After four years of cooking above P&V, the team behind Porcine has officially taken over the menu for its courtyard bar, which now gets its own name: L’Avant Cave. “It means the front cellar, which is essentially the wine shop,” says chef Nik Hill, “so it makes sense.”
The team is familiar with the set-up – they’ve been providing terrines for the downstairs bar for years – but this solidifies the relationship, with Hill taking care of the menu, while Matt Fitzgerald and Harry Levy handle service.
The new offering shares some of Porcine’s DNA with more of a small-plate focus, largely inspired by their research trips. “The three of us – myself, Matt and Harry – we try to get to France every year or two, and we spent some time there last year,” says Hill. “We did a pop-up in Paris and spent a lot of lot of time indulging heavily.”
At L’Avant Cave, Hill is looking forward to flexing his snack muscle. This might mean adapting dishes once on the menu at Porcine for a wine bar setting, like a pigeon Melba toast. “We used to serve this on the side with a whole roast pigeon. Now it goes perfectly downstairs in the wine bar as its own dish,” says Hill. Punters will also find the likes of crumbed scallops with gribiche; oeufs mayonnaise with anchovies and capers; a croque-monsieur on toasted brioche; and garlic snails.
French cuisine has always been a great fit for the cooler months in Sydney, so he has high hopes this translates downstairs. “We find that after Easter when the autumnal weather hits and the mushrooms start coming through, we really get packed out at Porcine. This is a great time of year to open.”
L’Avant Cave is now taking bookings, while also holding space for walk-ins, and continues to follow the P&V BYO format, with wine available to buy from the shop for $25 corkage, as well as by-the-glass options.
Design-wise, the bones of the courtyard remain, without many aesthetic changes. “Maybe some changes to the lighting, a bit of re-signage,” says Hill. “It’s a beautiful space already – locals love dropping in for a glass of wine there, so if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
It might be a subtle change, but it’s a smart, exciting evolution for the Paddington hotspot.
L’Avant Cave is open now at 268 Oxford St, Paddington, NSW. Bookings can be made via the P&V website.
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