Lobby Bar isn’t just a fancy James Street boozer inside the eye-popping Calile hotel. It’s serving breakfast, lunch, dinner and bar-snack menus with a candid, unfussy approach.

The wine list remains approachable even while peddling a bunch of left-field producers, and the food and service is cutting edge but not fine dining.

The menu has a sophisticated, contemporary Asian influence. Standouts include braised octopus with soy and spicy daikon, and spring onion; blue swimmer crab tagliatelle with sliced zucchini flower; and duck and chicken tsukune accompanies by a soy and egg dipping sauce

The extensive wine list is a 60-40 split between Australian and European producers. There are also cocktails, and craft beers on tap.

Lobby Bar’s classy approach extends to the space itself. It features pink marble dining tables, a wrap-around bar with repeated marble columns across the facade, and bench seating with black and white textiles. Floor-to-ceiling windows flood the entire area with natural light, giving the restaurant an easy-going, approachable feel.