Vanilla Room (CLOSED)

It’s home to a vibrant Italian community and Sydney’s Italian Festival, so you can be pretty confident about getting a decent coffee on Norton Street in Leichhardt. But how are its cocktails? Vanilla Room’s signature cocktail is as fiery as a Neapolitan temper. The Rim of Fire is a positively volcanic apple Margarita-style cocktail, infused with Sauza tequila, Tuaca and apple schnapps and rimmed with red chilli sugar. But actually, it doesn’t get better at Vanilla Room than this, although the Sour Apple Martini combines apple schnapps and vodka, with fresh lemons and cloudy apple juice for an extra fruity kick. Vanilla Room’s Italian-Mediterranean tapas offerings range from the light (juicy haloumi) to the lavish (go the spicy Spanish chorizo – delicious). Its musical offerings further set it apart from the Radio Italia-playing neighbours: live soul and jazz first Wednesday of the month and DJ house Friday and Saturday.