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Bar Contessa

Bar Contessa Article Lead - narrow
Bar Contessa Article Lead - narrowSupplied

Modern Australian

With its brash murals, bare brick walls and funky lightbulbs, this 20-year-old Balmain veteran feels as if it's been plucked out of New York's edgy Lower East Side. The crowd, however, is pure Balmain; a lively mix of young professional types, baby-slinged dads and the odd haunted-looking hungover lost soul. Owner-chef Marco Adoncello does good things with Hawkesbury free-range eggs, including a brekkie burrito of scrambled eggs, chorizo, guacamole and tomato salsa that goes well with a throaty, dusky caffe latte ($3.50) from The Grounds Roasters. At lunch, the spicy meatball melt is a no-brainer, based on Marco's grandmother's original recipe.

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