La Salut

Darlo institution Love, Tilly Devine helped teach Sydneysiders about wine bars. And the group behind it – as well as Ragazzi and Fabbrica – has returned to its roots with La Salut, a Catalan-inspired bolthole in the old sports bar of Redfern’s revamped Norfolk House and Hotel.

Executive chef Scott McComas-Williams has created a menu inspired by his time working in Barcelona. Here, he’s showcasing seafood in all its forms (raw, tinned and cooked), plus imported Spanish preserves and Australian produce. You might find snacks of jamon served with Fabbrica’s pan de cristal (Spanish ciabatta), Jatz-like oven-baked crackers topped with anchovies, tomato and a manchego custard; and pinchos a la plancha (skewers cooked over a flat grill), which you can team up with plenty of Catalonian-style sides.

Vying for space behind the central wooden bar is an array of vermouths, served with an orange wedge, anchovy-stuffed olives, and a small bottle of soda. There’s also an extensive list of wines drawing from Barcelona’s burgeoning natural wine movement, and Vino de Pasto – unfortified wines made from Palomino grapes in Andalusia.

The bottle shop is more international in scope. There’s a cute table for two in the corner if you feel like settling in to open your bottle, or a corkage fee to take it into the Norfolk Hotel next door.