After intermittent pandemic-led closures over the past few years, Kittyhawk is well and truly back, and celebrating its revival with revamped food, wine and cocktail menus.
Jared Merlino of Lobo fame took over the corner of Bent and Phillip Streets in Sydney's financial district with this 1940s-themed French-American bar. It's a place with that olde-worlde luxury vibe that means you feel right at home in your tailored work wear.
Nowadays there's more focus on food. The head chef is from Paris, and hopes to revive both classic and more obscure French dishes by giving them a modern twist. The menu is fun, unpretentious and made for sharing. If you're after snacks, you can get oysters, cheeses, or shaved meats – along the lines of coppa and parma ham – served with pickles. For mains, there's a deliciously sticky slow-cooked beef brisket, or a lemon-crusted baked fish of the day, which both pair perfectly with the oak lettuce salad and frites.
The design of the space is inspired by Liberation Day in Paris (August 25, 1944), and, more specifically, by the Rum and Rye Old Fashioneds, of which they have many, all of which infuse different varieties of each spirit, along with Angostura bitters, orange bitters, brown gomme syrup and a boxy ice cube. We let the bartenders choose our spirit mix and are presented with a cocktail that tastes of soft caramel with a whisper of orange. It’s boozy as hell but you’d hardly notice over the smooth, dried fruit flavours. There are also plenty of mixes for those who prefer something chic and citrusy.
It's exactly the sort of place you want to feel liberated from your inbox at the end of the day. The knowledge that gracious service, ace drinks and excellent food are waiting for you makes leaving the office on time that much sweeter.