Bar Bella

Photos: Nikki To

At first reading, a bar-restaurant featuring Italian-Swedish cuisine may seem a little unorthodox, but restaurateur Greg Bampton swears the combination works. Indeed, Bampton is so confident in it that he and two partners have opened Bar Suze on Foveaux St with a menu that’s a little bit Rome, a little bit Stockholm. Which means you can expect anything from smoked anchovy rye toast with egg and dill, to silverbeet ravioli with cabbage and parmigiana broth.

“The menu will change daily, if not weekly, to keep the locals coming in,” says Bampton, who is ex-front of house at Pinbone and Acme. “Everyone seems to be enjoying the food a lot.”

Bampton joined forces with Philip Stenvall as head chef and Brenton Hassan as sous chef on the restaurant, which the trio built themselves by hand with the help of a legion of friends.

The food features shared plates, snacks and bigger plates and an organic, natural and biodynamic wine list. The kitchen is also opening late — dinner can still be ordered at 11.30pm — to give Sydney a little taste of late-night life.

Bampton says the place has a “relaxed, calm, low-light sort of vibe” that’s perfect for Surry Hills. “We’re playing some jazz and people are enjoying that.”

BAR SUZE

54 Foveaux St

barsuze.com