The Corner House

LOCATION
Overlooking the beauty (and beauties) of Bondi Beach from Bondi Road.

PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIA
Restaurateur Anthony Kaplan has up-sized his Shop & Wine Bar’s charm and thrown in a whole lot of signature Bondi cool. Aptly named the Corner House, the new venture has transformed the once-homely Castile restaurant site into a modern Italian haunt that’s pumping out wood-fired pizzas and handmade pastas to beautiful locals.

Thoughtful details show Kaplan’s eagerness to do things a bit differently. Take the cutlery, for instance – your standard knife-and-fork combo appears oh-so lame in the face of industrial scissors, brought to the table for diners to tackle unsliced pizzas themselves. Menus are fastened to recycled cardboard strips with kitsch baby wooden pegs, and you can even take a seat at one of the authentically weatherbeaten ferry pews that face the animated Bondi Road-Denham Street intersection.

People-watching as we await a table, it seems the thing to do is order a Spritzer (when in Bondi…) – the Venetian version with Aperol, prosecco, mineral water and a thick slice of orange is a refreshing afternoon aperitif. Selections from chef Brent Mill’s menu soon arrive, kicking off with a generous antipasti platter. The likes of marinated cauliflower, cocktail onions and green beans are artfully arranged, with slender batons of pane croccante balanced across the abundant vegetable garden. The Gonzo pizza is an earthy medley of mushrooms – swiss brown, button and oyster varieties all feature – with gooey fontina and a fragrant roasted garlic and thyme dressing thrown into the mix. Meanwhile, the Daniella offers a provolone blanket beneath asparagus and crispy pancetta on its base, spiked with a touch of deluxe truffle oil. Super salty toppings call for a second round of drinks, but it’s a fair while before any of the aloof waitresses deign to attend to our thirst.

A mix of spaces, including the light-filled front room, banquette-lined rear dining space and breezy, bedecked upstairs bar area, make for a dynamic venue to suit different moods. Throughout these, though, it’s the bustling kitchen located right at the heart of the building that keeps leggy beauties and buff surfers coming back for more.

Alecia Wood