After 10 years of rollicking good times, Surry Hills Irish bar The Wild Rover has had a bit of a polish. Now known as simply The Rover, it retains its DNA, built on good craic and good drinks – but the concept has matured.

“A couple of years ago, the venue was really starting to show signs of wear and tear because it’s been loved for many years,” James Bradey, who co-owns Liquid & Larder with Warren Burns, which runs The Rover, tells Broadsheet. “We thought, now’s the time to really assess what has changed in the area, and how [the venue] had changed. There’s a lot of people who are still in the area, and were in the area 10 years ago, and they’re all grown up. They’ve all moved on with what they want to do. So bringing it in line with what … our regulars want was one of the deciding factors.”

It was also an opportunity to lift it to the same level as Liquid & Larder’s more recently opened venues, Bistecca and The Gidley.

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New England’s seafood-dining tradition drives the menu, with elements of executive chef Pip Pratt’s English background in the mix. Oysters are the centrepiece – the railway timetable boards hanging on the walls remain, with the daily oyster selection written on them in chalk.

For an oyster dish that’s “more composed”, Bradey says there’s a Pacific oyster that’s been creole-spiced and deep-fried, then returned to its shell with a mussel emulsion. He also rates the porchetta, which is rolled, brined and slow-cooked, then thinly sliced like ham, lightly dressed and sprinkled with mustard seeds. “It’s got a real sweet, savoury, soft texture – it’s lovely.”

Pratt nods to England via a curried fish-finger roll with a side of pappadums – a wink to the country’s famous curry houses and penchant for a fish-finger dinner. Or go high-low with caviar (Black Pearl Siberian or Oscietra Royal) with potato crisps and sour cream. (The sausage rolls that once formed the bulk of The Wild Rover’s food menu remain.)

“My theory of a wine bar is [this:] a restaurant you go [mainly] to eat and you have a drink, and at a bar, you go to drink, and you might eat something. Whereas a wine bar, you go there to both eat and drink in equal measure. It’s kind of that venue,” says Bradey.

Whisky is still on the menu, and there’s two beers on tap: a golden ale and a dark ale. A menu of seasonal cocktails – at the moment including the Rag Trade (Bulleit bourbon, poached pear, chinotto, macadamia and absinthe) and the Mary Celeste (Tanqueray gin, watermelon, dry sherry, dill, olive oil) – sit alongside a series of classics, such as an Old Fashioned, a Whiskey Sour, and a Whisky and Apple, all made with Benriach single-malt whisky. And the wine list has expanded to include more than 50 drops – mostly biodynamic and organic.

At its core, the space remains the same – the banquettes are little more plush and velvet-y, and a dramatic floral installation spills across an exposed-brick wall. But while the bar was famously hidden from the street, with blacked-out windows and a heavy wooden door, it now opens onto the pavement and the windows have been cleaned so you can see inside.

“We were known for this ‘Rover roar’ – the big door would open and everyone goes ‘hey!’. We’ve got that reputation of a friendly, jovial, all-are-welcome venue. And we wanted to make sure that stayed,” says Bradey. “We wanted that welcome embrace when people walk through the door.”

The Rover
75 Campbell Street, Surry Hills

Hours:
Tue to Thu 4pm–late
Fri & Sat 12pm–late

liquidandlarder.com.au
@theroversurryhills