Bill Lucky is a London gangster with a string of international pawn shops. He’s teamed up with a Chinese triad to conceal illegal casinos. He’s infiltrated Melbourne and watch out folks, he’s now come to Brisbane. So goes the fictional story created by the team at Funlab, who’ve also brought us the very successful Strike bowling bars and Holey Moley.
There’s nostalgia, arcade games, a funky East meets West mash up of food and drinks and fun in spades at this latest addition to the adult nightlife scene in Fortitude Valley. Located in the iconic and recently revamped T.C Beirne building- B. Lucky & Sons opened with one of this year’s best events and we SheSociety girls were invited to join in the fun
The Venue
The line of guests snaked out into Chinatown Mall and we arrived via the nostalgic pawn shop. As we entered the store which was filled with old world charm, I spied an Alf doll, vintage car models, retro Simpsons memorabilia and that pesky Hamburglar finally behind bars where he belongs. After spotting the PlayStation 4, my jaw dropped in amazement as I spied my very favourites vintage handbags. After gazing in awe at all the wonders before us we parted the heavy red curtains to reveal the games arcade which is set up in the style of a casino.
All your favourites are here Mario Kart (I still bags being Princess Peach), Basketball, Whack-A-Mole, The Claw, Space Invaders, The Walking Dead and the world exclusive-Roller Fortune. It was hard to know what to play first and the guests were having a ball.
The elevated bar area is equally impressive with its cool London meets Chinatown vibe. We had a seat with friends in a glass fronted octagonal booth where everyone outside kept tapping and waving at us. I felt like a bee ensconced in her cosy hive, the best seat in the house! The DJ was pumping out tunes nearby and the flat- capped and waistcoated waiters were kept busy whipping out trays of drinks for the thirsty crowd.
The Food and Drink
Since seeing all the bubble tea places which have popped up in London and watching an episode of The Real Housewives of Orange County where they were shocked sipping the bubbles in their tea, I’ve been wanting to try it. Little did I know my first taste would be of B. Lucky & Sons boozy bubble tea.
The bubble tea comes in flavours like Passion Crackle Smirnoff Vodka- a mix of passion fruit and peach iced tea shaken with apple flavoured pearls and jellies, the blue Ocean Cup, Taro Bang or the one I tasted Berry Pop- yummy Tanqueray Gin, Chambord Black Raspberry, a hint of watermelon and green tea where bubbles of blueberry pearls and jellies burst on my tongue. All came decorated with a cute Panda and some bamboo.
There are cocktails in a can, ale in dimpled English pint glasses, tea cup cocktails or why not try a martini with a side of toast and jam.
The food is equally quirky with the chips being served with gravy from a teapot plus vinegar, Lotus Root chips with spiced mayonnaise, fry up – a mix of samosas, dim sim and some chicken and mushroom dumplings and Mantu sliders. Inventive stone baked pizzas like Bang On- pub grub on a pizza with gravy, potato crisps, sausage and onion jam or Tellin’ Porkies- topped with slow braised pulled pork, stir fried veggies, sweet soy and a sprinkle of sesame can also help to fuel your gaming appetite.
This Hustler’s Haven and Players Paradise is the perfect place to blow off a bit steam and have a fun night out with your mates. I’ll be sending my gamer sons in to try and win enough tickets to win their Mum that vintage Chanel handbag. B. Lucky & Sons is open now in the T.C Beirne building – Ground Floor, 315 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley. It’s open from 12 pm – 10 pm Sunday – Wednesday and 12pm- 2am Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Are you feelin’ lucky?
Michelle Beesley is a Brisbane born and bred former primary school teacher. A wife, proud grandma and mother of three grown sons, Michelle is thrilled to have recently published her debut contemporary romance novel, It Happened in Paris, with Serenade Publishing. Her novella – Escape to D’ Amour was published in 2019. Michelle’s work can be found in the anthologies – Destination Romance and Short & Sweet. When not reading or writing Michelle can be found at a coffee shop chatting with friends, front row at a fashion show, or beside a rugby union field cheering on her favourite teams.
Michelle is a reluctant traveller, Francophile, keen walker and avid yoga enthusiast plus a book, film and theatre lover who loves everything pink and sparkly (including champagne). You can find Michelle on instagram @michellebeesley_writer and her website: michellebeesley.com.
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