Berkelouw Wine Bar

LOCATION
On Leichhardt’s restaurant-filled Norton Street, opposite Norton Plaza.

PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIA
Surrounded by antique tomes, the smell of leather and gold leaf and, in broader terms, the vibrant dining culture of Leichhardt’s Norton Street, Berkelouw Wine Bar is a funky new spot that makes you wonder why it hasn’t been around for years. Housed on the first floor of the celebrated second-hand Berkelouw Book Store, it combines the three “ls” of fine culture – literature, lyrics and lovely, lovely food and wine. Here among wine barrels, Victorian-style furniture – studded lounges, grand armchairs, coffee tables – a shiny baby grand piano and under the glow of papier-mache lanterns is where food, wine and music meld.

If you venture to this space on any night from Thursday to Sunday you will hear the sounds of live music. And in the company of such elevated cultural delights you’ll no doubt want to combine the velvety notes of jazz with the rich ones of red or crisp ones of white wine. In this Berkelouw can assist with a (seasonal) Australian boutique selection. This is made up of roughly 12 choices, all of which are available by the glass. If you’re feeling a bit peckish, you can couple your vino with some oysters or nibble on a cheese platter. The short-and-sweet Berkelouw menu also features a range of share plates like the “wine plate” (mini arancini balls in spinach and ricotta or bolognaise served with taleggio, balsamic jelly and Sonoma bread) and the “author’s dish” (baked ricotta served with hazelnuts in truffled honey, walnuts and Sonoma bread). Although you might prefer to head straight for the sweet stuff – homemade tiramisu is more than enough reason to do so…after all when in Leichhardt...

Agnes Gajewska