Barons is a British dining room in the heart of Sydney’s CBD, an ode to old-world generosity and the pleasures of proper hospitality. The kitchen celebrates time-honoured technique and tradition: a nose-to-tail menu of roasted pig’s head with watercress and gravy, suet puddings, spiced chicken hearts with piccalilli, and a Yorkshire pudding made with due reverence.
The walls are lined with oil paintings from the COBRA movement, expressive works from the 1950s and 60s drawn from the owner’s collection. The cellar, meanwhile, is a true treasury of wine: clarets from Bordeaux and Margaret River, Burgundies of pedigree, and pioneering new-world producers from Tasmania and the Clare Valley. The wine list moves between refinement and character from grower Champagnes like Larmandier-Bernier and Pol Roger to aged Australian icons such as Tyrrell’s Vat 1 and Bass Phillip Pinot Noir.
Cocktails are classic: the Barons Martini stirred to precision, a Sherry Cobbler with rhubarb shrub, or a Brandy Alexander made for the close of evening. A well-poured pint of Reschs or a bottle of Samuel Smith stout sits comfortably beside the cellar’s treasures. For pudding, there’s a nostalgic Knickerbocker Glory, trifle layered with mango, passionfruit, cream and the timeless treat of a perfectly jammy Victoria sponge.
