Claret Club

Claret Club is named after Bordeaux-style red wines – and has a fiery warm paint scheme to match – but this charming inner-city terrace conjures more than southwestern French vineyards. Sommeliers/owners Bridget Raffal and Harry Hunter have broadened their definition of 'claret' to include pours from Australia (like cabernet malbec from Clare Valley's Wendouree winery, which one critic described as "spring rain on a window").

Not into claret? There are plenty of intriguing drinks on offer (like Topper's Mountain's petit manseng: the innovative New England winery's riff on the southwestern French white wine grape variety). The two-level venue features a more casual wine bar on the ground floor, with share plates, counter meals and Euro-leaning snacks like golden puffs of gnocco fritto with anchovy and fried sage. The outdoor seating also makes the most of Stanley Street's lively atmosphere. For a more refined dining experience, book a table at the restaurant on the top floor. To go with your glass, there's autumn salad, pineapple tarte tatin and risotto flavoured with splashes of nebbiolo.