A beer and a bite in Brooklyn Park

Good things take time. This is certainly the case with restaurant and wine bar So Long, Marianne, and its neighbouring microbrewery Yellow Matter, both led by hospitality group Sonic Yoni.

The last time CityMag spoke to Janie — who heads-up Sonic Yoni — was in 2019, and there was rumblings of her opening a small bar at the front of her cult-favourite Richmond Road café, Karma and Crow.

Four years and a pandemic later, Janie is finally realising this dream of opening a suburban wine bar. But this time, it will be just a three-minute drive from her café and will include a brewery led by an interstate beer pro. 

Housed in the former West Torrens Council Chambers on Marion Road, and currently a construction site, So Long, Marianne — named after one of Janie’s favourite Leonard Cohen songs — will be divided into a bar at the front and a restaurant at the back. An open wine cellar will sit between the two, where patrons can pick a bottle to enjoy on-site. (They can take a minimum of six vino bottles with them for home sipping, which is in-line with the venue’s booze license). 

Most interestingly, there’ll be no food menu. Instead, So Long, Marianne chefs will prepare a selection of vegetarian dishes based on customers’ dietary requirements. To reduce waste, ‘leftovers’ will be hygienically reworked into tasting plates and served at the bar.

The restaurant will also have four taps of rotating beers from its bubblier counterpart, Yellow Matter brewery.

With Tristan Barlow — former head of Melbourne’s Bodriggy Brewing Company — as head brewer, Yellow Matter will produce “modern, full-flavoured beers that are balanced and approachable for all beer drinkers,” Janie says.

The venture was completely outside the hospitality veteran’s wheelhouse, but in true Janie fashion, she embraced the challenge and gave it her all.

From fun, fruity sours to hoppy IPAs, Janie’s idea is to have a “constantly evolving” range of frothies, which will complement the brewery’s simple menu of vegetarian wood-fired pizzas and small plates.

Despite the exclusively vegetarian offerings across both venues, which Janie acknowledges “may be a noted point of difference”, she stresses that everyone, not just vegos, would be welcome.

Yellow Matter will offer extensive non-alcoholic options and a rotation of locally-made wines with some special imports.

The venue will also play host to a wine reserve room where Sonic Yoni’s companies will converge. This includes Get Wet: the online bottle shop founded in 2020 as a result of COVID-19 strictly at-home drinking.

Designed by contemporary Adelaide design company Studio –Gram and constructed by Build Inc, both venues lean into Janie’s love for mid-century modern design. Think: sleek timber walls, stone countertops, and neutral, earthy tones.

However, certain design features will vary to give each space a distinct feel.

“The bar and restaurant will be low-lit with a cosy and intimate vibe, and the brewery will feel light, bright and open,” Janie says.

“We’ve lowered the ceiling substantially to make [the restaurant] feel more intimate, yet in the brewery, the ceiling is double the height with huge panes of glass to let as much light in as possible.

“We wanted to create a place that feels welcoming for everyone… A place that feels like you’re going to your mate’s for a hang.”

The brewery and restaurant will operate at opposite hours. Yellow Matter will open from 10am—6pm and host private events at night, and So Long, Marianne 5:30pm ‘til late.

In the lead up to the April opening, you can help Sonic Yoni recover from a COVID-stalled build by grabbing a ‘buy one, get two beers’ special, along with other deals. Head to their website to get involved.