BASEMENT 33 - SYDNEY CBD

Basement 33
33 Goulburn St
Sydney CBD

Basement 33 might be a new addition to Sydney's cocktail scene, though it's certainly not an amateur bar. With a very impressive cocktail list on offer and bartenders who are true professionals, basement 33 is New York's finest, right in our neighbourhood!

As the name suggests, it's located in the basement of 33 Goulburn Street. It's tastefully decorated with a mixture of seating arrangements to cater for any group, small or large, with capacity to seat about 200 people inside. Adjacent to the main cocktail area are two private rooms, each with audiovisual capabilities, making it a perfect choice for a birthday celebration, or even a PR or corporate event.

We arrived on a Saturday night and although the venue was quite busy, we found a cosy booth to sit at. We both were in the mood for a few cocktails and after looking at the drinks menu, we definitely were in the right place.

Count J loves champagne and Count N likes vodka, so we started with the Vanilla Sky and and a Champagne Cocktail 33 Times a Day. If you like a strong cocktail, the Vanilla Sky is a good choice. With vanilla flavoured vodka and Cointreau, its a drink that makes an impression. The Champagne Cocktail 33 Times a Day was fantastic. It was mixed with the bars signature 'B33' fruit mix. We asked what that was, but unfortunately it's a house secret. It was delicious though. Count J is was extremely impressed.

After our first drink. We started getting hungry and Basement 33 has a food menu that's just as impressive as their cocktail menu. We love New York style pizzas and this place has 14 of them on offer. We choose the 'rocket to the moon' with fresh tomato, mozzarella and lashings of mouthwatering prosciutto. This pizza, with a thin crispy base, screams New York. We loved it.













It was time for another cocktail so out came the impressive drinks menu again. Count N always goes for the  healthy option if it's on offer, so when he saw 'health kick' on the menu, He had to try it. This refreshing cocktail had a gin base mixed with fruit like grapefruit and apple. He really enjoyed it. It wasn't as strong as the previous one so definitely a good choice if you like a more refreshing, fruity cocktail.


Count J followed suit on the fruit theme and ordered the Mel Ki. With a melon liqueur and Grande Mariner mixed with kiwi, it was tangy and slightly sweet. Both cocktails were consumed quite quickly so we ordered some more food as we were hungry again.

Now, if you like going out for a few drinks and having some food to share, this place is perfect. Lots of share plates to choose from and quite diverse too. You can shoes from an array of salads to antipasto plates to lovely desserts. First up we ordered the cheesy meatballs. As the name suggests, it's meatballs cooked with mozzarella and  then topped with mozzarella - Absolute cheese heaven with strings of mozzarella flowing out with each bite.














We also tried the cheesy fries which were just as cheesy and more-ish as the meatballs.

On the advice of the Waiter, we also ordered the antipasto platter. This was definitely a standout dish. This huge platter was loaded with enormous slices of prosciutto and other Italian cured meats with huge pieces of cheese and crispy Italian bread. This is a crowd pleaser and perfect for sharing!

As we finished our food we ordered one more cocktail just and studied the dessert menu. We went with a classic this time, a Gin Martini which was just as impressive as our previous drinks. It was perfectly shaken and presented beautifully. Then our dessert arrived. We were speechless. Presented in a huge mason jar, a stack of smashed waffles, Oreo biscuits, pieces of Mars bars all mixed with ice cream and topped with strawberries and whipped cream. this culinary explosion is something of a taste sensation and we highly recommend it.

Basement 33 has great vibe and is perfect for a drink or a night out with friends. The impressive fit out includes a stand-out bar that runs like a well oiled machine pumping out impressive cocktails in record time. Basement 33 is open 7 days a week.


The Counts, who are now doing reviews for Sir and Mlady Dine Out, dined as guests of Basement 33. Special thanks to Nathaniel Bourke of Maagnate for arranging this.

STAR BAR - SYDNEY CBD

Star Bar
600 George St
Sydney CBD

The Star Bar has been around for a few years - and before that it was Planet Hollywood. However it has gone through a major change in recent times and it is nothing like it used to be. Owner Kim Maloney, who is CEO of the successful Maloney Hotel Group, has invested some serious money into a multi million dollar transformation of Star Bar - and it shows.

It's basically new everything! New decor, new fittings, and the main reason we were visiting - a new Italian themed menu designed by one of the stars of the dining scene - Danny Russo. Star Bar is a big place - there's no point pretending otherwise - but the new fit out has created intimate spaces all around the venue that help eliminate the cavernous feel. There are so many separate areas that everyone can have their space!

We were surprised to discover that Star Bar has its own cinema!

Not to many places can boast that - but you never know what to expect in a venue that has a capacity of 750!

It's an intimate 62 seat theatre that is fitted out exactly like its larger cousins elsewhere - tiered levels down to a large screen, proper cinema seats - the whole shebang.

We were at the new and improved Star Bar for a media launch and as Mlady was unavailable I was lucky to be joined by D to savour the treats on offer.

Our first starter - while we were mingling - was the Star Bar signature mini russolini burgers. These tasty sliders were made with a herb and Parmesan crumbed angus beef pattie with Napoli sauce, basil and melted mozzarella. An Italian touch to an Aussie favourite and very nice as well!

After we sat down we started our Italian Feast in earnest. Our first platter was a delicious Italian antipasto.

It had Italian and local cured meats, cheeses, olives and marinated vegetables. Antipasto is such a great shared starter and this was all lovely.

We also had a bread basket with olive oil and balsamic - perfect with the antipasto!

Then the most colourful and tasty Caprese salad arrived at the table.

It was so simple and yet so nice. It was a lovely mix of torn buffalo mozzarella, cut heirloom tomatoes and basil.

The mix of colours and flavours was great and it was certainly fresh and light on the palate! Even though I'm not a huge salad eater I couldn't stop eating this one!

Then an old Italian favourite arrived - arancini balls. These arancini balls had tomato, mozzarella and basil inside them and they tasted as good as they looked.

Next was a platter of deep fried zucchini flowers stuffed with ricotta.

These were beautifully crisp on the outside - like the arancini balls were - and soft and packed with flavour inside.

Italian food is synonymous with pasta and pizza - and we weren't to be disappointed here! A lovely linguini gamberi arrived - with prawns, garlic, chilli, rocket and lemon. I love simple good quality pasta dishes and this was just that!

Our verdura pizza was just as tasty again with a diverse vegetarian topping of eggplant, roast peppers, zucchini, artichokes, pesto and Parmesan shavings.

Of course another traditional Italian main meal is risotto - and we were not disappointed with the version on offer at Star Bar.

This risotto was traditionally made and included market mushrooms, black truffle crema and Parmesan .

It was simple and elegant and so effective with lovely subtle flavours.

Our final main course was a real show stopper. It was slow roasted suckling pig - the whole hog in fact! It looked so impressive as it arrived at the table. This dish had a real wow factor to it and it caught everyones attention when it arrived.

It was served with roast potatoes, fennel, slaw and apple sauce. Fortunately the meat was beautifully cooked as well - and even though we were filling up by now we had to "pig out" some more.

Finally - the finale!

And what else do you have to finish an Italian Feast than tiramisu.

It was described as Danny Russo's homemade tiramisu bowl to share - and it was indeed a big bowl!

It was made with coffee anglaise and chocolate shavings and tasted great.

The new and improved Star Bar is slightly hidden away but well worth finding and trying.

The changed decor looks great and the new menu of Danny Russo is excellent. This is quality food at very reasonable prices.

Star Bar has something for everyone - great food, five bars, function rooms, pool tables hidden away in rooms downstairs and even a Superclub!


Sir and Mlady dined as guests of Star Bar, Kim Maloney and the Maloney Hotel Group. Special thanks to Kim Maloney, Maloney Hotel Group head of food Rogers Soundranayagam, Maloney Hotel Group Marketing Manager Sharon Coutman and Danny Russo. Thanks also to Kimberley Stewart and Gabrielle Sigelski from Agency G for arranging our visit.

THE DOME - SURRY HILLS, SYDNEY

Dome Bar and Lounge
Level 1 Corner of Cleveland and Crown Streets
Surry Hills, Sydney

Dome is a cosy sultry jazz den (even though it's upstairs) with chandeliers, subdued lighting, murals on the wall and day-bed like lounges - it's like stepping back in time. There's plenty of space with the band well positioned in the corner so that the everyone gets to see them from both directions in the L shaped room.

It's just a pleasant place to be. They even bring around free canape's - and they're good ones as well. We had some smoked salmon on baguette with creme fraiche and dill - it was a lovely teaser for what was to come later and a nice way to be welcomed. The amazing jazz we listened to during the night gave the whole place even more atmosphere - it was so memorable.

Of course a drink to start the night is always a good idea. Mlady had a cabernet merlot and I had a shiraz. The wine list is quite good here. We were then surprised by this creation of Boo Savage who is the top mixologist at Dome (and at a few other places in the group as well). It tasted great - and looked amazing as well - and yes that is a whole egg yolk you can see!

Entree number one - mine - was the pan fried scallops.

They came with carrot puree, crispy pancetta and truffle cream (with a dill garnish).

Four plump and juicy scallops (yes they were nicely cooked)  were delicately placed on the plate on top of a decent smearing of carrot puree.

The two dollops of truffle cream was ample to go with the dish.

I was initially concerned that the crisp pancetta would overpower the scallops but this didn't happen as it was subtly done. The flavours all combined well to make this a great entree.




Mlady had the salt and pepper squid. The calamari that arrived was actually extremely delicate in all ways.

The batter was extremely light - such a good touch - and the salt and pepper was also subtle.

Often this can be an overpowering dish in so many ways but this one was excellent.

Mlady said that she would gladly recommend this dish to anyone visiting Dome - and as I had a small sample (it was all she'd give me) I can fully agree with this.






My main was the lamb loin. I was advised that it came rare - which was perfect for me but I can understand some people balking at this so it was a nice touch.

Three good sized pieces of lamb arrived perfectly cooked - and I mean perfectly - beside smears of carrot and pumpkin mash, silverbeets that had been nicely wilted with homemade gravy.

I loved this dish. I've had so much good lamb over the years - but this was great lamb. The flavours just went so well together and it was all prepared beautifully and presented artistically.

The dish had appeal right through from plate to mouth.




Mlady had the fresh Australian salmon.

It came with crispy chat potatoes, tangy tomato salsa and green beans.

Mlady loves salmon but it was the thought and expectation of the salsa that tempted her to order this dish. It didn't disappoint as it had a kick to it but didn't overpower the salmon.

The salmon had beautiful crispy skin - again a favourite for Mlady and one of her pet likes.

She also loved the potatoes - they are something she doesn't eat a lot of but on this occasion she finished the lot. The skins were crispy and the flesh was soft inside. It was another winning dish.





My dessert was the dessert of the day - lemon tart.

I love a tart - particularly lemon - its a personal favourite of mine.

I received two slices nicely presented on top of each other with fresh fruit and a drizzle of fresh blackberry juice - and a few berries as well of course.

The flavours were nicely done with a solid yet not overpowering lemon taste and the pastry was a good thickness too.

I could have eaten another serving of this - if I actually had any more space!



Mlady had another favourite of hers - creme brulee.

It was described as a creamy brulee with a satisfying caramelised sugar top. For her its almost always her choice if it's on the menu so this wasn't a surprise. It was again a nice dish.

We were treated to a lovely finale drink from Boo with Mlady having a Johnnie Walker Platinum and for me it was a sublime very aged rum! Such a good end to a great meal!

Dome has great food, attentive service and you get to listen to amazing jazz as well.

Sir and Mlady dined as guests of Dome. Special thanks to Joshua Meijer for arranging our visit and to Fabiano and Boo for their help on the night.