Sonny’s

A neighbourhood bar-restaurant with heart, flame and finesse.

Named for the owner’s rescue greyhound whose silhouette is etched into the glasses, illustrated on menus and whose pals are welcome (a dog bowl placed just outside the front door), Sonny’s and its humans are both award-winning and a magnet for off-duty hospo peers for good reason – excellent food and wine. With the wood-fired grill as its altar, the Sonny’s team moves around it with an instinctive rhythm. Floor staff glide amongst tables indoor and out; bartenders shake smoky Gibsons with charred onion vermouth; and keeper of the flame, Sofika Boulton, fires up pork collar, brined for days then charred and doused in preserved olive leaf jus, served with blackened kipflers paddling in koji crème fraîche, speckled with chive oil. Naked legs of asparagus are so fresh they eschew the need to be dressed with anything but are all the lovelier for garlic scape mustard and pickles. Step outside, the hum shifts but the energy holds. Perched on a picnic bench under eucalypts, a crisp chablis to hand, your dog lazing at your feet, taking a solo moment or gathering friends, with the promise of good food, Sonny’s reminds you of life’s great and often simple pleasures.