‘‘We’ll have the first small bar licence in Wollongong because the others operate as a restaurant,’’ claimed co owner Erick Zevallos.

‘‘We’re trying to expose Wollongong to European wine, it's stuff that we love and we’re passionate about and it’s stuff that you can’t get at the bottleshop.’’

The Kembla Street bar owners Maddie Sullivan and Erick met in New York while working in the city’s bar and restaurant scene.

Earlier this year Maddie brought Erick home along with their mutual passion for hospitality, European wines and cheese.

What started out as a way to pay the bills while studying to be a nurse eventuated into a career for Erick.

‘‘I did nursing for a bit but it wasn’t for me, I missed serving and talking to people so I came back to what I loved,’’ he said.

‘‘Rather than signature cocktails or interior themes favoured in the small bar scene, the Throsby is looking to differentiate itself in a simple way.

‘‘Our difference is customer service, we care about it because we worked in it for so long,’’ he said

‘‘I’ve noticed in Wollongong that servers can be a little bit rude, like they’ll take your order and your money without asking about your day; that’s something we’ll do different.’’

The Throsby, named after the explorer Charles Throsby, features a minimalistic interior to provide an intimate setting.

‘‘We're trying to do something a bit different, we want to be a place where you get a glass of wine after dinner and I think more people in Wollongong need something more than a standard pub,’’ he said

‘‘We only seat 50 so it’s not the [kind of] place where it's crowded and loud and you have people bumping into you.’’