Maurice Terzini’s Latest Venue, The Bar in the Intercontinental Double Bay, Channels the Glamour of the World’s Best Hotel Bars

Icebergs restaurateur Maurice Terzini is bringing his signature flair to the Intercontinental Double Bay. Today marks the opening of The Bar, a venue inspired by the glamorous bars found in grand hotels from New York to London and Rome. It’s also a return to form for the hotel which, in its heyday as the Ritz Carlton, hosted luminaries such as Princess Diana, David Bowie and Elton John.

“As much as I love good quality dive bars, the sophistication of going to a hotel bar has always fascinated me,” Terzini tells Broadsheet. “The American Bar at The Savoy, Dukes, The Connaught [all in London] are great inspirations; the decadent elegance of some of these bars is so fascinating. This is not so much a departure but a journey into my future Hotel Terzini.”

Martini trolleys and tableside service will be pillars of the experience at The Bar, with a classic cocktail and food menu to match. The menu, designed by Terzini and Icebergs Dining Room and Bar head chef Alex Prichard – and executed by The Bar head chef Lewin White (Quay, The Langham, Re) – is loaded with dishes that wouldn’t look out of place at a hotel bar in the early to mid-20th century.

Expect N25 kaluga caviar, blinis with cultured cream and chives, beef tartare and a cheeseburger.

“The Intercontinental itself is a grand old hotel with so much history … it’s not trying to be hip or gimmicky,” says Terzini. “Classic drinks, classic service, some crepes suzette, a Martini, a place to escape, lots of space among tables, privacy – a bar for all walks of life. Most importantly it is a drinking bar about the drinker, not the bartender.”

The cocktails, by beverage creative director Ana Page, are classics with a twist, with a particular focus on French and Italian vermouths, and herb- and citrus-based liqueurs.

Like its overseas counterparts, such as the American Bar at London’s Savoy or Bemelmans at The Carlyle in New York, a resident pianist will take to the keys three nights a week. “The Piano Man”, Scot Finnie, who used to perform at the hotel, will be returning, along with the Intercontinental All Stars, a trio of musicians who will work to craft a signature sound for the venue.

The space itself has been made over by design firm Alfred, which pulled silverware and signed photographs from the hotel’s archives to help inform what they describe as a “supper club mixed between a classic cocktail bar and a 1920s piano lounge”.

The Bar is the latest to join a recent renaissance in hotel-based drinking and dining in Sydney – the recently opened Ace Hotel in Surry Hills hopes to draw in locals and visitors alike with the appointment of top chef Mitch Orr (ex-Acme), the Kimpton Margot hotel has Luke Mangan on the pans, and Dean & Nancy’s, led by the Maybe Sammy team on the 22nd floor of the Adina in the CBD, brings back the elegance of Las Vegas’s mid-century hotel bars. Terzini says the revolution couldn’t come soon enough.

“It’s about time hotels in Sydney catch up to the rest of the world with food and beverage … it’s exciting to see old brand bibles being tossed out and replaced with cultural and quality-driven values in hotels that should encourage and provide platforms for local talent,” he says. “The Intercontinental I hope will just be part of this new movement.”

The Bar
Intercontinental Sydney Double Bay, 33 Cross Street, Double Bay

Hours:
Daily midday–late

@thebardoublebay