The Bar

There is an art to the perfect bar snack, and when it comes to suppertime nothing beats a real club sandwich. We’re talking a double-decker sarnie with chicken, bacon, egg, lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise cut into four triangles, each pinned together with a pearl-top hors d’oeuvres stick. It’s substantial enough to fuel your evening, but still a light meal, and it goes an absolute treat with a cocktail. The club sandwich has fallen out of fashion in recent years, but we know where they’re dishing up an ace version and shaking up drinks to match – the Bar at the Park Hyatt Sydney. This elegant bolthole is down along Campbell Cove, right by the base of the Harbour Bridge, and it’s providing the hushed glamour missing from the city’s roll call of underground haunts and DIY bars. The fitout is plush and muted. We’re talking low light, expensive fixtures and soft cushions plumped up before you take a seat. Everything about this bar is designed to promote ease and comfort – staff are helpful and attentive and service moves quickly. There’s no denying a Bijou – a potent, herbal take on a Martini that mixes gin, vermouth, chartreuse and orange bitters – looks the part, but they do equally good work with fruit-forward drinks like the Sail and Roll. Bitter and sweet are perfectly matched in this refreshing elixir that pairs gin and Aperol with watermelon and grapefruit juice. In fact, we double down and seriously consider round three. The Bar is well suited to an intimate drink, but they also have a large communal table if you’ve got a larger crew in tow. Just after a nightcap? Finish off your night here with a Sidecar and a dessert of grand cru chocolate mousse, a crème brulée or perhaps the banana and Nutella cheesecake. Prefer spicy to sweet? Do not leave without trying the Principe Jose that pairs a chilli tequila with orgeat, star anise, whisky bitters and fresh lime juice. It’s a hot, tropical drink that’ll warm a wintry evening up quick smart.