Barrel Bar and Dining

This neighbourhood wine bar is on the main drag of Military Road. Inside, the sleek Scandinavian design transports you from the busy strip. The floors are concrete, the room is dim and there are clusters of circular wooden tables and stools. On the far back wall there is an open wine cellar made from wooden palettes.

Barrel Bar and Dining is by sommelier duo Stephen Thompson and Tony Binning. It has an emphasis on boutique wines and seasonal produce. The owners are having fun with unusual wines but making sure the flavours are clean so they match the food.

The dining area sits in an indoor courtyard underneath a lit canopy of fake ivy, with the open kitchen and white marble-top bar. The menu is split into snacks, smaller plates and larger plates. From candied walnuts and pork scratchings, to Cone Bay barramundi and slow-cooked beef cheeks.

From Sunday to Thursday the restaurant offers a BYO option, and diners can have the wines they bring matched to dishes on the menu. Among the standout offerings are sweet heirloom carrots cooked five ways; the 12-hour cured Queensland king prawns served with vanilla and coffee-bean jelly and herbs; and house-made ricotta and field mushroom duxelle.