It’s French, but don’t expect steak frites and other bistro classics at Caravin, says the team that brought us Bar Suze and B.S. Pasta Palace.
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Sydney’s French food revival kicks up another notch when Caravin wine bar and restaurant opens on Potts Point’s Ward Avenue on Thursday, September 7.
The 35-seat Caravin slides into the former home of Dumplings & Beer and is the latest by Phil Stenvall and Greg Bampton, who brought us the now-closed Bar Suze (they’ve opened B.S. Pasta Palace in its place).
Caravin owners Greg Bampton and Phil Stenvall.Edwina Pickles
They’ve adorned its five-metre ceilings with an art deco-style chandelier as a nod to Ward Avenue’s architectural lineage. Custom-made black-topped tables have chocolate trim and the original floors are exposed. The bar will dispense Australian and international wines, with a focus on French.
Caravin joins the new wave of Francophile eateries sweeping the city: Bistrot 916, Brasserie 1930, Armorica and more. But in between this boom and the turn-of-the-century rush of French restaurants such as Banc and Balzac, sliders, burgers and slow-cooked meats swept the city.
Smoked beetroot tartare. Edwina Pickles
“Similar to a lot of people, I missed the first boom,” says Bampton. “We explored Italian and other cuisines, but everything goes in circles, and French food is classic.”
Chef Stenvall says Caravin will be a steak frites and confit-duck-free zone. “There are lots of places already doing bistro food really well.”
Espresso and mandarin parfait.Edwina Pickles
Instead, Caravin is inspired by the Parisian venues that blur the lines between wine bar and restaurant.
What you will find is smoked beetroot tartare, lamb cutlets with garlic and carrots, and an espresso and mandarin parfait with burnt marshmallows. “I’ve always loved bombe Alaska, but I don’t want to be whipping [egg whites] by myself,” Stenvall says.
The duo leaned on Scandi flavours at their Surry Hills eatery Bar Suze. “I worked in London with these old-school chefs trained in French [food] before I went back to Sweden…but I’ll still put my spin on it,” Stenvall says.
Photo: Edwina Pickles
Caravin opens on Thursday 7 September, 2023.
Open Sat-Sun lunch; Thu-Sun dinner.
Shop 2, 9 Ward Avenue, Potts Point, caravin.com.au
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