Project Team

design: Arium Design, Rene De La Soyo, Tom Allan

Returning to his family roots, Croatian-Australian Chef Daniel George Dobra (formerly of “The Brix”, “Greenhouse by Joost” and the “Royal Mail Hotel - Dunkeld”) has launched a brand-new inner-city restaurant venture “Brutale”.

Offering a new take on the relationship between man and beast, and inspired by the vast Balkan region and Europe’s Eastern ‘Bloc’, “Brutale” packages the confronting brutality of a butchery with the finesse of couture cuisine; delivering true “food for the brave”.

Paying homage to the harsh beauty of Dobra’s homeland, “Brutale” is unrelentingly honest, showcasing the traditional cooking techniques of Dobra’s ancestors. Guests are treated to visceral displays of on-demand savagery as Dobra engages a tree-trunk chopping block to
dismember beasts for culinary pleasure, one carcas at a time.

Featuring a uniquely open kitchen championing a charcoal spit-roast, wood-fired oven and charcoal grill, an extensive bar boasting a significant collection of Balkan Rakija and curious animal-inspired interiors styled by Rene De La Soyo (instigator of Melbourne’s “House of Maximon” and “Berlin Bar”), “Brutale” transports guests far beyond their comfort zone.

Unique features of this site include being a restaurant with a DJ and an underwater mine disco ball, pork on the spit rotating daily can be viewed from the street through the big kitchen window and overall quirky design

The space was planned by incorporating the set up and design elements around the food on offer, it is “food for the brave” therefore a knuckle buster is included in the logo representing punchy food. Also there is a photoshoped pig head onto a strong man and old school 1920’s ladies. The actual set up was designed around an already existing bar set up

Lamps were created out of motorcycle helmets that seam to be loved by everyone and tie in the concept perfectly.

Audio was done inhouse and consists of four Funktion One speakers and a sub woofer.