Chalk up another highly anticipated opening for the growing Barangaroo precinct as the team behind acclaimed Surry Hills restaurant Bar H have announced plans to open a Vermouth bar and bistro along the water-side area come September. Chef Hamish Ingham and Sommelier Rebecca Lines will be heading up the new restaurant, which will serve up breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days a week to a capacity of 200 people, offering dishes inspired by the Mediterranean with a strong focus on botanicals in a space which has been designed by luxe specialists Luchetti Krelle, who are most known for their work at ACME and Momofuku Seiobo.
Banksii, which was named after the first botanist to come to Australia, Sir Joseph Banks, will have a drinks list centered around Vermouth, which Lines has curated to include over forty selections of the fortified wine to be served straight or used in cocktails. There will even be a bespoke Australia Vermouth from Maidenii to be poured on tap exclusively at Banksii. Along with the curated selection of Vermouth, the drinks list will also feature a 100-strong wine list focusing on both Australia and Mediterranean wines.
“Vermouth has an exceptionally long history and by the 17th Century was incredibly popular in Europe and England as an aperitif”, said Lines. “There has been a recent rediscovery of Vermouth and we’ll be focusing on it being served straight as an aperitif and in a tight cocktail list focusing on classics such as martinis and negronis”.
Ingham has been busy coming up with dishes for Banksii, and so far he has included intriguing combinations such as the breakfast dish of Rosmary Sheep’s Milk Yoghurt with fresh honeycomb and brioche, as well as Grilled Cumberland Sausage with fried egg, organic chickpeas, and tomatoes, cooked in Vermouth. Light, fresh dishes will feature for lunch and dessert, like the Vegetable Crudité with sesame yoghurt and mountain leaf oil, and the Roast Spatchcock with botanicals, fried bread, and argo dolce. The dessert menu so far features a Banksia Flower Trifle with banksia syrup, sweet Vermouth, rosella jelly, and burnt vanilla custard.
Banksii will add to a very strong line-up of both premium and casual restaurants and bars along The Streets of Barangaroo, including Belles Hot Chicken, a seafood restaurant from the acclaimed Bentley team, an opening from renowned Chef Matt Moran, and the recently launched bar-slash-style-hub The Barber Shop. These all will be part of the 50 plus bars and restaurants that are planned to line Barangaroo.
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