The Thirsty Travellers had the pleasure of visiting one of Sydney’s best small bars on Friday night, Annata, prior to lock down.

The stylish spot, which opened in Crows Nest in 2015, is owned by Christian Blair, the former manager of multi-award-winning Darlinghurst cocktail bar Eau de Vie.

During our visit, the bar and restaurant had downsized its normal tally of tables to comply with health guidelines, but was still offering a full, delicious array of food and wine.

We chose the “Short Menu”, which offered five set courses of fresh seasonal produce for $69 per person.

Among the highlights were Bread & Butter Project Sourdough with Meander Valley Butter; Snapper, cucumber salmorejo, bacalao and jalapeño; Buffalo ricotta with yellow peaches, brassica puree and maesil-ju; John Dory with Japanese pumpkin, zucchini and holy basil pistou; Borrowdale BBQ Pork with white onion, carrot escabeche and green mango; plus the most delicious sage ice cream, brown butter crumble, walnut and blackberries to finish.

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The flavours in every dish were luscious and intense; while the wines by the glass were equally impressive, which is hardly surprising considering Annata was a Three Glass winner at the 2019 Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards.

It’s going to be a tough year for the Australian hospitality industry and we felt very privileged to have the chance to enjoy the impeccable service and food at Anaata last week.

We wish Annata all the best in the difficult months ahead and look forward to sipping wonderful wine at the bar again when the crisis is over.

At the time of publication, Annata is offering a delicious takeaway menu, featuring items such as spiced eggplant lasagne with lentil salad and yoghurt sauce.

Call the restaurant on (02) 9437 3700 to order.