The Bayswater Brasserie

32 Bayswater Rd, Kings Cross 2011

info@bayswaterbrasserie.com.au

+61 2 9357 2177

Google Map.

If I’m honest this is probably my favorite bar in Sydney at the moment. You can sit at the bar and have a yarn to the bartender. Show an interest in the liquor and they’ll share it back. I should also disclose that Nigel Lacy is a mate I hold in high esteem.

The Bayz has had a cocktail list of note for quite a few years, I love it because the Corpse Reviver No.2 that i wrote about previously is featured on the list, plus the Clover Club. 

Nestled in amongst some of the trashiest pubs in the cross, the walk into the place regularly has all the comedy and drama you could possibly expect, with pilled out teens lying wasted across the sidewalk and road. The Bayz itself offers an oft glammed up crowd stamping regularly up and down the stairs between the bar and garden and the bathrooms. 

The bar is intimate, the restaurant exceptional and the back garden a smoker’s paradise in heavily regulated Sydney.

The bar is incredibly well stocked, with perhaps the best selection of Bourbons, Gins and Rums I’ve found so far.

The Victoria Room

Old World Elegance

 

Level 1, 235 Victoria Street
Darlinghurst NSW 2010
Sydney, Australia.

+61 2 9357 4488

Google Map.

Up a set of awkward but seemingly authentic warehouse stairs, lies Sydney’s Victoria Room. 

A stylish eating and drinking affair, the room gets a little crowded, so either get there early enough to get a seat or a pice of the bars real estate, or get your game face on and stare down any number of on-the-cusp tweentie somethings to mark your territory.

I started proceedings with a Rittenhouse Manhattan from the house list. A very generous measure of Rittenhouse Rye, stirred over ice with Cinzano Rosso. It was a smoky wonderful treat, perfect for cutting through the lethargy remaining from my meal. 

Rittenhouse Rye Whisky was originally launched upon the repeal of Prohibition by the Continental Distilling Company of Philadelphia , and was subsequently acquired by Heaven Hill Distilleries, the nation’s largest independent family-owned spirits producer and the second largest holder of aging American Whiskey in the world.

For a follow up, I ordered one of my favorites, the Aviation Cocktail. I prefer mine with Tanqueray stirred over ice with just a dash of Luxardo Maraschino Liquer and around 10 mls of fresh lemon juice. Strained up in a martini glass and icy cold is the way to drink this one.

Traditional recipes may call for the addition of Creme de Violet or as much as 15 mls Maraschino, but I find this overly floral and sweet. The drink originates from the prohibition era, when the gin was made in bathtubs, served in teacups and needed a lot of hiding. Use any of the new style premium gins and you’ll find this a delightful experience.

Overall, the Victoria Room was an average experience, with an overcrowded bar and long waits for service being offset by friendly, engaging staff. I’ll go back and try it again, hopefully on a quieter night.