Australian Gourmet Traveller - (04)April 2020 (1)

two,a nicetouch– butyoumay

beunwillingwhenit comestothe

maltagliati.It seesglossysheets

of“badlycut”pastadrenchedina

buttery,orange-huedsauceflecked

withshredsoftenderrabbit,carrot

andparsley.A crisp,chalkywhite

wine, suchasaLaMorellaIl Monte

CortesefromPiedmont,does

welltocutthroughtherichness.

Anotherdishthatmight

appearontheshiftingmenuis

thefregolasarda. Amixofexpertly

cookedsnapper,prawns,cuttlefish,

vongoleandmusselsis lovingly

stirredthroughplumpfregola

cookedwitholiveoil,tomatoand

a hintofbasil.It’s a celebration

ofseafoodanddeliversthe

comfortingjoyofa warmhug.

Alsoemulatinga warmhugis

therestaurant’sinterior.During

theday,angledblindshelptofilter

naturallightandupthecosyfactor,

andat night,ornatewallsconces

radiateanambient,goldenglow.

It’sallveryromantic;thesoothing

soundsofjazzonlymakeit more

so. Dotted around the room are

bagsofflourandcasesofMenabrea

birra.I’munsureif it’spurely

a storagesolutionora nodto

theauthenticItaliantrattoria.

Eitherway,theylookcharming.

Batonsofsourdough,whichare

slicedandservedcomplimentary

throughoutthemeal,arebaked

in-housedaily,as arethedesserts.

Onedayit mightbea syrupylemon

cakeaccompaniedbyfreshricotta,

another,stonefruitroasteduntil

jammywithbayleavesandbooze.

Thewinelistis compactbut

consideredandfocusesonminimal

intervention.There’sa tempting

rangeofaperitivianddigestivion

display,too.I suggeststartingwith

aRondòSpritz– a herbaceous,

less-sweetversionofCampari.

BarVincentis homeinthe

sensethatit feelsunfussyand

unpretentious.It’sa placewhere

youfeelcomfortableenoughto

requestmorebread, andwhereyou

cantrulyrelaxintheknowledge

thatthefoodhasbeenpreparedin

anhonest,down-to-earthfashion

with a wholelot of love.●

Bar

Vincent

174 Liverpool

St,Darlinghurst,

(02) 8354 0881,

barvincent.com.au

OpenTue5pm-

late;Wed-Fri

12pm-late;

Sat5pm-late

PricesEntrées

$4.50-$24,main

courses$26-$42,

sides$10-$11,

desserts$7-$15

Vegetarian

Onrequest

NoiseLively

Wheelchair

accessNo

MinusNoonline

reservations

PlusAnever-

changingmenu

keeps things fresh

LEBANONTOSYDNEY

FlavoursarebigatnewUltimo

caféLittleLivi. Theall-daymenu,

designedbyco-ownerandchef

DanielLeyva(formerlyatThe

BridgeRoom),leanstoLebanon

withBaalbekeggs,whichare

cookedinflatbreadwithconfit

lamb,almondsandmint(above),

andknafeh:crispykataifipastry

bakedwithgooeymozzarella,

rosesyrupandorangeblossom.

Thekouign-amannpastriesare

bakedin-house,too. 63 Mountain

St,Ultimo,littlelivi.com.au

MORETHANSANDWICHES

Goodthingscomesandwiched

betweenIggy’sandBakeBar

breadatSmall’sDeli, a pint-sized

PottsPointdeliandlunchspot.Its

smallyetslickshelvesarestocked

withdriedpastaandhouse-made

preserves,whilethefridgeis filled

withsalumiandcheesessliced

toorder.Sanga-wise,fillings

mightincludecreamedpecorino,

finocchiona,walnutpasteand

marinatedeggplant. 166 Victoria

St,PottsPoint,smallsdeli.com.au

PIZZAPARTY

OneofMelbourne’smostloved

pizzajoints,DOC, hasopened

anoutpostinSurryHills.Choose

fromantipasti,lasagneand

a dozenorsopizzaoptions

(includinggluten-free)adorned

simplywithtoppingssuchas

porksausage,cremadibroccoli

andmozzarella,orwildmushrooms

andpecorino.Themajorityofthe

winelistskewsItalianandalso

featuresa compactselectionof

naturaldrops.Alternatively,BYO

bottle. 78 Campbell St, Surry Hills,

docgroup.net

Details

AND ALSO...

OwnersAndy

LogueandSarah

Simm.Right,

fromtop:Simmin

thediningroom;

maltagliatiwith

rabbit in bianco.

GOURMET TRAVELLER 39

Sydney review

WORDS JORDAN KRETCHMER (SMALL’S DELI). PHOTOGRAPHY ROB SHAW (BAR VINCENT).