Golden Gully

Local produce and drinks are at the core of Golden Gully’s menus. The Aussie spirits list includes Marrickville’s Poor Toms and Rosebery’s Archie Rose. They’ll make anything for you here, but the cocktail menu lists six classics.

The Poor Tommy Collins is infused with lemon myrtle, and the Old Fashioned is made with Starward Two Fold whisky from Melbourne. It’s finished with wattleseed syrup and bitters.

The wines, too, are exclusively Australian and the list balances classic drops with the experimental. If you want a big Aussie shiraz, you can get it. If you want a skin-contact pét-nat – a French wine style that goes through a second fermentation inside the bottle – you can get that too.

To eat there’s grilled cabbage served with white-bean puree and Illawarra plum. And ricotta gnocchi with wild mushroom broth and crisp oyster mushrooms. A toasted English muffin comes with fried eggplant, coleslaw and barbeque sauce. There’s also banoffee pie for dessert and a selection of cheeses.

The Golden Gully occupies a heritage shopfront on Norton Street, and the upstairs veranda is a nice place to crack open a tin of Balter XPA. You can sit among the native plants and watch Norton Street go by.

Alternatively, grab a stool at the downstairs bar. The space is painted a bold teal, which complements the cognac-coloured leather booths and brass accents.