121 BC, Surry Hills
I have wanted to try 121 BC for a while now, the sister restaurant of both Vini and Berta which is discreetly tucked away in Surry Hills, a few steps away from Vini. 121 BC can be found on Gladstone Street, tiny bar, glass door marked with Cantina and Enoteca.
I was catching up with S, we rocked at 6.30pm and still had a 20 minute wait. The place was TINY (and uber dark!), a long narrow table which can sit about 25 people. The menu changes daily and it is a small menu, probably a dozen or so choices. The wine lists are in Italian, with white wines on the left, and reds on the right – it was a little confusing but thankfully the staff were well informed and knew exactly what S wanted.
We started with Arancini Balls ($3 each), which was served on a rustic wooden platter. The arancini balls were tiny but it was delicious, creamy risotto coated in a light batter which was golden and crunchy!
The pork ribs ($11) were deliciously tender, succulent and incredibly tasty. S was a little sceptical as she thought it might have been too fatty but it was delish. It was probably one of my favourites dish that evening.
The buffalo mozzarella, cherry tomato ($9) was not what I expected. Large dollops of buffalo mozzarella with surrounded by different types of cherry tomatoes, they were refreshing light and delicious.
Hanger steak, capsicum chili ($12) was also another hit. It was served quite rare, but I did ask for it to be cooked a little longer. It was still incredibly succulent and the capsicum chili a wonderful complement.
We ordered dessert, tiramisu, four cute little fingers which was dipped in coffee and then slathered with mascarpone and flavoured with liquor and cocoa. It was different but good.
The place can get a little loud and rowdy when it’s busy. It’s definitely a cool wine bar although food very limited but what we ordered we really enjoyed.
121 BC does not take reservations so come early if you don’t want to wait long. Definitely a great addition to the Vini, Berta family!
GA’s ratings: 7 / 10
121 BC
50 Holt Street (enter via Gladstone Street)
Surry Hills 2010
Ph: +61 9699 1582
121 BC has such a fabulous wine list and all really affordable ($6 hello!) for such lovely Italian wines. I’ll def try the food next time.
hey sophie, definitely worth trying the food – its a small menu but its pretty good!
Hey Tina – it was SUPER dark!!!!
Been meaning to get here for ages. Looks super dark