Old Palm Liquor in Brunswick East serves natural wine and food cooked over fire
With terrific fire-flecked food, interesting wines and truly hospitable service, Old Palm Liquor is the little local worth visiting from afar, writes Dan Stock.
Eating Out
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By rights, I should be fairly cheesed off with Almay Jordaan and Simon Denman.
I’d only recently moved out of my North Fitzroy flat when they went and opened their terrific bistro/bar Neighbourhood Wine just around the corner six or so years back.
Now they’ve annoyingly done the same up the road in my old stomping ground.
I guess my wallet – or more importantly, my liver – should be thanking them, for if I still lived around the corner from Old Palm Liquor I’d likely be spending any free time working my way through the impressive collection of booze on offer while dining on Almay’s fabulously fire-flecked fare and Shazamming yet another new-favourite artist being played on vinyl behind the bar.
It’s clear Old Palm Liquor shares much DNA with Neighbourhood Wine.
There’s the dark, wood-panelled well-worn lived-in warmth of the ’70s-chic dining room; the languidly spinning droopy ceiling fans; the focus on low-fi, biodynamic wines; the ever-present drop in for splash, stay for a sesh danger; the daily updated bistro-with-a-twist menu – but OPL comes with added alfresco seating and the neat trick of seguing into a second dining room that’s light-and-bright and filled with living greenery.
But it’s at the long bar I’m perfectly happily propped with a smashable gose beer from Tallboy and Moose in Preston ($10) perfect for this unseasonably warm night.
It’s one of a dozen mainly local beers on tap (Guinness a notable exception) that share a flavour/interest-first philosophy with the extensive, impressive wine list.
The list takes some exploring and won’t be for everyone – 300 odd bottles strong with half in three figures, it’s a skin-contact, organic/biodynamic, minimal intervention amphora-fermented field day of small producers around the globe making interesting, non-traditional, often boundary-pushing wine.
That’s not to say it’s all high-end thinking drinking – the house white and red are from SA’s excellent Koerner brothers at just nine bucks a pop – and well-versed staff are on hand to guide you through what could be a minefield of cloudy chardonnay and chilled cabernet franc and pongy pinot into glass of something properly delicious.
Tonight is a Bernard Salt snapshot of the type of post-uni, pre-kids carefree couples of the inner north who don’t seem to blink at dropping $150 on a minimum intervention pinot/chardonnay blend from Burgundy on a midweek night – good for them – though there’s also a page of “everyday wine” that’s no less (perhaps more) drinkable at a more approachable $60 mark.
So something for everyone.
And for all the undeniably cool hipness of OPL, staff are unfailingly charming and hospitable, friendly and welcoming and genuinely engaged with delivering a good time. It’s a pleasure spending time here.
That’s even before a terrific beef tartare cracker, seasoned with biltong spices and draped with anchovy, has been served ($10 each).
It’s one of a few small snacks it pays to order while looking over the rest of the menu, much of which is cooked over fire, much like the South African braai of chef Almay’s youth.
Flatbread – pillowy and salty on top; charry and crunchy down below – with labne to spread across is a winner ($10), as is smoky beetroot with pickled yam on a buckwheat cracker ($7 each).
But the non-negotiable must is the fried shallot, its leaves splayed like a porcupine and tasting out of this world thanks to pickled japaleno and a thick squiggle of cashew sour cream ($7 each).
It’s a vegan powerhouse ably backed up by a plate of sweet and smoky grilled green beans teamed with sharp pickled white asparagus spears on a creamy cloud of blitzed almonds ($16).
Add a rare-roasted, juicy, tender goat cutlet or two ($8 each) topped with zhoug – a spicy coriander sauce – and you have light lunch or supper sorted.
Bigger plates include a knockout St Bernard’s pork chop. A thick tranche of terrific free range meat is first brined in cider before being whacked on the grill.
Tender, juicy with a lovely line of creamy fat, it comes topped with a colourful tumble of pickled carrot ribbons with loads of fennel seeds delivering aniseedy bursts.
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It’s a very reasonable $32, though you’ll likely want to add a razor-sharp purple cabbage slaw with hazelnuts, dill and mint ($12) and a bowl of fried potatoes drizzled in gravy ($14).
A scotch fillet from Tassie’s Vintage Beef Co – made from beef grass fed for at least 60 months – is beautiful eating, all caramelised crust, decadent marbling and blushing red inner.
The fermented mustard it’s served with is rather more divisive – it tastes a bit farty for my liking – though the mustard leaves atop deliver welcome freshness ($34).
Good produce simply treated but with a twist or three to keep things interesting that’s keenly priced. Yep, you bet I’d be here all the time if I were a local.
OLD PALM LIQUOR
East Brunswick
14/20