Civil engineer John Busby and his son James would have likely been chuffed with Oxford Street’s new wine bar, Busby’s. And not just for the fact it’s named in their honour. There are two portraits of the bar’s namesakes that preside over the space, one of Busby Senior, appointed NSW’s Mineral Surveyor in 1824, and the other of his son James, a viticulturist, nodding to the roles both father and son played in the new colony.
While John established Sydney’s first efficient water supply, known as Busby’s Bore, son James’s legacy is as forefather of the Australian wine industry. Having Jimbo and Johnny scrawled across both portraits in red paint is a reminder of what has taken place in the Australian wine industry since the 1820s, when the Busby family arrived as free settlers. For starters, our wine bars, like our new-wave wines, are imbued with personality. And not all Aussie winemakers remain reverential about viticultural traditions transplanted from the Old World.
There was perhaps no one better placed than purveyor of great natural wine and co-owner of P&V Wine & Liquor Mike Bennie to curate the wine list at Busby’s, which roams the globe from Australia to France and Italy. Bennie has done the Busby family name proud with top drops such as a fleshy white 2020 Yeringberg Viognier from Victoria’s Yarra Valley; a smashable skinsy 2022 Brave New Wine ‘Pystopia’ Gewurztraminer from Great Southern WA, and a bright, medium-bodied Le Juice Gamay Beaujolais from France.
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As the blurb on the drinks menu explains, the list “celebrates a broad spectrum of wines that range from classically styled to more expressive and wilder edged”. Similarly, the bar menu heroes organic producers that consider provenance and processes. Creative culinary director Clayton Wells (ex-Automata) has conceived of a great menu of bar bites that are complemented by artisan-focused, organic wines chosen by Bennie. (Editor's note: Wells has since left Public Hospitalty, which oversees Busby’s.)
While Busby’s is foremost an everyday natural wine and record bar, the menu of share plates appeals to those of us with classic Euro-style wine bar fantasies. Dishes from the menu include Wagyu flank tartare served with a creamy yolk and a decadent spoonful of Avruga caviar. The plate is piled with fried onions that have a craveable crunch and punch thanks to the sweetness of the quickle (quick-pickle). The texture of soft, rich Wagyu, unctuous egg yolk and collision with the curls of onion makes for a seductive starter.
While the aesthetics of the plate of king prawns slicked with an Aleppo pepper oil and dotted with capers is appealing, a generous squeeze of lemon is not enough to address the oiliness of this dish. There really is no need to gild the lily here; all the prawns needed was a thorough grilling after being dusted with the pepper, lightly brushed with olive oil and squeeze of lemon to really sing. But the overwhelming oiliness buries the flavour.
The Five Founders scotch steak, on the other hand, lives up to its promise when paired with an earthy au poivre sauce, which enhances the dish and nudges the steak into the realm of being sensational. We cut the richness with a side salad of leaves showered with manchego, which is balanced with the crunch of candied pepitas buried underneath.
It comes as no surprise that the soundtrack at the vinyl-spinning hi-fi bar is worth tuning into. We’re seated by the window at the dimly-lit bar, which runs along the full length of Paddington’s lifestyle hotel Oxford House, toe-tapping to Rufus Du Sol while we contemplate aperitivos and afters. We forgo the former and opt for the latter: a freshly baked chocolate fondant that the waiter informs us will take 20 minutes to prepare, giving us time to digest and drink in our surroundings.
Busby’s is welcoming and intimate and a little bit jaunty. The walls and back bar are festooned with bottles and covered with framed pictures, the windows clad in velvet, the vibe warm, an effect enhanced by the friendly service. All around us are patrons nibbling on share plates and sipping wine. And there are colourful pedestrians parading past.
When the dessert does arrive, it’s as good as a chocolate fondant gets, all crisp and chocolatey on the outside, gooey and molten inside. A sweet, satisfying cushion of loveliness.
Taken as a whole, this sumptuous bar is so homey you feel as if you’ve been invited to spend the night at your arty friend’s house in Paddington. Order a few cocktails and then finish the night belting out karaoke at El Primo Sanchez next door – you'll get a real buzz.
Time Out Sydney never writes starred reviews from hosted experiences – Time Out covers restaurant and bar bills for reviews so that readers can trust our critique.
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