40 odd friends at short notice, and the establishment came out around $1200 or more worse off.

Kinda makes you feel sorry for them don’t it? NOT.

It says it COULD see a 2 story night club there. Doesn’t say that there is going to be one there.
Be a shame to see it go, but I haven’t really been there in a year now.

It’s all there on page 7 of CT today. If it’s in CT it must be true right?

Clown Killer11:45 pm 02 Jun 10

The demise of Delicateating was a bonus for Canberra.

Massively overpriced short-order dishes, palmed off as half decent fare – was never going to work as a business model in the long term. If a fraction of the staff and management made it to Debarcle then they obviously learned their lesson and have gone from strength to strength at their new location. There’s no justifiable reason to lament the demise of Delicateating (unless you enjoy over-priced crap food and poor service).

Blame ABN for taking advantage of a vacuume. Sorry, but that’s just sound business sense.

Holden Caulfield10:33 pm 02 Jun 10

harryhaller said :

Because it’s called debacle now and is located in Braddon.

Same/similar owners, quite different concept.

By the way the address is app.sec@act.gov.au not app-sec as you have it in the article…

Two story night club in O’Connor? Yeah right.

No great loss. ABN = Mooseheads 2, just with less woodgrain.

p1
My jeans and casual wear is as trendy as I get, Can I still go in my shorts and tshirt after I lock my bike to the tree out the front?

The crowd varied from guys just finishing their rugby/cricket training, the soccer girls, cyclists, mums and dads, pretty young things dolled up to the nines in dresses made of dental floss (sigh), brickies and plumbers and everything in between. So yes, lock up your bike, swagger on in and have a pint!

i have never forgiven ABN for taking over the delicate eating space, maybe i’m biased because of that but i think that moment and that expansion was when it started to go downhill. it doesn’t even have the little courtyard in the back anymore.

Ignoring the fact that what used to happen to that restaurant was people would buy it, build it up and then sell it for a profit before laughing all the way to the bank. So the Nun decide to make decent use of the space…

Somehow I don’t think that most have you have been back to ABN in a while. Yes, I agree it turned into a ’super trendy’ joint where you had to be dressed in your finest skanky dress to get in for a while, but recently it has chilled considerably and I’m happy to have a cider or three there in my jeans and casual wear. The food (especially the brekkies) are pretty good too!

There was a lot of pressure from the crowd that has now f’ed off to infest Sub-Urban in Dickson which has allowed the Nun to step back and chill a bit. Though I do miss the old Duty Manager, the new one appears to be deaf (most of us don’t need crappy music REALLY FREAKING LOUD at 9am thanks) and really isn’t across the locals that make the Nun what it is.

toriness said :

and debacle is NOT delicate eating by another name and location – maybe same owner but totally different venue. debacle is ABN’s little sister as far as i’m concerned.

Of course, it’s a different venue, it’s in Braddon now! What do you expect? They can’t shift the entire building…

But as you said, debacle was opened by the same people that ran Delicate Eating, whether or not they still do, I can’t say. On a personal side note, I think debacle is one of the nicest pubs in town.

2 storey night club there is as likely as a nuclear waste dump.

Would love to hear the other 2 sides of the story, being ‘theirs’ and ‘the truth’

rose7 said :

Somehow I don’t think that most have you have been back to ABN in a while. Yes, I agree it turned into a ‘super trendy’ joint where you had to be dressed in your finest skanky dress to get in for a while, but recently it has chilled considerably and I’m happy to have a cider or three there in my jeans and casual wear….

My jeans and casual wear is as trendy as I get, Can I still go in my shorts and tshirt after I lock my bike to the tree out the front?

I can’t say I’ve ever had a problem with this.

harryhaller said :

Holden Caulfield said :

WillowJim said :

DeadlySchnauzer said :

Once I would have shed a tear. But not any more.

Agree entirely. I miss the All Bar Nun of the ’90s. I can’t stand the “ABN” of today, and I don’t forgive it for eating up other decent restaurants.

Forget ABN, what about Delicateating – why can’t that come back!

Because it’s called debacle now and is located in Braddon.

i have never forgiven ABN for taking over the delicate eating space, maybe i’m biased because of that but i think that moment and that expansion was when it started to go downhill. it doesn’t even have the little courtyard in the back anymore.

and debacle is NOT delicate eating by another name and location – maybe same owner but totally different venue. debacle is ABN’s little sister as far as i’m concerned.

Woody Mann-Caruso3:14 pm 02 Jun 10

He only threw that phone at my head because he loves me and that makes him angry but he’ll never ever do it again baby I promise I’ve changed.

georgesgenitals2:24 pm 02 Jun 10

Woody Mann-Caruso said :

Wow, there’s Wiltshire, Yorkshire, Liverpool, and several unidentified dialects in there.

I was going for Russell Crowe in Robin Hood 😉

He’s out of your league.

Somehow I don’t think that most have you have been back to ABN in a while. Yes, I agree it turned into a ‘super trendy’ joint where you had to be dressed in your finest skanky dress to get in for a while, but recently it has chilled considerably and I’m happy to have a cider or three there in my jeans and casual wear. The food (especially the brekkies) are pretty good too!

I think the plans to introduce a nightclub are no good for the residents or the other shop owners on the block either.

Holden Caulfield12:37 pm 02 Jun 10

astrojax said :

bring back the vietnamese place used to be on the corner all bra none now infests…

Agreed, that was great. But it is still around, it’s now at Griffith Shops following a stint in Civic for a few years as well.

Clown Killer12:22 pm 02 Jun 10

bring back the vietnamese place used to be on the corner all bra none now infests…

Head over to the Griffith Vietnamese – it’s run by the same folk from the old O’Connor place. Great food. Friendly service and cheap too. Only downside was once I saw Sophie Mirrabella dining there and as you can imagine that spoied the tone of the evening somewhat, but otherwise it’s great.

WillowJim said :

DeadlySchnauzer said :

Once I would have shed a tear. But not any more.

Agree entirely. I miss the All Bar Nun of the ’90s. I can’t stand the “ABN” of today, and I don’t forgive it for eating up other decent restaurants.

bring back the vietnamese place used to be on the corner all bra none now infests…

Pommy bastard10:20 am 02 Jun 10

Woody Mann-Caruso said :

Wow, there’s Wiltshire, Yorkshire, Liverpool, and several unidentified dialects in there.

I was going for Russell Crowe in Robin Hood 😉

ROTFLMCO!! Yes, but what was he going for? 🙂

Clown Killer10:13 am 02 Jun 10

Now I know I’m getting old! ABN used to be a great place to enjoy a couple of pints or a bottle of wine, the tappas menue was good and the atmospehere great – from a good buzz on Friday nights with a mix of ‘suites’, students and ratbags through to casual and laid back on a sunday afternoons with almost deserted and quiet on week nights.

The place has changed over the years, probably as an adaptation to market forces – attracting new customers and losing a few old ones along the way. I think all-in-all thought its the right sort of business for that location. I really dont see a two storey nightclub sitting comfortably in that location – but hey, Canberra’a planning regime has thrown up weirder results in the past.

embilly said :

Hopefully All Bar Nun will move to Civic, solidify it’s role as an upmarket Mooseheads.

Yeah thats just what Civic needs a upmarket version of Mooseheads. (like a rat with gold teeth)

Holden Caulfield said :

WillowJim said :

DeadlySchnauzer said :

Once I would have shed a tear. But not any more.

Agree entirely. I miss the All Bar Nun of the ’90s. I can’t stand the “ABN” of today, and I don’t forgive it for eating up other decent restaurants.

Forget ABN, what about Delicateating – why can’t that come back!

Because it’s called debacle now and is located in Braddon.

Woody Mann-Caruso9:32 am 02 Jun 10

Wow, there’s Wiltshire, Yorkshire, Liverpool, and several unidentified dialects in there.

I was going for Russell Crowe in Robin Hood 😉

chewy14 said :

Yeah, i can’t believe they ruined my favourite little hippy shithole and actually tried to make some money.
It’s UnAustralian I tells ya.

Nobody’s questioning their right to change it, we’re (for I shall add my voice to this sentiment) just saying don’t expect us to shed a tear for it now that it’s not somewhere we think is worth keeping.

Holden Caulfield11:33 pm 01 Jun 10

WillowJim said :

DeadlySchnauzer said :

Once I would have shed a tear. But not any more.

Agree entirely. I miss the All Bar Nun of the ’90s. I can’t stand the “ABN” of today, and I don’t forgive it for eating up other decent restaurants.

Forget ABN, what about Delicateating – why can’t that come back!

WillowJim said :

DeadlySchnauzer said :

Once I would have shed a tear. But not any more.

Agree entirely. I miss the All Bar Nun of the ’90s. I can’t stand the “ABN” of today, and I don’t forgive it for eating up other decent restaurants.

Yeah, i can’t believe they ruined my favourite little hippy shithole and actually tried to make some money.
It’s UnAustralian I tells ya.

Pommy bastard8:27 pm 01 Jun 10

Woody Mann-Caruso said :

Where is this “All Bar Nun” of which you speak, how come I’ve never heard of it?

Because you’re somebody who says stuff like “Oo ee, boi goom, Oi’m glad Oi’m not wunner ’em yoong folk coz dere’s nowt to do in Cunbra’ but you don’t actually know what you’re talking about.

Wow, there’s Wiltshire, Yorkshire, Liverpool, and several unidentified dialects in there. Bloody hell, I was born over half of England according to WMC!

Blimey, a polyglot of rural English dialects, is there no end to my talents?

DeadlySchnauzer said :

Once I would have shed a tear. But not any more.

Agree entirely. I miss the All Bar Nun of the ’90s. I can’t stand the “ABN” of today, and I don’t forgive it for eating up other decent restaurants.

Woody Mann-Caruso6:26 pm 01 Jun 10

Where is this “All Bar Nun” of which you speak, how come I’ve never heard of it?

Because you’re somebody who says stuff like “Oo ee, boi goom, Oi’m glad Oi’m not wunner ’em yoong folk coz dere’s nowt to do in Cunbra’ but you don’t actually know what you’re talking about.

Good. It’s a rubbish bar. It morphed into an awful club for yobbos, playing obnoxious dance music, and overcharging for drinks. Time for it to go.

Pommy bastard5:44 pm 01 Jun 10

Where is this “All Bar Nun” of which you speak, how come I’ve never heard of it?

A Noisy Noise Annoys An Oyster5:11 pm 01 Jun 10

When the push was on to close the gay sex club on the top floor, I remember reading an article where the (then) manager of All Bar Nun said he was reluctant to criticise the gay club because its owners were also ABN’s landlord. He did anyway. The gay club closed in 2004. Are the former owners of the club still ABN’s landlords? Is this a belated act of revenge?

I don’t think it would be such a bad thing if All Bar Nun were to close. That place is becoming a worn out eyesore – time for fresh blood at O’Connor, I say.

A two storey night club will never get approved in a suburban shopping centre anyway. Hopefully All Bar Nun will move to Civic, solidify it’s role as an upmarket Mooseheads, and let something a little more up-to-date move into O’Connor.

amarooresident34:12 pm 01 Jun 10

Good luck with getting a night club up and running once the good people of O’Connor hear of it! I’m surprised ABN has survived as long as it has in that location.

DeadlySchnauzer4:12 pm 01 Jun 10

All bar nun you were cool once, you provided a great place to just kick back and enjoy a quiet ale and good conversation. Then you changed man… you changed. Now you are frequented by all the trendies who moved in to the apartments near by, and who make it impossible to get a table at any time of day or night or to converse at any level other than a screaming yell.

Once I would have shed a tear. But not any more.

Daily Digest

Want the best Canberra news delivered daily? Every day we package the most popular Riotact stories and send them straight to your inbox. Sign-up now for trusted local news that will never be behind a paywall.

By submitting your email address you are agreeing to Region Group's terms and conditions and privacy policy.