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“And here we are, we three, perhaps the last island of beauty.”

If you recognise these words, spoken by actor Richard Griffiths as Uncle Monty, one of the three lead characters in the 1987 cult comedy Withnail and I, and painted on the wall at new bar We Three in Marrickville, wait until you find the radishes.

They’re upstairs at this two-level, eight month-old establishment, set squarely in the middle of Illawarra Road’s Vietnamese food and grocery strip, a few minutes’ walk from Marrickville Station.

Uncle Monty wears a small, ruddy leaf-topped radish on his lapel as he languishes convivially in the long-time favourite film of Catherine Gibson Roy, who owns and runs We Three with her daughter, Ali.

As they redecorated this former bubble tea shop last year, the pair found fireplace tiles upstairs featuring hand-painted radishes. After commissioning a radish illustration from a botanical artist friend, the image was scanned, printed on fabric and sewn, by Catherine, into curtains which hang beside the front stairs window.

There’s a neon radish sign directing visitors to climb the long tall stairs to the upstairs lounge area and radish hues in the downstairs painted windows.

“It’s a bittersweet black comedy and I’ve always loved it,” Catherine says. “My friends and I have always quoted its lovely ridiculous words to each other and Ali grew up hearing them. Despite the name, it’s Ali and me running We Three.”

The bar, which leaves Illawarra Road’s crowded grittiness at the door, has a calm feel, with earthy red, terracotta and charcoal tones. There’s a gleaming mirror-backed black marble front bar, shelves of spirits, glowing round lights and distinct areas to eat and drink depending on your mood.

Downstairs is bar and table seating, with an alcove table area at the back.

Upstairs, past the neon radish, there are sofas, armchairs and banquette seating with window views of Vietnamese restaurants, tiled roofs, terrace house chimneys, corrugated laneways and far-off passing airplanes.

Two plaster lions watch every arrival at the top of the stairs, amid tufty rugs, potted palms, a long red velvet curtain and marble-topped tables.

Upstairs and down, light levels are low, chairs are comfy and there’s a distinct lack of knick-knacks or crowded wall art.

“I lived in Melbourne for 26 years, Ali was raised there,” Catherine says. “I think Melbourne still leans heavily on a European aesthetic. Muted, low-lit, classic and this building lent itself to that idea.”

The drinks menu, with a wide-ranging list of Australian, European and New Zealand wines, offers succinct beer and cider options, lots of non-alcoholic options and a peppy range of new, classic and retro cocktails, some in jugs.

Try the Blood and Sand, named after Rudolph Valentino’s 1922 bullfighter movie Blood and Sand, and the mustard dill pickle martini. The first is a flushed citrusy marvel made with orange juice, cherry brandy, whisky and sweet French vermouth. The second, made with gin or vodka, is the sort of soft, clean and dry libation Cary Grant would sip before he was wittily, but wrongly, kidnapped.

What also sets We Three apart is its stonkingly good food menu. Warm Sicilian fennel seed and cured fennel kalamata olives; white bean skordalia with caramelised apple and fig walnut gremolata; and potato and grana padano gnocchi with brown butter and kale.

I would come here for the pertly luscious smoked bacon hock, olive and spinach terrine alone, served here with apricot jam and crostini. Similarly, the herby slow-cooked pork and beef meatballs which, along with six smaller dishes, is available after 10pm.

Tonight, Catherine and Ali, who love working together and happily explain this to all queries about a mother-and-daughter business partnership, hail regulars and new customers with welcoming cheer and ease.

Dogs are allowed in the front bar, there are plans for board games upstairs and families are welcome, buoyed by a kids’ food menu.

“Hospitality is viewed as hard work and, of course, it is,” Ali says. “But it’s about people going out to eat and drink, have fun and be with friends. It’s a nice thing to be part of that.”