1892 Espresso and Wine Bar, Rozelle

Matt and I had date night recently at 1892 Espresso and Wine bar in Rozelle. It's a cold Friday night and as I enter, I can see small groups of people swirling their wine during happy hour. You'll see a cosy interior with large pieces of artwork to enjoy. I am introduced to 1892 via the Australia Good Food Guide. Thanks AGFG <3

I sit down in the dining area and enjoy the dim lighting with my cocktail. It's a Brazilian Caipiroska ($12 during happy hour 5pm to 7pm) made with Belvedere, sugar, lime and frozen berries. The caiprioska is fruity and smooth. It's the perfect drink to kick off the night. You'll only see premium spirits on the menu.

 

I wait for Matt to arrive and sit patiently as I've exceeded my data for the month. It's forced me to be more in the present and less engrossed on my phone. He finally arrives and orders a 1892 Spicy Margarita ($18) made with jalapeno infused tequila, cointreau and lime.  The Margarita is smooth and quite strong while the chilli hit is a mild lingering aftertaste. I am missing the usual salty ring I see in most margaritas but am enjoying that lingering spice on the tongue.

The menu is a la cart however you can ask staff to pair the food with their extensive wine list. I start off with the Smoked Portobello Skewers ($18) with finger lime, miso tahini  (portion of 3) to accompany my cocktail. The mushroom skewers are perfectly cooked retaining the rich, moist portobello flavours. I enjoy the textural contrast with the finger lime and leaves which are slightly bitter. Matt mops up the skewer with the miso tahnini sauce but I actually quite enjoy the skewer without the sauce.

Next we order the Cerviche ($22 for 3) flying fish roe, crispy sushi rice with sriracha aioli. Matt really enjoys this dish as the creamy cerviche complements the crispy rice. The crispy rice has a nice balance of crunchy and softness.  The sriracha  aioli is very mild in spiciness and is the glue that keeps that cerviche intact. I really like this dish.

Next up is the Duo of French Lamb Cutlets ($18) with salsa verde. The lamb cutlets are perfectly cooked with a nice shade of pink, the little crisps also make for a nice crunchy touch. I cut away the fat and leave this for Matt to eat which he claims is the best part. Matt really enjoys this lamb dish. I suggest you pair this dish with a glass of the Domaine Chermette Beaujolais $15.

The dish I was most looking forward to was the Beef Short Rib ($34) with pomme puree, garlic chives, pomegranate foam, jus. This beef short rib is currently one of their specials and 1892 Espresso and Wine Bar are considering to make this a permanent fixture on their main menu as it's been so popular with patrons.

The beef rib is cooked perfectly and naturally falls off the bone. I savour the flavoursome pieces of beef rib in my mouth and swirl in some wine. I suggest you pair this with a mazzeri Fonteutoli DOCG (hianti sangiovese)  $17. This has to be my favourite dish so far. I highly recommend.

Matt and I also order the Duck Confit ($30) with polenta, charred corn and jus. Matt is a big duck fan and enjoys the smokey flavours of the duck with the thick polenta. The charred corn also brings a mild sweetness to the dish and is a nice textural and flavour contrast to the duck and polenta. This dish is quite delicious but I am still thinking about the previous dish. I suggest you pair this with a glass of the 

Domaine Destriorechaux merlot Bordeaux $16.

There's one vegetarian/vegan dish on the menu and it's the Roasted Eggplant ($26) with babaganouj, dukkah pistachio, dutch carrots, labneh. The eggplant is well cooked and texturally contrasts well with the crunchy carrots and dukkah pistachio. It's a very simple dish and is pleasant to eat. The Roasted Eggplant dish isn't as strong as the other mains though. I suggest you pair this with a glass of the hey malbec $14.

To finish off the meal, we are served with triple chocolate mousse ($14) with three layers, including chocolate soil, chocolate ganache and chocolate mousse. This dessert is heaven on a spoon. The chocolate mousse is light and does well to stick to the chocolate dirt. Matt and I do not immediately identify the chocolate ganache but to be honest, we were spooning the dessert into our mouths pretty quickly. I suggest you pair this with a glass of the spinifex grenache $12.

Summary: Overall, I really enjoyed my date night at 1892 Espresso and Wine Bar in Rozelle. This venue is intimate, cosy with an extensive wine list. The food is cleverly thought out in quality flavours and in composition. My favourite dishes were the short rib and that cerviche. I highly recommend you check out!

Price: Mains are $26-36

Location: 679 Darling St, Rozelle

Opening Hours: 
Closed Monday and Tuesday
Wed, Thur 11am to 10:30pm
Fri, Sat 8am to 10:30pm
Sunday 8am to 10pm

Weekend Food Escapes dined as guests of the venue or their representatives. All photos, opinions and words are my own.