Now Open: A Romantic Euro-Style Woolloongabba Wine Bar From the Sasso Italiano and Casa Chow Crew

“You’re pushing too hard. You’re wishing and dreaming.”

Vincent Lombino remembers hearing this over and over when he first moved from the United States to Australia in 2008 to become group food and beverage director for Event Hospitality. One of his tasks was to oversee the implementation of restaurant and bar concepts at QT Hotels.

“People were like, ‘It’s never gonna happen. It doesn’t go like that here. That doesn’t work in Australia,’” Lombino says. “And you’re, like, ‘Fuck it. I like to wish and dream. We all like to wish and dream, right? We’re gonna go for it.’”

Eventually working with Lombino on these projects was now business partner (and fellow American) Jared Thibault. The result was a succession of classic hospitality venues, including Gowings Bar & Grill at QT Sydney, Stingray Lounge and the relaunch of Yamagen at QT Gold Coast, and the Rooftop at QT Melbourne.

Together, Lombino and Thibault moved on to Ovolo Hotels, before in 2021 going into business for themselves. Operating as the Talisman Group, they’ve been charged with creating more or less from scratch an entire food and beverage precinct at the South City Square residential and commercial development in Woolloongabba.

First came Sasso Italiano at the end of 2021, followed by Casa Chow in mid-2022. And now comes South City Wine – along with sister venue Purple Palm, a gin bar that’s opened just across the car park – with a clutch of other venues still in the pipeline. Again, a casual visitor would be forgiven for wondering, are they pushing too hard? Are they dreaming, trying to create this precinct on a previously forgotten stretch of Logan Road?

But visit South City Wine on any given Friday or Saturday evening since its late October launch it will be pumping – punters piling in for vino and European-inspired eats before spinning off to Casa Chow or Sasso Italiano next door or perhaps back to Purple Palm.

“We were pleasantly surprised that it actually got busier throughout December,” Thibault says. “In that final week, as our other venues began to ease off, it remained steady and consistent – without any real break between lunch and dinner. On a Saturday it’s a vibe from 1pm right through to 9pm.”

South City Wine’s charms are hard to argue with. Modelled after a classic European wine bar, it’s been carefully decked out with handsome tiled floors, plenty of timber panelling and cabinetry, and ornate tables and chairs. The counters are low-set and the staff slice charcuterie to order in the front window, which sits below a dapper green awning. It’s a venue that captures the vibe of a Parisian wine bar without feeling like a Disney attraction titled “Parisian Wine Bar”.

“It has these beautiful stone and wood and glass features, and these rich, warm textures,” Lombino says. “Is it brand new or is it 15 or 20 years old? It’s meant to be timeless. It will sit in the space and still look great in six or seven years. It’s just about keeping it understated and not going over the top with the design.”

Naturally, wine is the star here. There’s a 200-bottle list (with 25 by the glass and three rotating Coravin drops) drawn from natural-leaning producers in Australia, France, Italy, Spain, the USA and New Zealand. Every price point is covered, from a humble Ross Hill Maya Chardonnay from Orange in NSW for $58 a bottle, to a 2012 vintage Dom Perignon Brut that goes for $750 a pop. If you really want to push the boat out, there’s a 2014 Opus One cabernet blend from California that will set you back $2400. The wine is backed by a French-inspired cocktail list that includes the Vesper Rose (78 Degrees gin, rosewater, Ketel One Vodka and Lillet Rosé, with a pink grapefruit twist), the Apricot Deauville (calvados, Marionette Apricot Brandy Liqueur, orange curacao, fresh lemon and dehydrated lemon) and the Royale 75 (oaked 78 Degrees gin, Pampelle red grapefruit aperitif, rosemary, fresh lemon and Louis Roederer Brut).

Still, Lombino and Thibault say it’s chef Gabriele Di Landri’s food that has quietly stolen the show. There’s a snackable selection of cheese, charcuterie and tins of Ortiz, Olasagasti and Pollastrini anchovies, sardines and tuna, but also a tight menu of share plates that includes escargot with garlic butter and nasturtium, a 300-gram Jack’s Creek sirloin with salt and vinegar frites, and a rotating fish special that comes with Aleppo pepper, sultana, pine nuts and herbs.

“It’s not about being too creative,” Lombino says. “It’s about using great produce and great technique to recreate these classics. Do a beautiful fish, do a beautiful steak frites. If you’re gonna do a chicken liver parfait, it has to be stunning, right? If we get those right, then we’ll continue to evolve those classics that pull on people’s heartstrings so much.”

South City Wine
5/148 Logan Road, Woolloongabba
1300 185 730

Hours:
Tue to Thu 4pm–Late
Fri & Sat 12pm–Late

southcitywinebar.com.au