A prominent waterfront restaurant site left vacant by the closure of a once-iconic chain has been given a new life.
Chiobu, an Asian street food and cocktail bar, opened on Friday in the former Hog’s Breath Cafe premises at 30 The Esplanade, Bulcock Beach.
Hog’s Breath Cafe Caloundra closed permanently in March, ending the chain’s presence on the Sunshine Coast.
The restaurant had been part of the Rumba Beach Resort complex and was understood to have opened soon after the resort in 2009, with room for about 150 diners.
One of its more unusual features was a series of portholes in the ceiling looking directly into the resort pool above.
The space has now been stripped back to a shell and rebuilt over about three months by Matt and Mon Savage, who also operate Drift Bar, Greedy Gringo and Gelato Rumba along the same stretch of the Esplanade.
Mr Savage worked on the build alongside local contractors while the couple handled much of the design. Sunshine Coast artist Marianna Siqueira was commissioned to create murals and paintings throughout the venue.
Mrs Savage said they wanted the new restaurant to feel different to the space it replaced.
“We wanted the feeling of walking into somewhere else entirely: neon, music, Marianna’s artwork, food that lands in the middle of the table and a drinks list that is actually fun,” she said.
“Caloundra has been missing this and we could not be more excited to finally open the doors.”
Executive chef Brendan Dedini leads a menu spanning several Asian cuisines, with dishes including karaage chicken bao, sizzling Taiwanese chicken, Peking-style duck pancakes, roti and satay, kung pao calamari, massaman beef cheek and crispy pork salad.
The drinks list includes cocktails such as the Chiobu Pretty Lady, Chiobu-Rita and a yuzu sour, along with two house beers on tap.
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Mr Savage, who was born and raised in Caloundra, said the family wanted to continue investing in the area.
“Everything we build here we build for the people we grew up with,” he said.
“This is one of the busiest and fastest growing spots on the Sunshine Coast and it has never had a late-night room like this. Putting 25 more locals on the payroll is the part I am proudest of.”
The new venue becomes the Savage family’s fourth business at the Bulcock Beach precinct, with the operators saying the businesses employ about 100 people combined.
The Chiobu kitchen will operate from 11.30am to 8.30pm from Sunday to Thursday and until 9pm on Fridays and Saturdays.
