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“Does William Street really need another wine bar?”

That was my immediate reaction when I heard news that Margot’s – a wine bar and urban cellar door – was opening in Northbridge in early 2023. Harsh? Perhaps. Yet I’d argue that my question falls under the definition of fair comment, too.

After all, Northbridge’s main artery isn’t exactly wanting in terms of places to drink wine. The Brisbane and William street intersection is already home to Wines of While and Vincent, plus Tom’s Providore & Wine Bar is an easy stroll away.

Pull focus to the Horseshoe Bridge end of William Street and you’ll find No Mafia and Shadow Wine Bar: two more establishments crushing big-time on vino. (At the time the Margot’s news broke, fried chicken shop Southbird was still operating as North Bird Dining Room and Wine Store, too.)

As it turns out, when Margot’s owners and designers Rebecca Frost and architect
Barry Baltinas opened their 120-person space in August, wine was just one part of the story. Because while you can order from sommelier Caitlin Tormay’s considered local and global glass pours, Margot’s also slings very sharp cocktails.

Then again, we expect great cocktails from any venue operated by Sesh Mafia
(Shui, Papi Katsu) the raffish hospitality collective that counts heavyweight
bartenders such as Ben Tua, Phil Weber and Eoin Kenny among its partners.

Under the watch of bar manager Nicola Herbert, the martinis are brisk, there’s just enough bitter Fernet Branca in the house Manhattan to pique your interest, and the chat is excellent. (Having said all this, Sesh Mafia venues lean a little too clubby for my tastes and Margot’s loud, faceless Ibiza house and big booths feel like remnants from the space’s past life as Ginger nightclub. Fellow drinkers of-a-certain-age should consider themselves warned.)

We also expect to eat tasty snacks when we’re at a bar. Which explains why even
the shortest bar menu features some kind of “charcuterie”. (Despite the word’s
French origins, charcuterie is now accepted as a catch-all for all cooked and cured meat products.) You won’t be surprised to learn that Margot’s serves charcuterie, but you may be surprised at how outstanding it is. Or at least if you’re not across the handiwork of Adam Bielawski, a chef-butcher with a well-founded reputation for producing outstanding sausages, terrines and other European delicacies.

Delicacies like translucent, amber-coloured panes of bresaola made by patiently air-drying wagyu fillet. Or fat discs of saucisson humming with fennel and pepper.

If you’ve ever felt cheated by dry, flavourless coppa, Bielawski’s version made with fatty pork neck is a reminder that not all smallgoods are created equal. (Bielawski’s abilities aside, slicing meats to order and serving them at room temperature go a long way to helping them taste their best.)

All of Margot’s charcuterie is house-made and in small batches, so the make-up of the house charcuterie plate ($28) is perpetually in flux. All the more reason to revisit, I guess.

Animal flesh is a key component of Margot’s Baltic-inspired menu, as are Eastern
European deli traditions plus the shared Polish heritage of Bielawski and Sesh
Mafia’s food director, Chase Weber. (The kitchen’s day-to-day, however, falls to head chef Branagan McGann, formerly of Republic of Fremantle.) Weber is a firm believer that more is more, so the juicy Gordal queen olives ($9) undergo three different cold-smoking processes, while the thick-sliced headliner of the thrilling pastrami roll ($27) is made from unctuous wagyu sirloin; crammed into a craggy, baked-to-order flatbread; and accompanied by a bowl of robust beef jus for dipping purposes.

The menu also highlights surf as much as turf via mud crab toast ($28) and smoked cuttlefish lasagna ($32). You may have read that my colleague Callan Boys recently awarded Sydney’s Saint Peter a coveted three-hat rating, not least for owner Josh Niland’s ability to “showcase the near-limitless potential of fish.”

While Margot’s doesn’t serve fish milt croquettes (yet) it does do a lush hot-smoked kransky ($22) made with silver cobbler: a flaky, criminally underutilised freshwater fish caught in Lake Argyle. After all, utilising unloved seafood shouldn’t just be limited to fine diners.

While daily changing warm vegetable ($18) – roasted beetroot with gremolata, say – are on-hand for those trying to eat a balanced dinner, I suspect most diners aren’t going to be able to go past the eggplant doughnuts ($22). (If only the caramelised eggplant inside each fritter was a little sweeter and wetter, then the savoury jam doughnut gag would have been more obvious!) No issues, though, with the joyous Greek filo cake ($15) soaked with orange syrup and blasted in a hot oven to caramelise its surface.

So back to my original question: does William Street really need another wine bar?

I’m not sure. Good thing, then, that Margot’s isn’t (just) another wine bar, and its
whip-smart cocktails and Eastern European food make it side number three of a
dangerous scalene Devil’s Triangle at the top of Northbridge.

Fellow drinkers: consider yourselves warned.
The low-down

Vibe: a sleek, clubby addition to William Street’s (wine) bar scene specialising in
smallgoods, Eastern European cooking and great cocktails
Go-to dish: house charcuterie plate
Drinks: outstanding mixed drinks (with a strong martini focus) plus a sharp wine list
highlighting WA producers
Cost: about $160 for two, excluding drinks