Faces of Fish Lane: Simon Booy of Saccharomyces

Fish Lane is home to many incredible eateries, and relaxed venue Saccharomyces Beer Café is no exception.

Perfect for a midday meal, after work drinks, or showing your boss who’s boss at pinball, it’s hard to miss and even harder to say goodbye.

We chatted with the owner and self-proclaimed “Keg Tetris Master”, Simon Booy, for intel on his favourite dishes, biggest fear, and his ideal night on Fish Lane.

What got you in to the beer scene?
I’m a pharmacist who, after ten years, had enough of sticking labels on boxes and decided to follow my passion of beer and brewing.

What’s your favourite dish on the menu?
It’s a hard choice. My favourite burger would have to be the Wasted Euro with slow cooked shredded lamb, haloumi, tomato and rocket. But then again, I can’t go past the slow-cooked pork belly with beer slaw and chips.

What Fish Lane artwork resonates with you?
Head in the Sky is incredible. If not for its detail and imagery, the scale alone is mind-blowing.

What is your favourite thing about Brisbane currently?
The craft beer community is such a supportive and close-knit community. We’re all competitive, but we all work together to build awareness and promote independently-owned products, which I personally believe is the best part of Brisbane.

How would you spend a night in Fish Lane?
It’d be hard to pack into one night… but I would start with an entrée of salt and pepper calamari from Julius, then head to an Up Late at GOMA, followed up with some Hello Please dumplings and a sneaky gin from Maker. I’d then wander further down for a cheese board with a couple of sour beers at Saccharomyces, and finish the night at Wandering Cooks to sample their current desserts. And another sneaky nightcap for good measure.

Got any tips for cooking to impress at home?
I would make a French chicken casserole cooked with saison in place of white wine. It sounds basic, but it is amazing! The trick is to use a lot of butter and garlic, and cook it on a low heat for a few hours.

What’s your biggest fear?
The last film I saw was “IT”, yet I’d have to say my biggest fear is boring beer.

What’s your favourite cocktail?
Beer.

You can find Saccharomyces Beer Café on Fish Lane, open every day.