The NOMAD’s group’s stylish night-time addition to its hospitality circle is the slinky Beau Bar, all dressed in black and concealed discretely down a laneway entrance in Surry Hills. Sophistication stretches from the décor, to the expansive international wine list, to elegant dishes prepared by a skilled kitchen.
The 300 wines on the 16-page list provide plenty of exciting options, but also keep a keen eye on the rotating list of 25 wines by the glass, including many premium wines served from Coravin.
Beau co-owner Rebecca Yazbek created the intimate two-part laneway space in collaboration with Sydney firm Smart Design Studio with an eye for the dramatic – a sumptuously lit black granite bar, caramel leather banquettes and blond timber tables, set beneath the moody lighting.
While it’s not a natural wine bar, the 16-page Beau list boasts a strong presence of natural wines within a selection that reflects a passion for Chablis, Mediterranean wines (Gamay and Aligote are strongly represented) and Australian wines, with several hundred wines from around the world housed in temperature-controlled cabinets.
A by-the-glass list changes on a weekly basis, with “blink and you’ll miss them” pours of super rare wines available for those with a keen eye. Beyond this, there are wines on tap that all made in New South Wales, and an adventurous cocktail list. As an example, the Garibaldi Gazoz mixes Campari and orange Uludag Gazoz, a popular Turkish soft drink similar to Orangina.
Keeping good company with the drinks is a menu built around sophisticated seafood and meat dishes, from snacks of oysters with nori mignonette or duck liver parfait tartlet with orange marmalade, through to mains of Margra lamb with ajo blanco and Turkish peppers, or spatchcock with preserved lemon and roasted grapes. While the food attracts devoted diners to fill the Beau Kitchen’s 20 seats, plus a 16-seat private dining room, the main bar area and the laneway are kept free for walk-in customers and casual drinkers.
Ode, on Bondi Road, Bondi, is very much a local’s haunt that blurs the line between casual restaurant and wine bar, as many modern wine-centred hotspots do. But that notion of being a neighbourhood place (bar, restaurant, wine bar…) – somewhat carefree, familiar, pretence free – shouldn’t be mistaken for a lack of depth. Ode…
One of the region’s great restaurants, with a deep exploration of the best of local produce and wine, Charred is built around Lucifer, their custom charcoal stove, and the talents of chef Liam O’Brien and sommelier David Collins. Go immersive for the tasting menu, or perch at the bar to snack and pick through the vast wine list, with around 40 available by the glass.
The Stunned Mullet has long been one of Port Macquarie’s favourite restaurants, but few outside the town realise what a wine mecca it is, too, with a vast and comprehensive list full of incredible treasures, both domestic and imported.
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