A new French wine bar, La Buvette, is now open on Challis Avenue in Potts Point, under the direction of The Goodies Hospitality – the team behind Bar Copains, Bessie’s, Alma’s and Vin-Cenzo’s.
Led by friends and co-owners Sali and Nathan Sasi and Morgan McGlone, La Buvette is a neighbourhood wine bar inspired by the intimate, lived-in bars of Paris. The venue offers a menu of small plates and classic bistro dishes, a considered wine list with a strong French focus, and the effortless hospitality synonymous with The Goodies Hospitality venues. The venue takes over the original Challis Avenue site and name of the much-loved Potts Point institution that closed in 2019.
“The best wine bars in Paris have a sense of ease about them – they’re places you drop into for a glass, end up ordering dinner, and somehow the whole evening disappears,” says chef and co-owner Nathan Sasi. “That’s the feeling we wanted to bring to La Buvette. It’s a neighbourhood wine bar first and foremost, with classic French cooking, a great wine list, and warm hospitality. We feel incredibly lucky to be writing the next chapter for this much-loved corner of Potts Point.”
The menu at La Buvette draws on a recent research trip Nathan and Morgan took to Paris. The dishes are classically French, but with a modern, playful edge. Menu highlights include: oysters with Champagne granita; comté custard gougères; raw diced tuna and goat’s curd tart; escargots with café de Paris butter; and duck neck and pork sausage with seeded mustard. For dessert, an apple pie with french vanilla bean icecream; a charred macaron with yuzu and finger lime; and a mini crème caramel.
The drinks program was conceived by the group’s sommelier, Ishan Kaplish (formerly Mimi’s, Tetsuya’s), with a strong focus on French wine and French varietals from Australia and around the world. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir sit at the heart of the list, alongside an extensive Champagne selection and wines made in Australia by French winemakers, bringing a distinctly French perspective to local fruit.
There are 23 wines by the glass, alongside a line-up of French-inspired cocktails including the Buvette Martini with Tanqueray gin, dry vermouth, cornichon and brine; Garde la Pêche Spritz with French aperitivo, Rinquinquin and prosecco; and the French Maid with cognac, Falernum, cucumber, mint, lime and ginger beer.
The room is intimate, with just 9 bookable seats inside and 30 walk-in seats outside. Interior design firm Studio Gram fitted out the space to feel comfortable and lived-in, with aged timber, brass, mosaic tiles and worn upholstery, in a palette of warm ambers, caramels and mustard tones with a deep red accent. The bar stools are inspired by those from when Nathan and Sali owned and operated Leigh St Wine Room in Adelaide.
La Buvette will be open for dinner from 4pm Monday to Thursday, and for lunch and dinner from Friday to Sunday. Bookings are available now via https://labuvettesydney.com/
Image credit: Andrea Veltom