Overview
Much-hyped multi-space venue Shell House will open its doors for the first time on Thursday, October 14 with the first of its four bars and eateries, The Menzies Bar and Bistro, opening to the public. Named after the former occupancy of the building, the Menzies Hotel, The Menzies Bar will serve a bistro-style menu curated by The Point Group executive chef Joel Bickford and his team, as well as an extensive wine and cocktail list.
The Shell House was announced back in May, with The Point Group laying out plans for a multi-level venue inside the Margaret Street building after signing a 15-year lease with Brookfield Place Sydney. The Point Group currently operates The Dolphin, Bondi Beach Public Bar and Harry's, and is set to open a restaurant, bar and wine room on former defence facility Fort Denison.
The ground-level space that houses The Menzies Bar has been restored and renovated with the help of interior stylist Anna Hewett and Woods Bagot Architects. The bar and restaurant have been given a luxe makeover with warm bronze and gold marble and a leather fit-out featuring a blackened steel bar, overhead bar hamper storing more than 1000 bottles of spirits and a marble fireplace.
The Point Group CEO Brett Robinson called the new venue "simple, reliable, consistent, and fun". "We want the Menzies to be an essential part of life in the city. Raising a glass to the return of hospitality in this new space will be so good," Robinson said in a media statement.
The Menzies Bar will be open Monday–Saturday from midday until 2am and will offer an exciting bistro menu with offerings ideal for lunch, dinner or a snack while you enjoy a drink. Small plates include spanner crab benedict on potato crumpets, smoked eggplant and parmesan polpette, chicken liver eclairs and yellowfish tuna with capers and a boiled egg. When it comes to larger dishes, you'll find the likes of vongole and fermented chilli linguini and spiced fried kingfish collar alongside bistro classics like a wagyu beef burger and 400-gram boneless rib eye served with lemon and olive oil.
If you're looking for an after-work drink, the bar will host Martini Hour Monday–Saturday between 4–6pm where the classic cocktail stirred through shards of countertop ice will be served alongside fresh lobster rolls for $10 a piece. A vibrant selection of cocktails will also be on hand. The In-Cider Trading will feature scotch, coffee, fig, cider caramel and smoked honey; while The Dolphin's Sicilian Margarita has made its way to the new venue, combining tequila with limoncello, Sichuan, and fresh lemon.
The Menzies Bar will be joined by the Shell House's Sky Bar, Dining Room and Terrace, and Clocktower in the future. Reservations for The Menzies Bar are now open via the Shell House website.
Fried kingfish collar, Jonny Valiant
The Menzies Bar is located at Shell House, 37 Margaret Street, Sydney. It will be open Monday–Saturday, midday–2am from Thursday, October 14.