438 Oxford Street, Paddington NSW 2021
New wine bar joins Oxford St
Thanks to Scarlett LaPlanche from Mr Cooper's Wine Bar for inviting me to their launch party with Chef John Rankin in the kitchen cooking up a storm of tasty canapés, formerly of The Owl House. The name of the bar is apparently linked to Robert 'Black Bob' Cooper who was a convict and had a particular interest in ostrich feathers, hence the logo and ostrich egg at the entrance. My favourite dishes of the night were the Stuffed Zucchini Flowers with their crispy batter and tasty filling and the Smoked Haddock Croquettes with their creamy centers. I also liked the flavours of the Confit lamb shoulder with white eggplant puree & confit garlic and was quite impressed with their House made chorizo sausage although it was a little difficult trying to get some of the tomato & chilli relish onto the sausage when dipping into the bowl. The Fudge brownie was pretty good for a sugary end although I wish it had a bit more roasty flavour in the nuts and sadly the Raspberry Chocolate Martini I tried tasted more like a cream martini with hardly any taste of chocolate, vanilla infused vodka or raspberry — perhaps it was just mine. I remember when Avido Restaurant & Wine Garden was in this spot and it looks like a worthy drinking hole has now taken up the reins for locals to explore its interesting menu and wine selection.
SNAPSHOT REVIEW:
PROS: Nice decor, Courtyard at the back, Interesting menu
CONS: Can get a bit hard to move around the bar when it's crowded
MUST TRY: Revisiting to try the normal menu
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Terracotta baked bread and marinated olives
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Truffle popcorn
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Jamon Serrano
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Chicken and pork terrine, grape relish, stout and wholemeal sourdough
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Yellow fin tuna, soy dashi jelly, miso curd cucumber
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| Little Creatures Bright Ale — quite a nice thirst quencher |
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Tomato with goats curd and basil
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Confit lamb shoulder, white eggplant puree, confit garlic
WORTH TRYING :-)
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| Wine by the glass |
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Stuffed zucchini flowers
SIMON FAVOURITE :-) |
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Smoked Haddock Croquettes
SIMON FAVOURITE :-)
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| House made chorizo sausage, tomato & chilli relish |
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| Raspberry Chocolate Martini |
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Chef John Rankin
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| Kitchen team |
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| Outdoor lights |
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| Wines |
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| Spirits |
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| Courtyard seating |
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| Bar seating |
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| Bar seating |
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| Bar and service staff |
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| I love a good reflection shot |
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| 'Just keeping it real' — Dreaming of being on Sunrise with Kochie |
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| Jennifer Evans (My Kitchen Rules 2012 winner) |
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| A bit of orange on orange |
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Official photographer — I reckon I need one of those soft light covers for the flash
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| Snacks menu |
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Small dishes menu
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| Cheese menu |
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| Dessert menu |
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| Cocktails menu |
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| White wine menu |
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| Red wine menu |
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| Mr Cooper apparently loved Ostrich eggs |
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