Darlo Country Club
235 Victoria St
Darlinghurst, Sydney
The newly refurbished Darlo Country Club is Sydney newest chic bar right in the heart of trendy Darlinghurst. Have you ever wanted to visit the Hamptons but can't get on a plane to the US? Well the Darlo Country Club is oozing so much style, you'll be living that Hampton's style right here in the heart of Sydney.
The Darlo Country Club is well presented with beautiful wooden furniture. It has a beautiful bar area, cozy booths, bar style stealing and even and a few lovely lounge areas, perfect for larger groups or a special occasion. So really, it can cater for any occasion.
We decided to start our evening with a cocktail, it probably had something to do with the impressive collection of spirits displayed behind the bar, or maybe the barman who was producing some pretty impressive drinks. Either way, our Aperol Spritz and Hollywood sour were well done, strong and full of flavour. We were particularly impressed with the vanilla and chocolate hints the Hollywood sour carried (Count J had a second one of those).
After our lovely drinks, it was time for some food so we started with a tuna poke and some cauliflower hummus. We particularly enjoyed the creaminess of the hummus which is much lighter and fluffier than traditional hummus. It was also a perfect scooping agent for the totally moorish fried pita bread it came with. The bread was so crispy and delicious, we just couldn't get enough of it.
The tuna poke, best eaten in one bite, was a beautiful creation of silky bluefin tuna nestled on a nori cracker topped with delicious ginger mayonnaise. This beautiful little gem explodes in your mouth creating a sensation of tastes and flavours.
Count J then enjoyed beautiful serving of beef tartare all by himself (Count N was too busy scooping up the last of the cauliflower hummus). Beef tartare can be considered a plain dish sometimes but here at the Darlo Country Club they serve it with a smoked bone marrow and a quail egg. Count J was quite impressed and couldn't get enough of it.
We also tried the Pan roasted sirloin and the grilled chicken breast, both part of the Darlo Country Club's main menu. We especially enjoyed the Waldorf salad the chicken was served with. We love blue cheese and this Waldorf salad was loaded with it.
Another thing the Darlo Country Club has going for it is its bar food. So if you don't feel like a having full meal and just want to have something small with your drink, you can order a few of their sides. There a quite a few different sides to choose from. We tried the macaroni and cheese, so creamy and cheesy, it was served in a little pan which we almost licked clean (it was that good). But also surprisingly, we really enjoyed the fried brussell sprouts. We say surprisingly, because we don't usually like brussell sprouts,but these are smothered in Parmesan cheese and drizzled with truffle oil (probably why they are so yummy).
But the showstopper of the evening was our dessert. Literally a flaming production, this spiced apple pie with vanilla bean ice cream was literally set alight with calvados right in front of our eyes (calvados is a delicious aperitif). The process was so spectacular we had customers huddling around our booth taking pictures while the dish was being prepared - It was so much fun and it tasted great too. We highly recommend this one folks.
So whether you are in the mood for a drink, a meal or both, the Darlo Country Club offers a stylish choice. The food is great, the service is fantastic and the cocktails are great. After our delicious food ended we stayed on and enjoyed a few drinks and enjoyed some lovely tunes the DJ was producing. We'll definitely be back.
The Counts, who review for Sir and Mlady Dine Out, dined as guests of Darlo Country Club. Special thanks to Kimberley Stewart from Agency G for arranging this visit.