Above the Hotel Steyne in Manly is a cocktail bar emanating a completely different vibe to the hard-wearing, tile-and-timber public pub below. Here they’re running with a nature theme, both in the leafy, garden-like décor, and on the drinks list, with plenty of cocktails harbouring a botanical bent, like the Sambucus with mint-infused Hendricks, elderflower, cucumber, lemon and sugar, or the Roris Marini with Archie Rose, grapefruit, cardamom and rosemary.
The food is tapas-style, with small bites plus share plates of cheese, charcuterie, sliders and even a chip tasting board with five – yes five – varieties of the crispy snack: sweet potato, shoestring, curly, chunky beer-battered, and pickle. For something lighter there’s also fig and prosciutto or Waldorf salad, plus bruschetta with caprese, smoked salmon or beetroot topping. They even hold a high tea on the first Sunday of every month – something long serving locals definitely wouldn’t have expected to find at the Steyne.
