Reinventing the Cross: welcome to Santa Barbara

Kings Cross has had a tough year. The tragic death of Thomas Kelly following a vicious assault had people wondering: is there anything good about the Cross?

Sydneysiders (and indeed Australians) know the area as being home to the infamous drag of mafia-owned strip clubs, seedy bars and nightclubs. However, the Drink 'n' Dine Group, known for glamming up rundown pubs, are opening Santa Barbara, a venue they hope will restore some credibility to Kings Cross. And the boys have placed their new diner in an ideal location to engage a revitilisation of the areas nasty stigmas. You'll find yourself directly beneath the infamous Coke sign when taking a visit to Santa Barbara.

Fresh from opening a Jamaican-inspired eatery, Queenies, Santa Barbara will be Drink 'n' Dine's sixth opening in recent years. Co-owner Jaime Wirth caught up with Concrete Playground before the venues official launch that Santa Barbara would be a bar serving tropical classics and dishing up "US-Asian BBQ", which will include American food infused with Chinese takeaway, Tex-Mex and Hawaiian roadhouse concepts. "I went on a research trip for 10 days in Los Angeles and New York with our designer Michael Delany-Korabelnikova, where we were hanging out 24/7 checking out heaps of good bars and non-stop eating," said Wirth. "The name of the bar changed about five times but we came back to the first idea we had: Santa Barbara."

Wirth said the concept of Santa Barbara was nothing that's being done in Sydney. There's bings ($5.50) which are similar to Chinese pancakes, Char Sui ribs with salsa verde, cucumber and jalapeno finger salad ($18), one hand burgers ($10-$12) and the impressive dragon dog which has smoked and deep-fried octopus, complete with tentacles.

Wirth said every dish on the menu, crafted by Drink 'n' Dine executive chef Jamie Thomas, could be eaten without cutlery. "It's definitely got the 'bar with great food vibe' which I love. It means people can come to have a drink and have dishes that you can eat with one hand," he said.

And the drinks? Wirth described the menu as taking on classics with a holiday resort theme, with touches of Mexican and Asian flavours. Cocktails start at $15, including the Santa Colada with rum, coconut puree, pineapple and Amaretto, as well as the Largerita with tequila, beer, agave and a paprika salt rim.

As you walk up the stairs a huge mechanical bear greets visitors with 'Santa Barbara' emblazoned in neon lighting. At the bar, there are quirky knick-knacks which Wirth says have been collected on eBay and also on a spending spree in China. There are also lit up pictures of various dishes behind the bar, similar to a Chinese takeaway.

Santa Barbara is Drink 'n' Dine's biggest and boldest project to date, Wirth said. "Kings Cross is a bit of a hot topic at the moment. It's new territory for us as we're opening more of a bar that serves really good food," said Wirth. "When we opened The Norfolk, people told us that nobody wanted to go there and now it's pumping. We're hoping something like that can happen for us in Santa Barbara. We're trying to make it so people can go there on a Tuesday night, instead of just at 3am on a Saturday when they're trashed," he said.

Good luck to you boys, we're rooting for you. And here's to your mini-revolution of the Cross' dining and drinking scene.

Santa Barbara opens on 30 November.

Mon - Thu 12pm - 2am, Fri 12pm – 3am, Sat – Sun 4pm – 3am; Lot 1 82-94 Darlinghurst Road, Potts Point 2011.