Walter's Wine Bar

PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIA
Any place that has run successfully since 1992 must be doing something right, and Walter’s Wine Bar does many things well. The location at South Gate is wonderful, (only a couple of minutes from the Arts Centre) and the opening hours are extremely friendly. The place has been redecorated and its silvery wallpaper and uncluttered walls, combined with bare tables and upholstered timber chairs, give it look that’s sophisticated but not stuffy.

The Walter for whom it is named sadly passed away in 2003 but it remains safe in the hands of his widow Maria and the family. The menu is somewhere between French bistro and contemporary Australian, and enables everything from a quick oysters-and-champagne at the bar to a considered dinner with flights of wine (three related wines in a tasting set). The oysters are freshly shucked and served with salmon roe; the antipasto plate is imaginative; the vegetarian dishes are as good as the fish and chips or the steaks. We had a fine caramelised onion tart with blue cheese, black olives and Roma tomatoes – a fine blend of crunchy, sweet, salty and acidic. Walter’s is a good place for breakfast too, or for a thoughtful glass of wine before or after a show.

Rita Erlich