The Beresford
When plugging millions of dollars into refurbishing a pub, you have a few choices. You can do the obvious, and fit it out in that ubiquitous chrome and white, safe in the knowledge that the bar will fill up after work with Johnsons spilling Coronas on each other's suits.
Or you can do something interesting, and pay homage to the pub's former life as a comfortable den of iniquity.
Yulli's
Those new licensing laws are finally starting to kick in and small bars are popping up all over the place. The latest addition is the wine bar/restaurant/café Yulli's. Like a caped crusader of hospitality, Yulli serves coffee by day (and breakfast on the weekends) before dimming the lights and switching to wine bar by night.
Sticky
As a sprouting youth obsessed by secret corridors, tunnels and labyrinths, the illusive nature of entry to this here bar really turned me on. One arrives to a back alley door instructing you to notify Michael or Benito of your presence. Post a patient wait, you are warmly greeted by said gentlemen and ushered into the elevator.
The Rum Diaries
It's something pretty special when you walk into a bar, take a seat, and a couple of minutes later the bar owner sits down and talks you through the menu.
Welcome to The Rum Diaries, your new local (yes, even if you live in Surry Hills).
For the past two months owners James, Mark and the gang have been painting, plastering, scouring the Mitchell Road Auction House and importing rum from Paraguay to give Bondi what it so desperately needs - a bar that doesn't smell like palm oil and vom.
The Flying Squirrel
Canadian owner Brody Petersen and his team have brought a fresh new eatery to the Bondi area. It's a little dark, it's full of atmosphere and it's loaded with a whole wall of different cocktails (not to mention a crew of damn attractive staff). The Flying Squirrel quickly jumped to success as rumours began to circulate about the cool setting and easy food.
Wine and Espresso Bar
Remember when you were first allowed to hold a cup of red cordial? (Two hands please). You felt lucky. Then you were allowed to hold a cup with one hand, and finally you became privileged enough to hold a real glass. Well done you.
However, you probably haven't had any drinking achievements to be proud of for a while, and it's here that the magically large glasses at Wine and Espresso Bar can help to reinstate the privilege.
Madame Fling Flong
We're not going to engage in any sort of silly city-baiting about whose is better, as that's as pointless as comparing apples and orangutans. But we will say one thing we miss up here are Melbourne's abundance of cozy, homey, ramshackle lil' pubs. It's so expensive in Syders to open a pub that owners often insure they make their money back by appealing to the highest common denominator; i.
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