Bar Sopra is the kind of neighbourhood haunt you’ve always dreamed of stumbling across during some kind of too-good-to-be-true trip through Spain’s San Sebastian.
Headed by husband and wife duo Nick Stone (previously at Mona and Hugo’s) and Aparna Gehlot (yep, the same team that brought you the buzzing oasis of La Bomba), this new Potts Point wine bar will fill the Euro-summer shaped hole in your heart.
The fit-out here has been handled by Guru Projects (Reign, Esquire, Went To See The Gypsy) and while the food is a certified nod to all things Spanish cuisine, the interiors ooze an elevated kind of luxury you might expect to find at the ritziest of French bars and bistros.
You’ll find this cosy nook sitting on Potts Point’s acclaimed foodie strip of Macleay Street, spurring a menu filled with boutique wines, cocktails, and small bites (which don’t skimp out on big flavours and taste). With dishes mainly built around Spanish influences and tapas-style share plates, your hero dishes include the likes of white fish Crudo with pickled chilli and tajin spice, and a hefty lamb rump with pomegranate and quince aioli.
“The menu is completely Nick’s territory,” says Gehlot. “He wanted tapas so customers could have small food that could be shared and enjoyed with our carefully curated wine and cocktails”.
And while snack items rarely get a standing ovation at venues across Sydney, at Bar Sopra, they shine in a whole new level of glory (and we highly suggest digging into these in a big way). Dive deep into Appellation Sydney rock oysters, the house pincho (a combo of olive, marinated anchovy, and pickled onion), Losada olives, roasted Yamba prawns, grilled chorizo sliders, and trout caviar with Pepe Saya creme fraiche.
Bar Sopra also has a premium selection of dry-aged and cured meats you can try individually or mix-and-match to create the ultimate charcuterie served on a silver platter which also features the glue to life—cheese. Finally, there’s a juicy array of tinned seafood including Espinaler mussels, smoked Cantabrian anchovies, Porthos tuna and Conservas Santos Sardines, which all get served up alongside Lux Bakery rye bread.
If knocking back some vino is high on your to-do list (as it should be), you’ll be well looked after with a wine line-up completely curated by legendary sommelier David Kalvo (who also lends his expert wine know-how to Surry Hills favourite, Nomad). While the food will take you on a trip to Spain, any wine aficionado knows we don’t need to travel too far for a brilliant drop here in Australia—so the wine list here basically brings together all the top local drops from around the country and caters to all kinds of wine tastes.
As for the cocktails, these have been “created to be seasonal and to provide a
drink for every palate (fruity, sour, strong, fizzy),” Gehlot explains. “So depending on your mood and the flavours you enjoy—we have created options for absolutely everyone.”
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Image credit: Bar Sopra