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Aperitif

Editorial Review

Editorial Review

Aperitif has been clinking away for a few years now on the notoriously fickle Kellet Street in Kings Cross - a strip where bars and restaurants pop up regularly like startled meerkats, only to later vanish like dust in the wind. You know they must be doing something right if they've stuck around this long.

The blood-red walls, dimly lit chandeliers, bullfighter paintings and solo piano jazz immediately transport you to somewhere far away from the Cross. The wine list is also an international ticket in itself. Sommelier Charles Leong has assembled a very impressive list of entirely European reds and whites, the majority of which are French. This is backed with a fine selection of sweet wines, liqueurs, aperitifs and digestifs. The lone Italian entry on the whites list was the well received Albino Armani Pinot Grigio. Also enjoyable was the Jean Luc Mader Riesling from France.

Aperitif also offers a very interesting list of cocktails for around $16. Try the Arabesque with Bacardi and green apple nectar. Or for something sweeter, the Imperial - it's a bit like a cherry martini. No doubting it, Aperitif is a serious wine bar and an absolute graveyard for beer drinkers, the saving grace being the welcome presence of the Lord Nelson's Three Sheets, a very tasty pale ale previously only available at its original home in the Rocks.

The kitchen at Aperitif stays opens until very, very late and the Mediterranean decor is indicative of what you'll find on the degustation menu. The service is attentive and friendly, and ready to match your food selection with your wine selection, or vice versa. Great place for a long night with a small group.
Blake Williamson, April 2008