When The Gidley restaurant and bar opens in Sydney CBD next month, it will be missing one key feature in the bar.
The Gidley Sydney – Photo Supplied
The Gidley is the latest restaurant and bar venture from Liquid & Larder’s James Bradey and Warren Burns, the hospitality group whose other venues include The Wild Rover, Grandma’s and Bistecca. The classic steak house takes inspiration from the world’s great grill restaurants, and is set to be opulent in style and service but remaining Aussie at heart.
Guests can expect rich timber and plush leather lounges, private dining rooms and an old school atmosphere with new world charm. The bar lounge area will be the first part of the dining experience at The Gidley, set up as if entertaining at home from a galley kitchen built into a wall. In other words, there will be no bartop and no barrier between guests and bartender.
“The ‘bar without a bartop’ was an exciting challenge”, says Liquid & Larder’s Group Bars Manager Jono Carr. “We wanted to create an environment without any barrier, a service space so we could interact with our guests in the open. The galley style kitchen will function as a service point in the room for bartenders to collect/build cocktails which has its operational issues but creates a fluid space.”
The cocktail programme will be focused on boozy classics served swiftly alongside some tall refreshing drinks and after-dinner cocktails. “The challenges of having a ‘bar without a bartop’ means having nowhere to hide and nothing to hide behind. Drinks-wise, it means a lot of pre-batching and bottling, carbonating and prep, so drinks come out ready to go within three movements.”
Guests at The Gidley can expect a personalised experience when the venue opens its doors. “I hope they will enjoy that there is no barrier between them and the bartender. It opens up communication and allows for seamless service,” says Jono Carr.
The Gidley is slated to open in November 2019.
The Gidley
Address: Basement,161 King Street, Sydney, (corner of King and Elizabeth Streets)
Website: www.thegidley.com.au
Updated 19 November 2019
