NOW EXPERIENCING:One Trick Pony
Drinks Directory|Melbourne – Inner North|Takeaways|Bar

One Trick Pony

6 Newry Street, Fitzroy North, VIC, 3068
Phone
(03) 9482 2247
Website
otp-wine.com.au
Instagram
@otpwine

Read time 3 Mins

Posted 30 May 2023

By
Michael Harden

This good-looking, light-filled two-level backstreet bar, diner and bottle shop has a few tricks up its sleeve, doing all its jobs seamlessly with great casual style.

outside image of one trick pony
Why you goContrary to its name, this little pony has more than one trick in its repertoire. Three of them, at least, by our count. Occupying the triangular tip of a former pub in a peaceful Fitzroy North backstreet (the rest of the building has been converted into townhouses), One Trick Pony is the kind of multi-tasking food and wine business that every neighbourhood should have. At ground level there’s a bar and a bottle shop with a 150-label collection of mostly minimal-intervention wines that also serves as the wine list for the upstairs dining room where skilfully cooked wine-friendly food is produced in a tiny open kitchen. Another trick up its sleeve is that OTP is run by a small team of seasoned professionals, and everything from the wine talk downstairs to the cooking and food service upstairs is delivered with reassuring confidence. Add a clever and soothing fit-out that makes the most of the tight space and abundant natural light and you may start contemplating moving into the neighbourhood just so you can call yourself a local.
Why you stayEven after you know it’s there, OTP gives off highly attractive hidden-gem vibes. The feeling of stumbling upon something undiscovered is partly due to the quiet, leafy location in a mostly residential area, but it’s also down to the design. IF Architecture, the design team behind Marion, Etta and Attica, among others, has taken full advantage of the light-flooded corner location while cleverly blending the building’s heritage bones with a timeless, peaceful mix of brass, timber and marble finishes. It’s a seductive mix. Come in to buy a bottle of wine to take with you and chances are you’ll find yourself propped up at the grey marble bar downstairs, perhaps even contemplating climbing the stairs to the lovely 28-seat dining room to sample some of owner-chef Chris Terlikar’s single-page menu – perhaps a few oysters teamed with a feisty mezcal mignonette dressing, or some house-cured wild-boar salami served with spicy pickled peppers and rye sourdough. Either way, it’s a good idea not to come here in a rush so you’re not late for your next appointment.
What drink to orderThe downstairs bottle shop at OTP is the wine list for the dining room and, with 150 different labels and some expert wine knowledge at your disposal, it makes drinking wine here (just add $25 to the shelf price) something of a no-brainer. The cellar has a constantly changing selection of excellent small-producer wines from around the world so you can splash out on fine French Chablis or a Spanish mataro blend, or choose to keep it Aussie with a cracking pinot noir from Beechworth or riesling from the Eden Valley. The by-the-glass list is not only generous and good value, but it’s also a great summary of what’s going on downstairs, with a clever and interesting mix of old- and new-world choices.
image of dishes at one trick pony
image of food and wine glass
What to pair it with

Chef Chris Terlikar is best known to Melbourne diners for his barbecued-brisket work at Bluebonnet Barbecue, but his menu at OTP underlines that there’s more than slow-cooked meat in his toolkit. Some of the best dishes on his wine-friendly menu are vegetarian, including a banger of a dish that combines burrata – the fresh mozzarella-like cheese with the runny centre – with pickled red grapes and vincotto grape syrup, and a standout miso-glazed eggplant number served with buckwheat and shimeji mushrooms. Those needing a bit of protein won’t go hungry either with dishes like beef tri-tip served with olive oil potato mash and soft and sticky sweet onions waving the carnivore flag.

 

Regular’s tipIf you want to enjoy the upstairs dining room at its best, make a booking around sunset. The room’s many windows capture the changing, fading light beautifully, making the going down of the sun in the clean-lined room an almost textural experience.
Don’t leave withoutOrder a cocktail. The dining room features a cocktail trolley so you can get a Campari Spritz, a Martini, an Old Fashioned, a Manhattan or a Negroni expertly made tableside.
Who to takeOne Trick Pony is the sort of place you’re only going to want to share with people you really like. Whether that’s your significant other, your favourite cousin or a gathering of your besties, they’re all going to love you even more than they do already once you’ve introduced them to the Pony.
Sponsor logo
In partnership with Melbourne Food & Wine Festival
Authour image
Michael HardenAfter 25 years writing about wine and food, Michael Harden is getting the hang of it.
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Drinks DirectoryVego Food OptionsAfter work drinksOutdoor areaBarTop notch wine listCasual catch-upNon-alc OptionsDate nightMeal and a bevMelbourneTakeawaysRestaurantMelbourne – Inner North
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