Oscars Lounge Bar and Restaurant

LOCATION
The main road of Pyrmont, just past Darling Harbour and Harbourside; five minutes’ drive from the city.

PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIA
Boasting a prime location in Pyrmont, this restaurant and lounge bar effuses a casual sophistication conducive to a cheeky after-work cocktail or mid-week meal. The capacious interior is dotted with retro light fittings and greenery, with a bar dominating proceedings in the centre of the room. Stools, ottomans and couches fill the interior, while small wooden tables line one wall to form the restaurant. Whether you’re after a casual drink, a quick bite or a leisurely meal, Oscars has it covered. Open from midday to late seven days, and with meal and drink specials every day, Oscars is proving to be a popular haunt for Pyrmont locals.

Offering an extensive menu designed by Oscars Hotels’ executive chef Peter Anstey, the list focuses on modern Australian dishes with a Mediterranean influence. “Lite bites” and grazing plates are ideal for sharing; the Mediterranean mezze plate loaded with prosciutto, char-grilled capsicum, marinated olives and fetta, and toasted Turkish bread is an ideal tipple accompaniment. A good range of salad, pizza, pasta and mains will keep belly rumbles at bay, or go the whole hog with Oscars’ popular grill menu. The pork ribs, cooked until tender and then char-grilled and coated in a tangy hickory sauce, or the 100-day grain-fed 300g rump steak, both come with a side of greenery and fat chips. An $8.50 kids’ menu will please the little ones, as will a chocolate tasting plate dessert. Being part bar, Oscars pleases the liquid diners, too. With a well-rounded wine list offering a good number by the glass and bottle, plus a tempting collection of cocktails and imported beers, you’ll want to retire to the bar for a post-dinner quaff. Oscars can cater for functions of any kind, from office parties and product launches to birthdays and hen’s nights.

Lauren Barker, March 2009