KITTYHAWK
16 Phillip Lane
Sydney NSW 2000
What feels like stepping back into the era post World War 2 in Paris? Kittyhawk. This beautifully themed bar is the second endeavour from the crew behind Lobo Plantation - and it does not disappoint. Perfectly decorated, with ample space for sitting at the bar, a booth, a table or standing - Kittyhawk caters to all occasions. Countess and Duchess were instantly charmed by Kittyhawk and its feel good vibe.
We sat at the bar, wanting to take in the wonderful drink-making skills of the Kittyhawk bar staff. Asked what drinks we felt like, we were recommended the Memphis Belle and Nose Art - two cocktails from their beautifully designed menu. The Nose Art; gin, Suze, fresh lemon and pine needle syrup. Yep - pine needle. We heard the story of going to a pine tree farm and searching for the right pine needle taste, in order to take them back to the bar and reduce them into a syrup. This cocktail certainly had bite, but was fresh and very memorable. The Memphis Belle was much softer, being a sour style cocktail. It has Bacardi 8YO rum, Tio Pepe, fresh lemon, pomegranate, sumac and egg whites. This was delicious.
Countess was starving, so we ordered some of the great dishes on offer at Kittyhawk. To begin, we had the classic steak tartar with tostadas. This was super fresh, using grass fed cattle from NSW and supplied by Field to Fork. We loved the spiced ketchup! With all the elements combined it was like eating a burger. Duchess isn't usually a fan of mussels but we ordered the mussels vol au vent - and she's glad we did! These local mussels were absolutely delicious, served in a buttery puff pastry with white whine, garlic and herb butter. This dish had the right texture and amount of creaminess to delight the tastebuds!
The coq au vin pie was another winner, a tender chicken pie served with baby onions, mushroom and tarragon potato. This dish was beautiful, plated perfectly. Our favourite part was the onions - such a great contrast in taste. The real star of the night, however, were the ratatouille sticks. DIVINE! We were told that each layer of the pastry was handrolled, a layer of butter painted on, and then pastry, butter, pastry...you get the idea. This painstaking task was not wasted on us! SO SOFT, SO MELTY. YUM. Even better, these sticks were complemented with capsicum jam which was bright red and so sweet. What a dish!
The cocktails being so delicious, we ordered two more! The Berries 3 Ways was white rum, cherry Herring, smoked strawberry, fresh lemon, and pineapple ginger beer garnished with a cabbage leaf and jelly man. This was a beautifully balanced cocktail and Countess loved the fun addition in the glass. Duchess ordered a Dirty Bopper, hickory smoked rye, brown oleo sacrum, citric passionfruit fortified with apricot brandy, Stones Green ginger wine and mint. So many flavours! This was fresh, and definitely cleansed the palate.
Kittyhawk is a wonderful bar experience with great food to match. Thanks for the fantastic hospitality on the night and to Agency G for organising our visit.