Sydney’s CBD is full of bars. Irish- and English-style pubs, American-style sports bars, Japanese whiskey bars, German beer cafés, Spanish tapas bars and, now, hundreds of little wine bars like those you might find in Italy. Sky Bar – which sits at the peak of the multi-tiered venue Shell House – brings a little bit of New York to Sydney. And it's a showstopper.
Sky Bar has floor-to-ceiling windows so that you’re looking, on three sides of the building, out at Sydney’s CBD – including at the 400-tonne heritage Shell House Clocktower that the building is centred around. It’s not The Most spectacular view of the Emerald City, in that there’s no sparkling harbour or Opera House in sight (hey, there's a lot of competition, right?). But you’re situated smack-back in among skyscrapers, in the sky above the most bustling part of the city. Plant yourself up here in the beautifully designed modern Art Deco-style space with a cocktail to watch the sun go down on the day, and you can easily imagine yourself in the Big Apple.
We arrive during happy hour (4-6pm every Tues to Sat) and make the most of it, ordering a $15 Don Julio Margarita, as well as a $15 snack, which, today is a prawn sandwich with a gold-crumbed prawn, housemade cucumber pickle, and a generous lashing of chunky tartare on crust-free white bread. Both the drink and the snack are small (you’d baulk at paying more than $15 for each – NYC vibe, NYC prices), but they’re delicious. The salty-rimmed Margarita is the right balance of tartness from lime and sweetness from orange liqueur, and it kicks us straight into after-hours mode.
We order a Green Hornet to keep the tequila train going, but they say they’re out of the Green Hornet (or elements of), so we pivot to a High Society Sour, with Tanqueray gin, elderflower liqueur, cucumber, mint and fresh lime. It’s served in a short glass over one big ice cube, and although there’s a sour hint, it’s cucumber and elderflower forward, so it’s more refreshing than anything.
We’re happy here, so we decide to settle in for dinner. My guest and I order a little cheese and pepper doughnut each. It's a nice morsel, but could do with a bit more cheese inside and we can’t taste pepper. We also share the Wagyu beef burger, which resembles a Macca’s cheeseburger – in all the right ways. A finely ground and tightly packed burger patty sandwiched in a sweet brioche bun with a slice of cheese, pickles, and generous spreads of mayo and tom sauce. We also get the hand-cut fries, plus the giardiniera (an Italian-style salad of vegetables pickled in vinegar) served over pumpkin seed cream. The intense vinegariness of the mixed veg (including carrot, celery and radish) is a lot – though when used like a condiment, it cuts nicely through the fat of the burger and chips.
We pair our dinner with their house prosecco (a Bandini Extra Dry from Italy), and it delivers on the “extra dry promise” – it’s a light, easy-to-drink glass of bubbles just as we like them.
We can’t say there’s anything particularly world-beating about the cocktails or the food here at Sky Bar; it’s the decor combined with the view that really delights us. There are large feature lightshades above the bar – creamy, circular, almost cloud-like rings that echo the feeling that we’re high up in the air. They send out a warm glow that plays beautifully with the tiny star-like lights that line the rest of the ceiling.
There are low, curved persimmon-toned chairs, arranged in pairs around little round tables – just right for date night. Everything from the expensive-looking timber bar stools to the skinny brown, cream and black floor tiles have been expertly chosen to deliver a faultless looking interior.
It’s modern and expensive looking, though the warm lighting and colour palette of soft browns with pinky tones make it feel homey. It contrasts perfectly with the blues, greys, silvers and bright lights of the cityscape out the windows. To paraphrase Sinatra, start spreading the news… if you want to be a part of it, New York, New York, but you’re in Sydney – Sky Bar is where it’s at.