Image source: Supplied by Bar Local Drop
If you were playing a food version of fantasy football, Bar Local Drop provides a template for a compact dream team.
Owner Jagdev Singh comes from a hospo background (Marios, MoVida) and has used his past experience to create a bricks-and-mortar version of The Local Drop, his excellent service-forward wine delivery business. Recruiting French-born sommelier Pierrick Gorrichon (Gimlet) and chef Damon McIvor (Vex) to the team, Singh has created a neighbourhood wine bar that nails the covetable sweet spot of relaxed and unpretentious sophistication.
Sitting at the base of a backstreet Collingwood high-rise, Bar Local Drop taps into the suburb’s industrial chic aesthetic in the high-ceilinged, concrete-forward space. Metal-framed windows at the front and a greened-up outdoor atrium at the back flood the bar with light, making it an ideal pitstop for morning coffee. The plethora of hard surfaces are cleverly softened by the soft silhouette of the wide pink marble bar, semi-matte finishes, timber joinery and the flowers on the tables and the bar. Minimal and clean-lined, it’s equally comfortable and welcoming.
It’s hardly a surprise that the wine list here is a major draw. A nimble, well-priced collection with a generous by-the-glass list and expert, plain-speaking knowledge from Gorrichon, it favours small Victorian and European producers but spreads its interests beyond those too. Also, if you’re smitten with that Beechworth chardonnay or Sicilian nerello mascarelle, the retail side of the business means you can take the party with you post-dinner.
Damon McIvor’s food perfectly syncs with the approach. His short, sharp ever-changing menus lean towards crowd-pleasers lifted with smart, creative tweaks, as with the housemade hot sauce that accompanies the oysters, a scintillating blend of fermented peaches, tomatillos and jalapeños that makes its presence felt without overshadowing the main event.
There’s juicy lamb arrosticini, the grilled, honey and agave-glazed meat teamed with a thyme salsa blended with bone marrow and a brilliant version of chous farci with rainbow chard stuffed with vegetables and a potato and leek purée and finished with a powerfully delicious vegetable jus.
Stuffed pasta is a must here, perhaps an agnolotti filled with pecorino and mushrooms that’s finished with a savoury-sweet lovage oil. Also for your consideration, rosy pink duck breast finished with a sticky, sweet and sour agrodolce and a textbook chocolate crémeux, teamed with seasonal fruit.
Getting the balance right is the name of the game for any fantasy team. By that metric, Bar Local Drop is a sure-fire winner.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
