The 25th Floor – East Sydney
If you were brought up watching rat pack movies starring Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin on Sunday afternoon TV like I was then you might get a kick out of the 25th Floor. After all, this has a strong retro feel and you could easily be in the 70s or 80s judging from the décor and jazz on the sound system.
Located in the Bayview Boulevard hotel on William Street (near Kings Cross), the main attraction here is the view. There’s both a restaurant and bar on the 25th floor and while the restaurant faces toward the city (and that’s the view shown in the photo above), what impresses both myself and WingWoman is the view from the bar, which shows a whole different side of Sydney (stretching over Woolloomooloo) that you don’t normally see.
The other attraction is probably unintended – namely that even on a Friday night the bar is almost empty, allowing us have it to ourselves.
Inspired by Frankie baby, I order a gin martini while WingWoman asks for a strawberry and lychee caipiroska, which the menu says is made from fresh strawberries, vodka and lime (prices aren’t listed on the menu but the cocktails end up being $14 each).
The gin martini is shaken not stirred and has icy shards floating on top, which isn’t ideal. On the plus side, it still tastes good – you can tell they used quality gin – but on the downside the olive is, without exaggeration, the worst I’ve ever tasted in my life, to the point where I’m wondering how old it is.
There’s worse news with the caipiroska, which WingWoman finds too sweet – it comes across like a convenience store slushie and we’re not convinced it has fresh strawberries in it. WingWoman complains and, to the staff’s credit, they replace it with a different cocktail made with Absolut Citron, Cointreau and blood orange that tastes a little better.
Considering how great the view is, the 25th Floor has the potential to be a fantastic bar. I might still go back if I were in the mood for a beer or whiskey rather than a cocktail but I can understand why it isn’t busier than it is.
The 25th Floor, 90 William Street, Sydney. Phone 9383 7222 or see the 25th Floor (Bayview Boulevard) website
Now it’s your turn – how do you rate the 25th Floor bar?
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