Surrounded by the retail and tree-lined streets of Double Bay is the InterContinental hotel, a charming destination whose marble and gold interiors house a restaurant and cocktail lounge that any passer-by can experience. Enter the hotel via the regal, winding marble staircase and try the gin-focused menu at the sophisticated Stillery lounge. Or sidle into Stockroom Restaurant for a seasonally-inspired menu utilising the best of local produce, and a casual atmosphere.
With more than 100 varieties of rare, vintage and limited-edition gin and an innovative menu of aromatic G&Ts, Stillery is your place to start. Each of their unique G&Ts is elaborately garnished with botanicals matched to the base gin's flavour profile. A Gin Mare, for example, is a savoury Mediterranean sipper that arrives crowned by ripe basil leaves, rosemary twigs and a juicy cherry tomato with fever tree tonic, adding botanical-enhancing flavour and aromas. You can settle in here with a long list of gin cocktails and accompanying tasting plates or head to the adjoining dining room for more.
Stockroom Restaurant is offering a three-course menu paired with a Stillery G&T for $69 per person this autumn. Stockroom Restaurant’s Executive Chef, Alex Vilches, has designed the menu to pair nicely with the flavours of gin. Dishes are made with floral elements in mind, like the glistening kingfish carpaccio which arrives dotted with crunchy black sesame and delicate edible flower petals, the fresh and light bites intersected by sips of a tart gin and pineapple sour. Another botanical complement is the technicolour plate of bright heirloom carrots resting on a bed of tangy blue cheese foam and sweet honey shard.
A focus on local and native ingredients is also prominent in the Stockroom Restaurant’s autumn offering. There’s a knockout oak-smoked kangaroo dish with robust firewood flavours balanced with soft Yarra Valley feta and a sprinkling of tart pomegranate gems. Or head to the coast with a generous serving of buttery line-caught snapper with crunchy skin, which comes encircled by tiny cylinders of creamy seafood boudin, pickled baby onion and crunchy sugar snaps. Homegrown flavours are reflected in the gin selections, with 25 per cent of the brands hailing from Australia; the native flora and juniper notes are ideal for washing down some of that smoky kangaroo.
Cap it all off with an artful dessert. A vibrant basil sponge is a sweet and earthy delight, with a creamy Marsala ice cream and crisp pecan brittle providing textural fun. Syrup-laden orange crème caramel gleams with citrus segments and tangy berries.
Special offer: Stockroom Restaurant is offering a signature Stillery cocktail and three-course menu for Time Out readers for just $69.