Cumulus UP Rooftop Bar

There’s no doubt Cumulus Inc has conquered café/bar dining on Flinders St, but apparently the sky’s the limit. And they’re reaching for it.

Rooftop bars are popping up all over town but clever Cumulus knows Winter is coming.

Enter Cumulus UP, the new wine bar directly above Cumulus Inc. It’s a sleek outfit, with warm timber parquetry, exposed brick walls and a resident stuffed duck waiting to greet you at the door. It doesn’t take long for the seats to fill up and a few red wines keep the cold at bay.

The climate controlled cellar is Cumulus UP’s pride and joy, with an extensive wine list showing off the storage capacity. Separate wine-by-the-glass menus are great if you’re partial to flights of fancy. Ask the waiters if there are any new additions – we tried a smooth Voices of the Vine 2007 pinot noir from the Mornington Peninsula before perusing the French, Spanish and German drops.

Chef Andrew McConnell has taken the bar menu on a jaunt as well. Colourful jumbles of heirloom carrot, hummus and walnuts are for the rabbits in the room but this winter the dish to die for is the confit duck waffle. Topped with a smear of fois grois (probably not from the stuffed duck), the waffle is a blend of batter and confit duck, topped with plum sauce.

If you’d rather stick to rich desserts, the retro profiteroles and chocolate sauce are bite sized belly warmers.