Sydney’s newest rooftop is set to open its doors tomorrow, Wednesday 10 November, as Sky Bar on top of Shell House in the Sydney CBD welcomes guests for the first time.
With floor-to-ceiling glass doors surrounding pavilions that fully retract Sky Bar has the 400-tonne Shell House Clocktower as its centrepiece and patrons will be able to enjoy a fresh perspective of the Sydney cityscape.
Brett Robinson, Shell House owner and restaurateur, said: “The Sky Bar is designed for fun and relaxation, a getaway, an oasis in the city. It just feels like the city’s living room to me. It’s just super relaxed. It’s easy.”
The beverage program includes Champagnes, progressive and classic wines, or a light and bright list of spritzes. The more adventurous can try the tongue-in-cheek “Negative Gearing” (following on from the Menzies Bar “In-cider Trading”), leveraging clarified ice cream bourbon, amaro, hazelnut, and smoked coconut. Snacks include Oscietra Caviar; a Spiced Snapper Collar; or Coal-Roasted Quail.
Next week the building will also open cocktail bar, The Clocktower Bar, which is hosed within the iconic clock on the building’s ninth floor. The Clocktower Bar is described as “an immersive space lined in timber joinery to capture the heritage and the grandeur of the 1930’s Art Deco period, and its Italianate architecture”.
On Friday 26 November the Dining Room & Terrace will open with “refined dishes that are infused with Australian provenance yet bear the mark of the Mediterranean way of life”.
Robinson said: “I spent a lot of my recent days thinking about restaurants that are essential — the havens that become indispensable to their communities, that galvanize trends, set standards for hospitality, or illuminate a cuisine in ways that feel fresh and magnetic. The places, in other words, that become an indelible part of our culture. I want Shell House to feel essential to the Sydney CBD. I like the rhythm of the crowd, a clear mix of the crème of the corporate scene, the city’s socially active, and those who are looking for a new experience from both near and far. This Dining Room holds a very special place for me as I hope it will for many others – it’s the beating heart of Shell House.”
