REVIEWED BY DE GROOTS MEDIAThe Julep Lounge has filled a neglected niche in Canberra for discerning customers who want more with their drinks than a tacky DJ and strobe lights. You won’t find throngs of enthusiastic youngsters sporting artfully ripped jeans or sticky floors and aggressive bouncers here. Instead, step into an arena where excellent drinks are savoured and good food is shared among friends. With luscious interiors filled with antique chaise lounges, muted lights, patterned wallpaper and touches of mahogany, the atmosphere is intimate without being crowded and decadent without being gaudy.
With a limited, but tasty, tapas menu, the concept of dining here is rather different than your average restaurant – from after-work classic Manhattans tempered by a round of Vietnamese chilli ginger chicken wings, to late night tete-a-tetes between lovers enjoying a couple of Cuban Blazers with a bowl of warmed olives. The food has a delicious Asian edge – try the Peking duck rolls or the chicken roulade stuffed with pork mince, mushrooms, peas, onions and rice vermicelli. The signature cocktail is a meal in itself with Hennessy VS cognac, peach, fresh mint and sugar and the Real Georgia Julep is a must-try. While cocktail and tapas bars tend to be rough on the wallet, Tuesdays are half-price tapas nights, and on Fridays you can revel in free tapas with $10 cocktails for happy hour. Enjoy!
Russell Buzby, June 2008
