Address: 268 Oxford St., Paddington, Sydney NSW 2021, AustraliaPhone: 0423 015 032. As its name suggests, this lively bistro located above a neighborhood bottle shop celebrates pork in every way, with a menu revolving around an entire Berkshire or Duroc pig broken down into an array of French-inspired dishes. However, a raft of other proteins — from seafood to duck — are also featured on the daily-changing menu, complemented by a French-leaning wine list.

Sometimes it pours you a glass of wine and says, “We’ve got a space upstairs you should see.” This is how Porcine, the beautiful French garret-style restaurant on Oxford Street, came to be, perched on the first floor above the aqua-blue façade of natural wine shop P&V Wine and Liquor. And while you savour the last bits of a crème brûlée or a chocolate mousse, you’ll already be wondering how quickly your budget and blood glucose levels will let you return.

More bistrot than it is wine bar, Porcine’s vaguely antediluvian name gives away its specialty in morsels of the piggy variety. This Paddington stalwart – serving up decadent dishes like oysters charentaise or a whole Berkshire chop – makes our list, in spite of the fact that it is most definitely not a wine bar, largely because of its hip-like attachment to P&V Merchants – Mike Bennie’s much-lauded retailer of small batch brews and lo-fi vino. To clarify: the restaurant presents a well-rounded, thoughtfully curated list of references (predictably, wines from Jura and the Loire Valley feature prominently) but why constrain yourself to what’s written down when you have a veritable cellar waiting below?

Porcine Bistro has teamed up with Buffalo Trace Bourbon Whiskey to create a one-off barbecue kit. Available for delivery and pick up from Friday, September 24 for one week only, the $150 limited-edition box comes with everything home cooks need to serve up a smoked barbecue feast. The kit from chef Nicholas Hill (formerly The Old Fitz) includes a portion of pork that has been smoked with Buffalo Trace Bourbon and paired with a prune patè en croute, spring vegetables vinaigrette, Berkshire pork chop, cauliflower cheese pie, jar of treacle barbecue glaze and a banoffee and bourbon trifle.

Even though it hasn’t had a long history in Sydney as some of the other French restaurants on our list, Porcine has still managed to earn itself a strong reputation in the dining scene. The secret to the success of Porcine is simple: traditional French cooking techniques combined with simple, high-quality ingredients. A very popular dish on their menu is their pâte en croûte, which is another traditional French dish consisting of pâte made from ox tongue and foie gras (duck/goose liver) which is then wrapped in pastry and gently baked in an oven.

Porcine is named after the French word for “pig-like”, and, as you might have guessed, pork is the name of the game here. Owner and head chef Nicholas Hill and Harry Levy have converted the old Micky’s cafe on Oxford Street into a swanky wood-panelled affair, and, with their stripes earned at hatted and Michelin Star restaurants in Sydney and London, it’s clear they mean business. Each fortnight an entire pig is delivered to the restaurant, and every single part of it is used to create ham, pork spreads, and, of course, pork chops.

Don’t let the name of this neo-bistro fool you; Porcine is more than a cathedral to pork. Sure, chef Nik Hill knows his way around a pig, but his playful marriage of French precision and kitschy whimsy, epitomised at dessert by a puffy île flottante rising from a pool of custard, extends democratically to a far broader line-up of proteins. GT tip: Arrive early to have a drink at the new courtyard bar L’Avant Cave — a collaboration between the P&V and Porcine teams.

Expect fuss-free French fare with a focus on nose-to-curly-tail cooking at Porcine, owned and run by renowned chefs Nik Hill, from Woolloomooloo’s Old Fitzroy Hotel, and Harry Levy, from ex-Italian diner Don Peppino’s. The former Micky’s site has been transformed thanks to a coat of fresh paint and an array of gilded antique fixtures, turning the grungy Oxford St cafe into a postcard-perfect Parisian bistro. 268 Oxford St, Paddington; porcine.com.au.

The name does a lot of the heavy lifting for this Sydney French bistro situated above P&V Wine + Liquor Merchants’ Paddington outpost on Oxford Street. Porcine is a restaurant tailor-made for the carnivorous-inclined to pig out on excellent food and wine courtesy of owners Nicholas Hill (former Head Chef at The Old Fitz) and ex-Don Peppino’s co-owner Harry Levy. The menu quite literally goes the whole hog with a focus on nose-to-tail cooking.

When Nik Hill ended his successful stint at The Old Fitz, we were shattered to say the least. Rarely do you find a pub that offers a frothy pint, evening theatre and a hatted kitchen all at once. So when we found out he was joining ranks with ex-Don Peppino's chef, Harry Levy to open a bistro above P&V Paddington, we saw fireworks and beef dripping on the horizon.

Porcine is a unique French restaurant that offers a unique twist on traditional French dishes. The menu is full of creative and interesting dishes that are sure to tantalize your taste buds. The atmosphere is cozy and inviting, with thoughtful and playful touches that make the experience special.

P&V Wine Merchants are joined by their upstairs neighbours, Porcine. This French bistro has taken over the former Micky’s Cafe space on Oxford Street, with a duo of hospitality heavyweights at the helm. Porcine is all about good times, great food and delicious wine.

It was amazing to see The Ledbury get its third star,” says Nicholas Hill, chef at Sydney bistro Porcine, who worked under Graham in the UK. “I sent Brett a text straightaway … it was a big buzz and I was left feeling very proud of my time in that kitchen.

One Old Fitz chef, one former owner of Don Peppino’s and a whole pig walks into a bar… introducing Porcine. Along with P+V Wine and Liquor, Porcine has taken over the former Mickey’s space. Expect traditional French bistro food but with a twist.

Porcine is a relative newcomer for us in the Sydney dining scene, and a very welcome one. We thoroughly enjoyed our long, lazy lunches here. The wine selection is also excellent as it sits above the P&V outlet in Paddington.