Cheese and wine adds taste of Continent to the West End

Felix Delaboire calls it his bittersweet farewell to Newcastle.

With the blessing of Bank Corner Cafe owner Tony Gluck, Delaboire is operating a pop-up European wine bar at Bank Corner Cafe on Bellevue Street, Newcastle West, until April 21.

Delaboire’s first job in Australia was as “breakfast chef” at Bank Corner, making French-style croissants and crepes, four years ago. He grew that opportunity into Kid and Cat’s pop-up restaurant at Bank Corner, and the creperie business expanded on the side. 

Now, just before Delaboire’s visa expires, he’s offering a wine bar in the evenings Wednesdays through Sundays at Bank Corner.

The pop-up is featuring four cheeses, along with sausages and bread, to create share plates.

“We eat a lot of cheese in Europe,” he says. “It’s a lifestyle. You meet with friends, it’s a food memory. When you have the best time with friends there is food around, or a drink. That’s what I wanted to do with this bar as well. To create this time when you go with a friend and you are sharing.”

Delaboire has secured his sourdough bread from pastry chef Gareth Williams’ of Covered in Crumbs, his cheeses from Pork Ewe Deli and wines with an organic bent from all over.

The four cheeses on offer include a Comte raw cow milk cheese from France, a Garrotxa goat milk cheese from Spain, a Pecorino toscano sheep milk cheese from Italy and a Reypenaer cow milk cheese from the Netherlands.

Delaboire has seven hand-picked wines on his menu, focusing on preservative-free natural wines made by small winemakers.

The wines cover a wide range of taste experiences. They include a Zibbido Amphora “orange” wine from adventurous South Australian vintner Brash Higgins; a pinot noir from Victorian winemaker Patrick Sullivan; a syrah from Kindeli El Jabali in New Zealand; a Minim Wines “Hitch” (pinot noir/grenache); a chardonnay by Ochota Barrel from the Slint vineyard, and a chenin blanc from Brash Higgins (of which only 95 cases were produced).

Bank Corner Wine Bar, 4pm til late, Wed-Sunday, 2 Bellevue St, Newcastle West.