Big, bold and ambitious, Poetica brings sophistication and flair to North Sydney with a bar that pairs polished cocktails with snacks that hit hard on invention.
Poetica launched in September 2023 with a strong pedigree. As the latest offering from the group behind elegant neighbourhood French bistro Loulou and the charming CBD dining room Charles Grand Brasserie, it came with the expectation of polish, class and grandeur aplenty. And on the restaurant front, Poetica delivers, with light spilling into a 120-seat dining room, and a menu based around the wood grill with no shortage of finesse.
Spin around and make for the bar, a separate 60-seat zone, and you’re looking at North Sydney’s newest and most enticing drinking destination. Lush drapes cover floor-to-ceiling windows, velvet booths and beautifully upholstered tub chairs line the room, and the caramel-swirled marble bar is about as handsome as it gets. Kieran Lee, formerly of The Barber Shop, has put together a cocktail list to please all comers, backed it up with a love of classics, then gone hard on the wine list. The result is elevated and just a little bit fun – and that’s all before you get to the epic snacks.
North Sydney doesn’t usually do venues like this, but if the reception and atmosphere are anything to go by, it's been waiting for something like Poetica for a long time. The tone is airy and bright, the finishes are gleaming, the seating is luxe, and the service – overseen by a couple of top-notch Merivale veterans – is spot on.
There are considered greenery, fine glassware and menus bound in leather, but things never feel overworked or stuffy; instead, the focus is kept squarely on enjoyment and, of course, that includes the drinks. And what drinks they are: a Gimlet Highball made with lemon-myrtle cordial; Espresso Martinis made with Australian wheat vodka; and a Sour made with local Starward whisky and Brookie’s Mac macadamia liqueur.
No prizes for guessing there’s a local thread here, but this is a menu built on sound technique over gimmicks, on flavour over flash. Stay a while, dive into the drinks, hit the equally solid snacks list, and you’ll see why locals are reciting Poetica's name with fervour.
The kitchen, led by chef Connor Hartley-Simpson (who joined from The Charles, and has also worked at The Ledbury in London, plus Michelin-starred restaurants in the US and Sweden), packs some serious talent. But that doesn’t mean things are showy or overly fussy. Instead, expect a tight edit of snacks – fried olives with goat’s cheese, house-made focaccia – alongside a couple of larger plates, including a winning broad-bean salad with pickled lemon, a wood-fired jaffle and a charry grilled steak.
But it’s the flambadou oysters that are the place to start. Sydney rocks with a dab of spicy ’nduja salami are drizzled with flaming-hot beef fat and come garnished with a guindilla pepper – a one-bite wonder that’s worth the price of admission alone. Oh, and don’t skip the bowl of smoked eel and “embered” oxheart tomato to spoon over sweet house-made bread – it’s something truly special.
