The scourge of inflation has forced the closure of what was only days earlier crowned Queensland’s best bar.
Alba Bar and Deli, opened in the Brisbane CBD in 2019, ceased trading on Saturday due to what owner and former MasterChef contestant Jamie Fleming described as “economic pressures”.
He also acknowledged his “terrible timing with opening” — months before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic — had contributed to him making “this heart-wrenching decision”.
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“Unfortunately, economic pressures as well as having terrible timing with opening (you know what we mean) means we have had to make this heart-wrenching decision,” Fleming wrote on Alba’s Instagram page.
“We are a small team and always tried to offer the best quality service and produce.
“Unfortunately, with prices of everything going up and little support, there is unfortunately only one clear end.”
Fleming, who appeared in the 2014 season of MasterChef, described himself as a “broken man”, with “a lot of tears shed over the last couple of days”, in an emotional post on his own Instagram page.
“Alba was a true labour of love and I wish I did more. I could have done more,” he wrote.
“It’s all well and good to call on poor situations and tough times but for everyone that knows me well, then know that I’ll carry this one on my shoulders.”
Alba had topped a list of Queensland’s 30 best bars by respected hospitality news website Boothby on June 17.
Authors described Alba as offering “smart food, well-crafted cocktails, and plenty of good things made from grapes”.
“There are few finer things than a good glass of manzanilla sherry and some high-quality tinned anchovies, drunk and eaten at the bar right here,” they wrote.
Fleming thanked his supporters, customers and the hospitality industry as a whole.
