Some place: Wilbur's Place

I was looking forward to Wilbur's Place given the well-known golden touch of the guys behind Sydney's much-loved Bourke Street Bakery. Wilbur's Place is their first restaurant venture in the pedestrian-only Llankelly Place in Potts Point.

The concept is quick, simple eats at extremely reasonable prices, while take-away is also encouraged throughout the day. And, conscious of trying not to cannibalise their own businesses, they have maintained minimal crossover between the bakeries and the restaurant.

For example, you won't find any sausage rolls or pies at Wilbur's Place, and nor will you find toasted brioche ice cream sandwiches at Bourke Street Bakery.

Duck liver parfait, pickled fennel and toast from Wilbur's Place, Llankelly Place, Potts Point

It's no surprise to receive complimentary bread with olive oil given the restaurant's heritage, with the white sourdough baked especially for Wilbur's Place.

Adding to the carbohydrate intake, we ordered the duck liver parfait with toast from the more entreé-like beginning of the short but tempting menu.

It was a tile of the most buttery liver parfait I've ever had the pleasure of tasting, and actually spread like soft butter on the thin sourdough toasts, while the pile of wincingly tart pickled fennel cut through the richness and then some.

Warm salad of porchetta, walnuts, apple, endive, fennel, croutons and red wine dressing

The warm porchetta salad reads like a dream and I'd adore it for lunch every day. The thin, domino-sized pork slices - spiced, roasted and interleaved with layers of fat - are a delight to find and eat with whole roasted walnuts and thin, torn sourdough croutons.

The roasted fennel, all charred and caramelly, adds depth while the most perfect red wine dressing finishes the salad with a flourish. It's a salad that will definitely satisfy a healthy appetite.

Duck leg, lentils, witlof, plum chutney and vino cotto

The mains aren't huge, thankfully, as the entreés and complimentary bread are plenty to handle already. The duck leg, with its crispy skin coat and stripped-back drumstick, is one of the richer mains, matched well with the punchy vin cotto dressing and sweetness from the plum chutney and blood plum segments.

I adore puy lentils in any case, but especially when they're a little al dente as in this case and particularly with a gorgeously cooked leg of duck that's full of salty, fatty flavour.

Twice cooked spiced 1/2 spatchcock, chickpea salad, labna, herbs
with a capsicum and red onion jam

Keeping with the poultry theme for the mains, the deep-fried half spatchcock smelt irresistable, as most fried chicken does, and is served with a trio of sauces/sides. The white yoghurt cheese of labna was surprisingly the best 'sauce' for the spatchcock, being creamy and just that little bit tangy.

The red sauce is much like a capsicum romesco sauce while the yellow mush of chickpeas is a new take on hommous, with whole leaves of parsley and mint mixed through for a fresh burst of flavour.

Outdoor dining in Llankelly Place at Wilbur's Place

While there were some interesting desserts on offer that we skipped for fear of bursting stomachs, Wilbur's Place is currently BYO as they await their liquor license. Once that's in place, they'll be serving one artisanal beer and one each of red and white wine to accompany their succinct menu.

Also, they're cash only at this point (the nearest ATM is a convenience store on Darlinghurst Road, I found) but two courses for two came in at less than $65, which is incredibly reasonable for the quality of food and the area. I only wish there were some place like Wilbur's Place in the CBD for a terrific and humble meals on the cheap.