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‘Intriguing takes on Italian-leaning dishes’ at Kirribilli’s contemporary neighbourhood restaurant Bacari

Interesting things happen when old and new schools combine at the trattoria with a Korean-born chef.

Terry Durack
Terry Durack

The go-to dish: MB5+ wagyu rump with celeriac cream, black pepper jus is rich, savoury and clean-tasting.
1 / 9The go-to dish: MB5+ wagyu rump with celeriac cream, black pepper jus is rich, savoury and clean-tasting. Edwina Pickles
Cherries cool and refresh a savoury dish of burrata with anchovy and creamed almond.
2 / 9Cherries cool and refresh a savoury dish of burrata with anchovy and creamed almond. Edwina Pickles
Beef tartare with fermented chilli mayo, fermented daikon and nashi.
3 / 9Beef tartare with fermented chilli mayo, fermented daikon and nashi.Edwina Pickles
Focaccia served with chilli and rosemary oil.
4 / 9Focaccia served with chilli and rosemary oil. Edwina Pickles
Spicy meat and chilli send the spaghetti carbonara flavours closer to south-east Asia.
5 / 9Spicy meat and chilli send the spaghetti carbonara flavours closer to south-east Asia.Edwina Pickles
Antica Formula vermouth adds a kick to the tiramisu.
6 / 9Antica Formula vermouth adds a kick to the tiramisu.Edwina Pickles
A long Tiffany-blue banquette pops against Bacari’s exposed brick walls.
7 / 9A long Tiffany-blue banquette pops against Bacari’s exposed brick walls. Edwina Pickles
Shelves of wine form part of the decor at Bacari.
8 / 9Shelves of wine form part of the decor at Bacari. Edwina Pickles
The al fresco terrace outside Bacari.
9 / 9The al fresco terrace outside Bacari. Edwina Pickles

14/20

Italian$$

In time, the North Sydney restaurant resurgence (Glorietta, Poetica, Rafi and friends) will creep down the hill towards the ferry-serviced fringes of the north shore. Already, there are bright spots: Loulou Bistro in Milsons Point, Fiore Bakery in McMahons Point, and cool cafes such as BTB in Kirribilli.

Now the long-standing Kirribilli Village Cafe, with its Caesar salad, garlic prawns and BYO, has flipped into a contemporary neighbourhood Italian.

The name references the shadowy wine bars of Venice, and indeed, there’s an al fresco terrace along one side and bottles of wine lining the bar, on shelves and in temperature-controlled fridges.

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That makes sense. New owner Tony Binning comes from Cremorne’s wine-focussed Barrel Bar & Dining. He’s one foot old-school and one foot new, having started with Peter Bignasca at Il Piemonte in Terrey Hills, and worked for Gordon Ramsay at The Savoy in London.

Shelves of wine form part of the decor at Bacari.
Shelves of wine form part of the decor at Bacari.Edwina Pickles

Korean-born chef Youngjae (Jay) Cho is more new-school, having previously worked at Automata, Banksii and Lucio’s in Paddington. Binning says Jay was the first chef he interviewed who wasn’t put off by the small kitchen and downstairs cool room, but simply said he could make it work.

That’s the sort of chef you want – the sort who will just make it work.

It’s a good match – Binning and his bustling hospitality, and Cho and his edgy, often intriguing takes on Italian-leaning dishes. That plays out as octopus with ink, fennel and lardo; casarecce pasta with lamb ragu; San Daniele prosciutto with candied almonds; and steamed coral trout with champagne sauce.

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Burrata can be one-dimensional, but pairing it with anchovy, cherries and creamed almonds ($26) brings a welcome acidity and savouriness.

This happens again with Cho’s take on beef tartare ($29), the hand-chopped meat tossed in fermented chilli mayo, capped with finely sliced nashi pear, and spiked with small cubes of pickled daikon. The warm lick of chilli is held in balance by the coolness of the fruit, picked up by the crisp and bobbly seaweed cracker.

Anchovies, cherries and creamed almond add welcome acidity and savouriness to burrata.
Anchovies, cherries and creamed almond add welcome acidity and savouriness to burrata.Edwina Pickles

Tell me I’m culturally stereotyping here, but I reckon that’s a Korean chef move, using fruit to cool and refresh a savoury dish.

The wine list is such that you can play it safe or be adventurous. The locals are apparently cross about the end of BYO, but the prices are decent, with glasses from $12, and bottles from $49.

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There are jars of preserved fruits and vegetables on shelves, and a long Tiffany-blue banquette pops against exposed brick walls and naked floorboards. Boomer hits swirl through the room, from Fine Young Cannibals and Creedence Clearwater Revival to the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds.

Spaghetti carbonara with chorizo, salami, guanciale, ’nduja and pecorino.
Spaghetti carbonara with chorizo, salami, guanciale, ’nduja and pecorino.Edwina Pickles

Spaghetti carbonara ($29) is taken for a wild ride with chorizo, salami, guanciale, ’nduja, pecorino and puffed wild rice. Despite the overkill, it works as a traditional one would; the sauce eggy and clinging, creamy without cream. In truth, the spicy meats and warm hit of chilli send it closer to Sicily, or indeed, South-East Asia. I am completely confused by all this, but in a good way.

Wagyu 5+ rump ($58) is a great share dish, the meat crusty outside and burgundy-red within, on an elegant portion of celeriac cream and a ladleful of black pepper jus. Marinated in shio koji (a funky rice ferment), cooked sous-vide then hibachi-grilled and thickly sliced, it’s rich, savoury, well seasoned, clean-tasting and as tender as ox tongue. The dish of the night.

A precisely layered, cakey tiramisu ($17) also works, with the addition of Antica Formula vermouth and a dusting of Valrhona Manjari chocolate.

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Interesting things happen when old and new schools come together, and Bacari will be a great choice for an Italian-leaning dinner or al fresco lunch with well-chosen, affordable wines.

Post-visit, I’ve been told the bathroom has had an upgrade, and a plate warmer means you can share dishes such as the wagyu on warm plates instead of cold ones. Fast fixes like that tell me that whatever happens, they’ll find a way to make it work.

The low-down

Vibe: Al fresco trattoria in downtown Kirribilli 

Go-to dish: MB5+ wagyu rump, celeriac puree, peppercorn sauce, $58

Drinks: Classic cocktails, Italian and local beers, and Italian/Spanish/Oz wines

Cost: About $175 for two, plus drinks

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Terry DurackTerry Durack is the chief restaurant critic for The Sydney Morning Herald and Good Food.

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Original URL: https://www.watoday.com.au/goodfood/sydney-eating-out/bacari-is-the-kirribilli-italian-forging-its-own-path-20230831-p5e0yi.html