Well, Peter Windrim and Andy Love were somewhat surprised by the omission, too, so they set about righting that wrong, taking a lease on a site in Bay Lane behind the leviathan that is the Beach Hotel. And while the natural wine bar exemplars that we have used above may have slipped into their groove effortlessly, they were never going to create a facsimile, or worse a pastiche. No, theirs was always going to be original, channelling their idiosyncratic take on things.
Supernatural burst onto the scene, captivating locals and visitors alike, but with other projects beckoning the business was bought mid-2021 by local music producer and entrepreneur Grant Weatherburn and his photographer partner Jodi Plumbley. “We have always loved the vibe of Supernatural – right back from its original owners,” Weatherburn says. “When the purchase opportunity came up, we wanted to make sure it was kept in local hands and are excited for the new adventure!”
Today, Supernatural has kept its handmade and organic ethos, from the menu through to the wine selections, which tops out at a modest 30 bins, but it is a dynamic selection, changing frequently. Scott McGarry takes control of that list, as well as managing the front of house. Like Windrim before him, McGarry is both a winemaker and a natural wine enthusiast, so he can go as deep on information as you like, or he’s happy to keep it breezy, in true Byron style.
Head chef Marie Torné’s menu “merges French classics with locally sourced, modern Australian fare” leaning heavily on vegetables and seafood across its list of about a dozen share plates. Perhaps shiitake mushroom and ginger gyoza, or smoked mussels on toast with oxheart tomato, lemon and herbs, or maybe a ceviche of scallops with shaved radish, apple, fennel and pickled chilli.
“Supernatural is the perfect place to pull up after a day on the beach for a drop of vino in the sunshine or kick on later into the evening,” says Weatherburn. “We offer a healthy selection of our wines by the glass and also by the half bottle so perfect to share a wine adventure with a friend. Solo travellers often make fast friends at the bar!”
A classic Euro-style deli seen through the lens of the Porteño crew, with star bartender Michael Nicolian on the tools; perch at the bar for supreme deli fare and a glass or two, or slip into the bistro and get lost in the retro charms for a little while longer.
Proving that smart wine bars are spreading far beyond inner-city laneways, Bar Superette in Merimbula, deep down the coast in southern New South Wales, is setting an impressive high benchmark in both wine and food quality. By being serious about food in a more casual setting than restaurants, but making sure that smartly curated wine offerings remain the primary focus of attention, the team that created Bar Superette – Ryde Pennefather (manager and wine buyer), Cam Charnock (designer and builder) and Nick Parkinson (creative, marketing and digital media bright spark) – have struck upon a winning formula.
A temple to Italian food and wine, with plenty of local options, both familiar and a little wild, all accompanied by a hip-hop soundtrack, with festivities kicking on till deep in the night.
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