Baix & 81 Bay
European$$$$
Ian Curley (French Saloon, Kirk's) has opened Baix in Brighton, beneath luxury apartment building The International. Five years in the making, it seats nearly 200 diners across a wine bar, restaurant, private dining room and an al fresco area. The door on the left is for Baix Dining restaurant, the door on the right leads to 81 Bay wine bar.
At the latter, go for spontaneous champagne and oysters (Appellation or Albany) in the afternoon. More serious snacking includes smoked cheddar puffs drizzled with hot honey, and beef crackling made by poaching beef tendon, then slicing, dehydrating and deep-frying it until it reaches potato chip texture. It's served with malt vinegar for splashing.
Baix-branded house wines, made by Tasmanian winery Ghost Rock, are reasonably priced but punch well above their weight. On the flipside, big-ticket burgundy and barolo populate a glass-walled cellar you can peer into from the 20-person private dining room.
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