Carlton Wine Room

After a two-month renovation, Carlton Wine Room reopened in 2018 as the venue it perhaps always meant to be. With co-owners Andy Joy and Travis Howe at the helm, this striking 19th-century building on the corner of leafy Drummond and Faraday Streets is home to one of the city’s best wine lists, matched with an elegant modern Australian menu woven with European influences.

Spread out over five levels, the venue is deceptively large. Downstairs there’s a marble bar and an oval communal table in the middle of the high-ceilinged space. And upstairs, a spacious second dining room; keep going up and you'll find two private dining spaces, each taking up an entire floor. A bluestone cellar has also been converted into a private dining den for 20.

When Broadsheet visited, menu highlights were kingfish crudo, served on a smudge of creme fraiche and topped with rough slices of translucent napa cabbage and shaved horseradish; and grilled broccolini with shavings of cured egg yolk, fat lardons of bacon, and a parmesan, cream and egg yolk sauce. Also, a half roast chicken served with big sorrel leaves, confit rounds of potato, and jus on the side.

The venue’s 100-bottle wine list isn’t bound by one style or region. As far as fizz goes, expect a lot from France. Drops from Germany, Austria and Slovenia pop up frequently in the whites section, and Italy gets a full page of reds. The team also opens a different "staff bottle" each day. It's off the menu – just ask if you'd like to try it.