Bayswater Brasserie

Ph: 9357 2177; 32 Bayswater Rd, KINGS CROSS 2011 www.bayswaterbrasserie.com.au

Bar, Bar, ** for Ambience
Open Mon-Thu 5pm-midnight Fri-Sat noon-midnight, Closed Sun; Licensed; AE DC MC V
Chef (Sean Wynne, 2007-11-3) Owner (Nigel Lacy & Robert Smallbone, 2007-11-3)

Mietta's Review
"The more things change, the more they stay the same" - in Bayswater's Methuselean life, this old adage means a lot. In spite of occasional chef changes the integrity remains the same. The position is wonderfully convenient, there is a devoted crowd, tiers of oysters, a small but focused menu, great specials, an exquisite wine list, lively bar and middle range prices.

Other published opinions

Sydney Morning Herald Lenny Ann Low, 8-9-2008 "Crowd Street-smart locals: quiet and chatty during the week, packed on Friday and Saturday nights. ITS NUMEROUS accolades make it easy to think of Bayswater Brasserie's cocktail bar as an establishment purely for the upper reaches of society. It has a smart facade and a grand air in the small foyer but is a welcoming rather than achingly hip or fashion-conscious place - a Parisian bistro-style haven providing old-fashioned civility, excellent bar food and well-crafted cocktails"

Sydney Morning Herald Helen Greenwood, 13-6-2008 "The Bayswater Brasserie is a highly stylised form of this Parisian experience, as faithful to its antecedents as it was when it opened in 1982. The white tiles on the floor, the dark timber on the walls, the bentwood chairs, the waiters with long white aprons and the counter of fresh oysters all still smack of Gallic good times. During the '80s, this was the premier hang for the filmerati, literati and anyone who relished a good martini in the secluded back bar and then a plate of oysters, a rare steak and red wine to wash down the olives. There's an outdoor space, too, and you can also sit in the passageway to the kitchen where a pastry bench is manned by young cooks in long aprons who brulee pots of creme and dust icing sugar onto souffles."

Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2008 Score: 14/20 "The 'Bayz' is a Sydney institution that has wined and dined bohemians, businessmen, fashionistas and all-corners since 1982"

Gourmet Traveller 2008 Australian Restaurant Guide "The road t gastronomic glory is littered with insolvent restaurants that had a good thing going, and kept it going while their clientele moved on"

Sydney Eats 2008 "We doubt there's very much left to be said about this truly fine Sydney institution that hasn't already been said"

Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2007 Score: 14/20 "Now in its third decade, the 'Bayz' is still going strong. The look has changed little - white-tiled floor, white-cloth'd tables topped with butcher paper, dark-stained Thonet chairs and a dedicated oyster bar."

Gourmet Traveller 2007 Restaurant Guide "For almost a quarter of a century, Bayswater Brasserie has been one of the most benign and consistent of Sydney eateries. Its original begetters may have departed to other venues and ventures, but the spirit of the place remains, comfortingly unchanged in a city obsessed with makeovers."

Gourmet Traveller 2006 Australian Restaurant Guide "Long live the Bayz. Years and years before Longrain, they had the integrated bar-restaurant concept down pat. Before Sydney was even a glint in Maurice Terzini's eye, the bentwood-and-tile space was home to the long-lunching crowd."

Sydney Eats 2006 "Those of us who've grown - up? old? - sitting on the verandah or lounging in the bar at this Sydney institution tend to bristle if anyone says a word against it. But we must keep our critical detachment and say that after 23 years the Bayswater Brasserie is still fabulous."

SMH Good Living Dan Kaufman 31/5/05 "Hidden behind the landmark stylish and spacious restaurant is its stylish and spacious bar , with white-tiled floor, timber furnishings, subdued lighting and a cocktail menu that would warm any drinker's heart. ... Crowd Better dressed than I am. Vibe Hip yet comfortable. Highs The service and the squid. Lows The olives. Drinks Most cocktails $14.50, gin martini $16.50."

SMH Good Food Guide 2005 Score 14/20 "This is one of the best, constantly evolving while still maintaining the stylish bistro feel so cleverly established 22 years ago. Enjoy a drink in the bar at the back, have a smoke in the garden or dine in the conservatory at the front."

SMH Good Food Guide 2005 Best Bars "Actually, the Bays can get pretty gosh-darned raucous, thanks in no small part to bar manager Naren Young's cocktail expertise."

Gourmet Traveller Australian Restaurant Guide 2005 "When a restaurant has been in business for 22 years in Sydney it deserves respect - mixed with a little awe. Yet this place remains grounded and focused on diners having a great time and feeling relaxed. A big attraction is the oyster bar, set with starched napkins and silver, fronting the crustaceans propped on ice, which proves to be as ideal for a group as for a lone diner"

Sydney Eats 2005 "At only 22 the Bays might seem a little young to be an institution, but there's something ageless about its European calm, its clubby ambience. That's not to say staid and stolid, mind you. Beloved of the glitterati, the literati and the flitterati of the ad/media industries, it's famed for its cocktails and oyster bar"

SMH GFG 2004,'Very laid back,the Brasserie has added a great string to its bow with this back-room bar.Cool DJs and even cooler drinks make this a popular drop-in spot before dinner next door and also a nice place to swill at night.Chilled.'

Daily Telgraph NSW Restaurant Guide 2004, An icon of the Sydney restaurant scene, this long established restaurant cleverly combines the ambience of a Paris bistro with a contemporary Australian menu.

SMH GFG 2004, Score 14/20, And-aphrodiasiacs (Sydney rock and Pacific) on ice at the bar,'The effortless calm of the roadside conservatory thankfully also endures, as does the society mingle of actors, poseurs, femmes fatales, satyrs, seers and their literary agents, who love always the milieu of this legendary brasserie.'

Gourmet Traveller Guide 2004- one black star for casual dining, good vegetarian options- refurbishment, oyster bar, menu comprises seasonal bistro fare. Professional service. Bar very popular.

The Sydney Morning Herald, goodliving, bars, Kate Duthie, 16/4/02