Bar Brosé is co-owner and head chef Analiese Gregory’s first solo business, and she hopes it’s the beginning of a new breed of classy-yet-casual wine bars in Sydney. The bar has taken over the licence and location of The Passage in the Darlinghurst hub within walking distance of King’s Cross. It was also owned by some of the ACME partners, and the four owners of ACME are partners in Bar Brosé.

The name “Brosé” has no exact definition. “I’m not exactly sure of the meaning,” says Gregory. “It’s an in-joke that my partners seem to find really funny.” We can only guess it’s a play on the words “bros” and “rosé”, and the French-sounding word reflects the menu’s nod to old-school French influences.

A comté gougère (a French pastry) appears on the same menu as a blooming onion (a whole onion cut to resemble a flower which is battered and deep-fried). The cheekily named poulet au vin du Marrickville, with crème lyonnaise, onions and foie gras butter is based on the traditional dish, but with Gregory’s twist – the dish’s vin jaune (a white wine from the Jura region in France) is a blend of wines she meticulously crafted herself, and it’s made the way she’d prepare it for her friends at home.

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The wine list is many pages long, but is no-nonsense and digestible. Looking for a refreshing red? Flick to the Fresh And Light Reds page. Full-bodied white wine? There are at least 11 to choose from. A number of complex cocktails and individually picked spirits are also available. Gregory heads down to the Hawkesbury once a week to pick fig leaves for some of the cocktails and meals.

“In Europe, my friends or business partners and I would spend time in a particular breed of wine bar with really good food and wines available, but super casual,” Gregory says. “Sydney needs more of these places.” Katrina Birchmeier of Tassie’s Garagistes, and recently sommelier at New York’s Four Horsemen, has created the list.

Gregory has also spent time in the kitchen at Sydney’s Quay and has a particular passion for desserts; they’re unlike anything else – try the crisp potato, brown-butter mousse and salted caramel.

Gregory wants a close-knit team and more women in the kitchen. “It’s very important how the staff interact with one another. There shouldn’t be segregation between the floor and kitchen,” says Gregory.

Bar Brosé

231a Victoria Street, Darlinghurst

Hours:

Wed to Thurs 5pm–12am

Fri–Sat 5pm-1:30am

Sun 3pm–12am

barbrose.com.au