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Strewth! This Aussie beer bar was heaving when I visited only weeks after its launch. It’s properly round the back of King’s Cross, which was another reason the bulge of people at the bar caught me off guard. But plenty of media types seem to have made this brewbar their home for group boozing. The brewery was at the forefront of Australia’s craft-beer boom when it launched in Fremantle back in 2000, so a fair few Antipodeans were also in for a taste of Little Creatures in a different time zone. Five tanks filled with old faves and experimental offerings sit behind the bar, complementing an industrial look. But with plenty of sociable tables, the roomy space also reminded me of the rural taprooms I’d visited Down Under, cultivating a laidback vibe less natural to us Brits. And of course there were heaps of outdoor seats.
For those uninitiated in all things Little Creatures, you can sip a range of six brews by the paddle. But I settled on their pale ale, followed by a dry-hopped XPA. I wasn’t keen on Aussie-rules pizza – a feta-covered, thin-crust creation didn’t do it for me. But naughty brisket chips were the kind of pub grub required.
This bit of King’s Cross still has that manmade sheen. But with a patch of grass out the front and a bit of cricket banter shared with some Kiwi rivals at a neighbouring table, drinking here felt far from corporate. This bar’s not quite Down Under, but it’s certainly a step above the rest.