Going to a wine bar and not having any wine might seem like a silly thing to do but allow me to plead my case. This wine bar, The Wine Library on the Woollahra end of Oxford Street reportedly has some very good morsels to eat on offer. These delicious sounding bites also come at some very reasonable prices too  – and Woollahra is not an area known for value particularly in boutique shopping or property prices! I was also on the verge of a cold so I say no to a glass of wine which I know is kind of like going to a steak house and not ordering steak but sometimes a girl just wants to eat. My buddy The Second Wife reports being very pleased with the wines that she had. And this post is a combination of two visits, the first with the fabulous The Second Wife and the second with  the lovely Petrina from Donna Hay.

And where is the kitchen? Well it is right behind the bar! The open kitchen where food is prepared is a tiny area and the chefs tells the other customer about how different it is cooking out here whereas in a kitchen they never see much action. Case in point, a tipsy customer comes up to the chef and complains about the toilet door loudly and then lurches back to her seat. The chef look bemused by it all.

“Hmm chicken baguette with fennel pollen mayonnaise” I say drooling. The Second Wife, who it must be said is the perfect partner in crime ( we can get up to so much food mischief!) readily agrees to both the lobster roll and the chicken baguette, a serve of sweet potato chips and a witlof salad.

Chicken baguette with celery and fennel pollen mayonnaise $10

We start with the chicken baguette which has been cut in half for us. It is generously filled with tender chicken and mayonnaise and the bread is a white sourdough baguette. I end up eating the filling out of this as the bread is quite thick.

Lobster roll $15

The lobster roll is next. It is filled with tiny morsels of real lobster meat. It’s not bad but I think I prefer the chicken roll more as the lobster morsels are very small and appear to be more of the leg meat than the larger tail meat. Unusually, there isn’t the fennel pollen mayonnaise on this, it tastes like regular mayonnaise here. We check the menu and indeed, this one is supposed to have the fennel pollen mayo but the other one does. In between visits the price has gone up a few dollars from $12 to $15.

Sweet potato chips $5

The sweet potato chips are well salted and paper thin and crispy and very good and moreish!

Witlof salad $9

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Mr NQN often complains that I’m always in a hurry. I always complain that he’s always in a dream like trance and every trip involves me herding him to get ready “We’re running late! Are you ready?” is often a cry of mine. However this evening, I’m in no hurry at all.

It’s the first night of the Sydney Festival and there’s a tell tale excitement in the air. People are in good moods and the weather is balmy. And we’re positioned right on the water at Woolloomooloo Bay wharf at the bar at Manta and settled into a deep banquette lounge. And I’m not moving. A boat sails past pumping dance music with people dancing on the bow. Later, a boat cruises past with the entire thirty of so passengers singing Happy Birthday. Hundreds of people walk past and provide us with copious amounts of eye candy and entertainment.

Manta ‘angel’ chips with truffle oil and parmesan $15.5

I have learned the hard way that I am a very cheap drunk. So for me to have a cocktail I must have food and food that can soak up alcohol or I’ll soon be climbing up on one of those boats. The angel chips do the trick. Last time we ate at Manta they were a little too rich as we had them along with a huge steak and lobster but outside of this they’re just what I need. They are generously coated with truffle salsa and parmesan and the chips are golden and crunchy (although the chips at the bottom don’t get that moreish blanket of parmesan)

Manta Martini $16

The Manta martini is filled with freshly crushed lychees and lemongrass syrup shaken with Belvedere vodka and apple juice, served straight up martini style. It’s very strong and fruity with a distinct Asian flavour to it from the lychee and to a lesser extent the lemongrass which is more subtle.

Asian bellini

The Asian bellini has lychee liqueur, champagne and watermelon liqueur at the bottom. Once stirred, and the watermelon liqueur does have the tendency to settle, it is sweet, bubbly and giggle making.

A dozen oysters $49

There are usually three varieties of oyster but being oysters, a couple of them aren’t at their best so we have two oysters to choose from. There is the Sydney Rock from Moreton Bay and Sydney Rock from Port Stephens. They both taste quite different. At Manta they explain that they are all freshly shucked and never under running water, just brushed to get any grit or shell out if there is any. So the oysters taste like the sea brine. The Moreton bay are subtler in flavour with a more straight briney taste whereas the Port Stephens oysters have myriad flavours from the sea. And you can order them on the muscle if you would like.

Ocean trout roe – 30g $38

There are three types of caviar available, the ocean trout roe ($38), oscietra ($165) and beluga ($265) per one ounce serve. It’s an item that they don’t sell a lot of as most people don’t go for it. But not me, I love caviar borne of having a Russian friend in High School. Her parents spent a small fortune buying caviar and she was nonplussed about the stuff whereas I loved visiting her and getting a taste of caviar. This caviar is the ocean trout roe so technically not caviar but roe. The beads are small and firm on the outside which makes me quite hard to pop and there isn’t a great deal of the salty nectar inside. I have to admit that I didn’t really go for this roe as I love the gentle popping and resultant explosion of salty caviar. It is served with sour cream tiny radish batons and diced cucumber on thinly sliced bread that is not quite crouton, not quite fresh bread.

Hiramasa kingfish carpaccio, capers, shaved fennel, radish, orange $19

I recall adoring this dish last time but this time it is fresh but is a bit bland in comparison as there isn’t enough salt to bring out the lovely flavour of the kingfish (last time there were different accompaniments).

Summer Breeze $16

The summer breeze cocktail is a long, icey drink of sweet berries and is eminently drinkable. It’s a blend of fresh watermelon, blueberries and raspberries shaken with cranberry juice, Belvedere vodka and Chambord. And for those that don’t drink very much, the sweetness of the cranberry juice and berries makes this easily downed and as the name suggests, perfect for hot evenings like this.

Pineapple Sorbet Mojito $16

I equally adored the pineapple sorbet mojito as it was full of fresh mint and pineapple flavours. There was fresh mint and pineapple sorbet with lime and sugar, Havana Bianco rum, served over ice, topped with soda water. Another refreshing drink for summer.

Suddenly the heavens open up-not rain my dear readers but the shades pull back to give us a glorious view of the last half hour of light before darkness descends. And did you know that the shades along all of the restaurants are controlled by a little wind measure that sits atop some of the poles? I had to ask because I was curious as all of the shades along the wharf pulled back at once.

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“There’s no such thing as too much pork” Yas says with authority and I know he’s right. We’re ensconced in a leather booth in Tokonoma Surry Hills which is the bar and restaurant right next to Toko next door (Noma means “small space” although this is not really a small space). Having walked in in possession of a booking (yes thankfully they take them here unlike Toko next door) we’re deciding what to order from the menu when Benito the bartender comes up to us and explains the tasting we’ll be having this evening.

For those unfamiliar with Shochu, it is is a Japanese distilled beverage made from rice, barley or sweet potato and there are two types of Shochus fermented with the yeast Koji.. There are the mass produced Shochus that need some infusing for flavour and then there are the artisan style Shochus that feature on the menus by name, the base ingredient used and the area it comes from. Each glass of shochu is between $8-$10.  Benito shows us the big jars of the homemade shochus in the display at the entrance. Fruit bobs within them and there are combinations like nashi pear and pistachio, buckwheat, goji berries and green papaya, and peach and lemon and each one takes about 3 months.

A drink I recall seeing a lot when I lived in Japan is Chuhai which is Shochu mixed with a fizzy drink and is more palatable for those (like me) that don’t like bitter alcohols and strong alcohols. A selling point is that there are 15-20 calories per serve for Shochu (up to one quarter of other alcohols) and that is is said to leave the body quicker meaning it’s less likely for hangover. Benito says that he likes recommending the sweet potato shochu for the entree as it’s a nice smooth, introductory shochu, the barley shochu for a main as it’s more robust and the sugarplum for dessert as it’s similar to a dessert wine.

Edamame $6.30

“Is that the Awamori?” Yas says with excitement and a touch of trepidation. The Awamori is one type of Shochu from the Okinawa region and is said to be known for its strength. Benito confirms it is indeed and that they have a lot of trouble getting the Awamori and Torikai shochus. He starts us off with two chuhais without alcohol while we are waiting on our food and they are agave and pink grapefruit soda (my favourite) while Yas’s favourite is the aloe vera, peach and citrus soda. We nibble on the salty but moreish edamame beans while we peruse the menu.

Watari-gani no kara-age $16.90

The deep fried soft shell crab is crunchily good when dipped with the mild wasabi mayonnaise and the salad is dressed in a wafu dressing.

Dengaku Nasu $12.80

“Oh. My. God. I want to marry this” I say. I’m not prone to declarations of marriage. Well I am already married and having two husbands seems like a foolhardy existence but this innocent looking eggplant is so soft and delicious and definitely marrying material. There are two kinds of miso on top, a red miso and a black miso and scooping the softer than soft flesh out is pure pleasure. I prefer the red miso a bit more than the black miso which is reminiscent of hoi sin sauce. Click here to read the full story