First Look: It’s Dealer’s Choice at the Tiny Natural Wine Bar That Just Hit Surry Hills

Since mid-August, a two-part, new-to-hospo team has been quietly pouring wine two nights a week in lower Surry Hills. From 5pm, you’ll find up to 15 people trying a selection of drops around a long timber bar next door to Capybara Bathing. Meet L’Massif Cave.

The newcomer is the evolution of the wine-appreciation parties that designer Sean Tran (of Shhorn) and architect and Capybara Bathing founder Sebastian Tsang have been throwing for years. Friends crowded around a kitchen island bench, opening new things, figuring out what’s good.

“The story is, Seb and I have known each other for a long time now – and we’ve been drinking together a lot,” says Tran. “We weren’t always drinking wine, and it wasn’t always natural. But as we went, we were always trying to find stories out of the things we were drinking – and natural wine’s got an incredible story, an incredible history. It’s such a big world out there.”

Neither of the creative pair are trained sommeliers, or have any track record in hospitality. But they’re fuelled by their ever-deepening love of natural wine, and inspired by their favourite wine bars in Tokyo: Pas Loin in Ginza, Waltz Wine Stand in Ebisu and Lulu Wine Shop in Meguro-ku.

“They’re all standing bars, by the glass, dealer’s choice,” says Tran. “It’s very Japanese. But we don’t want to just copy what they’re doing – it’s very much our own way of serving, pretty much just bringing our party to the public.”

Just like in Tokyo, the Cave’s wine list includes a different selection of bottles each service. If you’re looking for something by the glass, you’ll pick your colour and receive a pour of whatever’s open – with your name scrawled onto your glass in texta. A handwritten by-the-bottle list moves as the night goes on, with picks crossed off as they’re opened. “It’s just going to rotate on what we feel like doing on the day – what we think suits,” says Tran. “There might be a bottle that we really want to open, so then the rest of the list will complement it. It’s really dealer’s choice.” 

There are plates of salted chippies to snack on, and sliced up seeded baguettes from Goodwood arrive with butter and pickles. The low-touch food is deliberate – L’Massif Cave is a wine bar, not a restaurant. “A big part of it, for us, is the conversation that comes from drinking wine,” says Tran. “There’ll be a lot of conversation with us, and it’s designed for people to interact with one another.”

The Capybara team completed the fit-out – and they’ve stuck to the pared-back tones, textures and vibe we know from the bathhouse. “The hope is that people will come out of the wellness centre thirsty and come by for a wine.” They’ve designed a bar that feels like a kitchen island – complete with an ice-bucket sliced into one end – and there are bar stools at a window that’s open to the street, and another few tables to each side.

The team is waiting for an outdoor-dining permit, and if that comes through there are plans for roadside tables which will double the current 15-person capacity. Until then, the pair are happy for things to stay small, as they gain their hospo legs and bring their L’Massif Cave parties to the public.

L’Massif Cave
231 Commonwealth Street, Surry Hills

Hours:
Fri & Sat 5pm–10pm

@lmassifcave