Enmore Road Barhopping - Part 1

It’s Saturday. The promise for the evening ahead is Marrickville Bowlo, where local lads, Starcrazy, are having an album launch for ‘Another Day, Another Squalor’, backed up by Queensland interlopers, Emu, and new kids on the block, Pocketwatch.

But it’s early afternoon, and that promise seems further away than the walk up Enmore and Victoria Roads to reach the Bowlo from Newtown Station. So why not make it worthwhile and check out some of Enmore Road’s bars, old and new, to get ourselves in the mood.

We arrange to meet at Bar Planet. All good journeys start at the beginning and Bar Planet is right at the beginning of Enmore Road (number 16 for those that like to be precise). Most importantly though, it’s a martini bar - and after we all battled Sydney's public transport which has proven to be reliable in being unreliable - we all need a boozy, citrusy, thirst quenching start.

We are greeted at the door (which is adorned with some fantastic wax dripped candle holders), needing a table for three parched, and slightly frazzled public transport patrons. Things are already looking up when a bag of popcorn is thrown to our waiter from behind the bar. If you don’t come for the martinis at Bar Planet then just come for the popcorn, it’s frickin’ delicious. The bartender informs us, with a straight face, it was dusted with crack cocaine (drugs are bad, mkay). A slight pause as we consider the truthfulness of that statement given how good it is, and I’m pretty sure he’s not quite correct, but whatever the spice mix is - it’s addictive.

Our waiter takes the time to explain the menu, it’s a nice touch, builds on our popcorny welcome and adds to the small bar experience. Today’s special is hand written on our menu. There are four stock standard martinis, self explanatory really. There’s make your own martinis with your choice of gin (4) or vodka (4), choices for wet or dry and olive or twist. You have a choice of six other cocktails and tonight’s special, a blackberry and bitter orange ah, slushie? For the beer drinker, well you get a Grifter Lager.

We order the standard Bar Planet Martini times three because why mess with a classic? Make sure you watch them being made as it’s well worth the pouring and citrus expression show. Being at a small bar and experiencing great bar staff crafting a cocktail from fresh ingredients and quality booze is one of life’s pleasures. There’s just enough lemon citrus here to cut through the booze and make this a refreshing start.

It’s one more martini (because one is not enough, surely) and then an Old Fashioned, made with Bar Planets house blend rum. I love an Old Fashioned and I think it’s a great way to judge a bar given it’s such a simple drink by way of ingredients, but difficult to get right so that one element doesn’t overpower the others. This one’s a winner, and the house blend makes it a little different to my preferred spirits of bourbon or rye.

Time to make a move. Off to another stalwart of Enmore Road, Fortunate Son (105 Enmore Road). Unfortunately, there are more people packed in here tonight than on a peak hour City bus service! A quick chat to the staff and our name is on the list for a text once a table becomes available.

So, it’s across the road to relative newcomer, Baby Dragon (112 Enmore Road). This place looks fantastic! The artwork places you in a tropical island paradise, but the most striking feature is the prunus tree and cherry blossom that dominates the bar area. It’s a spectacular little space, and it is little so don’t bring a cat to swing! We were lucky and were seated at the bar which I love as you get to watch the staff in action. If you want a table, and especially if you want to eat, I’d go with a booking.

The cocktail list is extensive and there’s enough variety of spirits, liqueurs, mixers, bitters, shrubs, and other ingredients to keep anyone happy. Try something from the ‘Theatrical Cocktail’ list as you will be guaranteed flame or smoke, or both! There’s also plenty of beer options here, some crafties from near and far, Japanese imports, low alcohol choices, and ciders.

Baby Dragon also does food, which we unfortunately didn’t get to tonight as we were on the clock for the Bowlo and Starcrazy. Like the drinks offerings, it’s pretty extensive. There’s an oyster bar, and plenty of shared plate options which cover island style and south east Asian flavours. If you’re after something more substantial, there’s scotch fillet or wild barramundi fillet. For a small bar, that’s plenty of food choices.

It’s time to move as the Bowlo is starting to call us and we wanted to check out the freshly opened Enmore Country Club (182 Enmore Road). Think the wood panelling from your grandparent’s favourite golf or tennis club from the ‘70s and you’ve got the décor down pat. There’re a few outdoor tables if you want to watch the passing parade on Enmore Road and breathe in the fumes from the cars and buses. But we get to pull up a pew at the bar, luckily enough, as it’s packed. The bar runs the length of the main bar area, lined with bar stools and few bar tables along the wall.

Just enough time for a couple of quick Akasha Mosaic IPAs (the best of the single hop IPAs in my opinion) here to break the cocktails up a bit. We really ran out of time as I would have loved to explore that back bar a little more and see what the bartenders could rustle up when it’s their choice. But that will have to wait for another visit!

It really is the tip of the iceberg as Enmore Road and King Street continue to offer one of the best entertainment, food, and watering hole experiences you will have in Sydney. We managed to knock off an old favourite and explore some newcomers so, all in all, time well spent before the show. We are certainly well lubricated at this point!

If you are keen for me to get out and visit a particular bar, pub, or brewery let me know in the comments and I’ll share my thoughts. City to Inner West is my go to so anywhere in that vicinity I’m happy to check out. Stay tuned for more beers, booze, and venue thoughts.