Five Minutes with Brett Nebauer, 11e Cave, Onzieme and After Service

Who are you?

Brett Nebauer, Canberra born and raised. I’m a bartender at Onzieme and 11e Cave and I also run a side project called After Service with Kierain Bunton and Theo Boggs.

Tell me about what you do at Onzieme/11e Cave

I pretty much do the beverages across the two venues and primarily run the bar. Cocktail creation, house projects, non-alcoholic and that sort of thing.

How did you get involved in the hospitality industry?

My first job in hospo was in Trinity Bar in Dickson in 2011 as a bar back. I got thrown in the deep end and I thought ‘this is cool’.

I went overseas and was lucky enough to get a job at an amazing Copenhagen bar and be trained by some insane industry mentors. And that’s where I got the passion for cocktails. There was this professionalism, and I was in awe just watching them work: how methodical they were, how they could hold a room and chat to 10 guests while pushing out drinks and not even looking. Working alongside them was a real highlight, and I thought this might be something I want to dig into further.

Then I went to Sweden and was given the opportunity to run a cocktail bar and had the support of the owner to make my mark there. Having the freedom to be able to push yourself while someone has your back was really exciting.

After five years, I came back to Canberra, and it’s been enjoyable to see so many new faces and put my own stamp on the industry.

What is your drinks philosophy?

I very much like simplistic, minimalist cocktails. Let the flavours shine, I’m not overly keen on big extravagant garnishes. I like a clean looking, minimal style cocktail full of flavour, seasonal, and just letting things that pair well together shine.

What is your favourite cocktail ingredient?

If it were up to me, I would put sherry in every cocktail I make! Fino or manzanilla. It’s almost like salt; it’s just an enhancement that gives you some saline minerality and complexity. You don’t need too much.

What’s an underrated Canberra venue that you love?

Squeaky Clean. Jono over there is definitely having a big impact in the community. He’s really grounded himself in the Canberra hospo scene: really supportive, and pushing hard. It’s an awesome bar, and it has a great feel. I love going to Squeaky Clean and having a pickle back and a beer.

Who do you admire in the Canberra hospo scene?

Definitely Louis [Couttoupes, owner of Onzieme]. I admire his creativity with food. I work with him quite closely, and it’s really nice to have someone I can share ideas with. As a cook, he thinks very differently from me.

Also, Caitlin Baker. She’s an amazing leader for Canberra hospo and works incredibly hard for the community.

When you’re not working, where do you go for a drink?

We used to go to the Irish Club a lot when we lived in Weston Creek. Going to Paranormal Wines on a Sunday afternoon is amazing: get a bottle of wine and some share plates.

After work, Squeaky Clean is our go-to. And you can’t beat Bar Rochford – it’s an institution.

Where do you go for a coffee?

Barrio is awesome. And the guys at Lava in Kingston definitely see my face a lot!

When you can’t be bothered to cook for yourself, where do you go and what do you eat?

CBD Dumpling House is a favourite: can’t go past dumplings. It’s cheap, it’s cheerful, it’s delicious. I’d usually get fried chilli beef, siu mai dumplings and soup dumplings.

Who is your dream dinner party guest, and what would you make them?

Sasha Petraske. He’s considered the pioneer of modern cocktails. He passed away in 2015, but it would be really cool to meet him.

I feel like he would be a tough person to make food for, and he might be quite judgemental, so I might order something from the CBD Dumpling House! It would be nerve-wracking as hell to make a cocktail for that man, I’d have to go for a vodka martini.

What is your current flavour obsession?

At this time of year, it’s stone fruits. I love nectarines and plums so I gotta get in amongst it! Whenever this season rolls around, I get very much obsessed with those flavours for a couple of months.

What’s the best thing you ate this week?

The pork at 10 William Street [in Sydney]. Just a pork chop with potatoes and a leafy green salad. Simple, but tasty as hell.

What’s a food that reminds you of your childhood?

Growing up in Canberra, my childhood was very much meat and veg! Sausages with carrots, peas and mashed potato. Casserole, meatloaf, curried sausages … anything like that.

What do you do on a day off?

For Sunday brunch we force ourselves out of bed and go to Under Bakery. I love what those guys do over there. It’s the best bakery in Canberra: their pastries are on point and service is lovely as hell.

Tell me something you love about living in Canberra

Growing up in Canberra, I just wanted to get out, but coming back is really comfortable. Nothing is too far away: it’s accessible and peaceful, and the aspect of nature everywhere is super nice. Within 10 minutes in any direction, there are parks and nature, which is pretty special.

What have you been watching recently?

A guilty pleasure recently is we’ve been getting around MAFS: it’s become a thing where we watched it once and now we’ve got to stick with it!

An easy one to finish – what’s your go-to coffee order?

Oat iced latte.

Follow Onzieme, 11e Cave and After Service on Instagram.

Original Article published by Lucy Ridge on Riotact.