Cruise Bar1-3 Overseas Passenger Terminal
Circular Quay West, Sydney
Cruise bar at the Overseas passenger terminal is more than a bar - It's an institution. Located right on Sydney's harbour with sweeping interrupted views of the skyline, it's a a garden oasis in a big city!
The Cruise bar has been an iconic Sydney bar for over 15 years and after about a year off the radar, tastefully refurbishing itself, it opened its door again last week. We were lucky enough to be at their relaunch party!Operating over two levels, Cruise Bar caters for many occasions. Downstairs is the Terrace bar, a cool outdoor bar space with fantastic wooden furniture and a green oasis right on the waterfront, a perfect place for an after work drink. Upstairs is the Junk lounge, named after Hong Kong Harbour's traditional vessels, a cool Oriental themed bar, perfect for those late party nights.
We arrived early on a Wednesday evening and were greeted by red carpet and a sea of media representatives madly taking pictures resembling something of a Hollywood event. The vibe was cool and hip with a DJ playing some great tunes on the decks.The terrace bar down stairs is huge, with an impressive marble bar and ample seating right on the edge of the water, it's the perfect spot to enjoy an uninterrupted view of Sydney's iconic Opera House.
Waiters were offering a selection of drinks and the cheese tables outside had more types of cheese on them than we can pronounce. The cheese board was beautifully presented, with lots of crisp bread and crackers too. This is not indicative of what the terrace bar has to offer, quite the contrary actually. The drinks menu here is quite long with a range of beers, wines and of course cocktails. If you're hungry (whether for a full meal or just a snack) the terrace bar has delicious Mediterranean themed food from head chef Richard Slarp.
We then moved up to the Junk lounge. We noticed a very impressive mural followed by a stylish bar with furniture of a colonial theme. The place was packed and we couldn't really find a seat so we walked around and noticed quite a few fruit platters displayed on a very long table. Now these fruit platters were big, enormous even and seemed to be resting on something and it wasn't till we got closer that we realised the fruit was being displayed on human beings. Semi naked women with delicious pieces of fruit on them.
Quite the sensation and definitely the topic of conversation for the evening. We didn't end up actually having any fruit.
The Junk Lounge is a true bar. With 18 cocktails on their drinks menu and a fantastic selection of Asian Street food dishes to choose from, it's the perfect place to drink and dance the night away. The night was very busy but we got to try a few samples of the food the Junk Lounge has to offer. The Lotus root chips with a spicy Yuzu Salsa were surprisingly salty and sour. The salsa is definitely hot and the serving is a decent size.
We also sampled the satay chicken skewers which were fresh and tender. There were so many of them too piled onto platters - and we just kept munching away on them.
There are many more options on the menu and we will definitely be back one evening to have a cocktail and try something else on their very interesting menu.
Both The Terrace bar and Junk lounge are open Wednesday to Sunday till late. Cruise bar has a great vibe, cool atmosphere and all with amazing views making it a perfect choice for your next night out.
The Counts, who are now doing reviews for Sir and Mlady Dine Out, dined as guests of Cruise Bar. Special thanks to Jai Evans of Cocreate Communications for the invitation.
