Open from 9 pm to 3 am, Back Lane Bird fills a hole in the city’s late-night economy. Photo: Back Lane Bird.
While the party goes on into the wee small hours in Civic, late-night eats can be few and far between (unless you’re heading into the golden arches). A new hole-in-the-wall venue aims to change that.
Back Lane Bird is a new late-night spot for fried chicken, tucked away in Odgers Lane.
Created by Lala Hospitality group – the same people behind Molly, 88MPH, Highball and VICE – this cheeky chippy aims to feed midnight revellers in the city, and give them the energy for a second wind on the dancefloor.
When the team converted Bleachers Sports Bar into lux steakhouse VICE, there was a space out the back just begging to be turned into something great. They’ve fitted it with a purpose-built kitchen for the Back Lane Bird menu.
Buttermilk fried chicken is the name of the game here; available by the piece with chips or as a juicy burger. And the prices are very reasonable too: a fried chicken burger will set you back $12, and a small chips starts at just $5.
Burgers, fried chicken and chips – what more do you want from a post-midnight feed? Photo: Back Lane Bird.
With people staying away from the city amid the light rail chaos, savvy operators are exploring ways to get them to stay longer and visit more venues. Rather than trooping down to Braddon for a feed or heading home early, Back Lane Bird offers a convenient, affordable feed. Stomachs lined, the hope is that they’ll head back into a nearby venue.
“Canberra’s CBD late-night food offering has long been limited, leaving people with few quality options after a night out. Not anymore,” Lala Hospitality Group director Lorenzo Focarile said.
“Back Lane Bird is our way of investing in the precinct – giving people another reason to come out, stay late, and make a night of it in the city.”
The official grand opening was on Saturday 16 May (although it had sneakily been serving for a few weeks beforehand). The team have decided that the sweet spot for opening hours is between 9 pm and 3 am. Drunken revellers will be joined by shift workers, students burning the midnight oil and night owls in the queue for something hot, fried and delicious.
The hole-in-the-wall is also a licensed tobacconist.
Back Lane Bird is tucked away in Odger’s Lane next to the door for Molly. Photo: Back Lane Bird.
I took a crew of friends for a late-night feed after a jazz band rehearsal. Regulars at neighbouring venues Molly and Smiths Alternative, these working musos were stoked to discover an option for a post-gig feed.
We ordered the chilli fried chicken burger, buffalo chicken wings and some classic chips with gravy. Crinkle-cut, these chips have a certain ‘awesome’ quality about them (IFYKY) and smothered in hot gravy, they were enough to warm a hungry belly on a cold night. There’s a shaker of chicken salt on the counter so you can season to your taste.
The buffalo wings come dressed in a piquant sauce: spicy, sharp and tasty. The chilli chicken burger was my pick of the bunch; a properly crispy thigh fillet with a juicy interior, served on a simple soft bun with lettuce, mayo and a house-made chilli sauce. It’s not complicated, it’s not fancy, it’s just good.
I feel like I’ve seen the future: I’m definitely going to eat a lot of those burgers …
Back Lane Bird is located at Odgers Lane, Canberra City. They are open Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 9 pm until 3 am. Follow Back Lane Bird on Instagram.
Original Article published by Lucy Ridge on Region Canberra.
