First Look: Sip Natural Wine and Salt-and-Vinegar Martinis at Petite New Surry Hills Neighbourhood Wine Bar Lokal

On a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it corner in Surry Hills, pocket-sized natural wine bar Lokal is all about embracing life’s simple pleasures. “We don’t want to take ourselves too seriously. We want people to feel like they’re coming to our home,” co-owner Patrick Frawley tells Broadsheet.

Low-intervention producers dominate the wine list, which is extensive: 55 natural wines by the bottle, 11 by the glass, and a focus on orange drops.

“I’ve visited 95 per cent of the producers on the list,” says Frawley. His previous work as head sommelier at Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, head sommelier at Restaurant Story London, beverage manager at Rosewood London and general manager at Terroirs wine bar in London, means he is willing and ready to chat to each customer about the different drops on offer. Keeping things simple on the cocktail front, there are two pre-batched options: Lokal Hickory, a take on the New Orleans classic the Old Hickory, and the Salt and Vinegar Martini, with the salt harvested from Bondi Beach and served with a house-made potato chip.

The food, like the wine, is approachable, with a selection of share plates by head chef and co-owner Nelson Cramp (Fairmont Banff Springs in Canada, Porch and Parlour) that pair well with natural wine, including crispy cauliflower topped with gorgonzola mornay, mushroom medleys with truffle corn and roasted cashews, and “the best fried chicken you’ll ever have in your life,” according to Frawley.

The tiny 45-square-metre corner space means everything had to be carefully considered to make the best of the site. Decked out in a neutral colour palette using Tasmanian ash and concrete, and with big windows and a few seats for outdoor dining, it feels bright and airy.

Behind the bar, the “kitchen” uses minimal machinery with just a single induction stove, hibachi, sandwich press, double fryer and meat slicer – but, impressively, almost everything is made on-site, except for the bread which is from Tonton Bread next door.

Using as much as possible from the local neighbourhood is part of Lokal’s ethos (it’s in the name). “We’re interested in meeting other people who have the same philosophy and working with them,” says Frawley. The sustainable smoked rainbow trout is from By Kai around the corner and the draught beer is Golden Bone from the Cricketers Arms next door. “They literally kick their keg across the road to us,” says Frawley, laughing.

With space for just 20 people, and a couple of seats outside, they want to keep things casual and primarily for walk-ins. “But if you’re a big group, slide into our DMs on Instagram, and we’ll try our best to sort you out,” says Frawley.

Lokal
104 Fitzroy Street, Surry Hills

Hours:
Tue to Thu 4pm–10pm
Fri to Sun 12.30pm–10pm

@lokal_wine