Craft'd Grounds Archives

Craft’d Grounds in Albion Wins Prestigious Architecture Award

Brisbane’s architectural landscape has been invigorated with the remarkable transformation of Craft’d Grounds in Albion, earning it the prestigious ‘John Dalton Award for Building of the Year’ at the Australian Institute of Architects regional awards.

Read: Craft’d Grounds, Tenants: How Are They Holding up After the Albion Floods?

The ceremony, held in Fortitude Valley in May 2023, recognised the conversion of an old warehouse into a bustling hub for food enthusiasts and lifestyle aficionados. Craft’d Grounds will now advance to the state finals which will be held in late June 2023, along with other noteworthy winners.

The building was designed by renowned architectural firm Conrad Gargett, known for their cutting-edge designs and visionary approach.

Craft'd Grounds in Albion — Photo credit: Conrad Gargett

Developed in collaboration with Craft’d Grounds co-founder James Rennell, Conrad Gargett director John Flynn spearheaded the transformation, drawing inspiration from renowned cultural enclaves such as Melbourne’s vibrant laneways, laid-back strips of Byron Bay, and the iconic Grounds of Alexandria.

The design also showcases a unique ‘Made in Brisbane’ essence, incorporating raw industrial elements and rustic architectural features.

“The architectural design is a sustainable exemplar for building reuse, reflecting the ethos of its owner and considering financial viability. The existing significant steel portal framed structure with its distinctive sawtooth roofscape is retained, whilst many of the intrusive later additions that were incrementally added over time, have been removed with layers carefully peeled back to reveal the industrial story of the building beneath,” Conrad Gargett said in its website.

The judges at the Australian Institute of Architects were captivated by the building’s ability to revitalise the light industrial inner-city suburb where it stands. They applauded the robust design, which enabled the building to house a diverse range of businesses, thus underscoring its commercial success.

The converted warehouse has quickly become a thriving destination, attracting locals and visitors alike with its vibrant atmosphere and diverse offerings.

Read: Esteemed Brisbane Architect E.P. Trewern: the Man Behind Notable Homes in Ascot and Nearby Suburbs

Craft’d Grounds in Albion has successfully melded the old and the new, breathing new life into the neighbourhood and elevating it to new heights. This recognition by the Australian Institute of Architects serves as a testament to the project’s visionary design and its significant impact on the community.

Published 9-June-2023

Inside Doughcraft, Home Of European Pastries In Albion

Albion’s newest food hub Craft’d Grounds is home to Doughcraft, an artisan bakery where you can grab French and Italian bread and pastries.

Read: Artisanal French-inspired Food and Wine Experiences at Craft’d Grounds

One of the must-tries here is their panino, an artisanal sourdough served with salame, caramelised mushrooms infused with truffles and spinach. It also comes with a fully vegan version, made of focaccia stuffed with Mediterranean style grilled zucchini and eggplant, rocket, roasted tomato relish, confit garlic and herbs.

Doughcraft is the place to go for a range of unique, flavourful, and flaky pastries such as the Pizza Mini Danish, which is a perfect mix of sweet and savoury and the mouthwatering Eggplant Parmigiana Danish.

Cheese lovers shouldn’t leave without trying their croissant stuffed with blue vein Gorgonzola, a rich and strong-flavoured cheese from the Lombardy region of Italy.

Behind the European-style bakery is a group of chefs and bakers who took their love for food to the next level by opening an eatery.

Steven Chevalier, one of the owners, was born in Normandy, France, and came from a long line of boulangers. In French, boulanger is a person whose job is to bake and sell bread and cakes.

Chevalier has over 15 years experience making artisan bread. He is joined by Italian chef Marco Conti, who has over a decade working in top restaurants across London, Sardinia, and Liverpool; and Samantha Taverner, former Head Chef of Collingwood Black also known as the Donut Queen.

Everything is made onsite by their sibling wholesale company Farine & Co, including an array of artisan loaves, and delicious sweet and savoury donuts.

Read: Ascot: A Look Back in Time at One of Brisbane’s Premier Suburbs

Doughcraft is open from 6:00 am, Wednesday to Sunday. Visit their Facebook page for more details.

Herve’s Restaurant and Bar: Artisanal French-inspired Food and Wine Experiences

Photo credit: Facebook / Herve's Restaurant and Bar

Tucked away on the upper level of Craft’d Grounds in Albion is Hervé’s Restaurant and Bar, a delightful restaurant offering French-inspired, artisanal cuisine prepared by talented, experienced chefs, and an impressive wine list curated by its French-born sommelier and owner.

Opened in May 2022, Hervé’s Restaurant and Bar is an 80-seat French-inspired restaurant by the husband and wife team of French-born sommelier Hervé Dudognon and his wife Cristina.

Mr Dudognon’s impressive resume includes stints at Hotel de Crillon in Paris, Mandarin Hotel in Hong Kong, Merivale in Sydney and Stanley at Howard Smith Wharves. He is joined by Executive Chef Chris Norman and his wife Executive Pastry Chef Alex Norman.

Executive Chef Chris Norman, Executive Pastry Chef Alex Norman | Photo credit: Facebook / Herve’s Restaurant and Bar

Hervé’s Restaurant and Bar sits in the loft of Albion’s Craft’d Grounds on Collingwood Street accessible through the stairs situated at the back of Brewtide Brewery & Bar. Once upstairs you’ll find the soft-lighted French-inspired venue’s terrazzo-topped bar on one side and the dining room on the other side. The former-timber-mill-turned-restaurant boasts of exposed iron beams, cafe-style tables, bentwood chairs, banquettes and polished wooden floors.

Herve's Restaurant and Bar at Craft’d Grounds — Photo credit: Facebook / Herve’s Restaurant and Bar

Meanwhile, the dynamic duo of Chris and Alex Norman will work their magic in the open kitchen which features a chef station, charcoal grill, fryer, gas cooktop, wood-fired oven and a pastry counter.

Amuse Bouche / Herve's Restaurant and Bar — Amuse Bouche | Photo credit: Facebook / Herve’s_Restaurant and Bar

Expect Chris’ menu to include Amuse Bouche offerings such as Pomme Soufflé with Oscietra Caviar, and Fraser Island Crab with rock melon, pomelo and Jamon. Then there are also Chilled Seafood must-try including Moreton Bay bugs with Mornay foam and Espelette pepper; and Poached Bay Lobster with cos lettuce, cocktail dressing, cucumber and smoked salmon caviar.

Poached bay lobster with smoked salmon caviar / Herve's Restaurant and Bar — Poached bay lobster with smoked salmon caviar | Photo credit: Facebook / Herve’s_ Restaurant and Bar

For the Mains, there is a coal-fired Fillet of Kingfish with cauliflower, spring squash, buttermilk and chive oil; and Roast tenderloin of Black Angus with watercress and shiraz jus.

Dessert? There’s Lemonade Fruit Fool with Mascarpone sabayon, Tommy’granita and brand snap; and the ever-changing Dessert Du Jour which takes its cue from available local fresh produce.

Lemonade Fruit Fool Herve's Restaurant and Bar — Lemonade Fruit Fool: Mascarpone sabayon, Tommy’s mar-granita, brandy snap | Photo credit: Facebook / Herve’s_Restaurant and Bar

Other sweet-tooth-satisfying confections from Alex include Moelleux Chocolat Valrhona Millot 74% with Pedro Ximinez, roasted vanilla ice cream and hazelnut nougatine.

French-inspired, Herve's Restaurant and Bar at Craft’d Grounds — Hervé Dudognon, Thibaud Cregut | Photo credit: Facebook / Herve’s Restaurant and Bar

Moving on to the drinks corner, Hervé and sommelier Thibaud Cregut’s wine list features 150 bottles sourced from Australian winemakers as well as from overseas, but expect a full page dedicated to organic Corsican Wines along with a slew of classic cocktails.

If you haven’t yet visited Hervé’s Restaurant and Bar, head over to Craft’d Grounds at 31/37 Collingwood Street in Albion. Bookings for Thursdays, beginning 3 November 2022, are now open. Visit the website here to send in your request for booking.

Craft’d Grounds | 31/37 Collingwood St, Albion QLD 4010, Australia

Craft’d Grounds, Tenants: How Are They Holding up After the Albion Floods?

Photo Credit: Craft'd Grounds / Facebook s

Craft’d Grounds was designed to be flood resilient in light of the 2011 floods but sadly, the recent weather event has been “unprecedented” and even this venue was not spared. How are they and their tenants holding up?

Craft’d Grounds is home to Seven Miles Coffee Roasters, Brewtide Brewing, K.I.S.S Burgers, Fightcross Gym and the soon-to-open Herves Restaurant and Bar. The venue along with next-door Collingwood Black Cafe & Bar was inundated with water that rose as high as one metre, damaging equipment, stock and packaging along with personal styling items, antiques and more.

“We designed our beautiful precinct to withstand levels above the 2011 floods, but, here we are! Completely inundated,” Craft’d Grounds’ Instagram post reads, “but we’re not giving up.”

“With the water came mud, amongst other things. We are devastated and so many have lost so much. Whilst there is building insurance for such events, that never extends to equipment, stock and packaging & insurance can take so long.”

The owners have yet to reveal the cost of the damage but they estimate that it will take about two months to put everything up and running again.

With volunteers helping with the cleanup, Craft’d Grounds was able to reopen its cafe side of the business with plans to open a temporary liquor store to keep the business running.

K.I.S.S. Burgers

“It’s safe to say Brissy has had a chaotic last couple of days. For now, stay tuned for any updates from us,” Kiss Burgers wrote on their social media update.

Brewtide Brewery

Brisbane’s brewing industry has put together a fundraising event to help breweries that were badly affected by the recent flooding, including Brewtide. The event happens on 12 March at Easy Times Brewing Co.

Photo Credit: Easy Times Brewing Co. / Facebook

Fightcross MMA and Fitness Albion

“Thanks to all those that helped with the cleanup of the recent flooding in Collingwood St

Our gym is back open and we are ready to train! Come down and enjoy our wonderful community in Craft’d Grounds,” the martial arts and fitness centre wrote on their social media.

“Next week as a thank you for the help our members gave to the community we will be doing something special! Something we have never done before! Keep an eye out!”

Collingwood Black Espresso & Bar and The Black Market Albion

“We’ve lost a lot of stuff over the past few days, but we’ve been reminded about how awesome our community is too. 🧡🧡 We’ve had so many lovely folks wade through gross water and mud to help clean our space,” Collingwood Black Espresso & Bar’s social media post reads.

The cafe and bar is expected to reopen in three weeks to fulfil their prior commitments.

“We’d appreciate any small donation to our fund below to help cover costs to rebuild and restock. Please feel free to share! 🖤 https://gofund.me/825a9976 👈🏼👈🏼🖤,” reads The Black Market Albion’s post.

Photo Credit: The Black Market Albion / Facebook

Help restore Collingwood Black & Craft’d Grounds by donating through their GoFundMe page. The fundraiser has so far raised $6,384 of its $10,000 goal.