Healthy Food: Wine Bar

Sunday, December 11, 2011

York Lane: Tapas & Wine Bar, CBD Sydney (8 Dec 2011)

York Lane, Wynyard, Sydney NSW 2000

http://www.yorklane.com

Laneway tapas and bar

Thanks to Richard Elliot for organising a casual lunch catchup at this laneway café he spotted serving a tapas style menu. It’s quite a cosy place with repurposed items like airline trolleys as shelving, railway sleepers as flooring and furniture offcuts becoming stools. The laneway location, creativity and intimacy oozes a Melbourne vibe to me but the service cheekily says ‘this is what Melbourne would want to be like’, and perhaps he’s right, but I'm thinking we're still catching up. It’s smaller than Grasshopper Bar and around the same size as Grandma’s Bar and joins the growing number of small bars around Sydney.

The hand-written menu seemed quite well-priced at first but you’ll need to order a few things to fill up so I think it’s more suited to side snacking with your wine or beer rather than a reasonably priced lunch spot for one. The Haloumi & Pea Fritters with Tzatziki ($9) was pretty tasty and I wondered if slices of grilled haloumi could be another dish worth having on the menu. Four pieces are served with the Duck Pancakes with Hoisin Sauce ($12) filled with fresh salad. I quite liked the Chorizo Hot Pot with cannellini beans, fresh tomato & basil ($12) although wished it came in a sauce of some description to soak up with the crusty bread included. We’re prewarned the Buffalo Wings with Blue Cheese Sauce ($10) takes 15 minutes to prepare which are quite flavoursome and the chilli deceptively increases over time on your palate. There were a few stray little feathers on my wing which could have perhaps been better cleaned off though. I’d recommend the Pork Belly with Chilli Jam ($12) if you’re after some decent crackling and nicely flavoured meat. Bite-sized pieces of joy for the pork lovers. My Mocha ($3.50) thankfully had a good balance which helped finish off the meal with a sugar note.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Friendly and accommodating service, Repurposed decor and furniture is done well and good for the environment

CONS: Seating can get a little uncomfortable for extended period of time, The smell of a laneway is sometimes not the cleanest

WORTH TRYING: Pork Belly with Chilli Jam, Buffalo Wings, Mocha

DAMAGE: $73.40 for three

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Handwritten menus — now that's dedication to doing it on the cheap

Drinks on offer including beers, wine and spirits

Haloumi & Pea Fritters with Tzatziki ($9)

Duck Pancakes with Hoisin Sauce ($12)

Chorizo Hot Pot with cannellini beans, fresh tomato & basil ($12)

A bit of sauce would help to dip the bread in

Buffalo Wings with Blue Cheese Sauce ($10)

WORTH TRYING :-)

Some of the wings had a bit of feather still left on it so hopefully they can be cleaned a bit better next time

Pork Belly with Chilli Jam ($12)

WORTH TRYING :-)

Flat White ($3.50), Mocha ($3.50)

Little plates for a little table makes it feel like a tea party

Seating and repurposed decor

Bar

Furniture offcuts, airline trolleys and railway sleepers repurposed

Crates for shelving

Wooden fruit bowls for lamp shades

Tapas style menu from 12 noon, Monday – Friday

Tips lady

A sign of understanding for the ladies in the unisex toilet

Bill $73.40 for three. Records albums ready to play

End of laneway advertising — although I think it's probably overlooked quite easily

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Monday, October 3, 2011

La Vucciria: Sicilian Wine Bar & Restaurant, Paddington (31 Aug 2011)

160 Flinders Street, Paddington NSW 2021
http://www.lavucciria.com.au

Nice place for an Aperitivo

“Inspired by the centuries old food market of Palermo of the same name, La Vucciria is the idea of young Sicilian chef Fabio Alacqua. Joining him is Brad Dickson, a passionate wine expert and former winemaker, sommelier and distributor hailing from Perth”

Thanks to Stephanie Epiro from La Vucciria for inviting me to dine as a guest of the Wine Bar & Restaurant which takes over of the former site of the Flinders Inn. You might notice orange door has been painted red and you can actually see inside now from the street, which I think makes it much more inviting and open. Arriving at 6.30 pm was fortunately just in time to sample the Aperitivo which includes a complimentary tasting plate with your drink. Served between 5.30 and 7 pm every day it’s probably one of the best reasons alone to visit. Everything on the plate was good and the improvised Mocktail with fresh strawberry and juices ($12) and traditional Spritz of Aperol and Prosecco ($12) were both done well. It’s evident the down-to-earth and humble chef Fabio Alacqua is passionate about producing dishes that are seasonal and cooked with heart. The Crispy calamari zucchini ($15) had a decent crisp batter and the zucchini added something different to the dish that seemed to work well. The Gratin scallops ($15) were tasty and would work well as a casual bar snack with a glass of 2009 Torre Solaria Nero D'Avola, Sicily ($9).

The Eggplant involtini ($13) were nicely presented although for me were a little light on taste and I wouldn’t have minded a bit more depth of flavour perhaps. The Meatballs lemon leaves ($13) were infused with good flavour although be sure not to try and eat the surrounding lemon leaves, they’re not particularly edible as I soon found out. For a comforting dish the Gnocchi Di Ricotta Alla Norma ($19) will probably suit and the Spaghetti al Coroccio ($24) comes with a surprising amount of seafood although the mussels ended up being a bit shrivelled up and small after cooking — a few large plump ones would have been preferred. The last time I ate a dish out of a bag was at North Bondi Italian Food and although it may be a nice way to cook something it’s still not a particularly graceful way to eat something out of at the table. I think serving up on a plate would be my preference.

I was thinking the Eolian salad tomato olives cucumber ($8) might have been something a bit different and special but actually ended up being just like a Greek salad without the feta. The ingredients were fresh though. For dessert the Strawberry tiramisu ($10) was something a bit different that had nice flavours that balanced well — more alcohol is always welcome though. The Sgroppino ($10) was refreshing and combined lemon sorbet with a bit of vodka. It made for a very nice palate cleanser after dinner. The décor and lighting was quite homely with lots of interesting details to spot around the room. Look out for the hanging chilli near the kitchen which apparently is for good luck. The toilets are still the same which is a good thing ie nice, except for being outside. If there was one thing that I’d love to change about the place it would be the table supports. It’s probably just me but if I can’t sit my feet squarely flat in front of me I always seem to find it a bit awkward and uncomfortable. I think it might be different for ladies who tend to cross their legs and feet though.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Nice décor and atmosphere, Good quality dishes using seasonal produce, Aperitivo free tasting plate before 7 pm when you order a drink, Nice toilet (but located externally), Knowledgeable service

CONS: I found the table supports in the way of sitting comfortably (but that could be just me), The dining room window looks out onto a busy street where a bus load of people will be looking in on you (but you get to look out at them too), Street parking can be limited and the restaurant is located a bit off the beaten track

MUST TRY: Aperitivo between 5-7 pm for free tasting plate with your drink

WORTH TRYING: Spritz of Aperol and Prosecco, Crispy calamari zucchini, Gratin scallops, Strawberry tiramisu for something different

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