Cocktail hour

The evolution of boutique hotel Oxford House continues with the opening of a new natural wine bar on the property’s street side. Busby’s has taken the place of the unnamed café-restaurant that had occupied the ground-floor location since the property relaunched last year. The space has been remodelled in smoky red and grey tones, with bar and booth seating and a turntable where DJs curate a playlist nightly.

The concept is an 'everyday natural wine and record bar' with a 'large, ever-evolving list of wine by the glass' curated by Mike Bennie of P&V Merchants, located further up Oxford St.

Chef Clayton Wells, whose credits include Automata and MOD Dining at the new Sydney Modern gallery, has written the menu. Wells is culinary director of Public Hospitality, which owns Oxford House and other hotels across Sydney and Melbourne.

The cocktail list offers drinks with names such as Megatone, Abbey Road and Island Records, created by Paolo Maffietti of the Maybe Sammy group, which operates the popular El Primo Sanchez next door.

Public Hospitality’s Stefano Catino says the bar’s new direction is about creating a laidback night-time feel, adding that Busby’s takes inspiration from Bambino in Paris, Berlin’s Sway bar and LA’s Gold Line bar.

“We wanted to create something truly unique with the cocktail menu,” he says. “These cocktails are all designed to be classics in their own right. The cocktail list at Busby’s reflects our minimalist and no-nonsense approach. As a natural wine and hi-fi bar, we focus on flavour and origin of ingredients, and our cocktails embody Busby’s cool, laidback feel.”

Wells describes the food as snacky and interesting, designed to fit with the natural wines and snappy cocktail list.

“Busby’s is all about fun, drinking fare,” he says. “There’s interesting snacks that are perfect for early evening aperitivo, through to more substantial dishes that complement some of our bigger wines.”

Dishes include yellowfin tuna crudo with grilled watermelon and rice crackers; beef tartare with ras-el-hanout, Granny Smith apple, sheep’s cheese and crostini; and oysters with blackberry vinegar.

Public has emerged as a growing yet controversial hospitality group. Owned by businessman Jon Adgemis, the group has been snapping up hotels across Sydney and, more recently, Melbourne. Earlier this year, The Australian Financial Review reported the group had attracted more than $500m in debts. Nevertheless, the openings continue apace across Sydney, including the soon-to-be relaunched Noah’s Backpackers Lodge in Bondi, purchased last year for $68m. Noah’s is due to reopen under a new name this summer.

Busby’s

21 Oxford St