Timbah - Glebe, NSW
Date: Tuesday 12th April 2011
Restaurant: Timbah
Address: 1 / 375 Glebe Point Road, Glebe
Phone: 02 9571 7005
Commentary: Sarah Andrew
If you haven’t heard of this venue that is no surprise for a number of reasons. Firstly it only opened in February this year; secondly it is tucked down a side street and presents with an understated entrance (for a very good reason) and finally the venue has been designed and targeted at locals for locals!
You may wonder how on earth someone based in Melbourne found such a place? It’s simple I know the owners (Tim & Louise Smith) and have sold wine over the past few years to their retail business Glebe Liquor. The store faces out onto Glebe Point Road and the bar is tucked behind, below road level.
I was in Sydney last week for business and knew exactly where I wanted to go for a small bite to eat and glass of wine - Timbah!!! The venue is small but perfectly formed with scattered tables and stools and a bar filling half of one wall. The garage has been converted to a kitchen and cold storage, which is quite impressive given its size.
In the way of food there are a number of small plates (priced around $15 - $16), dips, a pate ensemble, one main ($18) and something for the sweet-tooth! Oh and last but not least is the ‘Timbah Board’ which consists of cured meat, lavosh, cheese, grapes, tomatoes and mushrooms all for the very reasonable price of $18.00.
I selected one of the small plates, zucchini fritters with white bean salsa and whipped feta. To accompany this I chose a glass of Squawking Magpie Chardonnay 2005 (Hawke's Bay) which had appeared on the wine list from the cellar selection. The wine list is operated in a unique way whereby the first three whites and reds selected become the ‘wine by the glass’ options for the evening and then when they run out the next wine selected is added to the list. I believe there will be the opportunity in time to order from the very extensive ‘cellar selection’ that Tim and Louise have nurtured over many years. I had a glimpse of this list and was very impressed.
The vibe was relaxed and the staff attentive and polite. I would hazard a guess that the majority of customers were indeed locals and for a Tuesday night the venue was popular with every table taken and one or two tables turned over in the hour I was there.
Timbah is a great venue for a glass of wine, catch up with a friend or bite to eat. I would love to arrive in the afternoon and slowly move from a small plate to a main and finish with something sweet. I will be back again in June so I may just do that!
Cheers Sarah