The impressive personal wine collections of chefs and close mates Nathan Sasi and Morgan McGlone form the backbone of this small Surry Hills bar, with more than 300 bottles offered in the company of irresistible French-inspired snacks and share plates.
Regulars love to sit either at the bar or the small round euro tables inside, but on a nice sunny day with a cool breeze, the outdoor tables are in high demand – and from the food menu they keep ordering anchovy crostini, pigs head fritti and the King George sambo, finishing off with Amaro creme caramel.
They had strong ideas to build on. Sasi created Leigh Street Wine Room in Adelaide, focusing on natural wines to accompany his creative food. Now he’s working with sommelier and bar co-owner Christian Robertson to present an inclusive list of more than 300 wines, including a huge catalogue of back-vintages. “We showcase classic and modern Australian producers who make nothing but tasty wine, regardless of it being natural or conventional.”
The snack-laden menu carries a European style with a strong French influence, with dishes including Bluefin tuna belly with soy and mustard dressing, pickled kohlrabi, fermented chilli and fresh horseradish, or crisp eggplant served with tomato jam and salted ricotta. “Some people love to come in for a few small snacks and a glass of wine, others will fill their table with all the shared plates and a good bottle – or perhaps they’ll opt for the set menu. The thing we love to see the most – and it happens a lot in our venue – is when two adjoining tables are strangers at the start of the night and end up sharing a bottle of wine and dessert together as great mates. That, for us, is the Midas moment.”
Music frames the experience, with the soundtrack curated by Nathan that encapsulates genres from Hip-Hop, Disco to Easy Rock and Soul. “You’d be surprised how many times a night we are asked for the playlist.”
At Geralds, the early arrivals dictate the open bottles, which can be switched around once exhausted, with ten typically open at any one time.
Can a wine bar present more than one face? Le Foote in Sydney’s prestigious harbourside district The Rocks is having a decent crack – describing itself as part Parisian wine bar, part Mediterranean Grill in a heritage-listed shopfront, and with more than 350 listed wines showing a strong focus on Mediterranean and local wine offerings.
Jason Scott and brothers Anton and Stefan Forte, from the Swillhouse Group, had plenty of success under their belts (The Baxter Inn, Frankie’s Pizza, Shady Pines) when they conceived of Restaurant Hubert, but as deeply considered and painstakingly realised as their other venues were, nothing can truly prepare one for the breath-takingly ambitious Restaurant Hubert….
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