Sometimes new wine bars try to do too much, opening with flashy fit-outs, brash confidence, loud playlists and overly complicated menus. But Little House – which opens tomorrow right near Hot Listed Good Days on Smith Street, Collingwood – arrives without much chest beating. “We’re best to let the work speak for itself,” says owner and operator Richard Duncan, who has worked front-of-house since 2008 in venues including Rockpool, Lucy Liu and Estelle. The menu from head chef Federico “Freddy” Carnevale (formerly head chef at
Attria in Richmond and sous-chef at Bistrot Bisou) walks the line between polished and comforting, without tipping too far into either. Roasted scallops sit in glossy hen’s jus. Carnevale’s suppli (deep-fried Roman rice balls) are loosely inspired by amatriciana and come filled with Fremantle octopus, tomato and pecorino sardo (a sheep’s milk cheese from Sardinia). And brick chicken lands somewhere between comfort food and precision cooking – crispy skin, sticky eucalyptus honey and the citrussy lift of lemon myrtle. “I want guests to feel genuine
enthusiasm. Uncomplicated presentation so they eat first with their eyes, then little surprises of texture and flavour do the rest,” Carnevale says. This philosophy particularly comes through in a Tasmanian abalone dish. Inspired by the Italian pairing of mussels and potato, abalone from Three Friends Abalone farm is roasted in-shell with garlic butter, served over a smoky potato mousse and topped with crispy kale from suppliers Natoora. The drinks list is designed with the same ethos. Sommelier Chris Winter, whose resume includes Restaurant Gordon Ramsay
in London, keeps Victorian producers at the centre of the wine program. Bottles from Avani, Quealy and Petronio sit alongside international pours from Austria, France and China. A small playful cocktail list from Ben Jensen (ex-Juni) includes a Raspberry Bullet Sour (gin, raspberry, lemon and absinthe) and Them Apples (black tea rum, brandy, walnut orgeat, apple molasses and milk punch). The room, formerly Blk and Whyte, a cafe characterised by decor mean to look two-dimensional has been transformed from cartoony to elegant. A bar runs
the length of the room, anchoring the space, while the kitchen has been opened up, offering a peek at the chefs in action. Little House is the kind of understated yet playful venue that usually only comes from people who’ve spent enough time in hospitality to know how to strike the perfect balance between those qualities. But the thing Duncan keeps coming back to is service. “Service is the first impression and the last impression,” he says. “[It’s] not falsifiable, in my opinion, and it
elevates my perception of food and drinks.” Little House Wine Bar98 Smith Street, CollingwoodNo phone Hours:Tue to Sat 4.30pm–late www.littlehousewinebar.com.au@littlehousewinebar
Little House Wine Bar, Richard Duncan, Federico Carnevale, Collingwood wine bar, Smith Street, service-first, abalone dish, Tasmanian abalone, Victorian wine producers