“As a boy, I would sit at the bar with my father and he would drink Aperol Spritz and I would sip on a drink called Crodino – which we stock here,” he recalls. “In Tuscany, you can go to a bar four times a day, have panini for lunch, come in for coffee and back for a drink at night. We serve antipasti, pecorino and pizza as well as a famous Sardinian beer called Ichnusa. You can eat all day and sit outside in summer. It feels like back home.” Salon de Thé is equally inclusive. The concrete-and-marble venue, inspired by the spirit of connection and conversation that ruled the salons of 19th century France, takes a democratic approach to its music and menu and is more interested in timelessness than it is in being flavour of the month. “Our friends at Montreal record label Multi Culti curate a different playlist every season but because we don’t have a big, banging sound system, we encourage people to play records off their phone,” says Nolan, who along with Single, saw Bang Gang’s freewheeling DJ sets take him around the world. “We wanted to offer food that was a lighter, healthier alternative to what is trending and create a bar for anyone in their 20s, 30s, 40s or up.” Franchi believes that this synergy between Sydney’s music scene and culinary culture is well overdue. “To appreciate what you taste you want all your senses to be working. When you add music, it makes the experience complete,” he says.
Salon de Thé, Neighbourhood Bondi and Italian Bar aren’t the only eateries proving that music and food equal culinary magic. At Surry Hills’ Suzie Q, owner & DJ Jordan Deck combines rock ‘n’ roll inspired brunch specials with vintage vinyl. Nearby Play Bar dishes up Philly cheese steaks and live hip hop and Tatler, a Darlinghurst speakeasy housed in a sandstone basement, serves late-night cheese boards alongside overseas electronic and jazz acts. Salon de Thé 65 L 2, 225 Victoria St, Darlinghurst. T: 8040 6817 M to Sa 6pm-12pm Neighbourhood Bondi 64 143 Curlewis St, Bondi Beach. T: 9365 2872 M to F 5pm-11pm Sa 9am-11pm Su 9am-10pm Franchi Brothers Italian Bar 63 438 Oxford St, Paddington. T: 8021 3346 Tu to Sa 11am-11pm Su 12am-6pm Suzie Q Coffee and Records 1/18 Hutchinson St, Surry Hills. T: 9332 2739 M to F 7am-4pm Sa Su 8am-4pm Play Bar 72 Campbell St, Surry Hills. T: 9280 0885 playbar.com.au Tu to Sa 4pm-12am Tatler 169 Darlinghurst Rd, Darlinghurst. T: 9331 8811 Tu to Th 6pm-2am F Sa 6pm-4am