The industry veteran has always wanted his venues to feel like home and Edgar's Inn, which he bought almost two decades ago, has undergone some changes in the past couple of years.

There was a complete revamp during lockdown, the addition of The Inn upstairs mid 2020 and now he's opened Wakefield's Bar and Wine Room.

"If the main bar is the playroom, and The Inn is the dining room, Wakefield's is like the loungeroom," he says.

"The opening marks the final piece of looking at Edgar's as one big home, with a room for every mood and occasion.

"Our ultimate goal is to create personalised experiences for locals and travellers and for them to be surrounded by good food and wine as they create lasting memories together."

The space is anchored by a large walk-in wine room, it's temperature controlled and we love the pebbles on the floor - and the selection of wine, more than 100 Australian wines, including a good range of local wines from wineries such as Mada, Helm, Clonakilla and Eden Road.

There's also a private dining room for 20 guests, suitable for many different purposes, from celebratory dinners to business meetings.

Head chef Steven Jacomos (ex- Fitzroy Town Hall Hotel Melbourne, Saint Crispin/Lupo and Qualia Resort), has created a succinct menu that champions Australia's best seasonal produce. There's a focus on shared plates. Think chargrilled lamb riblets, crumpets with smoked trout and bottarga, hand rolled pasta, and finished off with apple tarte tatin for dessert.

The bespoke cocktail menu will feature delicious creations including Wakefield's take on an Old Fashioned with woodford reserve, black walnut bitters and demerara syrup, a smoked take on a "Charlie Chaplin" with mezcal to compliment the apricot brandy, sloe gin and lime and the perfect caramel espresso martini using Canberra's own Underground spirits caramel vodka.

Designed by local design firm Capezio Copeland, the interior combines industrial cues with a vintage feel, creating a chic and entertaining space with character.

Natural surfaces, warm timbers and accents of burgundy and jade provide contrast to the raw and industrial building interior.

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With a nod to previous tenants (and how many of our suburban shopping centres featured businesses we all knew were brothels?) there's some art work and a feature wall of saucy wallpaper but it all lends itself to a very classy spot.

Condi originally used the space for his office, but has purchased a property nearby and moved the official business into that.

He plans to use the garden of this property to supply the kitchen at Edgar's and we joke that all he needs to do now is set up a couple of bedrooms, perhaps a little childcare centre for the kids, so you could "head home" to Edgar's on a Friday night - have a neat drink with your partner, relaxing on a leather lounge in Wakefield's; or enjoy a three-course paddock-to-plate meal in The Inn; or just get a pizza and beer and watch the game in the main bar - and offload the kids somewhere safe.

"Childcare ... now you've got me thinking," he says.

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