South Food + Wine Bar

Yes yes I know Im lagging. Places are closing faster than I can review them. I remember this place when the construction was still going on. Felt like yesterday. Anyways, had dropped in from brunch when they first opened. Solid arugula salad, New Zealand Lamb and Crab omelet. I guess half of the staff running South will be back in the new incarnation. I will be returning to see how it’s evolved…

CLOSED!
how am I supposed to cross off #69 Licorice parfait at South on my Big Eats SF list?
Indeed a very sad day!

I never got a chance to write my review when this place was open! But, for what it’s worth here goes…
Overall, it’s a very cute spot to have dinner or a glass of wine in the SOMA area. I never had Australian food before I came here and wasn’t sure what the traditional dishes were. I went with fish and chips since I thought that was safe and was mildly pleased. Since the menu is a bit more on the pricey side, I probably should’ve chosen an entrée that I couldn’t get anywhere else. I definitely enjoyed the bottle of white wine my roommate and I had, which I believe was on the dry side.
It is a small space and we were seated pretty close next to other patrons, which can make it difficult to have conversation. But, it’s a chic joint and a great first place to check out after having just moved to the SOMA area.
I hope the owner (s) move on to exciting culinary projects here in the city!

Ta ta, Hooroo!
I’ve been told that’s a common way to say good bye in Australia.
Oy! the only bay area Australian restaurant met its ends this year.
Considering how Australian products are marketed as larger than life, the space seemed like a contradiction since it’s tiny. Like a small bar at a train station or airport. On the other hand the food was good.
The one remaining owner plans to reopen the revised concept in February 2010 (don’t know the new name yet), with help from her new partners at Tres Agaves and the former chef of Cortez.
I’ll wait with anticipation. But, please, please, please don’t tell me it’s going to be another taqueria.

Can someone say, GROUNDHOGS DAY?!
How can I bump my rating when nothing changed? (Except this time, sans annoying video camera). From my vegetarian point of view, the menu was identical to that from my last visit.
**I still adore this place so don’t get me wrong. Yummy, delish, tremendously flavorful food hasn’t changed a bit** Flatbread and veggie pie are scrumptious. Next time though, I hope I’ll be eating a different dish.
I have to get down with one minor critique… something that really skeeves me… ISN’T THERE SOME OSHA REGULATION THAT PROHIBITS BATHROOMS AND DINING AREAS FROM BEING IN THE SAME SPACE? If not, I wish there was. I HATE seeing into a bathroom while I’m dining. I know it’s one large square area (a very well decorated area I might add), but *just section that sucker off!*
That’s all. Love this place and you’ll see me there again.

I like this place;run by two hip Aussies, not Aussie hipsters; if they were I don’t think I’d enjoy the shrimp appetizer nearly as much. AND they have Aussie beer which I enjoy thoroughly. You have to appreciate a joint where a couple of folks are working hard to give you a good meal.
And how the Hell else are you going to spend that hour of downtime cuz you missed the last bullet train South? Have a Tooheys and some shrimp you Seppo!

I’ve been 6 times now, and have always had a great time, with super food and wine. We had a recent anniversary dinner here, in fact, since both of us love the place so much.
Great selection of wines, arranged on the menu by flavor profile. Creative and tasty food, super fresh, that always pairs nicely with their pours. The space is cozy, and the modern décor touches are easy on the eyes. And the staff is always friendly and helpful.
South pushes all my buttons, and I plan on going even more when I move nearby in a few weeks. Hope you give them a try.

Dinner last night at South was one of the best meals I’ve had in a LONG time. I ate there with Katie M. and friends and wholeheartedly agree with her review. The wines were all scrumptious (we tried many). I was particularly smitten with a Viognier & Syrah blend. Each dish was gorgeous, inventive and so delicious — rich flavors and unique combinations. As Katie M. noted the filet was heavenly — perfectly cooked. The happy hour prices are fabulous too — love the kingfish sashimi and barramundi bites, which are both included.
The atmosphere is lively and the tables are nicely spread apart, so you’re not sitting on the people next to you. Love their light fixtures!
I had a great evening and cannot wait to go back!

Power lunch — important lunchtime business meeting: a meeting over lunch that gives somebody the opportunity to cultivate an important contact or discuss high-​level business matters.
Granted, we weren’t on a power lunch. But that doesn’t mean that the service has to be, and I quote, «slow as a glacier.» It took over two hours out of our day for this lunch.
Granted, the food was good. I really enjoyed my coconut soup, pork sandwich and licorice parfait. But the lack of attention from the waitstaff left a bad taste in all of our mouths.
Definitely better for a lazy Sunday brunch.

I really wanted to come to South to try the licorice parfait, part of the 100 eats in 7×7’s magazine. My friend was coming up from Caltrain and it is the perfect spot to meet since it is literally across the street from the Caltrain station.
We had the flatbread with prosciutto and apples. It was a tad bit salty. Then I had the beef slices, which were good and I liked the sauce. It came with a salad and red beets which was tasty. My friend had the fish and chips and the chips encompassed large potato slices as fries. Yum. The fish was barramunda.
The best part was by far the licorice parfait. Yum! It is small and $ 9, but definitely worth trying and best part of the meal. The lime wedges really enhanced the flavor, it’s a must try!

Came to this cozy restaurant for dinner last night in a party of 4. Since we have made and confirmed our reservation for Dine About Town, we were seated upon entering the restaurant. First impression was that it’s a clean and carefully decorated place. I especially liked the little newsletter on the back of the menu :) We took a quick look at the DAT menu, but the selection did not stroke a string with us…
Server was very helpful to pick a dinner wine for us. As recommended by other Unilocaler, we ordered the bushman’s plate for 4 — loved every bit of it! For main course, 2 of us ordered chicken confit, 1 braised victorian lamb + lamb shoulder with mint sauce, and 1 braised beef cheek. I had the pleasure to try all 3 dishes and liked the lamb and beef dishes very much. Chicken confit had some crunchy skin and was indeed quite tasty, but I didn’t feel that it was worth $ 21…
Chocolate mousse and honey custard were ordered as dessert. I again liked them a lot for they are not overly sweet as in other restaurants.
Overall, we spent around $ 50 per person for some good food, good wine, good company. Will definitely be back!

South has a striking interior that is at once sexycool but also warm and inviting. It’s a teeny place, but serves up fabulous, hearty, and beautiful food.
Bravo for the prerequisite bread served with okkah (Aussie version of dukka) — a mix of hazlenuts, sesame, coriander seed, pistachio, akudjura, wattleseed, cumin seeds, Sea Salt, and native pepperberry. Dip your bread into the olive oil, and then dunk it into the okkah for an unusual, grassy bite of nuts and spice.
Do not (unless you’re truly, ravenously hungry), think that the Bushman’s Plate for two will consist of teeny small portions, and that another appetizer is required for your duo. The Bushman’s Plate is plenty for a party of two (and a fantastic bargain), consisting of: smoked salmon on flatbread, grilled pork belly (sublime!), olives, eggplant, toy box tomatoes and goat cheese; and a couple of crisp calamari with chipotle aioli. We also ordered the spice crusted prawns with corn purée, baby corn + chorizo — also a generous portion, and created with prawns with a hearty ans strong prawn flavour — not the pallid, more average taste of shrimp.
Mains — yes, we tried the west Australian Barramudi — a whitefish which was firm, meaty and tasty (very much like sea bass). And, because we were in an Aussie restaurant after all, I had to go with the braised victorian lamb with fresh corn polenta, minted peas, baby chard + olive tapenade. The portion was gigantic; the flavours a little off (cloying sweetness with the sharp saltiness of the tapenade was a bit too overwhelming). I would have also wanted a better balance of more polenta and baby chard (the meat portion ratio with veg and polenta could have been more balanced).
Sides — we definitely did not need it but the green beans with prosciutto, roasted peppers, parmesan + crispy shallots were also quite fantastic.
I’d definitely return. South is delightful.

I greatly enjoyed a dinner at South Food + Wine Bar with three girlfriends. We started our evening with some wine at one of the girls’ places in Soma and then enjoyed the easy walk to South (located right across from the CalTrain station). I was a little big surprised by the seating arrangement at more like a picnic table than individual tables but we had our own space and I didn’t really mind.
Our waiter came over with a super cute accent and helped us pick out excellent white wine. One of the girls tried the Aussie version of diet coke and I stole a sip; it was yummy too! We then ordered several plates to share including salads, cheeses, chicken, and more. Everything tasted very fresh and yummy. We ate enough for a reasonable price but were not uncomfortably stuffed and had room for a yummy traditional New Zealand dessert. While I haven’t been back yet, I definitely plan on it at some point!

Five stars for an awesome and memorable birthday dinner. We had twelve people in our party, and our food was swiftly delivered. Service was impeccable. Food was delicious. We tried two different chardonnays (one fruity, one smooth), and they were both excellent. It’s so fun to try new things!
Best part of the night was when we asked our waiter if the barramundi was a rattlesnake or an Australian rabbit and were promptly informed it was a fish. Everyone lost that bet.
My sister brought me a birthday cake, and the kitchen served it up for us with candles! That was a lovely touch. Great evening all around.

I’ve been back four times now and it has become one of my SOMA favorites. My experience has ranged from five stars to four stars, my original four star rating still seems reasonable.
Friday night I had the steak, excellent though it had cooled too much by the time it came out. I really loved the tabiko (flying fish) roe dribbled on top, it looked neat and tasted great. Also split the bushman’s plate for 2 which had and excellent and eclectic collection of nibbles.
Service has consistently been excellent and I do like the space (although it’s small and noisy). I’m going to keep coming back…
Disclosure: South is still a Unilocal advertiser and I work at Unilocal

We had drinks and apps only. Interesting twist. Try the Bushman’s Plate, which consisted of calamaris, pork belly, salmon, and eggplant salad (for the lack of a better description). Two thumbs up!
I really didn’t like the Jump Stumb (some kind of red, under the «Spicy» section on their wine list), and had to tell our waiter as much. It tasted watery. I had never hated any reds before, mind you, and didn’t know exactly what to do about it. But our waiter very graciously made another recommendation (a 2002 Jenke, which I loved) and took the first glass off our bill. Smooth!

We were invited to eat here by South awhile back.
My brother is a Kiwi, so I was excited to sample some Australian and New Zealand cuisine.
I was pleasantly surprised throughout the meal.
While I wasn’t blown away by the oysters and the sample appetizer plate, I loved the wine that was paired with them, recommended wisely by our server.
We had been previously advised by Connie C, to try the «fish and chips,» and while, the barramundi fish was a buttery delight, I wasn’t such a huge fan of the wasabi dip, and it was in fact Nicole’s lamb, that had us both sighing in foodie delight (I would probably never order lamb myself at restaurant, but was lucky enough to steal a couple of bites from Nicole’s plate)
Throughout our meal, we basked in the intimate warmth of South’s atmosphere, ideal for catching up with a nice group or friends after a long week.
Though the lamb was the most memorable part of the meal — South’s cream topped merinque Pavlova was the sweetest part of the night. I grew up on the stuff.
It wasn’t as good as my mom’s but it was delicious nonetheless, and I literally licked the plate clean. Literally.
If you’re going to be dining at South — I’d recommend browsing through some reviews for ordering tips, and be sure to make a reservation, since it’s not a huge space.
Also be sure to save room for dessert!

My friend hosted a (surprise) 30^th birthday brunch for one of our other friends at South. We needed a place that could take the 14 of us on relatively short notice (just a week or so), and South fit the bill. The person helping us out was so helpful as we arranged ourselves (really, just put a couple of succulents on the table) and made sure everything was set. She was super nice about making sure we had everything we needed.
I didn’t work with the restaurant directly, but my friend seemed to have an easy time getting everything done. She worked with them on a set menu for our large party, and we actually had a lot of different brunch entrees to choose from and a number of pre-​set brunch starters. For our brunch starters, we had the wattleseed muffins, crumpets, fresh fruit with yogurt and coconut bread. My favorite was the crumpets — little discs of goodness. I can’t claim to be a crumpet connoisseur but I can tell you why I like these crumpets — they are not as dense as an English muffin (thank goodness) not as light/​thin as a crêpe; somewhere in between but all nice, soft and buttery. Yum.
For the entrees, we had a number of egg dishes (poached with prosciutto or toasted bread with poached eggs), brioche French toast and the Aussie big breakfast to choose from. Naturally, I chose the Aussie big breakfast which typically comes with a fried egg (I got mine scrambled) but with lots of animal protein — bacon, sausage, and all sorts of good stuff. Frankly, the big breakfast wasn’t as big as I expected but it’s definitely plenty.
As for drinks, there are lots of fun, fizzy drinks for the ladies (many versions of mimosas), even the pregnant ladies (versions of virgin mimosas). My pregnant friends were thrilled with the non-​alcoholic options since it’s always nice to indulge in a bubbly drink.
So many things could have gone awry with the large party — long waits for food, order not coming in at the same time, etc. I appreciated South’s foresight in making sure they gave us a selection of menu items they knew they could deliver on. Slight downside on the space is that it’s a bit tough for a large group; they put together a bunch of tables (or maybe it’s typically one large table) but there was a rather large beam separating two halves of the table. It made it challenging for our large party to chat, but that probably would’ve been the case with so many of us.
Can’t speak to the prices at all because one of my friends hosted the brunch… and paid for it all. (Wow, nice friends!)
Overall, I was a 3 on the food but a 4 for the drinks and service. I thought the staff was just so helpful and nice that I rounded up to 4.

Really… I’m Australian, mate. South Food is fair dinkum (translate: pretty legit) but not, as you Yanks would say, da bomb.
I was taken here on a corporate shindig — so cost wasn’t so much a consideration for me but i did try to be kind to my host’s expense account.
Our host was drinking a Coopers Sparkling — my fave Aussie beer — when we arrived. I was super impressed that they stock the brew (though its not hard to find in SF liquor retail places).
After a quick inspection of the wine list… yet more familiar Australian names like Wynnham, Penfolds, Henschke and Leeuwin Estate… I determined that 1) they stocked the good stuff, and 2) fair amount of it is waaayyy over priced… yet granted these names are now ‘foreign’ not local, and there’s a premium that goes with being special.
A starter of oysters, crab omelet and kimpachi was enjoyed by all.
Agree with Pamela D that oysters were very expensive ($ 3.50 ea)… I did ask for the price first then declined to order, though my gracious host ordered them anyway.
Also I am quite sure the oysters have been pre-​shuck a few days earlier as they’ve lost their plumpness (i.e. not super fresh)… should they have travelled as whole from British Columbia (where they’re from), it may have been better but blah, not complaining.
Overall the food menu echos what you would find in decent Sydney restaurants like Aqua Dining or Flying Fish… seafood focus with slight Asian influence (such as grilled barramundi with a ginger vinegarette dressing), and the perennial fish n chips. I opted for the sirloin steak and it was cooked as ordered, and the accompaniments were simple but good.
They had Pavlova on the dessert menu — my fave!!! The crust was a little thicker than what I like, but the passion fruit, kiwi, strawberry and crème fresh dressing was authentic. Other guests at the table had various stickies (dessert wines) and it was well enjoyed.
I noticed they have the South Luke Mangan olive oil on sale… he is a celebrity chef in AUS but I’m not sure if anyone cares or knows who he is in the US (enough to pay $ 20 for olive oil at least).
We were never rushed to leave the table, the waiter was super enthusiastic and yeah, the crowd’s yuppie… but i was in the company of great people, decent food and lovely wine. Life’s good.
Would I go back? Hmmm maybe for special occasion just for kicks. Reminded me a lot of restaurants back home… except you look out on a train track, not harbour view.

It’s not easy finding a Saturday brunch spot in close proximity to downtown SF. All the Union Square area hotels have the cliché Sunday champagne brunch, but Saturday is another story.
South Food + Wine Bar is a great brunch spot in nearby SOMA and they can accommodate large groups, which is a bonus.
The menu is out of the ordinary and our entire group enjoyed everything they ordered.
I had the truffled egg with citrus cured salmon and hollandaise which is an Aussie take on eggs benedict. The hollandaise was light and lemony and didn’t leave me feeling like I had consumed a pound of butter like a lot of hollandaise sauces can. We also ordered a bunch of desserts and they were all tasty, especially the coconut rice pudding.
Be sure to order a Sydney Sunrise to get the dining experience going. It’s an Aussie version of a mimosa with sparkling Shiraz and orange juice. Yum!
Great atmosphere — I could stare at the light fixtures all day.

First of all, I think their PR person should get a raise. Their website is amazing and their Aussie folklore newspaper on the back of the menu is so cute…
And it’s a tiny place! Really nice, warm atmosphere and cool design. The bar isn’t that big, so if you don’t have a rezzie, then you might be standing a while or you can hope for a spot at the communal table.
After reading the Unilocal reviews, I had low expectations for the food but we were stoked to discover the food was pretty good, even great!!! Plus, it’s refreshing to see «modern oz» food where they have the same Euro roots as the US but ties to SE Asia and South Africa.
— The coconut milk-​lemongrass broth with dumplings stuffed with perfectly cooked mussels was amazing. It was also the first time in my life I actually appreciated foam. I normally HATE foam with a passion, and the foam in the soup was so, so good.
— Grilled prawns are presented so prettily, and they are cooked perfectly where they pop when you bite em. And such great flavor for a little ol shrimp.
— Barramundi (sea bass/​monkfish-​like) was super moist with nice crispy skin. Served with watercress, which was kind of too peppery. We voted that it would be better with purslane. (Luke, get some purslane!)
— Cheese plate rocked: killer comte, semi-​stinky soft cow’s milk, roaring 40s blue mm w/​honeycomb, perfect preserved cherries, and hm something else I can’t remember.
Great wines by the glass and lots of bottles as cheap as $ 30ish and up to a few hundred…
Met one of the owners, who was super sweet.
Only complaints were our server sucked. Horrible even. And it would be good if they had some furniture or room divider or something between the entrance and the dining room. When you walk in you’re like oh, I’m in the dining room…