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Until recently, Sydney Road and its surrounding backstreets weren’t known for their wine-forward bars and restaurants. This has gradually started to change – there’s now laidback yet classy French bistro Bar Magnolia, neighbourhood wine bar Nina’s alongside the Anstey Station bike path, and intimate 35-seater Gemini further north.
You’d be forgiven for thinking Bar Magnolia is a lot stuffier than what it actually is, with its pressed white linen tablecloths and fastidiously attentive service. The more-than-a-year-old wine bar has retained the bones of the historical 1920s building it’s in – exposed red brick walls, stained-glass detailing in the upper windows. What you’ll find is a bistro fancy enough for a special date or notable occasion, but so warm and friendly it’s more akin to a neighbourhood wine bar.
There are tables out the front on the footpath, a sun-filled front room and then a cosier, darker nook out the back. There’s the option to perch by the wraparound bar, sit on stools overlooking the street, or settle into one of several tables with a view of the open, bustling kitchen where animated exclamations of “yes chef” are commonplace.
At $85 per person, the chef’s three-course seasonally rotating menu that includes nearly everything on the regular menu, bar dessert, is well worth the price tag.
Served alongside cultured butter, the Iris Bakery baguette starter performs an exemplar job of singing the praises of the crowdfunded local Brunswick bakery.
The black pepper gougère, a baked savoury choux pastry delight, is crumbly and golden on the outside, aromatic and cheesy within. The gougère arrive drizzled in a syrupy sherry vinegar sauce fashioned from caramelised onions and Comté.
With its nasturtium garnish and blood orange sauce, the chicken liver parfait has a sweeter profile than your typical parfait. Scoop up the velvety gelatinousness with the accompanying thin brioche crackers.
The flaky leek tarte with chopped hazelnuts strewn across and the delicious crunch of crisp sage is another perfect melding of savoury and sweet.
Spring is peak harvest time for asparagus, and Magnolia capitalises on this with the next dish – dressing the thin spears with a rich smoked almond crumble. After a succession of dishes tending towards the fruitier and more fragrant, this dish ups the umami ante of our meal.
Mains absolutely hit it out of the park. A whole butterflied, deboned rock flathead is presented in its entirety, blanketed in an aromatic, punchy sauce of tomato, fennel and saffron with pops of dill that only serves to accentuate the delicacy of the fish rather than overwhelming it. Fashioned from choux pastry, the gnocchi à la Parisienne are heavenly pillows of fluffiness interspersed with broad beans and an oily pesto of almonds, courgette and mint. You can’t go wrong with golden pommes frites and an immaculately dressed salad of luscious leaves in sherry vinaigrette.
Bar Magnolia has a meticulously curated, reasonably priced wine list that's mostly represented by Australian drops, with a few French ones interspersed among them. We particularly enjoy the softly textured, funky orange wine from Mallaluka, a blend of Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc.
We’re informed the strawberry and pistachio clafoutis will involve a 15-minute wait, but after bearing witness to the chefs meticulously sprinkling icing sugar on crustless tarts that fill the entire restaurant with their buttery aroma at regular intervals, we’re game to wait. It’s the right decision – the custard-like flan melts in our mouths, enriched by the tart sweetness of strawberries peppered within and the relative cold shock of the strawberry ice-cream atop.
Bar Magnolia chef Mia Coady-Plumb is turning out some of the most inspired French fare around, and in surroundings as cosy as this wine bar with service this upstanding, it’s hard not to start planning a return visit as soon as you’ve left its confines.