Sunday, May 13, 2012
Assembly Bar
It is a Friday night at 8pm and a "loyal
companion" and we stroll from our usual Friday haunt at Bar 333 (don't ask
why, it has sentimental value, again; don't ask why) to some new bar that my
accountant friend invited us to where that age-old tradition of after work
drinks were on.
Despite the fact we are not really paying attention, this
place is a bugger to find! It doesn’t seem that, on quiet Kent Street (at the
Frasier Suites end), there are any signs of a hip and happening bar around. But
upon seeing a group of well-dressed young corporate women having a classic
"we don't normally smoke, but we'll bum puff on a Friday night after a few
sly ones" cigarette in the middle of the sidewalk, we thought we'd investigate
further. Seeing a narrow alley behind them, we follow the yellow brick road
into this magical passage way (that actually leads to George Street!) and find
the hidden treasure essentially behind Azuma!
The bar is quaint, with an outside area (that is inside the
passage way) set up with turf on the walls, fairy lights and outside furniture.
It gives the space this cool outside-but-inside vibe that works and would be an
awesome place to chill at 5pm on a weekday with a glass of wine.
Walking into the rustic, old school saloon styled bar
(that's split level), it is dimly lit and not too heavily packed. The crowd is
mainly young city corporates, letting loose after a long week. What stands out
is the bar itself, a backdrop wall made up of wooden shelves to hold its aged
rum and bourbon. It definitely set the scene.
Getting amongst it, I ordered 3 lemon lime vodkas for my
mates and a bottled Asahi from the eccentric bartender (who free poured the
vodka) for a cool $25. A cute bartender and cheap drinks: it is Nosh's lucky
night! As I had my usual rant/flirt to the cute bartender about the perceived
vodka rip-off from his free pouring, he simply smiled; grabbed a standard 30ml
shot glass and poured the vodka into it. Of course it filled the shot glass
perfectly. I grunted and he poured it back into the glass without saying a
word.
After a few beverages, we needed snacks. I grabbed the bar
menu expecting to see usual bar food, but boy was I wrong! The menu was a
modern and uptown take on basic bar food fundamentals with offerings such as
the "Assembly fries" (fat fries + cheese and truffle sauce), "3
Pork Belly Sliders" (pork belly+spicy sofrito+pickled red cabbage+mini
brioche buns), "Wild Mushroom & Lentil hot pot" and a range of
hot dogs using not only pork and lamb (instead of boring beef and chicken) but
exciting toppings such as pickled cucumber, toffee onions and wasabi dressing.
On top of this brilliance, the share plates were moderately priced with $9 for
a hot dog and $14 for the sliders.
After
devouring the food and some great conversation, we called it a night and went
on our merry way. All in all, it was a great find!
Assembly bar
is open Monday to Friday, midday to midnight.
Entry via
488 Kent Street, Sydney.
Phone - 9283
8808
Assembly bar in a matter of words:
* Hidden food treasure: the chocolate fondant $14 – it was
unexpectedly fresh and oozing of chocolate goodness!
* Pet Peeve: No tap beers! Sacrilege!
* Price Value: Tick!
* Want to go back to try: The cocktails (looked smancy and
ranged between $16-$19)
* Secret weapon: the food!
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