It’s the most unlikely place to find a decent enoteca, but this affluent neighbourhood had it coming, and they should be so lucky.
Don’t let the dark logo and gangster silhouette on the street signage fool you. There’s nothing sinister about Harry Hall – it’s just a throwback to the moneylender with the same name who operated out of the building in the 1930s.
There’s outside seating, a street-facing lounge and whole lot of blonde wood giving this bar a lot of air and light. And though the décor may look unfinished with the walls revealing the previous tenant’s partial paint job and exposed brick, it’s an intentional design element you can only appreciate by standing in the middle of the room. It can seem a little stark when it’s empty, but it’s getting quite a lot of look-ins from the clean-cut locals and professionals working in the area.
And so it should. Not only is the wine list short and select, it’s designed to match the food on offer. They’ve made a point of listing all the wines by the half-glass (75mL), as well as full (150mL) and by the bottle (750mL). Hey, it’s called responsible service of alcohol. The list is broken down so there are 24 on offer at any time, matched in pairs with an example from “here” (Australia and NZ), and “there” (anywhere else).
An offer of unsalted, house-smoked almonds comes right after you’re seated, so if you’re happy to sit on those and drink, we suggest you start with the 2012 Suertes del Marques ‘Trenzado’, which is rich, nutty and slightly salty. If wine jargon like “mineral flavours,” “elegant,” “lifted fragrance” or “tannins” freak you out, flip to the back page for a glossary. They may know their wine at Harry Hall, but wine snobs they are not.
The food may be self-identified with the irksome term, “Modern Australian with European influence,” but we assure you it is very good. Dishes are broken down by size (also with an accompanying glossary on the back page), all meats are smoked in-house and sausages are made on the premises. Chorizo comes horizontally split, fatty, appropriately spiced and kissed by a very hot grill. You want to go to there. If you’re sitting down for a meal, kingfish carpaccio, ricotta gnudi, chicken ballotine and beef short ribs are there to help you out.