How to Sip and Sample Your Way Through Barangaroo House
This ambitious three-tiered venue features a public bar, cosy vinyl bar and picturesque rooftop spot overlooking the harbour.
Since taking over the western harbourfront of the CBD, the Barangaroo precinct has given Sydney a much-needed facelift. Mind you, the area has technically been active since 2015, nearly ten years ago. Our deepest apologies if that makes you feel old.
The area has since flourished from a city pet project to one of the liveliest parts of town, drawing crowds day and night to the massive offering of food, drink and activities.
The showpiece of the precinct certainly delivers on all of the above. One building, three levels, three entirely different venues, day or night. Welcome to Barangaroo House.
House Bar
On arrival at Barangaroo House, staring up at the three levels and deciding where to start your adventure can probably be a bit intimidating, so let’s start simple. Level your eyes to the ground floor. No matter which direction you’ve approached from, you’re looking at House Bar.
This is the most accessible point, with a literal open-door floorplan that very much gives you the impression that you can walk in and grab a table. But word to the wise: during the after-work rush, booking is a must. House Bar is a classic Sydney waterfront watering hole, with bench seating made for a laid-back group hangs in the sunshine.
There’s an appropriate mix of beers and ciders on tap, a wine list with over 15 choices ranging between red, white, sparkling and rosé, and, of course, cocktails. We started simple with one pick from the cocktail menu, the Pear Me Away. Made with Bacardi Blanca, Poire Williams, salted caramel, coconut, and citrus, it was the perfect balance of sweet and citrus. It reminded us of a margarita with a caramel aftertaste.
Food-wise, House Bar is simple and satisfying. The vibe? Casual Japanese, well suited to a hefty after-work feed or a slightly longer-than-usual work lunch. Your very moreish entree options range from edamame beans and karaage to hot chips and calamari. Mains come in the form of sandos (chicken, beef, prawn and crab or mushroom), salads and bowls (chicken katsu curry, wagyu donburi or salmon poke). Our pick? The latter — they’re generously portioned and delightfully fresh.
Rekodo
It’s time to continue the night, so we’re headed up to level one, home to Rekōdo. This is truly the middle ground — a transition between the approachable pub vibes of House Bar and the intimate rooftop bar that awaits above. It’s exceedingly vibe-y, and that’s very much by design.
It’s a vinyl bar and a funky one at that. Modelled after Japan’s listening rooms, Rekōdo is a collaboration between leading hospitality architects H&E and interior design firm Studio Etic. They have designed an efficiently packed, warmly lit room that we found extremely welcoming and relaxed. Take note of the vinyl shelved by the entrance for an idea of your music for the night. It’ll be spun by a professional DJ on the decks.
Diners in here mostly have the pick of booth seating, but you can also book a seat by the open kitchen for a relaxed take on omakase dining, should you want to put your fate in the talented hands of the staff. The food you’ll be eating either way is Japanese share-style bites. The skewers — chicken, prawn and beef — were tender, tangy and smoky, respectively. For our pick of bao, pork belly can’t be beaten. Here, it arrives deconstructed with pillowy bao, tender pork, complex sauce and one of the best pickles we’ve ever had.
First up for drinks, we tried the Mooncake Martini. Made with Anther Mooncake Gin, Ine Mankai Red Rice Sake and mirin, it was subtly sweet and very dry. Next was the coconut and lychee mojito, which was delightfully refreshing and citrusy. Our final pick was the Pandan Colada (Pandan Hennessy, salted coconut, pineapple, citrus) which, oddly enough, tasted like a cake with its foam and salty coconut flavour.
Smoke Rooftop
Heading to our final destination, it’s clear pretty quickly that we’re in for a good time. The vinyl tunes downstairs are replaced by the steady beat of a new DJ to signal a transition. We’ve arrived at Barangaroo House’s rooftop bar, Smoke, where specialty cocktails fuel sunset revelry and dimly lit late-night romance alike.
If you were to arrive on a dark, rainy night like we did, you’d be forgiven for thinking you’d wandered into an elite speakeasy with its reduced lighting and red-leather bound menus. If you were to arrive earlier in the night, it would be ideal for a drink or two with a share plate to cap off the work day before heading home. That said, exploring the variety of the drink menu would be a wise decision.
We chose two of the seasonal cocktails: Salute (Amaretto, Wild Turkey Bourbon, native peach, honey, cinnamon, citrus) and Figgylicious. The former is an excellent winter warmer with its tangy flavour and subtle fruity smell. The latter has already made its way off of the menu — a perfect example of how often the drinks list is changing at Smoke.
On the food front, the menu is well catered to small bites and shareable meals. Specialty items include the shak-in chicken bites with special seasoning, sweet and spicy popcorn, yuzu steak tartare with cured yolk, honey-soy pork belly skewers with whisky glaze and zucchini tempura with rosemary and parmesan.
Barangaroo House venues are open from Monday to Sunday at various hours. For more information or to make a booking, visit the website.
Images courtesy of Solotel.