It’s plenty pleasant sitting out on Low 302’s open verandah and looking out onto the bustle of Crown Street, but it’s inside where this moody cocktail bar wins the favour of its fans. A wood and brick interior offers warmth and intimacy, while red velvet drapes, soft lounges, booths and low lights up the atmosphere ante. That grand piano isn’t just for decoration either – they have a busy live music schedule, with jazz on Sundays, an R&B band on Wednesdays and blues on Thursdays.
The menu is just as wide-ranging as the music, offering everything from bar snacks to full roasts. Settle into after-work drinks with share plates of polenta-crusted soft shell crab, cinnamon and chilli sweet potato wedges or a charcuterie board. You can still grab a beef and Gruyère burger any day of the week, but here they specialise in vegetarian fare – a nod to their young and artsy crowd. You can get a burger with panko-crusted zucchini, chive, cottage cheese, snake beans and smoked tomato chutney, or a bowl of green tea soba noodles with smoked tofu, wasabi peas, avocado, pickled shiitake mushrooms, kimchi and toasted sesame. Best of all, their kitchen is open until 2am. At that hour, we expect there’s only one thing hungry vegetarians will be hankering for – the baked cauliflower stuffed with three-cheese bread mousse, topped with sourdough breadcrumbs and parsley.
