50 Macleay St
Elizabeth Bay, SydneyVelluto is much more than just a classy sophisticated bar.
It has lovely food as well with plenty of people dropping in for drinks and nibbles while others actually have their entree here before moving on to dinner somewhere else and some just staying all night!.
The decor here has an old world gentleman's club feel to it - leather arm chairs, timber and stone, lampshades etc.
It was a bit like stepping back in time - almost.
It's extremely chic and very comfortable and relaxing. You just want to settle in.
We started with a couple of cocktails as the list looked so good. Mlady grabbed a Pomegranate Martini which comprised Pama pomegranate liqueur and vodka shaken with cranberry and mint. It tasted great and was beautifully presented in a sparkling glass! The garnish of silver coated blueberries on a toothpick added even more to this drink. My choice was rum based of course - The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club - described as a generous serving of Matusalem aged rum combined with lime, Cointreau and Falernum. This was said to be a classic Trader Vic refresher and it certainly was nice and refreshing with a decent kick to it as well!
It was crispy ginger and 5-spice chicken with chilli salt, black vinegar and shallots.
It came presented in a bamboo steamer reminiscent of yum cha.
The flavours in this dish were absolutely amazing.
The chicken was perfectly cooked and nicely coated and the chilli salt and black vinegar was distinctive and delicious.
It was an extremely generous serving as well - even though we devoured it all.
Next were the sliders. How cute are they! Very!
A good slider is hard to resist while having a drink - and these were good sliders!
They were Texas style pulled pork sliders with apple coleslaw.
These little treats were very tasty - the pork was very tender and the crisp tangy apple slaw was lovely.
The whole combination just went so well together.
These little treats were very tasty - the pork was very tender and the crisp tangy apple slaw was lovely.
The whole combination just went so well together.
Then it was time for the Velluto cheese selection served with crackers, lavosh, macerated baby figs, quince paste and Bourke St Bakery bread.
The trio of cheeses comprised Tetsun Al Barolo - a firmish cheese made from goat, sheep and cows milk, Le Petit Bichon - a goats milk camembert and Bleu d'Auvergne - a cows milk blue cheese.
We each had our preferred cheeses - Mlady liked Le Petit Bouchon and I fancied the Bleu d'Auvergne.
It was an impressive assortment with plenty of taste and flavour and lots of bread, crackers and lavosh to go with it all - unlike some places that skimp in this department.
The quince paste and baby figs were lovely as well.
The quince paste and baby figs were lovely as well.
Our final dish was the jamon Serrano and manchego cheese with baby Iranian figs, Pedro Ximenez glaze and pane carasau. The jamon was lovely and the whole combination on this plate went beautifully together. Also, anything with Pedro Xinenez glaze will grab my attention!
Velluto Champagne and Wine Bar had great food, interesting varieties, lovely drinks and a wonderful cosy intimate feel. The tables and seating was well spaced out too - you don't sit on top of other guests. Velluto is a little bit hidden but well worth finding!
Sir and Mlady were guests of Velluto and its owners - the Becker Minty Group. Special thanks to Becker Minty Group owners Jason Minty and James Vaile as well as Cat Burke for arranging our visit. A big thanks as well to Madeleine and Elijah for looking after us so well on our visit.
