“You have to be a romantic to invest yourself, your money, and your time in cheese” – Anthony Bourdain
As the "go to" girl for cheese recommendations and advice with my family and friends, I thought it was high time I posted up my top 3 cheese and wine locations in Sydney.
Although I am no stranger to the cosy night at home with a generous cheese board and a bottle (or if you know me well... two, or three of red) with a friend - I love to venture out and try something new.
Having been to pretty much every cheese selling establishment in Sydney, I have narrowed it down to just three...
1. GPO Cheese and Wine Room, CBD
This venue scores my highest grade for a number of reasons... firstly the setting is amazing, intimate. Sitting below the iconic, Martin Place, in a sandstone tunnel eating cheese and drinking wine - pretty special if you ask me!
As usual, I go straight for the cheese menu - yes, that's right - an entire menu dedicated to CHEESE. You can let the experts do the work for you, with pre-selected boards or try your hand at creating your own board.
If you can't just pick one bottle (if you are strong enough to have just one glass, congratulations), why not give the cheese and wine flights a try? It is a great way to try something you haven't tried before, be it wine or cheese. If you are lucky, you may even find a new favourite! Cheese and wine pairing, if you haven't tried it, is a revelation! The flavours, textures and whole eating experience changes with the right (or wrong) wine.
Pros: DIY, custom boards, generous with condiments, value for money, GLUTEN FREE FRIENDLY!
Cons: hard to find (if you haven't been before), quite small, not suitable for a group
2. Wine Library, Woolhara
A funky little place on Oxford St (the Centennial Parklands end), the Wine Library is just that - with a wine list for days...
A perfect, accessible little venue for a glass (pfft, I mean, bottle) of wine and a generous helping of cheese. Unfortunately, no condiments are found alongside the cheese - but the cheese is a star all on its own!
Make sure you chat to your waiter, they are extremely knowledgeable about the wine and indeed the whole menu. I have never had a bad recommendation here, and have discovered some amazing wines this way.
TIP: go for the 4 cheeses, you only live once ;) ... use the rule of thumb 1 x blue, 1 x washed rind, 1 x hard/semi hard, 1 x oooozy (i.e. a mild, gooey, brie style)
PROS: easy to get to, very knowledgeable staff, EXTENSIVE wine list, great selection of quality cheese, gluten free friendly
CONS: no condiments :(, the wine is sometimes.. too easy to drink..., not a cheap night out here.
3. Love, Tilly Devine, Darlinghurst
A hidden gem, this one. Tucked away behind Crown St, Darlinghurst, Love, Tilly Devine is another intimate bar oozing with character.
The main stand out with this cheese board was the "booze factor"... each cheese on our boards (yes, we got one each, what?! It WAS dinner....) was doused in alcohol ... umm, wow!
Again, minimal condiments and unfortunately no gluten free crackers for moi .. but never fear I always carry a packet in my hand bag if I am heading out for cheese.. haha
PROS: cool, laneway venue, extensive wine list, knowledgeable staff, exciting regularly changing cheeseboard
CONS: not gluten free friendly, minimal condiments, a little hard to find (but that's half the appeal!)
Enjoy trying these out and finding your own favourites...
Until next time, happy eating xx
