Bar Louise, a new tapas bar concept from Porteño, is found in the old site of Stanbuli, and pays homage to the space’s origins as a salon.
The emphasis is on drinks that are “very laid back, and nothing that takes itself too seriously,” Michael ‘Mikey’ Nicolian says.
“But high quality – so think Tequila Sunrise, but made with cold pressed orange juice, high quality tequila and grenadine made from pomegranate and orange blossom water that we do ourselves.
“Basically, were not compromising our standards of seeking perfection in everything we do, but we’re not trying to reinvent the wheel and do anything too hectic,” Mikey adds.
The drinks menu at Bar Louise has a focus on “minimal intervention and small, family production wineries,” Mikey says.
Of course, being a tapas bar, there’s a strong commitment to drinks from the Iberian peninsula, with the menu designed by Mikey and sommelier Melvin Haxaire-Christophe (previously of P&V Merchants).
Kalimotxo, a Basque combination of red wine and cola, features on the list, as does holiday favourite Sangria (available by the jug).
“We spike all our Sangria with Grand Marnier, brandy, a little bit of decaf espresso in the batch as well, with a bunch of fruit,” Mikey says.
There is one cocktail that is a little bit more complex in its preparation: a coffee negroni.
“It’s basically a bit of a twist on the old cult classic that took off about ten years ago at Eau De Vie,” Mikey says.
“But instead of putting our negroni through a cold drip, we did a milk punch out of the vermouth and Campari.
“By its nature, [this] strips the colour out of it, but it clings on to the identity of a normal negroni, and gives it that nice weight and richness you get from any sort of milk punch, and obviously milk and coffee, coffee and negroni – a match made in heaven.”
Learn more about milk punches here.
Alongside these cocktails, there is a long wine list, with a focus on small Spanish producers, but also including representatives from Australia, France and Italy.
“There’s a mad focus on sherry – again small producers, as well as some stuff from the big dogs because, you know, that’s the world of sherry. We’ve got stuff from Toro Albalá, Equipo Navazos – but instead of getting all their mass-produced stuff, we’ve got some of their smaller batches,” Mikey outlines.
“Vermouth selection is off the hook,” he adds.
“We’re not secluding ourselves just to Spain – the world of alcohol is pretty awesome and it would be silly to neglect that!”
Porteño also operates Continental Bar and Deli, which now has locations in both Newtown and the CBD. Mikey says that the group’s experiences with Continental means it is well-placed when it comes to importing high quality European wines.
“With the Continental, we know our way around the suppliers and who’s brining in what, we’re able to get things like the orange vermouth from Naturale, which is over in Sicily, made by one of the winemakers of COS, who’s related to Ariana Occhipinti – like small cult following wines.”
The food offering has a strong focus on seafood, with the charcoal grill from Stanbuli retained.
“The fish coming off that charcoal grill is phenomenal,” Mikey says.
“But even the seafood that’s not coming off the grill – like the kingfish crudo with jamón vinaigrette is awesome.”
There’s classic tapas dishes on offer too – including morcilla (Spanish blood sausage), chorizo in cider sauce and serrano ham.
“The morcilla – the blood sausage – is out of control!” Mikey comments.
Refurbishment of the venue took around six months, beginning in April and concluding at the start of September. Design at Porteño’s venues is always done in-house, and for Mikey, it was a little simpler than opening an entirely new place.
“We weren’t moving the bar anywhere. We gave it a bit of an overhaul in terms of the colour scheme, put some tiles on the wall – but the shape of the place, the bones in place, are amazing.”
The Bar Louise’s name is a reference to the original Marie-Louise salon, operated by George and Nola Mezher. The pair famously won the Lotto in 1982, and used their winnings to establish the Our Lady of the Snows soup kitchen, while they continued to run the Salon until George’s death in 2009.
The purple-and-pink shop-front is an original relic from the salon – and a fitting tribute to two fine Enmore locals.
Bar Louise is found at 135 Enmore Road and is open seven days a week, with dinner served from 5pm, while lunch is served on weekends.
