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Baharat

100 Barangaroo Avenue, Barangaroo, NSW, 2000
Phone
No phone
Website
baharat.com.au
Instagram
@baharat.bar

Read time 3 Mins

Posted 14 Aug 2023

By
David Matthews

Inside Baharat in Sydney's Barangaroo

Fuelled by spice, cocktails and a roaring oven, Baharat draws on the lively street bars of Istanbul, backing it up with Turkish beer, smart mixed drinks and a meze menu to write home about.

The entrance of Baharat at Barangaroo
Why you goBar. Food. Spices. These three words headline the menu – and the entire concept – at Baharat, a backstreet watering hole in Barangaroo that channels the spirit of Istanbul, with its buzzing bars and eateries, and fragrant, technicolour spice markets. Launched by Somer Sivrioğlu, who runs modern Turkish eateries Anason and Maydanoz (and also happens to be a co-host of MasterChef Türkiye), Baharat leans hard on its preference for spice, offering a cocktail menu featuring the likes of cumin, coriander, sumac and cinnamon. But this is no gimmick. Somer has been around the block and has drawn on his network to bring in two of Türkiye’s most renowned bartenders in Emre Bilgin and Berk Abdullahoglu. The result is cocktails that put a Turkish spin on classics – everything from Highballs to Bloody Marys – and colour outside the lines in fresh and exciting ways. To go with them, the supercharged wood-fired tombik oven turns out pides and flatbreads, the snacks list is fresh and fragrant in equal measure, and the kebabs – cooked over charcoal – totally hit the spot. Bar? Food? Spices? It’s a yes on all fronts, but in terms of capturing the spirit at this new opening, those three words are just the beginning.
Why you stayIt may be tucked away in the alleyways of Barangaroo, but once you step inside Baharat, the scents and sights immediately transport you. Jars of colourful spices line the shelves behind the bar, flames leap inside the oven and cured meats hang behind glass in the kitchen. Traditional tiles and plates mounted on the walls add pops of colour, and a chrome tub loaded with ice holds XL bottles of Efes, the Turkish beer kept ice cold and ready to be deployed at a moment’s notice. Above you, pendant lights cast a warm glow on wood and slate finishes, and a cute crimson curtain fringes the ceiling above the bar. With room for just 50, whether you’re packed on banquettes or perched at the bar, odds are there’ll be atmosphere aplenty, even if every seat in the house isn’t taken. Either way, count on the bar team to steer you well. It might be towards Turkish wine, or a spice-infused cocktail, but odds are they’ll encourage you to flick the page to the food menu, too. Follow their lead, and dive into snacks – pillowy hummus, crisp falafel and moreish fries await, and that’s just for starters.
The shelves of drinks behind the bar at Baharat
The Kanli Nigar at Baharat is their take on the Bloody Mary
What drink to orderIt has to be an Efes “fatboy”. A tubby beer bottle that’s kept on ice and comes out ultra refreshing, it’s the perfect opener while you get to grips with the menu and order a snack or two to get things moving. Once you’re settled, think about a cocktail. There’s the Elma Highball, a mix of whisky, apple and cinnamon, but don’t sleep on the Belly Dancer – a smoky hit of mezcal meets a sweet-sour jolt of grapefruit, with allspice dram liqueur and raki, Türkiye’s national spirit, bringing the complexity and spice. That said, the Kanli Nigar, effectively a Bloody Mary, is made with a house spice blend taking things up a level, and the bartenders throwing the drink rather than shaking it to give it a velvety texture. Not a cocktail fan? Try a Turkish wine from the considered list.
What to pair it withThe mezes and snacks section is the place to start, where openers range from epic fries through to fresh melon served with barrel-aged feta. Choose the latter and pair it with a shot of raki for a match made in Istanbul. Pastirma, aka air-dried beef, is the go if you’re craving cured meat, and comes out with puffy bread and pickles, but don’t skip the pide flatbreads or kebabs, which make the most of the roaring oven. If you didn’t order the pastirma for snacks, the pastirma and egg pide is the pick – a just-set yolk primed for dipping bready edges into – while for kebabs go the adana, made with ground lamb belly and loaded with grilled tomato, chilli and spice-spiked onions. Far, far better than any takeaway kebab joint.
Delicious dishes served at Baharat
The interiors of Baharat in Sydney
Why we love itHow many Turkish cocktail bars does this city have? In running hard at the concept, Baharat has created a unique experience for Sydney – one that’s loaded with flavour and hits the brief on every count. It might be little, but what it lacks in size it more than makes up for in ambition. Give it a whirl and you might find yourself plotting your return before you’ve left the building.
Regular’s tipPro tip: Barahat does takeaway. It’s one thing to perch at the bar and load up on snacks; it’s another to order a spread of meaty flatbreads, kebabs, hummus and fries and take a stack of boxes home for a night in, or to eat by the water. Come summer, preface a cleansing swim in the nearby harbour pool at Marrinawi Cove with a full spread from the wood-fired oven – just be sure to wait 25 minutes before diving in.
Who to takeYou can book here, so even if this space is just a slice of a room, that doesn’t mean the team can’t set a table for 10 or 12. Still, the location means the biggest market is going to be a city-dwelling, post-work crowd catching the lifts down from the towers; stick around past six and you’ll see couples and friends staking out a spot and settling in for the long haul.
image credits: Steven Woodburn
Authour image
David MatthewsDavid Matthews is a bar and restaurant critic who has written for Australia’s leading food publications, including Gourmet Traveller and Good Food.
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Drinks DirectorySydneyMeal and a bevSydney – CBDVego Food OptionsOutdoor areaNon-alc OptionsKiller cocktailsCasual catch-upBarRestaurantAfter work drinks
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