Overview
In the 16 years since NSW's liquor licenses were relaxed to support the creation of more grassroots hospitality businesses, small bars have become the bedrock of Sydney's drinking scene. A recent addition to this collection of compact watering holes comes from one of the OG trailblazers of the city's small bar movement — House of Pocket, whose debut venture Pocket Bar (opened in 2009) was a Darlinghurst favourite for more than a decade.
Kasippu is House of Pocket's first new venture in four years: a Sri Lankan-inspired "wadiya", blending South Asian cuisine with the pseudo-speakeasy vibes punters will recognise from the group's past venues. Breaking new ground, however, this is House of Pocket's first venue to so conspicuously spotlight its food offering — less a typical bar than a curry house with a hidden cocktail lounge waiting to be discovered just beyond the dining space.
The idea to bring a hybrid wadiya-meets-cocktail bar experience to Sydneysiders was hatched when chef Amila Hemchandra and House of Pocket founder Karl Schlothauer travelled together through Sri Lanka. "When we were discussing the new venue concept, I invited Karl to join me [in my homeland] to experience everything — from high-end restaurants to our village cuisine," Hemchandra shares. "It was while we were sitting by a lake, eating curry, sipping kasippu and singing a bit of karaoke that the idea for the venue was born."
True to Sri Lanka's culinary heritage, Hemchandra's menu for Kasippu leans heavily on plant-based curries, with just three meat and fish options amongst the nine main dishes on offer. A range of casual curry kebabs and yummy bar snacks like chicken pan rolls and fried stuffed bananas make for ideal cocktail sidekicks for peckish punters in the bar, while the full menu of curries, sides, papadums and rotis are always available during opening hours, right through until close.
The venue's namesake is a home-distilled moonshine popular throughout Sri Lanka. Taking inspiration from kasippu's DIY origins, almost all the syrups, cordials and tinctures used to flavour the bar's cocktails are made in-house. A sprawling selection of 16 signature cocktails riff on tropical flavours, such as the Falooda Milk Punch, featuring Bacardi coconut rum, strawberry shrub, rose syrup, fresh lemon juice, coconut milk and strawberry jelly or the South-East Side, a mingle of turmeric-infused Bombay Sapphire gin, fresh lime juice, pandan syrup and mint. Cocktail purists are equally well served by the 37 classics also on the drinks list and a seasoned bar team that can help customers land on the drink that best suits their tastes.
Live entertainment will be another cornerstone of Kasippu's appeal. Live music, stand up comedy and even karaoke will have punter's tapping their toes while they enjoy a fiery feed or a refreshing sip. Located on Kent Street, Kasippu joins the collective of bars, hotels and restaurants within the YCK Laneways precinct — an area that became Sydney's first Purple Flag accredited destination in 2023 in recognition of the neighbourhoods superb hospitality offering, its excellent transport links and its general safety after dark.
Images: Declan Blackall
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