What: Bar Petite
Where: 5 King Street, Newcastle
Prices: Smalls, $8.50 to $17.50; cheese board, $28; meals, $19.50 to $24
Chef: Justin King
Wines: 31 by the glass (out of 34 bottles); good selection with an emphasis on Hunter and French wines as well as other Australian, NZ and Italian
Hours: Monday to Thursday, 11am to 11pm; Friday and Saturday, 11am to midnight; Sunday 11am to 10pm
Vegetarian: Four small, one meal
Bookings: 4929 3033
Bottom line: Two smalls, two meals, about $70 without drinks
Let's be clear at the outset. I am not apologising for another review of a bar with food as it is very apparent that in this town, lots of small plates with a good selection of beverages is pushing out the entree/main/dessert format. And with more openings around town than you can poke a stick at, here is another one: Bar Petite, at the Sebel Hotel near Newcastle beach.
The eclectic decor may not appeal to all tastes, with its polished timber bar and bentwood stools, cafe tables inside and out and a homey corner with retro arm chairs and potted palms. Depending on where you sit, you could be in a Parisian bar, in your maiden aunt's house or in a colonial-era club. And it's all reflected in the menu with its Vietnamese, Thai, Mediterranean and French influences.
Depending on your appetite and time available you can have a snack or graze over a full meal.
The grilled sourdough is more than just bread as it comes with pungent roast garlic puree, a green olive tapenade and an Aussie variation on a French classic - creamy barramundi brandade ($14).
Translucent Vietnamese rice paper bulges with duck, orange, cucumber and green shallot ready for a dip in a hoi sin sauce (six pieces, $15.50). Or you could choose king prawns spiked with mint and coriander with fragrant nuoc cham dressing (six pieces).
Whitebait and zucchini fritters (six pieces for $13) are brown and crisp on the outside and filled with tiny fish and grated zucchini but are a little oily and need the accompanying chilli lime dipping sauce to boost their flavour.
The terrine ($13) is packed with pieces of tender chicken, studded with lots of pistachios and flecked generously with parsley, but would also benefit from seasoning and was a touch crumbly and dry and difficult to transfer to the crisp melba toast. A few cornichons are not quite enough to compensate.
A bowl of fettuccine glistens with extra virgin olive oil and bursts with flavour. Cherry tomatoes and flakes of marinated kingfish chilli get a kick from a squeeze of lime, tendrils of shredded basil and finely chopped fresh coriander ($21.50).
I am usually reluctant to order risotto. It's either too gluggy or enriched unnecessarily with cream. Not so here. The shellfish risotto ($22.50) is al dente, moist, and naturally creamy from stirring the rice grains well. A generous hand with the seafood (prawns, scallops, mussels and calamari) and judicious touches of preserved lemon and parsley make it my pick of the night.
The coffee machine was still to be installed and sweet tooths will be disappointed as there are no desserts. This is basically a wine bar which has a broad but not overly exciting range of wines by the glass or bottle, a few white wine or champagne cocktails, 10 boutique bottled beers and a few soft drinks.
It will be interesting to see how Bar Petite develops as it is quite a change of pace for chef Justin King, whose previous gig was at Rocksalt. So far the kitchen is doing a fine job of blending bar with food and keeping a varied clientele happy.
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