The young team behind The Nine, a new venue in Bondi want to do everything – make everything in-house, open all day, do collaborations, pop-ups and experiments. Owners Sebastien Dallee and Julie Brument have been in hospitality for a while and recently returned to Australia to open a cafe-cross-wine bar focused on locality. “We're sustainability and organic-focused, but we didn't want to do it in a bohemian way.”
The fit-out is beachy in colour but simple in layout. Crockery is from local artists and blooms are from the local florist. The menu, created in collaboration with chef David Walker (ex-Danks Street Depot and Pablo & Rusty’s), is big on seafood and seasonality. “He has created really beautiful dishes with a love of different textures, layers and colours,” Brument says. “We want to do everything in-house. It’s great to have someone with the same kind of vision.”
The polenta porridge, a soft, savoury pudding topped with lavender, sumac and a crème brûlée-like layer of salted almond praline reflects this. It’s crunchy, floral, smooth, salty and sweet. The breakfast plate comes with beetroot-cured salmon, poached eggs, pecans, dukkah and a sphere of apple, fennel and goat’s curd. Then there’s Israeli cous cous with slow-braised lamb, a crab-and-prawn brioche roll or za’atar-spiced shakshouka.
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SUBSCRIBE NOWSoon it will transform the menu and the space into a wine bar at night. “The wine will be all organic and natural with small and large plates to share,” says Dallee.
The space will host pop-ups too. Nothing’s set in stone, but some ideas include an afternoon Espresso Martini cart in collaboration with Harbourside coffee and a street-side summer stall serving shaved ice with kombucha from Ballsy. “We like the idea of constantly changing the space,” Dallee says.
The Nine
163 Glenayr Avenue, Bondi
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Mon to Sun 7am–4pm (Nights TBC)
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