Bancho

Overview

Banchō Bar, from the team behind Surry Hills' much-loved yakitori bar Tokyo Bird, brings an acclaimed cocktail roster to Haymarket with its 100-seat laneway space. It reminds Sydney that the small bar scene isn't limited to the Inner West or CBD, but rather extends to Haymarket and beyond. That's done with Suntory spirit-based cocktails, an array of whiskies and pan-Asian bar snacks.

Cocktails are at the forefront of Banchō's menu and feature Asian ingredients sourced from Chinatown's nearby grocers and markets. The list is extensive — split into five categories with 12 cocktails in all — and specifically takes influence from China, Japan, Korea and Thailand. Seasonal cocktails include the Dragon's Tears (Koyomi Shochu, jasmine tea, finger lime and apple) and the fiery Smoked Whaler (Hennessy VS Cognac, Woodford Reserve Rye, sweet vermouth, honey water, bitters and applewood smoke).

One of the most complex house specialties is likely the Okinawa Vice, which mixes Herradura Plata Tequila, coconut rum, pineapple, aged port, lime, sencha tea, strawberry and kaffir lime foam before clarifying the lot with milk. Beyond the main variety of cocktails is a real love for highballs, with a build your own approach taking centre stage. Simply choose one of six sodas and one of three whiskies, or saké, chochu or cognac, and you're off to the races.

Like at Tokyo Bird, a long list of whiskies is on offer, expanding from Japanese to Scotch, Taiwanese and Australian varieties, along with independent distillers. One very special drop on the list is Suntory's extremely rare Hibiki 30 Year Old. For repeat offenders, the bar also offers over 30 bottle lockers for storage in-between visits.

A menu of bar snacks accompanies the drinks, like pork crackling or soft shell crab bao and potato croquettes with mixed veg and tonkatsu mayo. For cocktail-induced nibbling, there's also the requisite edamame, pork crackling and rice crackers.

Images: Jeremy Plaisance.

Visit Bancho this April and May to experience a Suntory Toki Whisky Highball and snack pairing. More details at the Suntory Time hub here.