It’s Always a Good Time To Visit Bantry Bay Grocer, the New Northern Beaches Alimentari

There’s a version of ourselves that only comes out on holiday – one who lingers over breakfast, has wine at lunch and lets the day unfold without checking the time. Grace Triglone has spent years wondering why that person disappears the second we land back home.

“Why save it for a holiday?” she asks.

At her new spot Bantry Bay Grocer, Triglone invites you to let that version of yourself out again. It’s a place where you can peruse the deli fridge, pick up a loaf of bread, or pop in for a glass of wine in the evening. Folksy illustrations of a tomato, baguette, googy-egg and other pantry items strutting in a line welcome pedestrians in from Seaforth’s main strip. Inside there’s low-slung pendant lighting and art-filled walls. On the counter sits a towering mound of hand-whipped butter, a monument to the many things made from scratch here. Europe’s alimentaris were the inspiration, and it shows.

Triglone has spent her career hosting at some of Sydney’s best-loved spots – Effie’s, Caravin and Randy’s – but Bantry Bay Grocer marks her debut running a kitchen. Built around rustic breads like ciabatta, focaccia and schiacciata, her menu is a love letter to the sandwich. The line-up includes Mum’s Special (bresaola, pear, parmesan, walnuts, rocket), the BBG (porchetta, buffalo mozzarella, salsa verde) and Sex On Bread (salami, pecorino, whipped honey ricotta, Calabrian chilli and roasted peppers). There’s also the tuna melange, piled onto a seeded pretzel for a cool take on a classic.

At night, the place shifts into wine bar mode. The list swings from a sparkling French blanc de blancs to Adelaide Hills whites, Provence rosé to Piedmont nebbiolo. Tap beers rotate monthly and start at $5, kicking off with Reschs and local fave Freshwater Brewing lager. Cocktails include a Negroni, Martini and Aperol Spritz, which can be made into a spider if you ask.

Add meat and cheese sliced to order, straight from the deli fridge. The current selection includes an 18-month comté, a raw milk gouda-style cheese from Glen Moidart, prosciutto di Parma, and Giuseppe’s Gourmet porchetta and smoked leg ham. Other possibilities are crisps and caviar, Organic Bread Bar pretzels and warm baguettes with butter. Just don’t leave without trying the house-made soft serve sandwich, with salt and a drizzle of olive oil. If this can’t put you in holiday mode, nothing will.

Bantry Bay Grocer
Shop 1, 549 Sydney Road, Seaforth
(02) 9145 0313

Hours
Tue to Thu 9am–5pm
Fri & Sat 9am–9pm

bantrybaygrocer.com.au
@bantrybaygrocer