Benchmark Wine Bar

Ph: (02) 6262 6522; 62 Northbourne Ave, CANBERRA 2600 www.benchmarkwinebar.com.au

Modern European, $$
Open Lunch Mon-Fri noon-3pm; Dinner 7 days 5-10pm; tapas all day; Licensed, BYO; AE DC MC V EFT, Seats inside 100, Outside seats
Chef (Chris Darragh & Adrian Saliba, 2007-11-3) Owner (Tasso Rovolis, 2007-11-3)

Other published opinions

Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2008 Score: 13/20 "With 100 choices by the glass, it is not hard to see why Benchmark is a favourite with the wine crowd. And thanks to a good European menu, with rustic French touches, the eating crowd likes it too"

Sydney Eats 2008 "A new team is cooking up a storm here with great tapas all day"

Canberra Times David Burke, 28-02-07 " A thoroughly enjoyable modern European dining experience that also provides some of the best wine service in the region. With tapas options for a casual drop in, right up to degustation for special occasions, this restaurant is a treat not to be passed by."

Canberra Times Anna Randall, 11-01-06 ""There There was nowhere where people could go and buy good wine, by the glass, at any time of the day; somewhere that wasn't a restaurant,- ' he said."To me, a wine bar is a place where the focus is on the wine as well as the food." ... He worked with French chef Laurent Rospar to develop three menus - a five-course degustation, European tapas and formal menu. (Rospar left the bar in October to return to work in Melbourne, replaced by chef Makis Tsitirides)."

Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2007 Score: 13/20 "Inside this little room of refined elegance lies a world far removed from the traffic hubbub outside. It's furbished with hanging wineglasses, racks of bottles from the Barossa and as far afield as the deep Dordogne, hardwood floors, vintage Campan posters, maps of French grape regions, and a sexy copper bar of pure Parisian bistro lustre."

SMH Good Food Guide 2006 Score 13/20 "Benchmark helps to fill a yawning gap in Canberra's drinking/dining scene. This seriously good wine bar has around 100 slurps by the glass on a global and very well organised list. Well-dressed public servants and businesspeople have made Benchmark their own after work; they cluster at nondescript high-backed chairs and bare tables in the corner diner ... Laurent Rospars turns out terrific, French-inspired dishes from a very compact menu with frequently changing specials."

SMH GFG 2005 score 13/20 Good Wine List "Benchmark should come with a written warning: if you have money to burn, and love wine, treat with utmost caution. The reason? Well, there are 100 reasons by the glass. Then there's the 1983 Alsatian riesling, a good few Bordeaux and a list that spans Germany, France and Spain, along with that New World place we call home."

Sydney Cheap Eats 2005 "Tasso Ravolis, the young owner of Benchmark, was inspired to open a great wine bar with food to match. Chef Laurent Rospars cooks up French-ish starters"

Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide Australia 2004, Excellent wine list,'beautifully cooked bistro food...Diners can choose from the regular menu or an all-day list of light dishes at reasonable prices...classic European dishes...The interior is bright, light and modern'