Cru

If someone was to describe Cru to you – compact shopfront space, tiled and marble-topped bar along one wall, small glass cabinet full of salami and cheese, shelves filled with quality spirits and wine, timber furniture, quirky decor touches like a Mother Goose-channelling duck lamp – and then asked you where you think it might be, chances are Kew would not be your first response.

This is not to say that there's no good drinking and eating in Kew. Admirable restaurants and cafes are thicker on the ground in that neck of the woods than ever before. But bars? Not so much.

It might be a demographic thing. Or maybe it has been the lack of cute, Euro-style bars that's been keeping the locals in at night. But now that Cru, which opened as a daytime-only cafe a couple of years ago, is open evenings, there are no excuses for staying in.

The best thing about Cru as night time venue is that there's been care and thought put into the offering; it hasn't been a matter of leaving the lights on longer and hoping people will notice.

Lighting is, in fact, perfect for a bar – low and flattering – and the food menu changes as night falls, emphasising small snacky things alongside a few bigger main-sized dishes for those who need a big plate of food all to themselves. Service, led by ex-Il Bacaro front guy Tony Donnini, is sharp and switched on, and is as good at assembling a salami plate as rustling up a cocktail.

It's a good idea to drink the cocktail here. They're well made and do the "twist on a classic" thing with nary a sign of clunkiness.

There's a Sailor's negroni, for example, that takes the regular negroni ingredients – Campari, gin and vermouth – and then adds a little Aperol, some Sailor Jerry's spiced rum and a touch of agave spirit. Despite the packed congregation of different booze, this version comes across as a lighter, slightly sweeter version of the original, a riff for sure, but one that's respectful of the original's roots.

Also worth a look is Cru's take on the classic Dark and Stormy. Their version changes the usual dark rum that's mixed with ginger beer and garnished with lime to the slightly bitter and more caramel-y digestive Averna.

There are good beers to be had too on a compact list that includes a constantly changing tap from a local craft brewer (it changes whenever the keg runs out), a couple of foreigners (Trumer and Peroni) and a small gaggle of beers from small brewers, including Bling India Pale Ale from Beechworth and a Mornington Pale Ale.

The wine list is an interesting, user friendly gathering with a slight New World lean but plenty to keep the Italian and French wine lovers from getting into a huff and a reserve list for the cork dorks. There's a generous list by the glass and carafes are also available. Everything on the list is also available to take away.

The bar food is big flavoured and booze friendly, from the aforementioned salami plate to hearty snacks like textbook veal and pork meatballs and yoghurt flatbread served with a tabbouleh-like Lebanese salad. There's good cheese too.

There may not be many of its type in the neighbourhood but Cru doesn't feel out of place. In fact it feels like something of a prototype. The day is coming when people will stop looking perplexed when you say you're having a drink at a bar in Kew.

THE LOW-DOWN
Drink this: Interesting twists on classic cocktails like the Averna Dark and Stormy or the Sailor's Negroni.
Eat this: Super-good pork and veal meatballs in a tomato sugo.
Check this: Cru has a bottleshop license so you can also takeaway.