Top chefs seem more inclined to open wine bars than restaurants these days. They've done the hard yards, and now they want to run the sort of place they want to go to on their day off. (Plus, they want a day off.)

From Four Horsemen in New York and Septime La Cave and Le Verre Vole in Paris to Mon Lapin in Montreal, it's all about small plates, considered food, natural wine, and a more hands-on approach.

The "hands-on" aspect is obvious at Sydney's latest addition to the global genre, where Nathan Sasi and Morgan McGlone have turned a little corner cafe into a little corner wine bar.

Take the small plates, for a start. Not the anchovy puff pastry, or crisp eggplant with salted ricotta – the actual plates; each hand-formed and glazed by McGlone, the founder of Belles Hot Chicken, who has added potter to his broad list of career moves. The water jugs, stubby and squat but slim-necked, are a delight to use.

In fact, there's barely a straight, machine-made line in Nathan Sasi's realisation of the space. The bar does a slow curve in thick dark marble, tables are organically shaped to fit like jigsaw pieces, and the bentwood chairs are just that: bended wood.

While there's a definite lean towards natural and expressive wines on Christian Robertson's list, it runs both straight and curly. So you can have a classic Valpolicella from Le Calendre ($21) or a slightly wild, organic sauvignon blanc blend 2020 Chateau Barouillet Bergecrac Blanc Sec ($18/$57/$85). An Estrella Damm ($10) or a Garage Project White Mischief Salted White Peach Sour beer ($12).

It's the same with the 20-odd dishes on the menu. Go straight with a platter of wine-friendly salumi from LP's Quality Meats and Quattro Stelle ($36) and A.P. Bakery bread ($6), or go curly, with meaty cubes of pressed pig's head terrine (2 for $18), crumbed, fried and topped with a tangle of zucchini pickles.

Founding chef of Nomad in Sydney and Leigh Street Wine Room in Adelaide, Sasi has skills galore, but isn't here to show off. A creamy slab of chicken liver parfait enriched with madeira and port and topped with sauternes jelly ($16) is on the sweet side, balanced with tangy cucumber pickles and toasted brioche.

You could sit here for hours, scooping up smooth, whippy cod's roe dip with Spain's Bonilla a la Vista potato crisps ($16). Burgundy's gougere choux pastry buns come filled with rich comte cheese cream, topped with a fairy dust of finely grated comte ($6 each).

I'm also a fan of the King George whiting sandwich ($22), the slim fillets simply floured and fried and layered with shredded iceberg and sauce gribiche in baby-soft white bread.

Floor staff, including co-owner Sali Sasi, are welcoming, and the kitchen hums with a quiet sense of industry.

A barbecue 2GR wagyu flank steak ($52) is brushed with Japanese tare as it grills over Japanese coals. Gnarly outside, the two fingers of blushing crimson meat have buckets of flavour, resting in a light, but full-bodied jus.

All three condiments are house-made, from the umami-rich mushroom ketchup and intense horseradish cream to a Dijon-style mustard with the same kind of power and bite you get from the Dijon Forte in the bouchons of Lyons.

The beef is also lifted by the wine, a vibrant, organic 2021 Domaine Charnay Beaujolais ($90) from Southern Beaujolais. Even a creamy golden wedge of creme caramel is elevated by a deeply amaro-infused syrup.

Bar Copains (the word means mates, or buddies) is a relaxed place with a good crew, sound ideas, and the sort of in-this-together mindset that makes it the perfect last review of the year.

It's also, hopefully, a signpost for where we're heading in 2023. Like the hand-made plates, it's natural, textural and artisanal, with slight imperfections that only serve to make it more human.

Cheers, Bar Copains. I think we're going to be friends.

The low-down

Drinks Local and imported beer, crafted cocktails and natural wine list

Vibe Boho neighbourhood wine bar run by chefs

Go-to-dish Barbecue wagyu flank steak with condiments, $52