Posted by KB on February 7, 2011
We’ll forgive you if you haven’t been down to Darling Harbour lately. After all, it’s easy to dismiss it as the realm of the tourist and the school group. But if bar openings over the past couple of years are anything to go by (think Grasshopper, Grandma's, Good God Small Club), the city is heading for a reinvigoration. Plus, it’s about time we stopped taking those lovely harbour views for granted.
To give you a little nudge in the right direction, we’re giving you the chance to win a $100 bar tab courtesy of Helm Bar. On February 26, Helm are hosting a party to celebrate the launch of their Lower Deck area, and to mourn the end of summer. There’ll be a seafood barbecue, music and, of course, that cracking view. Should you be lucky enough to win, the bar tab will be yours to spend on the day, so start thinking about which of your friends have been the nicest to you lately.
To enter, email us with your full name and phone number. Of course, you’ll need to be over 18, and you’ll need to be signed up to Kluster. Entries close February 22. Please note the bar tab is only redeemable on Sat Feb 26, so clear your diary.
competitions, bars, helm bar, darling harbour
Posted by kluster on December 21, 2010
It seems that no sooner were we bemoaning the lack of a decent beer garden in Sydney than our prayers were answered in the form of The Norfolk, which has (re)opened just in time to be the Christmas present we were hoping for. Taking over what was well and truly a pub past its prime, team James (Wirth and Miller) has revamped and reinvigorated this Cleveland Street venue, revealing what will be the place to be this summer. We caught up with one half of the team in the wake of the launch.
Covered: sleepless nights, untapped potential, beer gardens and queer Mexican dance parties.
Kat Hartmann: The Norfolk opened to the public with a bang last week. I hear it was a bit of a process getting the bar from old-man dive to the retro European-inspired, rancho relaxo you unveiled. Can you tell us a bit more about that?
Jaime Wirth: We basically had eight weeks to get the place from derro pokie pub to where it is now. We had really great builders and tradesmen but it was a pretty mad scramble at the end to get it open. There was 20 years worth of crap to get out the place, walls to paint, roofs to build, floors to replace, seats to install and trees to plant. Sleepless nights, very early starts and some tense moments but we managed to stick to our opening date. Phew.More...
the norfolk, bars, jaime wirth, james miller, surry hills
Posted by KB on December 21, 2010
It’s Sunday night. Not a night for drinking per se, but a night for enjoying a drink. Really taking the time to savour the flavour. And where better to indulge in a school-night tipple than a bar that puts its all into crafting the perfect cocktail.
So we duck into the Kirketon Hotel on Darlinghurst Road, skipping the bustling Art Bar at the front and instead heading down a dark corridor past the bathrooms. Our efforts are rewarded with the kind of cocktail bar you’d only expect to find in films. It’s dim without being dingy, all dark wood and decadent decor, with leather banquettes for pulling smooth moves or stools at the bar for pouring your heart out to the bartender when it all goes pear-shaped.
Seeking something strong, we opt for the Smoky Rob Roy (listed as owner Sven’s signature drink), a mix of Talisker single malt and Lagavulin whisky, given depth with cigar-infused rum, Vermouth and orange bitters. The Scacco Matto (Don Julio Reposado, Kahlua, Frangelico and chocolate bitters) is like honey in a glass, perfect for this cold and rainy night.More...
eau de vie, kirketon hotel, art bar, darlinghurst, bars, cocktails
Posted by kluster on November 2, 2010
In Berlin, anything and everything has been converted into a bar - most with no signage - so it's hard to know where to venture on your night out. You can always follow the sound of minimal techno pounding through some obscure door, but if repetitious beats aren't your thing, we suggest Bassy Club.
You'll find it hidden away on Schönhauser Allee, in Prenzlauer Berg, just a few metres from the notorious 8mm Bar - Anton Newcombe from the Brian Jonestown Massacre's local drink den. But if you're less about the star-gazing and more about the music, then keep on heading towards the gritty old saloon bar that awaits you at number 176.
Most nights of the week there's a live show; whether it be burlesque dancers on a Wednesday, or a psych, garage, or rockabilly band on a Saturday. Last weekend, Baby Woodrose's moody psychedelic rock, combined with Bassy's dated decor transported you straight back to the '60s: a good place to be. After the live shows, it's vinyl all night, but with one rule: it can't be played if it was made after 1969.More...
bassy club, schönhauser allee, prenzlauer berg, 8mm bar, anton newcombe, brian jonestown massacre, baby woodrose
Posted by kluster on October 6, 2010
The Green Room Lounge are offering one lucky reader the chance to win a complimentry glass of vino for you and a friend. To enter simple email us. Subject: Vintage & Vino.
This Kluster Founder is an Inner-West resider from the days when weekly rental amounts sat comfortably in the double digits. From when Sydney shunned the prevalent shoelessness of the area’s residents and the facades of the 20th century, two-story buildings that lined King Street and Enmore Road, presented as if they had not be graced with a lick of paint since their erection, all those years ago. Like many others, I have watched the area morph and transition into something of a Sydney destination. Some aspects of which I despise, many others I embrace.
One new addition that falls into the latter (love) category is The Green Room Lounge on Enmore Road. The newest bar on Enmore Road - and first decent small drinking hole, we might add – was opened by textile designer, Tandarra Rothman, and director at Adam Spencer Enterprise, Melanie Spencer, with a celebrity-filled bang in late August. Since the doors were first flung wide the guest tone has lowered a little to include the likes of many mere non-celebrity mortals but the service standards and atmosphere have remained high.More...
the green room lounge, enmore, bars, tandarra rothman, mel spencer
Posted by KB on August 25, 2010
After a recent time-out for a bit of cosmetic surgery, Surry Hills’ Cru54 reopened last week, showing off a brand new interior at a night of cocktails, tapas and Spanish festivities.
Guests were greeted with the more polished and modern decor, complimented by Spanish artworks of deep red and orange. We also got the chance to taste the new menu, the result of changes in the kitchen as owner Catherine Andreo assumes the role of Executive Chef.
Along with tapas options (like the pictured Spanish-style anchovy on citrus tomato and avocado salsa toast), there are now additional ways to share your food, with tablas of cheeses or cured meats (try the 40-month-aged jamon iberico) and raciones of meatballs in spicy tomato sauce or classic seafood paella.
We thoroughly recommend checking out the new cocktail list too.
Cru54 can be found at 54 Foveaux Street, Surry Hills. Ph: 9281 1054
cru54, surry hills, restaurants, tapas
Posted by kluster on August 24, 2010
Things have gotten dull, predictable, so normal these days. Sun rises, sun sets. Winter comes, spring follows. When did it all become so static?
Enter Madame Claude, the brothel-cum-bar and self-proclaimed ‘bar for common people’ with a difference. The difference is things here have been turned upside down here. Literally. Inspired by Twin Peaks, Madame Claude is designed to look like the inside of your art school friend’s small creative-district studio apartment - the one who had a penchant for classic literature and card games and was always able to make a fake flower jammed into the neck of an old medicine jar somehow look so super now - if you were to enter said apartment all Lionel Richie-esque, dancing on the ceiling. That’s where all the good stuff is here, stuck to the roof. Tables, chairs, rugs, bookstands and even the letterbox, they’re all up there.
It’s the attention to detail that makes Madame Claude, the brainchild of three French expats, especially muse-worthy. The ceiling-stuck items appear perfectly placed with pre-thought. The classics are book marked as if placed down mid-read, a deck of cards sits atop a table, dealt out and waiting to be played.More...
madame claude, twin peaks, lionel richie-esque, berlin, deutschland
Posted by Penny Cropper on July 20, 2010
As part of the Melbourne Festival, the Forum Theatre will be transforming into Beck’s Festival Bar and playing the role of a house of worship (of sorts) from the October 9-23. With the theme of shamanism, cult bands and music as a religious experience, Beck’s will see such diverse acts gracing its stage as local heroes The Drones, US band Dead Meadow (pictured above) and Cambodian surf-pop band Dengue Fever. Sure to be an enlightening experience.
Beck's Festival Bar will be at the Forum Theatre, 154 Flinders st Melbourne, from October 9-23. $20 per night, over 18s only. Tickets through Ticketmaster.
melbourne festival, forum theatre, beck's festival bar the drones, dead meadow, dengue fever
Posted by Penny Cropper on July 6, 2010
Talk about wearing your heart on your sleeve. Up and coming Sydney creative Lisa Zhu has teamed up with Side Street Sydney, the unashamedly Sydney-loving blogazine dedicated to the streets of their city and the people who love them, for an upcoming exhibition based on the city they love. Showcasing Zhu’s work in a visual love letter to Sydney, the exhibition will reveal the disguised beauty of the harbour city’s side streets: the light, colours and hidden treasures we see everyday without noticing.
Zhu’s photographs are stirring, whimsical, romantic “forgotten scenes of daydreams”, and will remind us all of Sydney’s bewitching charms.
For those lucky enough to be on the guest list, the exhibition opens this Thursday. For the rest of us, it will be open for viewing until August 19.
ABSOLUT Stairwell Gallery @ Sugarmill
33 Darlinghurst rd, Downtown Kings Cross
side street sydney, lisa zhu, sugarmill
Posted by Alex Barber on July 2, 2010
Emerging Melbourne artist, Nadine Mannering exhibits her first solo show at Off the Kerb Gallery and Studios from Friday, 2 July. Mask Of Sanity – Portrait of the Female Killer delves into psyche of female serial killers, an unexpected but fascinating theme for the artist.
Opening night kicks off tonight at 6.30 pm and the exhibition runs until July 23. Stop watching Dexter reruns and check it out.
exhibition, Melbourne, Nadine Mannering, artist, Off the Kerb
Posted by Liz Niland on June 21, 2010
If you go down to the garden today - the Gazebo Wine Garden that is - you're sure of a big surprise: seven individually artworked Eames chairs are suspended from the ceiling until the end of June.
Showcasing the work of Sibella Court, Mary Shackman, Daimon Downey, Arnie Arnold, Ben Frost, Brett Chan and Sarrita King, Art In The Garden is also functioning as a fundraiser for the Ted Noffs Foundation. If a particular chair takes your fancy, join the silent auction for your chance to take home a sweet piece - and help support people living with drug and alcohol abuse problems.
gazebo wine garden, sydney
Posted by KB on May 20, 2010
Just in time for the chilly winter weather, the streets of East Sydney have revealed another cosy hidey-hole for enjoying warming lunches and post-dinner drinks.
Stanley Street Station, which sits on the corner of Stanley and Crown Streets in East Sydney, launched last week with a bang – a night of music, food and cocktails. As we sipped our Moore Club cocktails (a tart pink tribute to Lord Mayor Clover Moore), DJ Money Man and the burlesque-looking songstress Anikiko made sure we were entertained. Food came in the form of mini-mes from the full menu: sautéed school prawns with aioli, beef cheek and shitake pies and lemon tarts.
We snuck back in the next day to see what Stanley Street Station looked like without the roaring crowd, and found a bright, airy dining space, with a couch corner perfect for canoodling. The lunch/dinner menu is a small, but comprehensive, list of larger dishes, plus a good selection of “smalls”, perfect for bar snacking or sharing with a group.
Keep your eyes peeled for the specials too. We nabbed a totally rockin’ smoked salmon and grilled vegetable sandwich on rye for a measly $8.50. If that’s not awesome value, we don’t know what is.
Stanley Street Station can be found on the corner of Stanley and Crown Streets, East Sydney.
You can get lunch and dinner Mon-Sat from noon-midnight and Sundays noon-11pm.
Breakfast is served Sat-Sun 8am-2pm.
stanley street staiton, bars