GLASS BY GLASS - BIBO WINE BAR DOUBLE BAY.
Updated: Jun 25
It’s no secret that I love wine bars. The venue is smaller, the vibe more lively, and the food is still amazing but designed to follow you glass by glass.
Bibo in Double Bay has been on the list for a while as a long lunch stop, but as they don’t open Sundays and usually have football on Saturday, it’s taken too long to get here.
You enter Bibo down a dark passage, the walls adorned with a chronicle of Three Glass awards dating back to 2017. This feels like wine bar royalty. For a 1.30pm lunch we’re only the second group inside, but that means we get a four-top table and can sit “French Style”, side by side. I fell in love with sitting this way in cafés on the sidewalks of Paris.
Seated side by side at a banquet table opposite a Marilyn pop-art style artwork, I’m immediately impressed by the waiter checking my wife’s garlic and onion intolerance. After a short discussion with the chef, an edited menu arrives covered in ticks and crosses, clearly showing what can be ordered, what can be modified and what should be avoided altogether. Good service is expected. Great service is how you tackle the challenging moments, and this was great.
These days wine lists are becoming less about ticking boxes of dusty old-school labels and more about showcasing boutique vineyards, the personality of the sommelier and wines with a story to tell.
After a chat with the sommelier we landed in Australia and New Zealand. A 2024 Ngeringa "Sheoak" Chardonnay from the Adelaide Hills for me and a 2025 Millton Te Arai Vineyard Chenin Blanc from Gisborne for Di. The bread and olive oil disappeared quickly, followed by kingfish with hibiscus, mandarin and fennel, and Jamón Ibérico with pickled chilies.
We’ve never really subscribed to strict food and wine matching rules. Our approach is far simpler: drink what you like, eat what you like, and more often than not you’ll find the perfect pairing.
The 400gm sirloin steak special was next and, when asked how we’d like it cooked, the answer was simple: “however the chef recommends”, which is usually the best way to get the perfect steak. Alongside it came Kipfler potatoes with black truffle and a mignonnette lettuce with wild honey and walnut.
Another chat with the sommelier saw Di move to a Mudgee Shiraz Petit Verdot while I went to a French Gamay. But I asked about the Rockford Alicante Bouchet and, with a smile, she said, “I’ll bring you some to try.”
At first sight I admitted that if it didn’t say Rockford, I probably wouldn’t have ordered it. A chilled, light strawberry red that reminded me of the sweet Australian rosés of the 1990s. She laughed and explained, “It’s only 9% and the lunchtime crowd pleaser.”
Well, you can’t ignore what the people want.
And I can see that on a 40-degree Sydney afternoon in the middle of summer, it probably works.
At least it’s a Rockford.
We went to Bibo for the wine and the food, but it's the feeling you remember. Long after you've forgotten what was in the glass, you'll remember how the team made you feel. Bibo understands that.
