Gweilo at Evening Star Hotel
360 Elizabeth St
Surry Hills, Sydney
Gweilo is Surry Hills’ newest neighbour. It’s located within the Evening Star hotel on Elizabeth street. It’s hip, newly renovated and serving great Asian inspired cocktails and food. With funky, almost Blade Runner-esque wall graphics, Gweilo will have you inspired no matter what your mood. There is a mixture of tables and booths, perfect for groups of any size.
Did someone say cocktails? Well, if you like cocktails then Gweilo has you covered, all expertly mixed at the bar with some really innovative twists to some well known classics.
We started with some Singapore Mules. A twist on the famous Moscow Mule with a Chinese 5 spiced vodka and home made ginger beer. They tasted great and were served in the cutest Chinese themed mugs, topped with pickled ginger, to refresh the palate.
Our next cocktail was a health drink - well sort of. Called, ‘Eat Your Greens’ this green drink was a delicious and novel cocktail made with cucumber rum, Chartreuse, Broccoli shrub and celery bitters, served in take away containers which you can carry around anywhere you go.
Gweilo also has delicious food. First up we tried the Kingfish Sashimi which was served with coconut, chilli and lime, all together creating a mix of fresh morsels with tantalising flavours and textures with every bite.
Our next two cocktails were not only delicious but also spectacular to watch whilst served. The Dragon’s Breath had a tequila base with applewood smoke. Served on a tray and then revealed with the lift of a cloche, the tequila drink appeared once the smoke dissipated. A great show with the dramatic and aromatic smoke, and a delightful cocktail.
The Hadokun was just as spectacular. With rosemary gin and Aperol, this cocktail was presented with an extra-ordinary Absinthe flame creating quite the impression. Definitely a show stopper!
Back to food though, which we were quite keen to keep trying, especially after all those delicious cocktails. The Eggplant with Roast Chilli and Labne was a heavenly mix of smokey eggplant, creamy labne and heat from the chilli, all perfectly blended to create a real mouth sensation.
The Haloumi was also heavenly and deep fried (yes OMG). This gooey cheese was topped with sweet and sour peppers, black olive and betel leaves. This is Haloumi like you have never tasted before and a dish we highly recommend you try when you visit.
Carnivores are also expertly covered at Gweilo.
We tried two meat dishes. First was the Drunken Pork Belly with Chilli Caramel and Mint which had us scraping every last piece of pork and drop of sauce off the plate until nothing was left.
We then had the Wagyu Beef Shin with Carrot and Young Henry’s Rendang Curry which, like the Pork, had us using our forks as scrappers making sure every bit of the dish was scooped up.
Our dessert also did not disappoint (yes, we were able to fit in dessert). We chose the Coconut and Vanilla Sago with Vodka Cruiser Granita and Liquorice Meringue which was a taste sensation, where the silky pearly sago was popping through the delicious meringue with every bite, which was so good, we didn’t want it to end.
Gweilo at the Evening Star Hotel is open 7 days. If you like delicious handcrafted cocktails and Asian inspired mouthwatering food, then make sure you add Gweilo to your list of places to visit next. You wont be disappointed.
The Counts visited Gweilo as guests.