From the outside the Bristol Arms looks like a traditional pub but inside on the ground floor, there is a fantastic Greek restaurant by one of Sydney's best Greek chefs. On the top floor is a rooftop bar with a view of King Street Wharf plus a sexy, darkly lit bar on the second level. Come along as we have a look at what is inside!
"That's it," says Mr NQN pointing out the sandstone building on Sussex Street. I must have walked past this building countless times and never really paid it much notice. The front section of the Bristol Arms is like a regular pub but we are headed elsewhere.
We head inside and up in the elevator to the rooftop bar. It's 4:30pm on a Saturday and as the lift doors open, the DJ music envelops us. There are two sides to the rooftop bar but we head to the side with the view and take a seat at one of the outdoor tables where we bake in the sun like lizards. We are here with Valentina and Peter.
We are at the Rooftop bar for some light bites and drinks before we head downstairs for a Greek feast at Ela Ela. We order cocktails and Valentina loves her Cherry and Mint Bramble with Gin, cherry liqueur, sour cherry and mint while the Lychee Colada feels tailor made for me with rum, lychee, coconut, pineapple and lemon. Mr NQN's only complaint about his Spicy Mango Margarita is that "It didn't go on forever". It's made with jalapeno Infused Tequila Reposado, guava, mango, lime and agave. We also try the Yuzu Highball with Four Pillars Yuzu Gin, White Vermouth, Limoncello, Strangelove yuzu and rosemary.
We snack on the Greek fries that come out piping hot with wild oregano and sumac salt with the option of crumbled barrel aged feta. These chips are perfect for sharing and very moreish, especially when you get one with lots of feta on it.
One of my favourite snacks is the fried calamari that is lightly floured so that it is perfectly coated on the outside. The tender calamari is served with a deliciously garlicky lime aioli. We also really enjoyed the marinated Greek and local olives.
The Meze Plate for 2 has a thick sheaf of grilled pita quarters, tzatziki, olives, grilled halloumi sticks and chicken souvlaki. I think I was expecting a bit more chicken souvlaki on this because there is only one stick per person and also because the chicken is juicy and delicious. There is another option for a more substantial drinking snack with all of the grilled skewered meats served in wraps for $18-$22 each and we see a lot of these being served.
Before we know it, it's 6pm and we've spent one and a half hours on the sunny balcony and it's time to head downstairs to the cool, air conditioned comfort of Ela Ela. The name Ela Ela means "come come" in Greek and the restaurant is decked out in greens and whites with lovely and friendly service. Ela Ela is the new restaurant by OG Greek chef Peter Conistis who recently had Ploos in Circular Quay and Alpha. There are a couple of set menus at $60 and $75 each which is very reasonably priced but we have some recommendations that aren't on the set menu so we decide to go a la carte instead. The menu is made up of meze plates so prices go up to $28 and some of these dishes are actually quite substantial (like the moussaka, more on that later).
The cocktails are really interesting ranging from ones like the "Lamb Roast" with lamb fat washed bourbon and a "Dirty Feta Martini". Since we are celebrating Valentines Day (albeit a day late and with friends) we go for the Aphrodite with raki, pomegranate liqueur, ginger honey syrup, lemon, vanilla and jasmine perfume and the Ela Delight with mastiha, rosewater, vanilla bean, lemon and raspberry powder - this one is my favourite.
I was excited to see fava split pea dip as we had this in Santorini as it is a specialty there. I have to say that this version is even better than the one we had in Santorini and is topped with parsley, dried olives and tiny capers. Like there is no ying without yang, there are no dips without bread. And the wood grilled pita is fluffy and fresh with Rigani (aka Greek oregano) and a brush of extra virgin olive oil.
I love taramasalata and always have a tub in my fridge but this one is made with white cod roe with bottarga. It's superbly smooth and delicious and less salty than others I have tried but no less delicious.
The petite zucchini fritters are made with feta, mint, spring onions and lemon and are soft, light and delicious. They come as four to a serve.
I've visited so many of chef Peter Conistis's restaurants over the years and always order the scallops as they always have a different spin on scallops and taramasalata. This is fire roasted WA scallops in the shell with eggplant puree, taramasalata, a grilled slice of eggplant and salmon roe. One of these is great, two is even better.
We loved grilled saganaki cheese (who doesn't love melted cheese?) and this one is particularly delicious especially with the poached dried figs, Metaxa (a Greek spirit made of brandy and wine) and sesame seeds. The sesame seeds are such a great idea and next time I make saganaki I'll definitely be adding them.
The more substantial meze all come out all at once along with the salads. The spanakopita is large and individual sized. It is spinach and cheese filled pastry that is puffy and curled up and covered in a blanket of fresh dill to lighten it up. Next time I make it I'll definitely be adding the dill on top.
My favourite dish among a table full of deliciousness is the lamb chops. They're wood grilled and seasoned simply but they are so tender and pink inside with a perfect grill crust on the outside. I eat one like a delicious lollipop and then go back for another. This was one of the items that wasn't on the set menu that I really wanted to try.
Valentina loves the beef cheek stifado. Their version here has caramelised onions rather than whole with a mushroom skordalia. The beef is so tender and melts in the mouth.
The goat moussaka is the most substantial sized meze that we tried (I think I was expecting it to be half the size that it was!). It's a layered bake with goat meat, globe artichoke and a goats feta bechamel. The goats cheese and goat meat does make this moussaka a very flavour forward version and quite different from a regular moussaka.
There are four salads on the menu and we went for all four since they all sounded good and quite different from each other. The Horiatiki or Greek salad is a nice take on a classic. It has tomato, cucumber, red capsicum peppers and olives with a block of feta on top.
The chopped cos is a nice zesty and refreshing take on a green salad with cucumber, spring onions, dill and a light lemony dressing.
Koliva are Greek wheatberries similar to bulghur and we really enjoy this salad with its range of textures with roast cauliflower florets and pomegranate arils.
The lemon roasted potatoes are generously seasoned with plenty of wild oregano and garlic and go well with the meat dishes.
There are a couple of large birthday groups so the noise does tend to swell a lot especially once we have finished our mains. It's 8pm and it is down to lip reading as we are seated next to a large birthday group. But it's also time to give up our table as it has been 2 hours since we sat down. Our waiter delivers the news gingerly but when he suggests that we have dessert upstairs at their Midtown Bar we gratefully jump at it.
The Midtown bar is located on level 2 of the 4 levels in the building and is yet again a totally different vibe from the rooftop bar and Ela Ela. It's sexy and dark and while there is also a DJ there it isn't anywhere near as noisy as there are less people. The drinks menu is different and there's a range of mini cocktails with mini pina coladas for $11 each which is a trend I absolutely love. My favourite cocktail though is the (full sized) Making Love at Midnight with rum, berry compote, coconut, lychee, lemon and pineapple foam while Mr NQN enjoys the Rhubarbara Streisand with rhubai, sloe gin, apricot brandy, red vermouth and candied rhubarb.
We had decided to share each of the 5 desserts on the Ela Ela menu. The Rizagolo is a Greek rice pudding. It's a comforting dish that is elevated with the sour cherries and orange blossom ice cream
The most eye catching dessert is the ekmek kataifi which is layered with custard, strawberries, rose water and pistachios. It's nice but I think I was expecting more crispy kataifi in it because I love that crunch but between the layers of custard and fruit I didn't find much.
There are a couple of ice creams on the menu which are perfect for this hot steamy summer's night. The first is the sheep's milk yogurt ice cream with thyme honey and walnuts. This is a refreshing dessert that I really enjoy as I love frozen yogurt.
We also try the loukoumades. These delicious little golden fried donut balls are served with with yogurt ice cream, thyme and honey and walnuts. They do lose a bit of crispness as they are sitting in the yogurt but they are nevertheless chewy and delicious.
However hands down my favourite dessert is the Ladolemono pagoto which is a lemon and oregano ice cream. Ladolemono is a Greek Olive Oil and Lemon Sauce often used as a salad dressing or finishing sauce. The ice cream has a slightly grainy texture to it with the flavour of lemon curd with Neolea olive oil and a sprinkling of black lava salt that just hits it perfectly.
So tell me Dear Reader, do you like changing views or seating? Would you prefer the rooftop, the restaurant or the bar?
The Bristol and Ela Ela
81 Sussex St, Sydney NSW 2000
Phone: (02) 9556 3131
Tuesday – Friday: 12pm – 3pm
Tuesday – Saturday: 5pm – 9pm
https://thebristol.com.au/elaela/
Reader Comments
Loading comments...Add Comment