Outlet 360: Brunswick Sports Club
Front of house
Brunswick Sports Club is the latest opening by Bull & Roo Hospitality and Investments’ duo Tom Arnel and Sergio Lopez. Launched in March 2016 at the Sheraton Hotel Mall of the Emirates, Arnel and Lopez wanted to create a laidback sports bar, where all are welcome and feel comfortable, whether they are wearing flip flops and shorts or a suit.
Arnel begins: “We wanted to create a place that was inviting, casual, cool, light, airy, homey, laidback. Somewhere we’d go to and fit in that isn’t pretentious or glamourous.”
He adds that their design philosophy is “no gimmicks, nothing forced, and taking inspiration from the surroundings”. The name for the 124-seat venue comes from Brunswick in Melbourne, an area known for its independent retail and F&B venues. Arnel says the area “epitomises the arty, foody lifestyle culture.”
The design brief fell to Melbourne-based design team The Residency Studios. Arnel remarks: “These guys helped us come up with a concept, styled around an old-school Melbourne boxing gym.”
According to Lopez, the decision to employ an agency outside of the Middle East was driven by the desire to gain “a different eye, and a different perspective.” The other inspiration came from Brooklyn, New York.
Once The Residency Studios had created an initial design, Arnel and Lopez employed locally-based designer Julian Floyd from Yamjam studio. Floyd tells Caterer Middle East that his aim was to create “a very effortless stripped, raw, urban interior that not only complimented the sports bar offer but continued Bull & Roo’s hipster style and brand. The key elements of the space were led by working with the existing potential of the site”.
“You can see [the outlet] is quite raw, quite industrial,” Arnel confirms, sharing that this will help it “age well” compared to using leather and velvet, for example.
Lopez adds: “We always like to keep the beauty of the building. This is why most of our concepts are open ceilings, concrete, and the wall that we found.”
One part of the venue is decorated with plants to “create an outdoor feel,” explains Lopez, pointing out the row of Brooklyn-inspired windows fitted in the courtyard area. The result achieves natural light during the day, and night-time darkness during the evening, just like in an outdoor space.
Brunswick’s furniture was custom-made and the oak tables store condiments, so that eye level is not obstructed, Lopez reveals. The 1970s and 1980s memorabilia, and pages from vintage magazines, adorning the walls was sourced from flea markets and shops in Brunswick.
“We have people buying for us who know what we actually want,” Arnel says.
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Back of house
Overseeing the kitchen is Jarek Wysmyk, head chef for Brunswick Sports Club. Hailing from Poland, he began his career at just 15 years of age, at a local culinary school where he spent two years. He then worked his way up from commi chef to senior chef over a three-year period in numerous traditional Polish restaurants in his hometown of Slupsk.
Wysmyk then moved to Dublin, Ireland, where he attended DIT Dublin Institute of Technology and worked in various venues, ranging from bistro to fine dining. He tells Caterer Middle East that a career highlight was being taken under the wing of Dylan Mcgrath, Michelin- starred chef and former judge on MasterChef Ireland.
Over the course of three years, Wysmyk worked his way up the ranks in McGrath’s portfolio of restaurants, eventually to the role of head chef at Rustic Stone Restaurant in central Dublin, prior to his move to Dubai. Wysmyk joined Bull & Roo as head chef of both Common Grounds and Brunswick Sports Club — the latter of which has 15 team members in the kitchen.
Speaking about the company’s philosophy, he says: “All of Bull & Roo venues are focused on using good quality produce across the board. We try to put a special twist on all the dishes that we create. Brunswick could be considered the naughty big brother [of the group’s concepts] as the menu consists of ‘treat food’; burgers are prominent.”
Elaborating on the menu, Wysmyk describes Brunswick’s offering as “a Melbourne/New York/London mash up, which is rustic and simple, yet has been carefully curated in the kitchen”.
He reveals that popular dishes include the ‘mac daddy burger’, which consists of BBQ pulled beef brisket and a beef patty, topped with cheesy macaroni pasta.
“It piques people’s curiosity and it’s not something that they’ve seen in Dubai before,” he comments.
The menu also has a healthier side to it, with salads, gluten-free buns and vegan options available. Wysmyk also points out that the restaurant serves up organic meat.
“All our burgers are made from free range, certified organic, Australian beef from western Queensland, and our chicken is corn-fed and free range,” he reveals.
Bull & Roo works with some local suppliers for its vegetables, however the chef notes that due to the natural environment of the UAE, “we are heavily reliant on good quality exported goods”.
Asked about the how easy it has been to procure ingredients, Wysmyk says: “Prior to the opening of Brunswick, we did extensive research to determine the best suppliers of quality ingredients, so that when Brunswick kicked off we were ready to go and proud of the quality of our dishes. The quality of ingredients is something we are truly proud of, as is ensuring the cost of ingredients used is not passed onto the customers.”
He adds that all of the buns used at Brunswick are made daily in The Sum of Us bakery, another of Bull & Roo’s ventures that enables it to be as self-sufficient as possible.
For all of the kitchen equipment, Bull & Roo turned to UAE-based manufacturer and supplier TSSC to supply everything the back of house team would need and to fit-out the kitchen.