If you’ve struggled to get a table at Margaret, you’ll be happy to know Neil Perry has opened a new venue Next Door.

Not only is it the name of his new wine bar, but it is literally right next to the restaurant. The 60-seat, multi-use space works for breakfast – a ham and cheese roll on fresh bread still warm from the oven – a light lunch or a drink and snack before heading to the next place.

Perry will now oversee the whole corner, with Margaret, Next Door and Baker Bleu taking over Bay and Guilfoyle St in Double Bay. It wasn’t part of the plan.

“I thought about the restaurant and the bakery, we committed to Baker Bleu in December 2020,” he says.

“The small space in between came up and it’s the perfect location. Next Door will be serving what I always intended to serve in the bar at Margaret. Initially, we had a 40-seat bar, but we converted it to the restaurant because we were so busy.

Related story: Sacre bleu! Top Melbourne bakery Baker Bleu has opened in Double Bay

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by delicious. Australia (@deliciousaus)

Next Door has about 20 items on the menu, a mix of four mains and snacky items such as oysters, kingfish, prosciutto and woodfired peppers.

Rather than the famous Rockpool burger, Perry is dishing up the one Margaret served during lockdown. “It’s a proper American cheeseburger. A mix of brisket and chuck from CopperTree Farms grilled medium, cheese, pickles, onion, tomato sauce, mustard and a rose mayo secret sauce. The only other thing you can do to it is add bacon,” he says.

“We’re using David Blackmore silverside and rye bread from the bakery for a proper big-boy sandwich, 300 grams of salt beef. We’re also doing a kilo of mussels marinière and vegetarians will have a field mushroom confit katsu.

“For dessert, there’s fried pastry with custard or a spoonful of tiramisu. Beautiful, simple food has always been my thing.”

The wine is a mix of Australian and imported varieties, with most available by the glass.

And you’ll also have access to the full bar at Margaret. So if you fancy a special bottle with your burger or the restaurant’s native negroni, go right ahead. They’ll bring it over from next door.

Related review: delicious. 100 2022 – Margaret, Double Bay