A Tokyo-inspired whisky sanctuary has arrived in Sydney, and it’s one you gained’t need to miss. Hidden beneath the bustling streets of Round Quay, Bar Besuto is the most recent creation from Chef Joel Greatest, providing town’s largest assortment of Japanese whiskies in an intimate, moody setting.
Positioned subsequent door to its acclaimed sister restaurant, Besuto Omakase, this underground retreat transports visitors straight to Japan. Boasting over 150 Japanese whiskies, together with uncommon and restricted editions handpicked by Greatest throughout his travels by way of Japan’s prime distilleries. “There’s a whisky for everybody’s flavour palette right here,” Greatest mentioned.
Aesthetic Meets Ambiance
Descending the dimly lit staircase, visitors are transported in an environment the place wealthy picket accents, uncovered brick partitions, and the nice and cozy glow of amber-hued whisky bottles create an inviting and intimate escape. There’s even a coveted hidden nook—a favorite amongst regulars.
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Designed by Tom Mark Henry Studio, Bar Besuto attracts inspiration from Japanese Noh theatre, utilizing masterful lighting strategies to set a comfortable but refined tone.
The Whisky Expertise
One of the best seat in the home? Proper on the high-top bar, the place visitors get a front-row expertise to a full-service whisky training. Bar Besuto presents expertly curated whisky tasting flights, together with picks from the Chichibu Distillery—a small however extremely sought-after Japanese distillery, and legendary names like Yamazaki and Hakushu.
For these with a style for the ultra-premium, Bar Besuto proudly holds a bottle of Hakushu 25, a uncommon 25-year-old whisky valued between $15,000 and $25,000.
Past whisky, the bar additionally serves Japanese beers, sake, and handcrafted whisky cocktails. Signature house-made sodas elevate the whisky highball menu, providing six highballs, all obtainable in mocktail variations. Standouts embrace, Botanical Seltzer Highball (Roku gin, shiso, yuzu), Blended Citrus Highball (Haku vodka, blood orange, mandarin, yuzu), Basic Whisky Highball (Suntory Toki whisky, soda, lemon).
Bartender and cocktail designer Brandon Sabile has additional infused the menu with Japanese flavours, crafting drinks like Amongst the Evergreen, that includes black sesame-infused Roku Gin, Yuzushu, and matcha foam to prime all of it off.
“I method cocktail creation the identical method I cook dinner—by contemplating texture, flavour, and style,” mentioned Sabile.
Decadent Bites to Complement Each Sip
To accompany the in depth whisky choice, Bar Besuto presents a menu of “one-bite Japanese snacks”, meticulously crafted to boost the consuming expertise. Drawing inspiration from the omakase idea subsequent door, the place visitors go away their eating expertise within the chef’s fingers—the bar options choices just like the thriller bento field, prawn katsu sandwich, and top-tier caviar and whisky pairings.
At Bar Besuto, each go to is exclusive. The choice rotates primarily based on seasonal availability and newly sourced whiskies, guaranteeing there’s at all times one thing recent to find with out the long-haul flight.
(Picture Credit: DG Media, Tom Mark Henry & Yusuke Obe)